CCTV Video Verification

YOUR SMART HOME IS SMARTER THAN YOU THINK.

With a smart alarm system, security events can be used to trigger automated responses. Imagine if your garage door could remind you it's been left open.

EVER RETURNED HOME TO FIND A DOOR WIDE OPEN?

We’ve all had that moment—it’s rare, but never pleasant. The good news? It doesn’t have to be a problem anymore. And you may already have all the fundamentals to fix the issue.

SO WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN?

It's a simple idea: f your smart home system can already lock and unlock doors, it can likely tell whether they’re open or closed too. That means we can set a time limit—say, one or two minutes—for how long a door should reasonably stay open. If it’s still open after that, a bit of automation can step in to trigger something useful, like a friendly reminder.

HOW DOES THIS HELP YOU?

Perhaps you've found yourself in a similar scenario to our client James. He had returned home after a long day at work—only to find his garage door wide open. It had been like that all day. Turns out, the kids had rushed off to school and forgot to close it behind them.

Using his existing alarm system and a sprinkle of automation - we enabled D.O.T.L. Now, if his garage door is left open for more than a few minutes, the system sends him an instant notification.

He can then choose to leave it open, close it remotely, or simply monitor the activity through his CCTV.

Not only does it mean better protection from potential issues, but you can have peace of mind knowing you have the best security and surveillance in place.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

A properly installed alarm system typically includes door sensors, known as reed switches, which let the system detect when a door is opened or closed.

Most current systems also support the DOTL feature, which can be configured to alert you via push notification. If your system is connected to a professional monitoring service (which we highly recommend—see my article Should I Have My Alarm Monitored?), the control room can even give you a call directly.

The simplest way to make this happen? Let your whole-home control system—like Control4 do the thinking for you. Control4 includes a built-in push notification feature right in the app. Once you’re notified, you can stay within the same app to take action:

• Check your cameras to see what’s happening. A quick swipe and you'll be able to view your live video footage.

• Close the door remotely. The app will show you the open door, touch the icon and watch it close in real time

• Speak through your CCTV system to anyone nearby. Your CCTV should be microphone and speaker enabled, great for warding off would be intruders, or reminding someone to close the door.

SO DOES IT TAKE LONG TO SETUP?

Not at all. For our existing Control4 clients, we can usually configure this remotely. If you're not yet set up with the right door sensor (reed switch), a quick site visit may be needed to install it.

Want to set this up in your own home? Get in touch and we’ll make it happen.

Next time you leave the house, will you remember the door

or will your home do it for you?