Systems
We’d anticipated, when we started writing this chapter, that the alerts would inevitably be e-mail or phone calls you’d receive from the system, because all the large alarm monitoring companies expect to sell you equipment, installation, and a lock-in contract for monitoring services.
We were wrong. Pleasantly surprised, but wrong. Smarthome apparently sells a lot of security systems, and in response to customers wanting a central monitoring service. You have to use one of the specific alarm controllers they sell, or verify the one you have is compatible with their service. With that constraint — which means you won’t be doing your own processor or software — the installation, sensors, and power line backups are your design.