I have a condo (owned in a building of mixed renters and owners) and have Front Point Security. It's completely wireless (except the control panel which is movable but requires an outlet). There is a remote and an iPhone/Android app to arm/disarm. As for the building management, they're required to either A) give me notice (in which case the alarm would be off anyway) or B) enter in an emergency situation (in which case the alarm would likely be going off as it covers smoke, carbon monoxide, and water). It controls the windows and doors with the option of future home automation with lights and electronics.
So is xfinity home a good idea or are.there better options?
Personally, I would go with an established and dedicated home security company such as ADT. My reasons are many: Comcast is too new at this; adding that just gives CC waaaaay too much control over one's life; and there are horror reports all over the internet about the CC home security failing and the usual "have you power-cycled ..." responses from tech support.
I had ADT at another home I owned and it was great. Again, I would go with a dedicated home security company.
In an emergency/urgent problem like gas leak, water leak,,etc no notice is required so some sort of alarm shutoff code must be shared.
Or you can just let them set it off. No need to share the code. This way you also have immediate notification that something just happened in your apartment instead of getting home to a big surprise.
They lied to you. I have many friends with Home that only rent in Philly.
And - don't listen to many people here about "Comcast being too new".
We've had the system almost 18 months now. We love it. You can arm and disarm from your phone, laptop, etc instead of the gateway if you choose. The gateway can also sit on a dock if you don't want it drilled into a wall (which is what we did). You can view the cameras (if you get that package) - and control in home lighting.
The service is fantastic compared to the garbage we had with ADT.
They lied to you. I have many friends with Home that only rent in Philly.
And - don't listen to many people here about "Comcast being too new".
We've had the system almost 18 months now. We love it. You can arm and disarm from your phone, laptop, etc instead of the gateway if you choose. The gateway can also sit on a dock if you don't want it drilled into a wall (which is what we did). You can view the cameras (if you get that package) - and control in home lighting.
The service is fantastic compared to the garbage we had with ADT.
you can't disregard the fact that they've been in the home security business for only a few years since they saw the demand for it.
ADT and other known home security companies have been in business longer than Comcast and everybody knows it. Even local companies have been in this business longer.
Now, in your case, you just love it since it is way better than your standard ADT. But if you shopped around, you will find that there are other companies better and or cheaper than ADT.
I installed a DSC Alexor system myself (that I bought online) and found a local alarm company that was willing to take over the panel. It is monitored by a traditional phone line. I live in a rented duplex. If there was an emergency, i'd like to know, besides if someone opens the door, the cat may make a run for freedom and fight with the strays. If the landlord asks for the code, i'll give it to her. My system is wireless and the components mount with wall anchors.
I have the Comcast home automation package though ($9.99/month).
I have the Xfinity Home. I have 2 door sensors and 1 window sensor. We have one camera and a motion detector. We have the tablet and a wall keypad as well.
I can vouch that it does work well, as while I was out of state, I got a call that the motion detector went off. The camera took pictures at that exact time and sent them to me. I disarmed it from my phone with ease. Apparently the cat knocked over a large object and tripped it.
I do rent, but it is a townhouse, not an apartment. When I was working at Comcast (left about a year ago), we were told that apartments were NOT eligible. It had to be a house. Rent or own did not matter. I am unsure if that has changed but that is the way it was.
ok. How much is installation and equipment? I've had different answers. A few people told me it is possible while others said no apartments. If it's not available which is the best solution? I want to be able to pull up my video feed whenever I want. Like if I am away I want to be able to see what my cat is doing or if he destroyed the apartment.
Mike- As far as install costs - only way to know would be to call. Ironically a promo just ran on CSN as I was typing this for the service...LOL
As far as the cameras - yes, you can pull up the video feed whenever you want - either via your phone or on the computer (or even on the gateway). You can set it to snap pictures, or an actual video stream.
When you set up your door / window sensors - you can also set up rules.
For example - every time specific doors open in our home, the rule is set to record 15 seconds of that video and store it. We can then access it anytime we want via the History. I always thought it was funny to watch the dog to walk out the back door....