3.14.19 – Security Sales & Integration
With the Alarm.com platform, the panel’s built-in camera triggers “Unexpected Activity Alerts” to users when an unidentified user disarms the alarm system.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Qolsys, a provider of security and smart home technology, announces disarm images captured by the built-in 5-megapixel panel camera on the IQ Panel 2 Plus now include face recognition enabled by the Alarm.com(Nasdaq: ALRM) platform.
“This is a tremendous upgrade to our combined solution,” says Qolsys SVP of Sales & Marketing Mike Hackett. “It again demonstrates software’s power to unlock hardware’s potential and provide innovative features that increase customer engagement.”
Alarm.com’s Unexpected Activity Alerts for Face Recognition provide property owners the ability to monitor for unauthorized code sharing and receive alerts whenever the person using a disarm code is different from the person assigned to that code, according to the announcement.
The alerts include a disarm image taken at the panel, so customers can see who accessed their home and take immediate action as needed. This feature is currently available to customers using the Qolsys IQ Panel 2.
“We’re using face recognition to enhance Unexpected Activity Alerts, which help our service provider partners deliver even more value to their customers,” says Daniel Kerzner, chief product officer at Alarm.com. “Our technology delivers a new layer of protection by proactively alerting property owners to unexpected activity at their home or business — in this case, unauthorized user code sharing.”
The announcement states the Qolsys IQ Panel has had a long history of improvements to its built-in panel camera, which has led to the new face recognition capability. The enhancements include:
- In 2013, Qolsys introduced disarm photos from a built-in panel camera with its first-generation IQ Panel.
- Beginning in 2015, in partnership with Alarm.com, captured Disarm Photos were able to be sent to the end user via text or email, delivering a more connected experience.
- In 2016, the company introduced its second-generation panel, the IQ Panel 2, which included a higher resolution, 5-megapixel built-in camera providing clearer and more detailed disarm photos. In addition, utilizing LTE and Wi-Fi Dual Path Connectivity, disarm photos are delivered faster.
- In 2017, the company enabled the built-in camera as an activity motion sensor and added the ability to record up to four-minute videos during alarm events.
- In 2018, the company used the camera as a motion sensor to capture photos after a remote disarm from the mobile app or the popular Bluetooth touchless disarming.
- In January 2019, Qolsys worked with Alarm.com to release its latest 2.3 software, which allows users to “peek in” to the built-in panel camera using the Alarm.com mobile app. Peek in images can be captured on demand, or when the panel camera detected motion.
You can read a Bench Test review of the IQ Panel 2 here.