This is what I’ve learned after having the Lowe’s Iris system for a few months.

1. You need to arm the alarm for the system to work – This may sound obvious but its harder then you may think. Relying to turn on and off from the iPhone app just doesn’t work for me because my phone is too busy with notifications and other apps to distract me. What helps is to have a visual trigger like the Keypad on the door right before leaving the house and another one in the bed room right before shutting the lights out and falling a sleep. I had to learn the hard way when my nephew’s bike was stolen from the garage. Even with the Keypads sometimes we may rush out without turning on the alarm which is why I’ve also setup Iris to enable the alarm if all Key fobs are not in range. Hopefully I’m not that absent minded to forget my keys and leave the door unlocked.
2. Have your local police and fire department’s number – If traveling out of town is often on your calendar, then you need to keep your local authority phone number on your cell phone. Remember calling 911 from where you are will not reach to your local 911 dispatchers. Yes you may call your neighbors but they might not be there and it will also delay the process of contacting the police. I also like my neighbors so I wouldn’t want to risk their lives to deal with a dangerous situation when they are not trained to do so. Unless your neighbor is a police officer, then you may want to discuss with them your plans.  Continue reading →