How to use Siri for voice integration in your home security alarm system?

Using Siri for Home Security: Voice Integration in Alarm Systems

July 1, 2020 by Anas Mustafa

Voice control is one of the most exciting smart device control features that were previously only a feature in sci-fi stories.

The advent of voice assistants is quickly changing how consumers interact with their high tech security products. And with a number of such products online, it’s important to find one that recognizes and answers your questions as clearly as possible, helps you complete your tasks, and gives you convenient access to your home security automation features.

Voice Security Control for Apple Users

Apple’s Siri features one of the most reliable technologies that allows you to integrate the voice assistant with your home alarm system. Offering you great compatibility with your home automation devices, you can enjoy more control over the safety and comfort of your home. You also have the convenience of performing various tasks, such as adjusting the temperature and lights without getting up.

Integration with Siri’s voice assistant is simple, plus it’s compatible with a multitude of third-party companies and devices. The voice assistant understands about 20 languages, compared to the three or four offered by its competitors. This makes it a great voice control addition for your high tech security products. That said, the HomePod smart speaker only supports English, though other multilingual capabilities can be accessed on the iPhone.

If you’re planning to integrate voice assistants in your home security system, you should first evaluate your home’s technological ecosystem or the compatibility of your security devices and brands.

All Siri-enabled products should give you a more streamlined user experience because they’re designed to function together. Generally, Siri is designed to work with smart devices that are compatible with Apple’s home automation service, HomeKit.

Though there are limited voice integrations, the available options are easy to use and effective. For instance, to activate an automation feature, you just need to issue a regular command, unlike Google Assistant and Alexa, that demand specialized activation words. Moreover, adding a HomePod to your other HomeKit products results in direct integration with the speaker during setup.

How do you integrate Siri with your alarm system?

Siri has a new voice control integration for Alarm.com. With these Siri shortcuts, you can activate Alarm.com Scenes using customizable voice “shortcuts” that integrate into your day-to-day routines and reflect how you normally talk. This gives you a more intuitive interaction when talking to Siri.

Creating Siri shortcuts allows you to quickly perform the common functions like arming and disarming your security system, or to activate Scenes for waking up, going to bed, leaving the house, and so on. After setting up your shortcuts, you can proceed to control the systems by simply talking to Siri.

Depending on the shortcuts used, you can say:

Hey Siri, Good Morning
Siri, Secure the House
Hey Siri, Bed Time
Siri, Child’s Nap Time

You can use any compatible device that has iOS12 installed to activate your Siri Shortcuts for Alarm.com, including your Apple Watch, iPad, iPhone, and HomePod, as well as CarPlay-enabled dashboard to enjoy voice control while on the road. Additionally, you can blend Alarm.com Scenes with other apps in the Apple ecosystem for greater convenience.

Siri Shortcuts for Alarm.com allows you to:

1. Control connected smart devices

With Alarm.com Scenes, you can use a single voice command to control all connected smart devices, including your alarm system, thermostat, lights, locks, and garage door. To get started, go to the Alarm.com app and set up a custom Siri voice command to trigger and activate any Alarm.com scene, essentially creating a Siri Shortcut for that feature.

For instance, you can use a sleepy or energetic “Hey Siri, it’s morning!” command every morning to activate your Wake Up scene with Alarm.com, which could include turning on the lights, setting the thermostat, pulling the shades up, and disarming your alarm system.

To activate a custom scene for your nursery, you can whisper, “Hey Siri: Tom’s nap time,” to turn the lights down and play a lullaby on the smart plug.

2. Issue commands remotely

With Siri Shortcuts for Alarm.com, users can issue voice commands using their iPhone, whether inside or outside the house. Keep in mind that you need to unlock your phone to execute a Siri command. This is a security feature by Alarm.com.

You can use a pre-set Siri Shortcut like “Hey Siri, leaving the house!” to confirm that your alarm system is armed before pulling out of the driveway. Similarly, when you get home from work, you can use your unlocked iPhone or Apple CarPlay to activate Siri and issue a shortcut to trigger your “Home Arrival” scene.

3. Blend in commands from other apps

Users can create multitasking shortcuts using Apple’s Shortcuts app to combine Alarm.com’s actions with the commands of other apps. This helps to eliminate “app overload” while bringing the key features of your smart home closer together with other technologies that you use frequently.

One way to achieve this is by incorporating the Alarm.com “Sleep” scene into your “Good night” or “Lights off” Siri shortcut. Besides locking the doors, turning off the lights, and arming your alarm system, you could also use the shortcut to set the morning alarm on your iPhone and activate the “Do Not Disturb” mode.

Conversely, in the morning, you could combine the Alarm.com “Away” scene with your Siri shortcut for “Secure the Home” to arm the security system, turn down the thermostat, and pull up the directions to your next appointment on the calendar.

Looking Forward to More Functionality

Voice control is still a new feature, and voice assistants are still in their early stages of development. They can be used for simple and quick tasks and responses, which is sufficient to add convenience in common daily activities when paired with your smart high tech security products. Staying up to date with new advancements will ensure that you can enjoy new features sooner.

To learn more about using Siri for home security, call the Canadian Security Professionals at 1 877-494-9911 or contact us here.

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