Alarm.com is ramping up to release the long awaited connected car module. It’s a device that plugs into your vehicle’s ODB-II port with a GPS, accelerometer, Bluetooth, and LTE cellular.
It enables features such as monitoring your vehicle’s health, security, and your teenager’s driving habits. It should be able to show real-time vehicle location in the ADC app and, I assume, work with Alarm.com geofences to trigger automations.
There’s no ETA at the moment. I’d guess any time this year is fair game. While I’m sure I’ll use one, I’m curious, is this something you’re interested in?
We have Android Auto & DroneMobile in our cars, so no; yet another module to purchase and maintain does not excite us. DroneMobile already does all of what the Alarm.com connected car module promises with regards to vehicle monitoring.
What we would find much more useful is deeper integration of Alarm.com as an action in Google Assistant and used with Google Home hubs and Android Auto, which is an existing ecosystem many of us are using.
Although, I “get it” from Alarm.com’s perspective: in-car integration is a revenue stream; I just don’t see it as a fit for us.
We’d love more integration too! The more that is available the better the services are for everyone. But I would say it isn’t just a revenue stream goal as to why some integrations don’t happen.
Google uses your data as payment and product. Data is used to drive advertisement.
Alarm.com does not. It is instead focused on data privacy. Feeding home data to Google is as I understand it not an option.
I understand what you are saying: Google & Alarm.com have different business models. However at the end of the day, both are about revenue generation; and so be it! Money is the reason all of us get out of bed each & every day.
I guess my contention is this: Alarm.com knows my location, hours away & hours home, what lights I am using, whether or not my doors are locked, what the temp my home is set at & when and who is coming and going, among with a myriad of other data available to them; depending on the complexity of one’s system.
When one uses Google Home to arm their system, lock their doors or turn on/off a light; this information (I am assuming) has to go through Google’s servers? If that is the case, then Alarm.com is selective about the data it shares?
In practical application, the only thing that irritates me is how it affects my daily routine: I pull my car out of the garage (connected to Android Auto) and cannot simply say: “arm away my security system” and have Alarm.com perform the Away scene to arm my system, lock my doors, close the garage door and set the lights. Instead, I have to unlock my phone and press the widget for Arm.
The same holds true for when pulling up to the house after a long day. While I somewhat get the security aspect of being able to disarm the system via voice, Alarm.com knows my location and Google knows my voice.
Don’t get me wrong; Alarm.com is a wonderful service, and Surety is by far the best provider for said service; do not take my comments for a knock on either. I just wish there was tighter integration for home/car automation services as a whole.
Sorry for the long-winded “rant” about 1st world problems and getting slightly off-topic.
If that is the case, then Alarm.com is selective about the data it shares?
My understanding is yes. There are actually a few things you can do with Alexa that you cannot yet with Google Home, and if I recall correctly the rumblings were that Google wanted more data access.
I completely understand the desire. I’ve been personally hoping for Philips Hue support from Alarm.com for a long time. We forward user requests to Alarm.com, and there is nothing better to spur developers than a lot of requests.
I’ll send this ADC’s way. You are absolutely right. The chief goal of automation companies should be to make a user’s experience as fluid and ideal as they can, and no one company has all the answers.
