Alarm.com Places Geo Services

[tyler (Tyler G)]

Easy, Location-Based Home Automation Rules and Reminders

Alarm.com Places (previously Geo-Services) makes it easy to set up smart home automation rules and reminders based on the location of the user’s smartphone.

Users can add, edit, and delete Geo-Fences directly within the app and set up location-based rules to automate devices like lights, switches, thermostats, and garage openers.

A default Home location will appear for all users and will have a Geo-Fence surrounding the account’s home address.

Note: Rule creation is only available on the Alarm.com Website, not the mobile app.

Available on the Alarm.com and mobile app, Alarm.com Places significantly upgrades the user experience and reinforces the value of a fully connected Alarm.com system.

Alarm.com Places features

With Alarm.com Places, users can use their device’s location to:

• Turn on lights
• Adjust thermostats
• Pause video recordings
• Send a reminder to close garage doors or gates
• Send a reminder to arm the system
• Send a reminder to lock a lock
• Send a reminder about a sensor left open

Important: you must enable Location Services before Geo-Fences can be configured.

[tyler (Tyler G)]

Configure Alarm.com Places

Alarm.com’s Places feature allows users to be more connected to their home. With Places, you can automate home settings and initiate additional notifications based on the location of their iPhone or Android phone relative to their home, office, or any other Geo-Fence specified. To configure Places, follow the below steps.

Permission requirements

The following login permissions are able to configure the Places feature:

• Master Control
• Full Control
• Custom with Notification Settings enabled

Enable Location Services

Enable Location Services in Alarm.com

Enable Location Services To configure Places, the customer needs to enable Location Services on one or more of their phones. To enable Location Services, the customer must use the Customer app. To enable Location Services: Log into the Customer app. Tap Menu Tap App Settings. Tap Location Services. Tap the Location Services toggle switch to enable it. [Location_Services] If asked, tap Turn On to turn on Location Services. Location Services is now enabled for the device and appears as a Geo…

Create a Geo-Fence

How To Create a Geo Fence through Alarm.com

Create a Geo-Fence Once Geo-Devices are set up, a Geo-Fence is created. A Geo-Fence is a virtual geographic boundary used for Alarm.com Places. Geo-Fences can be created and edited using the Alarm.com Website or Mobile app. To create a Geo-Fence using the Alarm.com Website: Log into the Customer Website. Click Settings. Click Places. In Manage Places, click Add a Fence. The center of the fence defaults to the system’s installation address. To move the fence location, perform either of the fol…

Edit a Geo-Fence

How to Edit an Alarm.com Geo-Fence

To edit a Geo-Fence using the Alarm.com Website: Log into the Alarm.com Website. Click Settings. Click Places. In Manage Places, click the desired Geo-Fence to edit. To move the fence location, perform either of the following: Click and drag the location marker on the map. Enter a specific address in the Move fence location to field and click → In the Fence Name field, enter a name for the Geo-Fence. Note: The default Geo-Fence cannot be renamed or deleted. To adjust the radius, either…

Delete a Geo-Fence

How to Delete an Alarm.com Geo-Fence

To delete a Geo-Fence using the Alarm.com Website: Note: The default Geo-Fence cannot be renamed or deleted. Log into the Customer Website. Click Settings. Click Places. In Manage Places, click the name of the Geo-Fence to be deleted. Click Trash Can Icon Click Ok when prompted to confirm that you want to delete the Geo-Fence. [Delete_a_Fence] To delete a Geo-Fence using the Customer app: Note: The default Geo-Fence cannot be renamed or deleted. Log into the Customer app. Tap Menu Tap Pla…

Add Places Rules and Notifications

How to Add Places Rules and Notifications

After enabling Geo-Devices, you can configure desired Places rules or notifications. Some examples of rules are arming reminders, thermostat override, and pausing video recording rules. Important: If multiple Geo-Devices are selected, it will require the last of these devices to enter or exit the Geo-Fence before a rule is triggered or notification is sent. To view rules and reminders available to a specific to your account: Log into the Alarm.com Website. Click Settings. Click Places. In Set…

[tyler (Tyler G)]

Geo-Services - Troubleshooting Guide

By enabling GPS on a mobile device, you are allowing the device to check-in and relay its location relative to the radio tower or router the device is connected to. In addition to GPS being on, verify that the subscriber has a data connection (e.g., 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi).

Geo-Services tips

• The lower the data connection and/or coverage in the area, the less accurate Geo-Service is. The reverse is true as well.
• Staying close to the Geo-Fence, or only barely crossing it can mean that the device never triangulates outside of the Geo-Fence. This can cause notifications or actions to incorrectly trigger or not trigger occur at all.
• Increasing the Geo-Fence radius can help provide more accurate notifications based on location.
• Wi-Fi can be used as a data connection for triangulation. The device does not need to be connected for triangulation to occur.
• The more accurate Geo-Fence radius sizes are around or larger than 2 to 2.5 miles radius. The minimum radius can be one mile but is not recommended.

To manage Geo-Services using the Customer Website:

1. Log into the Alarm.com Website.
2. Click Settings .
3. Click Geo-Services .

Note : Only the login permissions of Master Control, Full Control, and Custom with Notification settings enabled can manage Geo-Services on an account.

Having Issues with your Geo Device?

1. Verify Geo-Services is set up properly

Verify users have the proper Geo-Services notifications and features set up on the account

2. Verify location services is turned on

For both the device and the Alarm.com app.

To enable location services on an Android phone:

1. Tap to open the Settings application.
2. Tap Connections .
3. Tap the Location toggle switch to enable location services.

Note : These steps may vary depending on the model of the Android phone.

To enable location services on an iPhone:

1. Tap to open the iPhone’s Settings application.
2. Flick to scroll to the apps, and tap to select Alarm.com .
3. Tap Location .
4. In Allow Location Access , tap Always .

3. Verify the correct device is enabled for Geo-Services

You can verify the correct device is enabled by turning Geo-Services off in the app, then log into the Alarm.com website to verify a correlating device was paused. A device that is paused is grayed out.

In the following image, the Geo-Device named iPhone is enabled and the Geo-Device named Samsung is disabled.

Important : Remember to re-enable the Geo-Device in the app after this test.

4. Increase the Geo-Fence size

Increase the fence size to a minimum of 2 to 2.5 mile radius. If it is already set to a 2.5 mile radius, increase the Geo-Fence radius to 5 miles.

5. Enable Wi-Fi on the Geo-Device

Enable Wi-Fi on the phone that is a Geo-Device having issues. This may help with triangulation if there are not many towers in that area. Turning on Bluetooth can also help.

Note : The Geo-Device is not required to be connected to a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth network to function.

6. Verify settings that can affect Geo-Services on Android devices

For Android devices, there are several settings that can affect consistent Geo-Services functionality. The Alarm.com app also displays possible settings that are affecting functionality as shown in the following image:

Verify the Android device settings have the best corresponding values:

Note : The names of settings may vary on Android devices.

• Location or Location services should be toggled on.
• Locating method or Location mode should be set to high accuracy.
• Wi-Fi scanning and Bluetooth scanning , which may be in the Improve accuracy setting, should both be toggled on.
• Power saving mode and Ultra power saving mode should both be toggled off.
• Battery optimization or Optimize battery usage , which may be in the menu option of the Battery setting , should be toggled off for the Customer app, Google Play Services, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth.
  • When selecting the option to Turn Battery Optimization for this App Off from the Customer app, the phone displays the devices that do not have optimization on. Tap the arrow under Battery optimization to select All Apps, then tap Alarm.com to verify that Don’t Optimize is selected.

The following image is an example of turning off battery optimization on an Android device:

7. If the issue is still unresolved:

Important : Perform the following steps in this order:

1. Disable Geo-Services in the Alarm.com App.
2. Delete the Geo-Device on the Alarm.com Website.
3. Force close the Alarm.com app.
4. Re-enable Geo-Services in the Alarm.com app.
5. Add the device back to the Geo-Fence rules or notifications.
6. Sync the Geo-Device by crossing in and out of the Geo-Fence.
7. Test by crossing the fence again.

Note : Geo-Services uses triangulation to conserve battery power. The device should pass a significant distance over the geo-fence in either direction to register crossing the geo-fence.

[tyler (Tyler G)]

Troubleshooting

Geo-Service device in malfunction

Alarm.com Geo-Service device in malfunction

The Geo-Service device in malfunction trouble condition indicates the Alarm.com servers have not received a location report from the Geo-Device (usually a cellphone) for a 24 hour period. Another common cause for a Geo-Service device malfunctioning is because the device may have been deleted but not completely removed from the account. The best way to clear a Geo-Service device malfunction is to completely remove the device from the account before attempting to reattach the device to the accoun…