Happy 2016 Everyone! It’s insane how fast 2015 flew by. It makes me wonder- where did last year go? My theory is that the speed of today’s technology and communication just makes the time fly. There were so many changes last year in technology. Like I got an iPhone 6 and a new 60” HD TV with built-in apps. The camera in my phone takes better pictures than my professional camera that is just a few years old. It is so amazing what these can do. One of the biggest changes was in home automation and security systems. Beam me up, Scotty!
Gone are the days of push button alarms that just blare if something is wrong. The other day, we had horrible storms and tornados in my town. My alarm panel beeped and sent” take cover” warnings and my cell phone received a text at the same time. Incredible technology, actually warned my family to take cover during a weather emergency.
So ring in your new year with a smart home alarm system like mine. I have hooked up a bunch of my friends with this system. It’s so cool that we can turn on lights and adjust the thermostat from our phones. And I have a door lock. I like the fact that I can let in my pest control guy and not be home. Saves me a lot of time and I don’t have to miss work.
There are a lot of alarms that say they do the same thing. But for my money, I really like my QOLSYS IQ alarm system. It has a Huge 7-Inch touch screen that shows my favorite photos when I am not using it. So it just looks like one of those digital picture frames I got for my grandma. Cool! The IQ has all wireless parts for my doors and windows. I installed it myself in about an hour. No big deal. The company has great YouTube videos to show me exactly how to do everything. But the alarm came pre-programmed, so it was super easy.
The Alarm.com app is really easy to use. I can control my locks, thermostat, turn lights on. It even reminds me if I forget to arm my system. I can’t believe how much I use this alarm. I never really touched my last system, except to arm it when I went out of town. Now I use my system every day, and it does so much for me. 
The Alarm.com also means I don’t have to have a phone line any more. So I cancelled my phone service and save myself $30 bucks a month. Awesome!
I really like how simple my QOLSYS is to use and how helpful the company is when I need tech support. Everything about it is easy. I am now in the 21st century and my home is really smart now!