Every year, police respond to 36 million alarm calls, 96% of them turning out to be false alarms. This costs authorities a shocking $2 billion, recurring annually, which ultimately has to be paid by the common taxpayer.
While traditional home security systems may still be the golden standard, their personal and societal costs grow each year, yet they’ve made very few technical advancements. It is time for change in the industry of home security through updated practicality and further innovation that consumers support given the rise in popularity of DIY security.
By definition from ADT Security, a false alarm is “an alarm that triggers an emergency response when no emergency has occurred”. While it’s good to know that your security system is functioning, false alarms reduce the effectiveness of what they are created for and desensitize individuals from actual emergencies.
Individuals are most concerned about the costs associated with security solutions. Fines ranging from low hundreds to thousands and potential license suspension are possible when a false alarm takes place. Fines vary based on police presence that arrives on the scene and the severity of the offender. As mentioned previously, false alarms desensitize not only the individuals that operate the technology but also emergency services from arriving in the actual case of an emergency. This exhausts emergency resources, increases costs toward taxpayers and security companies, and in some cases, complete denial of service. WiFi Motion seeks to solve this ongoing issue.
WiFi Motion technology hopes to change the way regular individuals handle home security. Due to WiFi Motion’s ability to be installed on existent infrastructure, the costs and setup associated with it are as simple as a software update with no additional hardware. No need for extensive training when you have it all on an app and can arm/disarm from the press of a button. The technology leverages existing WiFi signals that cover the entire house to monitor private areas (bathrooms) that security cameras can’t watch, while being undetectable to intruders. When unexpected motion occurs, rather than sounding the alarm, the user gets a notification on his phone and can make a decision on what to do. False alarms are minimal to none as the user sets the sensitivity of the motion detection no third-parties involved. The cost reduction and the elimination of false positives saves money for home owners, security companies and taxpayers.
False alarms are a serious issue when it comes to a technology that’s supposed to be accurate in case of a real emergency. WiFi Motion seeks to take the idea of home alarm security to the new era of smart-homes, a concept that is gaining rapid traction and is the next step for the casual consumer.