IFTTT

I’ve decided that I really need IFTTT compatibility. Hear me out.

This mostly started from my Hue lights. I tried the ZWave bulbs that Alarm.com works with and the hardware quality just does not compare. I’ve also started using a Hue light strip for bias lightning behind the TV and can’t go back once I’ve tried that.

Alarm.com does not work with Hue. Of course, this is because Hue is a different ecosystem. Alarm.com has been very selective about which ecosystems it integrates with. I get this - it is a security platform first and foremost. So now I’m in the situation where my control is split - my ZWave lights are in Alarm.com and my Hue lights are with Hue. Alexa works with both but its separate command sets. I can’t just say “Alexa, turn on movie time” or anything else that includes devices from both ecosystems. Similarly my Hue lights can’t trigger off Alarm.com actions.

But this problem is going to get worse before it gets better. If Alarm.com picks and chooses which proprietary integrations to do, it is a losing battle and Alarm.com will never be able to work with all the best of breed hardware. The solution is either to open their own ecosystem (not going to happen) or give us some way out for cross ecosystem integration. Today the best way to do that is IFTTT. If Alarm.com would release an official IFTTT applet that would give a way out. Today I simulate this using Alarm.com email notifications and the IFTTT email applet, but it can take up to 10 minutes for the email to arrive and be processed. And this only works to go from ADC to IFTTT, there is no way to go the other way. I just want an official Alarm.com IFTTT applet. Abode has this. Scout has this. It’s not unreasonable.

Thanks for the consideration.

I certainly wouldn’t call it unreasonable, although I wouldn’t view the other two Alarm solutions you mention as an equal comparison. While I admit being biased, the security focus of Alarm.com is in a different category.

I think it’s a great idea, and definitely worth it to pursue with ADC to see if they have discussed this or other parallel ideas, and I do think Alarm.com recognizes the potential with popular hardware which is outside of the scope of the alarm panels themselves. That’s precisely why integration with things like Lutron, Liftmaster, Echo, Nest, Skybell, etc. exist. So far though all these integrations are controlled and pulled under the umbrella.

That said, ADC did just acquire Piper as part of the recent Icontrol acquisition. There may be more coming in the DIY direction soon. It is too early to tell quite yet.

I’ll poke a bit and see if they have discussed this at all. I have forwarded your request officially as well. I don’t think we will get back too many details at the moment, but the more it is requested the more likely it occurs.

Thanks Jason.

That’s precisely why integration with things like Lutron, Liftmaster, Echo, Nest, Skybell, etc. exist. So far though all these integrations are controlled and pulled under the umbrella.

And I guess for my current need, if they would do Hue integration I would be ok in the near term. But it still seems unsustainable for them to do all these one off integrations when the space is moving so rapidly. I’m not set on IFTTT if there is a better way for them to address this.

I certainly wouldn’t call it unreasonable, although I wouldn’t view the other two Alarm solutions you mention as an equal comparison. While I admit being biased, the security focus of Alarm.com is in a different category.

I would actually be interested in your talking points on this since Abode often comes up when talking about other DIY security options.

Not really talking points. The distinction I would make is a professional security service vs a consumer product service. There is no judgment in that, it’s just different in execution.

I think one of the immediate differences would be core hardware and service.

Security hardware and professional monitoring service is typically inextricably linked with consumer product hubs. There is not much choice in that regard.

Whereas with Alarm.com compatible equipment, you can use a huge variety of existing major industry solutions. Mix and matching alarm control panels, sensors via translator, peripherals, service providers, local installation companies, DIY companies, a huge variation of pricing options and services, even, if you were so inclined, with many of the control panels just swap the communicator and use a completely different back-end service. I wouldn’t recommend it, I legitimately see ADC as the best, but the point is that the core parts of what is being purchased are highly customizable and that these core parts are rigorously tested by the biggest names in the industry.

One side effect of controlled integration is indeed the loss of options like Hue, at least until it is somehow integrated, so if it is your preferred option for color lights, I do understand, and I would tend to agree with you that ultimately a secure implementation of a trigger service of some kind like IFTTT would cover the widest set of options.

The demand for that sort of wide-integration for the big industry players like ADC will be the spark to come up with a secure solution to it. I know it’s been stated, but Alarm.com is a security service and has to remain utterly secure for its users.

One way to integrate parallel systems is an analog solution, a physical relay link to simulate what you would do with IFTTT. Does your Hue controller accept wired inputs? This would be a simple and secure way of using a device directly under the Alarm.com ecosystem to influence a parallel system.