Smart Home Security in WNY: A Look at Total Connect and Home Automation

Smart home security has come a long way. What used to be a basic alarm with a keypad on the wall has evolved into a connected system that lets you arm your home, check cameras, lock the front door, and adjust the thermostat from your phone — wherever you are.

If you're a homeowner in Buffalo, Tonawanda, Amherst, or anywhere across Western New York wondering what "smart home security" actually looks like, this guide walks through what Advanced Alarm offers through Honeywell Total Connect and our home automation services.

We've been serving WNY since 1989, and the smart home tools available to homeowners today are some of the most useful upgrades we've installed in decades.

What Is Total Connect?

Honeywell Total Connect Remote Services is the platform that lets you stay connected and in control of your home whenever you want, wherever you are. It works with iPhone, iPad, Android, and BlackBerry devices, and the app features modern graphics and icons that match Honeywell's graphic touchscreens.

Here's what Total Connect actually does.

Remote Security

Remotely arm or disarm your security system, or check the status of your system from your phone. Intuitive prompts and graphic icons make it easy to use, even if you've never been a "tech person."

Event Notification

Wherever you are, you can receive email alerts about activity at your home — including when your security system is armed or disarmed, when your child arrives home, when a flood happens, or when motion is sensed.

Video Solutions

With Total Connect Video Solutions, you can view live video and receive images of specific activity occurring around the interior or exterior of your home from any remote location.

Mobile Access and Control

Total Connect works across mobile devices and PCs, so you can control your system from whatever screen is closest at the moment.

Total Automation

Whether you're away, on vacation, or at the office, Total Connect lets you control Z-Wave enabled lights, thermostats, and locks from your PC, smartphone, or any compatible web device.

SkyBell Video Doorbell

SkyBell is a smart video doorbell that allows you to see, hear, and speak to the visitor at your door — whether you're at home, at work, or on the go.

What Home Automation Adds

Home automation takes the Total Connect platform a step further. It's having total control of your home's security, lighting, heating, air conditioning, locks, cameras, shades, ceiling fans, coffee makers, and practically anything else that has an on-off switch. Our systems can be controlled with key fobs, smart phones, tablets, and computers anywhere in the world.

Here's what that looks like in practice.

Lighting Control

Turn interior or exterior lights on or off from your smart phone, or set up a schedule for automatic lighting control.

Remote Lock Control

Forgot to lock the door on your way out? Did the kids leave without locking up? Open the app on your smart phone, touch the lock button, and wait for confirmation that your door is now locked.

Thermostat Control

Thermostats can be controlled to automatically lower the temperature when you close your front door and rise at a precise time for your arrival home.

Video Monitoring

View interior or exterior cameras around your home anytime, using your security system touch screen, tablet, smart phone, or PC. Keep watch of deliveries at your front door, or receive a text message with a picture of your children entering your home from school.

Whole House Audio

Enjoy high-quality sound throughout your entire home. Listen to the same music or different music in every room — at the same time. We install speakers into ceilings and walls, patios, and gardens, providing audio anywhere in and around your home at the touch of a button.

What It Looks Like When It All Works Together

Picture this: you're heading home from work. As you pull into the driveway, you push one button on your phone or remote and the system turns off your security alarm, opens your garage door, unlocks your front door, turns on your lights, raises your thermostat, and turns on your television.

That's not a hypothetical. That's a real one-button scene we set up for homeowners through our automation systems.

Or imagine your living room becomes a movie theater — close the drapes, dim the lights, start the movie, turn on the popcorn machine, all from a remote control. That's the kind of experience home automation makes possible.

Why It Matters in WNY

Smart home security and automation aren't just about convenience. For Western New York homeowners, the value compounds across daily life:

You can confirm the front door locked behind a visiting contractor while you're at work. You can check the front porch from the office during a delivery window. You can adjust the thermostat before you walk in from a snowy driveway. You can see who's at the door before you decide to open it.

And it all runs through one platform — your phone, your tablet, your touchscreen, your PC.

Ready to See What's Possible?

Advanced Alarm has been securing WNY homes since 1989. If you're curious about Total Connect, home automation, or how to upgrade your existing security system into a connected one, we're happy to walk you through it.

Get a free quote or call us at 716-693-4597.