The term ‘geofencing’ may contain connotations of technology far advanced for the average household, but this location-based feature is growing in prominence as a security benefit and an essential tool for giving homeowners, families and business owners reassurance and control over their environment.

What is geofencing and how does it work?

Geofencing is a location-based technology that works off Wi-Fi or RFID signals, and can be managed via a Z-Wave-powered smart panel or with a mobile device using an app, such as the ADT mobile app.

Geofencing technology creates virtual boundaries in real-world geographical areas and can be drawn in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Users can fully customise them to suit specific needs, like monitoring select rooms in the home or the perimeter around an entire property.

Setting up geofencing security around the home is a particularly useful security tool as it uses location data to trigger events or notifications. A geofence around your property, for example, will alert you when it is crossed, allowing you to know in real time when someone is entering your home (with or without permission), or if a pet or child has wandered off outside of the designated geofenced zone. Even businesses can leverage the benefits of geofencing, by setting virtual zones around restricted areas or after-hour entry points to monitor unauthorised movements. Ultimately it is a way to monitor the comings and goings around your home and neighbourhood no matter where you are, giving you peace of mind that your pets, children and possessions are safe even when you’re at work or on holiday.

Geofencing home automation helps make life easier and homes smarter

Geofencing perimeters provide a useful virtual security tool that gives you real time knowledge of movements in a specified geographical location, but what makes it an essential tool in any security system is its wider variety of applications.

Geofencing virtual zone monitoring is layered into ADT Security’s automated security systems, integrating geographical and notification data to create location-based automated functions around the home. This location awareness provides an added level of system flexibility and helps to ensure that your home security system’s notifications are relevant to your specific needs. So if you have ever left your home and forgotten to lock the door, turn off lights, close the garage door, or arm your security system, geofencing home automation can be your new best friend. It can give you reminders or even do those things automatically for you.

Geofencing applications for a smart home

Here are some of the smart home system applications that geofencing can provide.

Arming reminders. Geofencing can be programmed to detect your own movement in and out of designated zones. This allows you to set location-based arming reminders that will notify you if your security system isn’t armed, in the event you forget to arm it when you leave the home.

Appliance automation. From lights to electrical appliances, ADT’s interactive security system is compatible with several accessories operating on Z-Wave technology that can operate automatically within geofence perimeters. For example, you can set geofencing applications to turn lights on and off when you enter or leave an area, welcoming you into a room and preventing unnecessary energy use when a room is unoccupied. Location-based system automation gives you a range of abilities like locking doors, switching on lights and setting the alarm when you cross a geofence to leave the home.

Video recording. Similar to controlling appliances, when you cross your customised geofences, you can also use geo-services to automatically pause ADT home security video recording rules when you are at home.

Geofencing applications today include more than just intruder monitoring and security tripwires. They give homeowners a greater sense of control over their space, helping to improve lifestyle quality by monitoring security, alarms and energy use across the home.

For more security tips and solutions, visit www.adtsecurity.com.au or call us on 131238 for further advice from our team of licenced professionals.