Vivint is the largest privately owned home security company in North
America.
Vivint has been a leader in home security and automation for
more than 12 years and is working to help homeowners in the United
States and Canada protect their families, increase energy efficiency,
and simplify their lives.
The Vivint home automation system combines easy automation with security in their home package, making it great for those looking for an easy and responsive security system along with all of the automation features that a high-quality system provides.
Vivint is a fairly new player in the home automation market, having branched out into automation after a long run as a successful home security systems provider. In fact, their security offerings are some of the most impressive parts of their home automation system, boasting incredible verbal response times (7-8 seconds) and seamless security management.
Vivint began in 1999 as a security system provider under the name APX Alarm. The company enjoyed steady growth for over a decade, expanding all over the United States and into Canada.
Today, they provide home security and automation to over half a million consumers. In 2010, they began a company-wide rebranding effort, seeking to incorporate their expansion into home automation. They have since become Vivint, a combination of “vive” – meaning “to live” in Spanish – and “intelligent.” Now, with over 10 years of experience under their belt, Vivint is breaking into the home automation industry with some convenient and powerful features.
As noted above, the most impressive part of Vivint’s home automation system is its
integration
with their highly developed security systems. The Go!Control panel that
comes with every Vivint system serves as the central hub for all
activity, including announcements of time-based triggers and device
activations. You’re given more control over your devices through their
online control panel. In the web-based application, you can create and
modify time-based and scripted triggers for all of your devices. Vivint
also provides mobile applications on several platforms that you can use
to control your devices from any location with an internet connection,
though you cannot create or modify triggers or events from the mobile
app.
Unfortunately, Vivint struggled in this category. The system requires
professional installation, which means that while support will likely
be higher quality and more efficient, you also won’t be able to upgrade
the system easily on your own. Your Vivint system will accept almost all
devices that use Z-Wave communication technology. Vivint does not
currently offer any software integration abilities, so you won’t be able
to control Windows Media Player or iTunes with the home automation
portion of the Vivint system.
The Vivint home control system was very easy to use, and we were surprised with how well it
integrated
with the standard functions of the home. Locks can be opened with an
app or an access code and each code can be linked to a different user,
so you always know who is coming through your door. The mobile
application epitomized the ease of use of Vivint’s system, bringing all
of your home control into the palm of your hand in an easily
interpretable manner.
Vivint’s support is quite impressive, though much of it takes place
on-site through accredited technicians and salespeople. If you need
assistance, your first line of support comes from these representatives.
If your concern isn’t large enough to merit a full visit, you can look
at their online FAQs section or inquire of Vivint directly through their
email support.
If you need integrated security with your home automation system,
Vivint
is an excellent choice. However, they do lack voice recognition and the
ability to interface with media software like iTunes, so you won’t be
able to control everything in your home like you can with some of its
competitors.
