By Mark Hillenburg
Vice President of Marketing, DMP
The COVID-19 pandemic has created an immediate need to avoid touch, and that may be creating concerns among your customers about using the keypad to arm or disarm their security systems. Regardless of which system they're using, here are several ways to arm and disarm their systems without touching the keypad.
Touchless Keypads
Users love our Graphic Touchscreen and Thinline Series keypads. But do they also know about their codeless arming and disarming feature? At home and particularly at work where several people use the same keypad, there’s no need to take the chance of touching the screen to enter your codes. These keypads' built-in proximity readers allows you to present your own credential instead. We offer a variety of programmable credentials, including cards, fobs or the DMP Prox Patch™, a small, adhesive “button” that users can attach to a wallet or phone.
Compatible With Every Panel
And don’t forget: This codeless arming/disarming feature is compatible with every DMP control panel, whether it’s an XTL, XT or XR Series™. Even if your systems are older and use the Graphic Touchscreen or Thinline LCD keypads, we have proximity versions available to eliminate the touch and the risk when arming and disarming your alarm systems.
DMP Wireless? Take Advantage of the 1144.
A lot of your customers love the convenience and reliability of DMP’s Two-Way™ Wireless. For touchless arming and disarming, as well as access control, the 1144 wireless key fob transmitter with built-in proximity credential is the perfect solution. It also can be used as a panic button to silently signal emergencies.
At home and work, credentials are a prefect tool to give employees, baby sitters, after-hours cleaning services — anyone you authorize — a touchless way to interact with your keypad. For customers with XR Series panels, using credentials also means being able to schedule the system to automatically arm after a certain amount of time. This gives customers the assurance that their systems will always be armed when they need to be.
Remote Programming for Social Distancing
Dealer Admin™ makes it easy to provide these credentials while respecting social distancing requirements. Simply program the user codes and drop their credentials in the mail. With very little training needed, your customer can begin using the credentials right away. This creates a win-win for you both – you don’t need to roll a truck, and your customers have the ability to manage their systems without any contact.
DMP offers other contactless solutions. Virtual Keypad™, for instance, lets you control your system right from your own personal cell phone.
Control Your Alarm System Using Siri® with the Virtual Keypad App
When you need to arm or disarm your system, have Siri do it for you! With the Virtual Keypad app, you can use Siri to arm and disarm your system as well as activate Favorites like locks, lights and thermostats. You can even program geofences on your phone to trigger these Favorites based on the location services (GPS) on your cell phone.
That’s the beauty of a voice controlled smart assistant — it’s a shortcut for managing routine system features. And by using your own app, you’re avoiding touching anything that other people are touching. As we’re all doing what we can to eliminate spreading the virus, Virtual Keypad is the perfect tool because it’s your personal device, and you have full control of your system.
Make Sure Your Customers Know About DMP’s Touchless Solutions
As you’re talking with customers about their 3G conversions to LTE, be sure to share these tips and discuss how they can put DMP’s touchless technology to use. You may be discussing other tips as well. For instance, DMP’s PIR motion detectors can be used in malls, grocery stores and other locations that use sliding doorways. As long as they have an electric motor, this is certainly in our capabilities.
What other touchless features are you advising your customers to use? We hope you’ll share those with us!