Quality and Warranty
Frontpoint uses equipment by General Electric, so the quality is consistent and spare parts/replacement devices are always available. Their equipment is ergonomic, compact, and easy to install and use.
The company offers a three-year limited warranty, so if your medical pendant stops working for some reason, Frontpoint replaces it.
Some parts are not covered by the warranty, however. Such is the case with the battery in Frontpoint’s control panel, so inquire with your sales agent about the warranty details.
Frontpoint also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Features
Frontpoint is primarily a home security system that provides professional monitoring to prevent burglaries. But Life Safety is a special feature that comes integrated with all of its plans at no extra charge.
Life Safety covers you for health- and medical-related emergencies by providing you with a Panic Pendant with a button. It’s a convenient portable device designed with elderly and disabled customers in mind:
- You can use it as a necklace with an attached lanyard or as a wristwatch.
- It’s water- and shock-resistant, so you can take a shower with it or rest assured it doesn’t go off and trigger a false alarm if you drop it.
- Its panic button is recessed. You need to press it during at least two seconds for the pendant to send the alarm to the monitoring station. The recessed button effectively reduces accidental false alarms.
When you press the panic button, the security monitoring station calls you. If you do not answer, the monitoring station dispatches police to your house. Alternatively, you can change your preferences and have your monitoring station dispatch a medical response team instead. To change that setting, contact Frontpoint support directly.
The Panic Pendant you buy with your monitoring plan comes pre-programmed and fully operational out of the box. If you buy more pendants at a later point, Frontpoint tech support configures them before shipping.
Frontpoint Qolsys IP touchscreen panel comes with the two-way voice feature, allowing the monitoring station agents to call you when an alert is triggered to verify if police or medical dispatch is necessary. If you do not respond, the station dispatches police or medical response, based on your settings. It also comes complete with a 24-hour backup battery, integrated camera to take snapshots of people disarming your system, or when an alarm is triggered. It also includes an internal siren and is compatible with Z-Wave and Amazon Alexa third-party devices for home automation and voice control.
Price
Frontpoint fees come in two parts – equipment and monitoring plans. For instance, a Panic Pendant will set you off $39.99. The Qolsys touchscreen panel is $3879.99, but a simpler version of it, Simon XT, is $238.
Frontpoint monitoring plans come in one- and three-year flavors:
- Protection $34.99/mo includes 24/7 monitoring, fire and environmental protection, and life safety.
- Interactive at $44.99/mo comes with the mobile app remote control, mobile alerts, geofencing, and crash-and-smash protection complete with sensor history.
- Ultimate at $49.99/mo adds live video streaming, video and image history, and home automation for door locks, thermostats, lights, and motion-activated video recording.
Support
Frontpoint relies on Rapid Response Monitoring Services for 24/7 security and medical monitoring. RRMS is an established company with monitoring stations in New York and California servicing both East and West Coasts clients.
RRMS monitors your system for burglary, environmental, and medical alerts. Their equipment and cybersecurity protections are top-notch and come with various backup methods – redundant power systems, UPS to protect their Internet and wireless data feeds, biometric controls for the personnel, firewalls, encryption, and VPN.
Each Frontpoint customer has a dedicated file at RRMS. If an alarm is activated, RRMS automatically connects to the customer’s home layout and corresponding data, complete with established protocols, deviations set by the client, and two-way voice communication with the client’s control panel.
The agent can also view your latest security camera feed saved in the cloud, which is necessary in states that required “verified response” before dispatching emergency personnel.
Your Frontpoint file also comes complete with the emergency contacts you wish to be alerted in the event of a medical or personal emergency, so RRMS contacts them, too.
RRMS has a dedicated Life Safety Monitoring Division to monitor for medical alerts specifically. Each agent in this division has Emergency Medical Technician and Security Industry Association certifications. Spanish-speaking operators are also on-duty 24/7.
The Frontpoint support agents are available 8:00 am – 11:00 pm on weekdays and 10:00 am – 7:00 pm on weekends. The team is helpful and professional.
Installation
Frontpoint’s security system is DIY – your hardware ships pre-programmed, complete with peel-and-stick adhesives, and setup manuals. The Panic Pendant is wearable, so does not require installation – you just have to decide on the best way to wear it.
Things to Consider
- Only one- and three-year contracts are on offer.
- 85% cancellation fee applies if you want to bail early.
- Equipment upgrades come at an extra cost.
- Sales agents may not disclose contract duration or cancellation fees.
- Frontpoint runs a hard credit check to give you a personalized quote.
- The system is cellular-only, so you need a perfect signal.
- The Panic Pendant is the only device covering your medical alert needs, which may be insufficient for families with advanced medical alert needs.
Important Tips
- To change the default from dispatching police to the medical alert responder when an alarm is triggered, contact Frontpoint customer service.
- The Panic Button is always active. When pressed, it triggers an alarm even if the system is disarmed.
