Is facial recognition the future of home security? With ADT’s Trusted Neighbor feature, you can provide controlled, hands-free access, to your friends, family, or helpers to help you check on your home while you’re away.
#smartlock #homesecurity #smarthomegadgets
ADT’s Trusted Neighbor feature offers a futuristic way to secure your home, using facial recognition to unlock your door and smart home integration through Google Nest. No more keys or keypads—now your home recognizes you and trusted individuals like dog walkers or neighbors can securely enter in case of emergencies. Here’s how this hands-free, smart security system combines safety and convenience, allowing you to monitor, control, and automate your home from anywhere in the world. Is facial recognition the future of home security?
#smartlock #homesecurity #smarthomegadgets
ADT’s Trusted Neighbor feature offers a futuristic way to secure your home, using facial recognition to unlock your door and smart home integration through Google Nest. No more keys or keypads—now your home recognizes you and trusted individuals like dog walkers or neighbors can securely enter in case of emergencies. Here’s how this hands-free, smart security system combines safety and convenience, allowing you to monitor, control, and automate your home from anywhere in the world. Is facial recognition the future of home security?
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00Check this out.
00:02You walk up to your front door, hands-free,
00:04phone still in your pocket,
00:05your doorbell recognizes your face
00:07and determines that your phone is within range.
00:10And without lifting a finger,
00:11the door automatically unlocks.
00:14While this may sound futuristic,
00:15you can actually do this right now
00:17with ADT's new ADT Plus Home Security System,
00:20which combines traditional security
00:22with the best smart home devices from Google and Yale.
00:25However, its standout feature
00:27is the new Trusted Neighbor service.
00:30Your network of neighbors, family, or friends
00:32can help you take care of your home while you're away,
00:34even while you're completely offline.
00:37With their new Trusted Neighbor feature,
00:38ADT is aiming to do more than just traditional home security
00:41like protecting your home from theft, fires, or leaks.
00:44With the new system,
00:45they're creating a smarter, more connected home
00:48that helps you automate routines or address smaller issues
00:51that don't necessarily require emergency services.
00:54ADT Plus combines Google Nest doorbells,
00:57cameras, and smart displays like this one
00:59with its safety and monitoring sensors.
01:01The system provides real-time alerts for video monitoring
01:04and automation through Google's smart devices,
01:06along with ADT's own suite of sensors
01:08for motion detection, door and window movement,
01:10water leaks, and smoke and CO2 alerts.
01:13Beyond its security features,
01:14integration with Google Home allows you to control
01:16a wide range of other compatible smart devices
01:19like lights, locks, and room and temperature,
01:21all from the same app.
01:22This integration with Google Home
01:24has existed for several years now,
01:25but new for this year,
01:26ADT is introducing its Trusted Neighbor feature,
01:29which lets you assign specific roles
01:31to people that you trust,
01:32giving them access to your home in predefined situations.
01:36The idea is you want or need someone to enter your house,
01:39but only at certain times under certain circumstances.
01:42But how does it all work?
01:44The Trusted Neighbor feature
01:44uses Google Nest's doorbell facial recognition
01:47to offer hands-free entry,
01:48automatically unlocking its paired Yale Smart Lock.
01:52For example, you might wanna grant access
01:54to your dog walker for an hour every Monday morning,
01:56or allow your neighbor to enter your home
01:58to put away a package once it's recognized on the doorbell.
02:01This access can be time-restricted
02:03in increments of one hour up to 24 hours
02:05with the option to set notifications
02:06for both you and the trusted contact.
02:09It'd be great, though, in my opinion,
02:10if ADT added shorter time increments,
02:12say, for example, five minutes or 30 minutes,
02:15for simpler tasks like bringing the package through
02:17or watering your plants.
02:18They don't need that much time.
02:20Now, one of the key benefits with this system
02:21is that it eliminates the need for physical keys
02:24or shared passcodes,
02:25which can be easily duplicated or misused.
02:28Speaking from past experiences,
02:29I've had packages pile up while I've been out of town,
02:32and the ability to just let a trusted neighbor in
02:34to quickly handle it would've been great.
02:37Testing this out, I received an alert
02:38when a package was sighted by the doorbell,
02:40and thanks to the flexibility of the system,
02:42my trusted neighbor could safely enter
02:44and bring everything inside.
02:46ADT's total safety package is modular,
02:48so if you want to add more devices or features later,
02:51it's easy to do so without a complete overhaul.
02:57Right away.
03:01And its integration with devices like the Google Nest Hub
03:03allows you to monitor your system
03:05through voice commands or touch controls.
03:07You can ask Google to show you the front door camera,
03:09lock the back door,
03:10but of course, if you're already using
03:12Alexa or Apple HomeKit
03:13and you're heavily investing in those systems,
03:14the Google-centric nature of ADT Plus may not be for you
03:17as it lacks compatibility with those ecosystems.
03:19Now, let me show you the hardware.
03:21I've got set up.
03:22Front and center is the Google Nest doorbell.
03:25It's the first line of monitoring,
03:26detecting strangers, packages, deliveries,
03:28and even recognizing those familiar faces.
03:31Inside, there's a door sensor that detects
03:32when the front door opens or closes,
03:35and on the left side of that door is the ADT touchscreen.
03:38This display gives me a quick view of the system's status
03:41and lets me arm or disarm it in seconds.
03:43It's clean, modern,
03:44and it blends in with the rest of the setup.
03:46Above the door, there's a motion detector
03:48that covers the living room and kitchen area.
03:51On my living room bookshelf is the Nest indoor camera.
03:54It's small and discreet,
03:55but gives me full visibility of the key areas in my home,
03:57even in low light.
03:59Underneath that,
04:00we've got the massive Google Nest Max display,
04:02which ties everything together.
04:03It lets me check on my cameras,
04:05control my smart devices,
04:06and see and respond to alerts.
04:08And in the kitchen, I've added another Nest Max,
04:10mostly for music and following along
04:12with the recipes while I cook.
04:13And while it's not directly tied in with the security system,
04:16extras like the Google Nest thermostat
04:19can be bundled together with your ADT package,
04:20since it's so well integrated with that Google ecosystem.
04:23In the hallway is the main ADT Plus hub.
04:26This acts as the brain for the whole system,
04:28and it's got a couple of unique features.
04:30Aside from having the keypad and function buttons
04:32for arming and disarming the system,
04:34or calling emergency services like the police,
04:36fire, or paramedics,
04:38the idea with this is that it can be moved
04:40to any central location in your home,
04:42so it can reach and communicate with your other ADT sensors
04:44without having dead spots.
04:46The hub's other main function,
04:48which you'll never really notice
04:49unless you're checking your notifications in the app,
04:51is that it's responsible for updating
04:53the other hardware remotely.
04:55Now, here's one of my favorite parts.
04:56Everything communicates wirelessly.
04:59And aside from the ADT display,
05:00which just needs a few screws to install,
05:02the whole system is very renter-friendly and modular.
05:05For someone like me who likes to move around a lot,
05:07having a security system that is this flexible
05:10is a huge plus.
05:11Finally, there's the ADT smoke and carbon monoxide detector,
05:14which will automatically notify emergency services
05:16if triggered,
05:17and the water and temperature sensors
05:19to warn you about frozen pipes and leaks
05:21before they turn into disasters.
05:24One thing to keep in mind is that ADT Plus
05:26isn't the cheapest home security option out there,
05:28but you're paying for a full-service package
05:30that's deeply integrated with Google's ecosystem.
05:33For most people, the front door protection package
05:35can be a great entry point.
05:36It's usually priced at $718,
05:38but is currently available for $359.
05:40This covers the basics and includes the ADC base,
05:43motion detector, door and window sensors,
05:45the Yale smart lock,
05:46and of course, the Google Nest doorbell.
05:48The total safety package bumps things up
05:50with additional sensors, an indoor and two outdoor cameras.
05:53That one is currently listed for about $823,
05:56which is a decent deal
05:57considering all the additional hardware you're getting.
05:59Beyond the upfront cost for hardware, though,
06:01you'll need to factor in the price
06:02for professional monitoring,
06:03which starts at $44.99 per month
06:06with a minimum one-month commitment.
06:08This plan also includes access to Google Nest Aware,
06:10which would typically cost $8 a month on its own.
06:13So if you already use Google Nest products,
06:15this might feel like a win-win.
06:17That said, before deciding if ADT Plus
06:19is right for securing your home,
06:21there are a couple things you should keep in mind.
06:22First, just like with a lot of other home security companies,
06:25ADT's hardware is proprietary.
06:27And so with their sensors, their base,
06:29you won't be able to move it to a new service
06:31if you decide to switch.
06:33That said, if you do wanna switch,
06:34you can continue to use all the Nest hardware,
06:36including the cameras, the displays, and the doorbell.
06:39And if you want, you can subscribe to Nest Aware
06:41if you wanna have that extended video playback.
06:43But maybe even a bigger point than that
06:45is even though the system can be completely hands-free
06:47to re-enter your home,
06:49you might not wanna keep it that way.
06:51By default and recommended by ADT,
06:53the system will actually send a notification to your phone
06:55asking for confirmation before unlocking the door.
06:58And while that does kind of take away
07:00from some of the magic of this system,
07:01it does give me extra peace of mind
07:03knowing that it's not going to misidentify someone
07:05or get spoofed.
07:06And because this feature is still in beta,
07:08there's of course gonna be room to improve,
07:10but also I'd imagine over time,
07:11potential vulnerabilities that could be found.
07:14So keeping that extra layer of security
07:16is probably the way to go, at least for right now.
07:19On a positive note though,
07:20the core functionality of your ADT Plus
07:23trusted neighbor system continues to work just as well,
07:26even without facial recognition.
07:28You'll still be able to grant control
07:29and secure access to your home.
07:31Your neighbors will just have to use the app
07:33in order to auto-unlock your door
07:34when they're ready to enter,
07:36which again, I think is a smarter choice.
07:39But let's ask the real question here.
07:41Is a system that depends on other people,
07:43no matter how much you trust them, worth potential risks?
07:46You're essentially handing over control,
07:48albeit selectively and securely to others.
07:50If you have a solid network of people that you can rely on,
07:52ADT Plus offers incredible convenience and peace of mind,
07:55which could justify the additional costs.
07:58But it's also important to ask yourself
07:59if you're comfortable with the idea of external help,
08:02having access to your home.
08:03The balance between convenience and security is delicate.
08:06And in the end, it's all about how much trust
08:09you're willing to invest,
08:10both in your neighbors and your technology.
08:13But let me know what you think about
08:14the brand new ADT Plus trusted neighbor home security system
08:17with facial recognition being such a core feature.
08:20Is this something you'd add to your home today?
08:22Thanks for watching.
08:23Till the next one.
08:23Catch you later.