LIGHTING CONTROL AND NOTIFICATION
Lights can be activated by events such as the opening of a door, or walking through a motion detector. 

For example, when you walk in the front door, the foyer light can turn on. When someone awakens in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, a motion detector can turn on the hallway light so that no one falls down the steps. When you arm your alarm system in the “away” mode, lights can be randomly activated to give the home a “lived-in” look.  Portable hand-held keyfobs can activate lights upon entering the house. During an alarm activation, the front door light or porch light can blink to call attention to the house, help responding police to locate your home more easily.

ENERGY CONTROLS
Programmable thermostats can adjust the heating and cooling patterns on a timed basis.  However, living patterns vary every day and do not always fit into the scheduled program. When you arm the system in the “away” mode, the heating or air conditioning can revert to a “setback” mode, saving energy and dollars on your utility bill. With “Total Connect”, you can use your iPad, Blackberry, or Android phone to revert to “normal” mode before you return home so that the house reverts to the proper temperature when you arrive home. This remote control of your heating with “Total Connect” is particularly helpful for winter vacation homes that take a substantial amount of time to bring to a comfortable temperature.  With your smart phone and Total Connect, your winter home can be toasty warm when you arrive.  

LOCK CONTROL
You can always put a key into a lock to open it.  Why would you need another way?  If you lost your keys, a pushbutton combination could unlock it. For elderly fingertips possibly hampered by arthritis, fumbling for a key or even pushing a 4 digit combination could be difficult.  A portable hand-held keyfob could unlock the door with the press of a button.

To automatically unlock a door, the lock must be motorized to retract the bolt, and intelligent enough to respond to commands. The locks pictured below would retrofit your existing lock and respond to Radio Frequency commands or pushbutton combinations. (Of course you could always put a key into the lock)