Lack of improvement
Since they launch ERA PROTECT , they are not taking care of existing customer of HomeGuard pro app which shows that ERA are only interested in sell of new products but not interested in existing customers. Since long time this app is not update to fix the issue.
Products as hardware is great but you need to update the app as well.
Cusomer retention is the best practise to grow. Hope you agree with me.
Products as hardware is great but you need to update the app as well.
Cusomer retention is the best practise to grow. Hope you agree with me.
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Is this now an old legacy product?
ERA seemingly have no interest in support for this product. We’ve had no end of issues with it recently. This app last updated over a year ago, yet the protect one is updated. Thanks ERA- my £400 alarm system is now going in the bin.
Slow to fix major error and no update in 1+ years
Slow to update an error which rendered the smart element of the alarm useless. This undermines why people would buy the alarm… for smart functions!
Additionally, this app is rarely updated for smart functionality unlike competitors like Ring and ADT.
Please invest time in enhancing functionality and more people would buy the smart alarms! Innovation, protection!
Additionally, this app is rarely updated for smart functionality unlike competitors like Ring and ADT.
Please invest time in enhancing functionality and more people would buy the smart alarms! Innovation, protection!
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OK but not great
This app has a few design flaws.
1: the app should have security (IE a pin, Touch ID & Face ID. I raised this before but was told customers want quick access to the app. Well why don’t you add it into your settings and let the customer decide how secure they want the app & home alarm to be??? Why do you get to choose that for me based on what some customers have said! We’re only talking about an extra second or so with Face ID.
2: the arm/disarm/ SOS buttons are at the bottom on the iPhone. Without the home button on newer iPhones by swiping up you can arm or disarm your alarm as you exit.
1: the app should have security (IE a pin, Touch ID & Face ID. I raised this before but was told customers want quick access to the app. Well why don’t you add it into your settings and let the customer decide how secure they want the app & home alarm to be??? Why do you get to choose that for me based on what some customers have said! We’re only talking about an extra second or so with Face ID.
2: the arm/disarm/ SOS buttons are at the bottom on the iPhone. Without the home button on newer iPhones by swiping up you can arm or disarm your alarm as you exit.
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Major design flaw renders this app useless on iPhones!
This app should be great (in fact it is for setting up the system) but, and it is a HUGE but, it has a massive flaw on iPhones.
The disarm/arm/home buttons on an iPhone should not be at the bottom of the screen. If you have an iPhone from the past few years with no home button, to return to the home page you have to swipe up from the bottom to the phone. It is way to easy to catch one of the HomeGuard Pro’s buttons whilst doing this and I am forever either setting the alarm when I am actually in the house or turning the alarm off when I am away from home and I have just been checking in on the system. Not ideal... Please consider changing this!
The disarm/arm/home buttons on an iPhone should not be at the bottom of the screen. If you have an iPhone from the past few years with no home button, to return to the home page you have to swipe up from the bottom to the phone. It is way to easy to catch one of the HomeGuard Pro’s buttons whilst doing this and I am forever either setting the alarm when I am actually in the house or turning the alarm off when I am away from home and I have just been checking in on the system. Not ideal... Please consider changing this!
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All good but needs a few functionality tweaks
The alarm system is great, none too different from the Yale I tried, although the hardware is slightly higher spec.
What let’s this (and Yale’s) app down is that you can’t set different zones and have different wait times before the system triggers.
For example, I’m using this for my home office in the garden and also for the house. If we’re not in the office, we part set the alarm. This sets in ‘Home Arm’ and it is set on a timer so if you walk into the office you have 15 seconds to get to the keypad to set the alarm. However, when you put the app on ‘Arm’ (which sets the whole house and garden office) you can’t have a timer. This means that I can’t put sensors on the door or PIR’s in the hallway as I walk into the main house because it triggers IMMEDIATELY.
It would be really desirable to have the simple functionality of a timer setting on both home and full arm settings OR to be able to set multiple zones around the house tailored to our needs. This should be simple enough with a firmware upgrade. Shouldn’t it?
What let’s this (and Yale’s) app down is that you can’t set different zones and have different wait times before the system triggers.
For example, I’m using this for my home office in the garden and also for the house. If we’re not in the office, we part set the alarm. This sets in ‘Home Arm’ and it is set on a timer so if you walk into the office you have 15 seconds to get to the keypad to set the alarm. However, when you put the app on ‘Arm’ (which sets the whole house and garden office) you can’t have a timer. This means that I can’t put sensors on the door or PIR’s in the hallway as I walk into the main house because it triggers IMMEDIATELY.
It would be really desirable to have the simple functionality of a timer setting on both home and full arm settings OR to be able to set multiple zones around the house tailored to our needs. This should be simple enough with a firmware upgrade. Shouldn’t it?
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Great interface but needs some tweaks
I have been living with the Era HomeGuard system for a few months now and it’s a very well thought out system. I like that it’s modular and really easy to add sensors as you go. I love the control the app gives you to configure the hub, activate and disable tamper sensors and enter test mode to help optimise your system.
I also have a couple of IP cams which integrate well into the app, which makes the whole system seamless and intuitive to use.
I have had a few problems though. Firstly when viewing the ip cams via the app, they often lose connection, which I initially thought was a networking issue, however you can consistently get them working again just buy resetting the app (double tap home and swipe up) which suggests that it’s a bug with the app.
The other problem that I encountered was that I was getting erroneous ‘unclosed door’ notifications from the sensor on my back door when trying to set the alarm. This is the furthest sensor from the hub but it still has two bars of signal and triggers consistently in test mode. I seem to have managed to get the system to arm without giving me an false ‘unclosed door’ notification whilst the door is closed, but if I try to arm the system with this door wide open, I get no notification... so there’s still a problem here.
During these tests I’d noticed that two of my Pet friendly Infrared sensors had completely disappeared from system and were no longer listed. When adding these back into the system, suddenly a remote I didn’t recognise ‘remote_04’ started continually arming the system... even though it didn’t exist within the accessories list in the app. I started deleting (genuine) remotes manually from the list and then ‘remote_04’ finally showed up and I was able to delete it too and stop it constantly arming the system.
Very strange.
I’ve been generally very pleased with the system in the whole and I have recommended it to others. The system and the app is generally very good but I now have some worries about its stability and reliability.
I have since put a range extender halfway between the hub and the back door which has successfully increased the signal to the sensor, but this has only partially solved the problem. Now when testing the system with all the door sensors (arming the system with doors open to trigger a notification) once I get a ‘open door notification’ it will continue to notify that the door is open on subsequent attempts to arm the system even when the doors are securely shut.
I feel that the door sensor issue poses a problem for security (Open door notifications are unreliable) and I worry that I constantly have to monitor the accessories list to ensure that sensors don’t simply disappear from the system completely.
If these issues were resolved I would give the app and system 5 stars, but don’t feel I can do this currently.
I also have a couple of IP cams which integrate well into the app, which makes the whole system seamless and intuitive to use.
I have had a few problems though. Firstly when viewing the ip cams via the app, they often lose connection, which I initially thought was a networking issue, however you can consistently get them working again just buy resetting the app (double tap home and swipe up) which suggests that it’s a bug with the app.
The other problem that I encountered was that I was getting erroneous ‘unclosed door’ notifications from the sensor on my back door when trying to set the alarm. This is the furthest sensor from the hub but it still has two bars of signal and triggers consistently in test mode. I seem to have managed to get the system to arm without giving me an false ‘unclosed door’ notification whilst the door is closed, but if I try to arm the system with this door wide open, I get no notification... so there’s still a problem here.
During these tests I’d noticed that two of my Pet friendly Infrared sensors had completely disappeared from system and were no longer listed. When adding these back into the system, suddenly a remote I didn’t recognise ‘remote_04’ started continually arming the system... even though it didn’t exist within the accessories list in the app. I started deleting (genuine) remotes manually from the list and then ‘remote_04’ finally showed up and I was able to delete it too and stop it constantly arming the system.
Very strange.
I’ve been generally very pleased with the system in the whole and I have recommended it to others. The system and the app is generally very good but I now have some worries about its stability and reliability.
I have since put a range extender halfway between the hub and the back door which has successfully increased the signal to the sensor, but this has only partially solved the problem. Now when testing the system with all the door sensors (arming the system with doors open to trigger a notification) once I get a ‘open door notification’ it will continue to notify that the door is open on subsequent attempts to arm the system even when the doors are securely shut.
I feel that the door sensor issue poses a problem for security (Open door notifications are unreliable) and I worry that I constantly have to monitor the accessories list to ensure that sensors don’t simply disappear from the system completely.
If these issues were resolved I would give the app and system 5 stars, but don’t feel I can do this currently.
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Good wireless solution
I’ve been very happy with my installation which includes a solar siren on a south facing wall. I recommended the system to others members of the family and as a result, my son installed the system with a powered siren as it was located in a more shaded area. Unfortunately the arm/disarm beep disable does not work from the app and ERA help desk have told him it’s a firmware problem that can only be rectified by a firmware update. They could not provide a date for this upgrade. He is not happy.
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Great piece of kit
Great piece of kit. I love the smart control and the way that we can interact with it remotely. I would highly recommend this product.
The only reason that I gave it four instead of five stars, was because the buttons on the app need to be moved from the bottom, as I am constantly disarming of rearming g by accident, as my phone is “swipe up” to close the app. I will come back and add another star then.
The only reason that I gave it four instead of five stars, was because the buttons on the app need to be moved from the bottom, as I am constantly disarming of rearming g by accident, as my phone is “swipe up” to close the app. I will come back and add another star then.
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A bit disappointed with this app and set up.
We purchased this security system and thought it would be comparatively simple to install, via the app and connect to the hub.
Actually nothing could be further from the truth; it was a nightmare to even connect the hub to our Wi-fi. Eventually we managed to get the thing to work; the instructions supplied were worse than useless and require someone with prior knowledge of installing security systems to make head or tail of it.
We have managed to get the sensors to work (but no thanks to the support desk, who weren’t even available at the weekend.)
I think once it is done and going it’s probably effective, but there are enough quirks with it to make it a real headache to install.
Considering the price of it, I’m not very happy.
Actually nothing could be further from the truth; it was a nightmare to even connect the hub to our Wi-fi. Eventually we managed to get the thing to work; the instructions supplied were worse than useless and require someone with prior knowledge of installing security systems to make head or tail of it.
We have managed to get the sensors to work (but no thanks to the support desk, who weren’t even available at the weekend.)
I think once it is done and going it’s probably effective, but there are enough quirks with it to make it a real headache to install.
Considering the price of it, I’m not very happy.
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Alerts
The app has stopped sending alerts since the latest update. Please fix ASAP.
Latest release seems to have broken notification for iOS
Since updating no longer getting any arm disarm alerts. Hopefully dev team are aware.
Keeps crashing!
Whilst trying to set up the system it constantly crashes. Still
Haven’t been able to install my alarm. Very disappointed!
Haven’t been able to install my alarm. Very disappointed!
Decent smart alarm system, let down by terrible iOS app
Pros
App looks modern. But is lacking a lot of key features.
Optimised for latest iPhones
Simple and intuitive to use
Cons
No feedback inside the app while arm or disarm countdown is in progress. User has to wait until the arm button in app lights up if they arm from outside their home. This could take a while depending on users arm delay preference. Very frustrating.
No alert if door/window sensor is left open when arming. User hears very loud beeps if door/window is left open. That is super frustrating as it wakes up the whole household! It would be much better to have an alert on screen and have the option to choose to have either loud annoying beeps or on screen alert/mobile notification. The latter is a must have!
The open door notification is totally useless! It doesn’t tell you which bloody door is open. What is the point of that. Whoever came up with this feature should not be given a pat on the back! You know which sensor is open surely it can’t be hard to communicate that to the user.
No easy way to reboot the hub without setting off the tamper switch! Sometimes when the hub fails to reconnect to WiFi after a reboot of the the WiFi router, there’s no way to make the Hub re-connect to WiFi. It would be good to have option to power cycle the Hub without triggering an alarm.
The app is lacking lot of key features. It doesn’t show the state of door/window sensor. It’s standard practice these for any home security, home automation to show state of sensors. There needs to be a dashboard that shows whether each door/window sensor is open/closed and if motion detector has detected any motion. You should just check out Home app on iPhone as an example! This should be a must have feature.
App looks modern. But is lacking a lot of key features.
Optimised for latest iPhones
Simple and intuitive to use
Cons
No feedback inside the app while arm or disarm countdown is in progress. User has to wait until the arm button in app lights up if they arm from outside their home. This could take a while depending on users arm delay preference. Very frustrating.
No alert if door/window sensor is left open when arming. User hears very loud beeps if door/window is left open. That is super frustrating as it wakes up the whole household! It would be much better to have an alert on screen and have the option to choose to have either loud annoying beeps or on screen alert/mobile notification. The latter is a must have!
The open door notification is totally useless! It doesn’t tell you which bloody door is open. What is the point of that. Whoever came up with this feature should not be given a pat on the back! You know which sensor is open surely it can’t be hard to communicate that to the user.
No easy way to reboot the hub without setting off the tamper switch! Sometimes when the hub fails to reconnect to WiFi after a reboot of the the WiFi router, there’s no way to make the Hub re-connect to WiFi. It would be good to have option to power cycle the Hub without triggering an alarm.
The app is lacking lot of key features. It doesn’t show the state of door/window sensor. It’s standard practice these for any home security, home automation to show state of sensors. There needs to be a dashboard that shows whether each door/window sensor is open/closed and if motion detector has detected any motion. You should just check out Home app on iPhone as an example! This should be a must have feature.
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App needs a lot of work
The alarm system itself is OK albeit a bit temperamental with stuck sensors now and again, but it is let down by the app (IOS). The app is not optimised for an iPad screen, but the main issue is with the logging and alerting of sensors. Because of the aforementioned quirk with sensors thinking they are still open, I often get a rather unhelpful push or text message stating that a one or more sensors is not closed. WHICH ONE? If you arm it using a mobile device via the app, the app pops up a message with the exact sensor and asks you to acknowledge it, so the system and the app knows exactly what sensor is stuck. So with this information, why isn’t this logged somewhere, or pushed through with the alert I get if armed via the keypad or a remote? The detail is in there, so why not use it? It’s kind of really important information to be given otherwise you have to walk around the property checking and resetting every single sensor. A lot more thought needs to be put into the features of the app making full use of the data received from the main control unit.
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Needs a few tiny tweaks
This is a very easy to use and very functional App however it needs a couple of small tweaks. When the alarm is turned OFF the App icon says “disarm” which suggests you need to touch it to disarm the alarm. Likewise when it is ON the App shows the icon which says “arm” again suggesting it needs to be armed. All it needs is the wording changing to “Disarmed” and “Armed” .... Small annoying points but easily solved
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Good but needs a fix
When I try to access the notification settings the app just quits out. Cant turn off any of the notifications which is annoying!
ERA Homeguard Smart/wireless alarm
Great wireless solution . The solar siren means no climbing ladders to replace batteries along with an ear piecing alarm.
Everything is controlled via the app however the manual remotes will ensure you can disarm the alarm should your Wi-fi go ‘offline’. The SMS back up also allows for continuous protection in the event of a power cut.
All the family have the app and I can see who has armed/disarmed and I have also set up x2 zones to allow for a home zone when we are still moving around downstairs.
Just take your tome to test the sensors in ‘test’ mode and also don’t be disturbed when the PIR sensors do not trigger motion in test mode as they go into sleep mode to save battery if you keep on trying to trigger them continually.
My only gripe is that the range is not as stated and you will need a range extender to cover your whole house.
Overall I would recommend.
Everything is controlled via the app however the manual remotes will ensure you can disarm the alarm should your Wi-fi go ‘offline’. The SMS back up also allows for continuous protection in the event of a power cut.
All the family have the app and I can see who has armed/disarmed and I have also set up x2 zones to allow for a home zone when we are still moving around downstairs.
Just take your tome to test the sensors in ‘test’ mode and also don’t be disturbed when the PIR sensors do not trigger motion in test mode as they go into sleep mode to save battery if you keep on trying to trigger them continually.
My only gripe is that the range is not as stated and you will need a range extender to cover your whole house.
Overall I would recommend.
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Easy to setup and expand.
Did a lot of investigation before buying this product and its main draw was its expansion capabilities and the fact that it had a built in battery and mobile phone backup via an optional SIM card in case the power fails and takes down the internet.
The app is easy to use and the whole system was up and running in a couple of hours. Would love to see some home automation features and links to smoke and CO2 detectors.
The app is easy to use and the whole system was up and running in a couple of hours. Would love to see some home automation features and links to smoke and CO2 detectors.
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App issues
This application has a flaw, the door sensors can only be assigned to the 24 hour zone meaning whenever you open a door irregardless of if the alarm is set of not it goes off.
ERG technical support is non existent, no answer to phone calls and no replies to email/website submissions.
I would seriously consider other options if looking for an alarm system. If this issue isn’t fixed I will be returning mine.
Additionally I wouldn’t buy the wireless external siren as after undoing one screw you can simply switch the siren off taking under two seconds, dissapointing.
ERG technical support is non existent, no answer to phone calls and no replies to email/website submissions.
I would seriously consider other options if looking for an alarm system. If this issue isn’t fixed I will be returning mine.
Additionally I wouldn’t buy the wireless external siren as after undoing one screw you can simply switch the siren off taking under two seconds, dissapointing.
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