How I Use My System: Brian Brower

Brian Brower, Vivint's VP of product management, has 20 years of experience in product development. He is also the VP and GM of core services at the company. A big focus for Brower is the apps that they've been developing, such as its new Streety neighborhood-focused app. Security Systems News talked with Brower in mid-May about his home security system.

What kind of system do you have at home?

Surprisingly, I have a Vivint system at home. It's interesting—because I started at Vivint, … we built a new house and for a while I was in between systems. And, I used that time to test some of the other things that are out there. Ultimately, I couldn't wait to get my Vivint system back.

Why this particular setup?

Our set up: we have the thermostat, we have the locks, we have a few cameras around the outside, we have our doorbell camera, and then we have the traditional security sensors, where we have … every exterior door has a sensor, as well as windows, and then we have motion sensors on each floor. … When we didn't have a really well-coordinated security system, when I would go out on business travel or we would go out on vacation, we really missed that peace of mind. Surprisingly, the other things that we missed were locks and [the] thermostat. … We use the features of the system that make our lives easier, and we've tried to set up the system to make that as easy as possible.

What is one aspect of your security system that you wouldn't want to live without?

Security. For us, we've got our system now scheduled so that every night at 10 o'clock our home arms. We also use Vivint's intelligence in the background. I mentioned that we have motion detectors on every floor; so, I know within minutes of leaving my house that the house is empty and it will remind me that things like locks are open or lights are on or my house isn't armed. I'll get a simple push notification and can very quickly say, 'Yeah, go ahead and take care of that for me.' That type of assistance in my security system I would not want to live without anymore.

Where do you see security going next? What are some big trends?

I think it's all about the neighborhood aspect of it. For example, one of the things that just happened this weekend in my community here in Utah: we had a rash of garage break-ins. People had been leaving their garage door open … and were discovering things were getting stolen out of the garage. If we had all had Streety and just quickly notified each other … all of us would have made sure that our garage doors were closed every time.