You're currently in Personal Support. If you're a Business customer, visit our

Getting started with SmartHome Security

A step-by-step guide on the key actions you need to take after your TELUS SmartHome Security has been installed.

Below, we’ve provided you with the critical actions you need to take to personalize your security system and tailor it to your unique needs to ensure maximum security and convenience.

Let’s get started.

Step 1: Set up your My TELUS and TELUS SmartHome accounts.

Step 2: Ensure your household members have access to and know how to use the TELUS SmartHome App .

The TELUS SmartHome app allows you to remotely manage your security system, access real-time home information, view recent activity, view video devices, control automation equipment‌ and set up notifications.
Download for iOS devices
Download for Android devices

Before you begin, watch this quick video to learn about the app’s key features:

Action 1:

Create separate app login credentials for each member of your household.

It’s best to set up unique logins for each person who will access and use the TELUS SmartHome App.

Log in to the web version of your
SmartHome account
and use the same credentials as your SmartHome app login.
Note
: This web portal offers additional features beyond the app. We’ll go over these features later in the article.
Click on the menu (3 bars) in the top left-hand corner and go to
Users
.
Click on
Manage logins
, followed by
Add a login
.
Enter an email address for the new app user and their language preference.
Click on
Save
.
Select a desired permission setting (or you can customize your own permissions here).
Click on
Save
.

Action 2:

Ask each household member to download TELUS Smarthome App.

Get the app for iOS devices

Get the app for Android devices
Next, ask them to log in to the app: They will need to refer to the login instructions in the email that was sent to them.

Action 3:

Add each household member and other users to the system so they can arm/disarm and lock/unlock the system, and use other features.

Select
Users
and select
+
.
Enter their first and last name, and then select
Create
.
Select
Generate Code
or enter your four-digit access code.
Use the toggles to grant user access to the security panel and/or Smart lock.
Select
Save
.
Note
: Allow a few minutes for the security system to update before you test the new user code.

Next, set up access codes and time restrictions for users. By doing this, you can give your visitors the freedom to come and go, without sacrificing security and control. 

For example, the dog walker can come and go during the weekdays between 12 pm to 2 pm. 

Here's how to do this:

Select
Time
.
Select the
Access Type
:
All times (default option)
Restricted schedule (e.g. for a housekeeper or child caregiver)
Temporary access (e.g. for guests or contractors)
Once you’ve configured the access time, select
Save
.
Note
: Allow a few minutes for the
Time
settings to save to the security system.

Note
: You can change a user’s access to your home at any time in the app.

For more help, check out our article on adding and editing user access and access codes
. 

Step 3: Learn how to arm and disarm your security system.

Arming and disarming your home is an essential feature of our professionally monitored plans. Below are three critical steps you need to complete today to ensure you’re ready to arm and disarm your system.

Action 1:

Confirm your emergency contacts: We require your location phone number (i.e. primary contact called in the event of an alarm) and two alternative emergency contacts.

Note
: A “location phone number” should be the contact number of the individual who will most likely be on site.

You should ideally choose contacts who live in your building or have access to your building. They must also be able to act on your behalf in the event that emergency service providers need to conduct a further investigation. 

Emergency contacts are required for the following reasons:

To ensure we can contact someone in the event of an emergency
To improve alarm response times
To avoid dispatch of emergency services in false alarm situations
To avoid a breach of local bylaws set by the local jurisdictions, which can lead to fees or penalties or result in no response from emergency services

Note
: Emergency contacts will not have access to your account or personal information. 

How to update emergency contacts
:

Log in to your TELUS SmartHome app.
Select
More
in the bottom right-hand corner.
Select
Monitoring Settings
.
Confirm your location phone number (i.e. primary contact called in the event of an alarm), emergency contacts and passwords.

Important
: Our Central Monitoring Station will ask contacts to verify their identity by providing a verbal password during an alarm event call. Please ensure all contacts are well-informed of security procedures and their passwords.

Action 2:

Make sure everyone knows how to arm and disarm your system via the security panel and TELUS SmartHome Security app.

Tap the
Security system
card on your
Home
screen or the
Lock
icon on your panel.
Security panel view
App view
Select your desired state,
Arm Stay
or
Arm Away
, and your desired features, and then send the command.
Security panel view
App view
Note
: When you arm your system through the mobile app, any devices that are currently active (e.g., if a door is open or a motion sensor is active) will be automatically bypassed if “forced bypass” is selected.
To disarm, simply select the shield or lock icon and select
DISARM
.
Security panel view
App view

Note
:
Exit Sounds
and
Entry Delay
are automatically turned on. If you need more time to leave the premises before the exit delay expires (e.g. if you forgot something inside your home), tap the
+60
button to extend your exit delay once by 60 seconds.
Security panel view

Action 3:

Learn about your system's arming features.

Here are the two different arming modes of your alarm system: 

ARM Stay
: Arming your system in
Stay mode only
arms the system's perimeter and is typically used during the night when occupants are sleeping.
ARM Away
: Arming your system in
Away mode
arms all the sensors attached to your alarm system and is typically used when occupants are out of the home.

Below are features available in the app:

Silent Arming
: This setting allows you to silence any beeps during arming.
No Entry Delay
: There is a time period you set in the security panel that gives you time to enter your home and disarm your security system before an alarm is triggered. With
No Entry Delay
, your system will remain armed but will force the system to bypass this time period.
Force Bypass
: Use this setting if you want to arm your system with one or more sensors open and intentionally unprotected.
Note
: This option is automatically selected if there are any trouble conditions present on the customer’s account, such as panel power failure, panel tamper, device low battery‌ or sensor tamper.
Bypass Specific Sensors
: Use this setting when you need to bypass specific sensors before arming. For example, if you have pet motion sensors and you want to arm the system while your pets are still moving around.

Below are features available on the security panel: 

Exit sounds (or silent arming)
: This turns off exit sounds (beeping) during your exit delay (60 seconds) when you’re arming your system.
Entry Delay
: An entry delay is the time period set in the security panel that allows a user to enter their home and disarm their system before an alarm is triggered. We advise keeping
Entry Delay
on to provide you with enough time to enter and disarm.
Entry Delay
is defaulted to 30 seconds, but it can be lengthened or turned off if desired.

Step 4: Learn how to cancel an alarm in the app and what happens in an alarm event.

There are two types of alarms, which have different cancellation and verification procedures. Ensure everyone in your home understands what to do in the event of both alarm types.

Alarm type 1: Life safety alarms

This is for medical, panic or fire alarms triggered directly through the panel or by smoke and C02 detectors.

When a life safety alarm is triggered, the following things will happen:

We will call you and then emergency services.
Our monitoring station agents will first attempt to contact your location number. If you do not answer or verify that the event is true, emergency services will be contacted on your behalf.
Efforts to verify the event will continue.
The team will continue to try to verify the alarm event by calling you and your emergency contacts.
Emergency Service Responders will take over.
If an alarm is verified as false after Emergency Services are contacted, we will notify them on your behalf. Any emergency-service cancellations and responses would then be determined by the municipality according to their policies, not by TELUS.

Alarm type 2: Intrusion alarms

This is an alarm event triggered by sensors when systems are armed (including door, motion and break-glass sensors). Responses for these alarm events are slightly different than for life safety alarm events. 

Review the following steps in case of an intrusion alarm event:

Cancel the alarm in the app if you know it is false.
Intrusion alarms can quickly be cancelled by pressing and holding
Cancel Alarm
in your app for three seconds or by tapping
Cancel
on your security panel.
If the alarm event is unverified, we will attempt to call you.
Our 24/7 monitoring station agents will attempt to contact your location contact first (unless you've provided an alternative emergency contact to get in touch with first). Your location contact must have access and permission to enter the premises.
If the alarm event is still unverified, our response will then escalate.
Our agents will continue attempts to verify the alarm event. Their response is determined by your preference settings (which can be adjusted at any time). Agents will either call your emergency contacts, dispatch
Guard Response
(if enabled) or contact Emergency Services on your behalf (if permitted by bylaws).
Note
: Local bylaws determine if police will respond. We strongly recommend enabling the
Guard Response
feature on your account to guarantee a certified and trained guard will attend to your alarm location. It will also help to reduce avoidable fees for police-response false alarms.

Learn more about cancelling your alarm in the app
.

Step 5: Personalize your security system’s settings.

To optimize your service, personalize your system’s key features, including enabling scheduling automation, smart schedules and event-triggered rules for all of your smart device. 

You may have completed some of these steps during installation, but as you become more familiar with your system, we recommend further customization. 

Action 1:

Ensure all users have a valid email and number.

For each user added to your system, add a mobile contact through the
Users
page and add an email address for notification messages.
For more information about adding secondary information, see
Add/Edit secondary user information
.

Action 2:

Create and customize your notifications.

Customize notifications on your TELUS SmartHome and Security system to stay informed about home activities.
Receive alerts for user access, kids arriving home, dog-walker arrivals‌ and service-provider visits.
Learn more about
setting up personalized notifications and alerts
.

Action 3:

Set up Geo-Devices to enable Places
. 

Use
Places
(formerly Geo-Services) on your TELUS SmartHome Security System to enhance your home connection.
With a Geo-Device enabled, you can automate settings and receive location-based notifications using your iPhone or Android phone within set Geo-Fences.
Learn more about
how to use Places
.

Action 4:

Add automation rules and schedules.

Set up rules for events triggered by alarms, arming/disarming activity, sensor activity, doorbell camera activity or when a user’s go-device crosses a geo-fence to perform an action with your smart automation devices.
You can also schedule actions like turning devices on/off or dimming smart lighting devices at specific times.
Learn more
creating rules or schedules with your automation devices
.

Note
: This includes thermostat rules (e.g., Smart Away, Sensor Left Open Energy Saver). Thermostat schedules and the fire safety rule are not included.

Action 5:

Add additional equipment to your plan. 

Once you are familiar with your security system, you might want to add new equipment to customize your system to your unique needs.

Not sure what equipment you might want to add?

Below, we’ve listed our recommendations for professionally monitored security plans:

Smart smoke sensor
: Get notified via the SmartHome Security app when smoke is detected. Receive alerts at the first sign of fire and take immediate action, just in time to save those burnt cookies.
Flood sensor
: Do you worry about water leaking in the basement or someone leaving the faucet on overnight? Install a flood sensor and get notified as soon as water is detected via the app. This is a great option for bathroom or kitchen sinks and basement furnace rooms.
Smart plugs
: Do you ever worry about leaving the iron plugged in or your teenager leaving their hair straightener on? Safely turn home devices on and off using a smart plug via the app. You can also use smart plugs for your space heater and set up automation rules.
Smart light bulbs
: Automate your home lights with SmartHome Security. Set up schedules for early mornings or late nights. Or, install a smart light bulb on your porch and have it turn on automatically when movement is detected.
Door and window sensors
: Are you wondering where that cold draft is coming from? Are your kids forgetting to close the backyard door? With these sensors, you can set up notifications to alert you when doors and windows are open or left open for an extended period of time.
Glass break sensors
: Are you worried about your glass windows getting shattered? With a glass break sensor, get notified if anything happens to your glass doors or windows.
Motion sensors
: Do your pets wander around the house? Are you curious why there are crumbs in your kitchen in the morning? Arm your home with additional motion sensors and get notified whenever motion is detected.

Order your additional sensors today
.

Getting started with SmartHome Security

Step 1: Set up your My TELUS and TELUS SmartHome accounts.

Action 1:

Action 2:

Action 3:

Step 2: Ensure your household members have access to and know how to use the TELUS SmartHome App .

Action 1:

Action 2:

Action 3:

Step 3: Learn how to arm and disarm your security system.

Action 1:

Action 2:

Action 3:

Step 4: Learn how to cancel an alarm in the app and what happens in an alarm event.

Alarm type 1: Life safety alarms

Alarm type 2: Intrusion alarms

Step 5: Personalize your security system’s settings.

Action 1:

Action 2:

Action 3:

Action 4:

Action 5:

Step 6: Adjust your camera features.

Did this article solve your problem?

Related articles

Adding smart plugs to the SmartHome+ app

Step-by-step guide to add your smart plugs in the SmartHome+ app.

Related articles

how to troubleshoot common registration issues

adding services or accounts to your My TELUS profile

recovering your SmartHome Security username and password

adding and editing user access and access codes

cancelling your alarm in the app

Add/Edit secondary user information

setting up personalized notifications and alerts

creating rules or schedules with your automation devices

how to set up alerts and get important notifications

Adding smart plugs to the SmartHome+ app