Abstract: A monitoring system includes a camera that includes a removable primary power source and a secondary power source. The camera is configured to detect removal of the primary power source. The camera is configured to draw power from the secondary power source and generate a primary power source removal notification indicating that the primary power source has been removed from the camera. The monitoring system includes a monitor control unit that is configured to receive the primary power source removal notification. The monitor control unit is configured to determine whether a primary power source removal request was received within a period of time before receipt of the primary power source removal notification, the primary power source removal request indicating that the primary power source will be removed within the period of time. The monitor control unit is configured to perform a monitoring system action.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for tracking guard tours. In some implementations, the techniques include the actions of receiving data indicating an initiation of a guard tour at the property and by a user, where the guard tour defines a path that includes one or more checkpoints with which the user is instructed to interact. The actions further include analyzing the sensor data. The actions further include determining a location of the user conducting the guard tour at the property. The actions further include based on the location of the user and the path of the guard tour, determining that the user is not following the path of the guard tour. The actions further include based on determining that the user is not following the path of the guard tour, providing, for output, data indicating that the user is not following the path of the guard tour.

Abstract: A monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property is disclosed. In one aspect, the monitoring system includes a sensor that is located in a room of the property and that is configured to generate sensor data. The monitoring system further includes a monitor control unit that is configured to receive the sensor data; based on the sensor data, determine environmental conditions of the room; determine whether the environmental conditions of the room are conducive to a baby sleeping; and, based on determining whether the environmental conditions of the room are conducive to a baby sleeping, perform a monitoring system action.

Abstract: Methods and systems including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for event detection through variable bitrate of a video. A method includes obtaining bitrate information that describes bitrates for portions of a video, determining bitrate criteria that corresponds to a likely occurrence of an event being shown in the video, determining that the bitrate indicated by the bitrate information for a particular portion of the video satisfies the bitrate criteria, in response to determining that the bitrate indicated by the bitrate information for the particular portion of the video satisfies the bitrate criteria, determining that an instance of the event is likely to be shown in the particular portion of the video, and providing a user device an indication that the event is likely to be shown in the particular portion of the video.

Abstract: Virtual sensor technology, in which a camera is controlled to capture at least one configuration image of an area monitored by a monitoring system and input is received that defines one or more characteristics of the at least one configuration image that enable sensing of an event in the area. Based on the received input, configuration data used in sensing the event is generated and stored. After storage of the configuration data, the camera is controlled to capture one or more images of the area, the one or more images are analyzed based on the configuration data, and occurrence of the event is detected based on the analysis of the one or more images. Based on detecting occurrence of the event, a transmitting device is controlled to send, to a controller of the monitoring system, a signal that indicates the detection of the occurrence of the event.

Abstract: Video monitoring and alarm verification technology, in which a first connection is established between a first device and a camera located in a monitored property associated with a user of the first device and image data captured by the camera is received over the first connection and at the first device. A determination is made to establish a second connection with a second device that enables sharing of the received image data with the second device and, in response to the determination, the second connection is established between the first device and the second device. The received image data is shared with the second device over the second connection and the second device is restricted from directly accessing image data captured by the camera located in the monitored property.

Abstract: Techniques are described for enabling a service administrator to respond to a detected doorbell press at a property when an authorized user is unavailable to respond. In some implementations, a determination that a doorbell press has been detected at a property is made. Video data collected by a doorbell device of the property is obtained in response to determining that the doorbell press has been detected at the property. Sensor data collected by one or more sensors of a monitoring system located within the property is obtained in response to determining that the doorbell press has been detected at the property. A present security risk for the property is determined based at least on the obtained sensor data and the obtained video data. A communication session between the doorbell device and a server system associated with the monitoring system of the property is established in response to determining the present security risk for the property.

Abstract: Techniques are described for provisioning Wi-Fi network connectivity for a wireless device without requiring a user to provide network credentials to allow the wireless device to establish a network connection. In some implementations, a method is performed by a computing device to provision a wireless network connection. A MAC address associated with a property is obtained. A temporary network credential for the wireless device is determined based on the MAC Address of the wireless device. The temporary network credential permits the wireless device to connect to a temporary network. The temporary network credential for the wireless device is available over the temporary network. A determination that the wireless device has connected to the temporary network using the temporary network credential for the wireless device is made. An instruction is transmitted to the wireless device over the temporary network in response to the determination.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for alerting a user immersed in a virtual reality environment to the occurrence of an event. In one aspect, a system includes sensors and a monitoring unit. The monitoring unit includes a network interface, a processor, and a storage device that includes instructions to cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include detecting the occurrence of an event at a property, determining that a user who is located at the property is immersed in a virtual reality environment at a time of occurrence of the event at the property, based on determining that the user who is located at the property is immersed in the virtual reality environment at the time of the occurrence of the event, generating an alert notification that is configured to initiate the user's emergence from the virtual reality environment.

Abstract: Techniques are described for zooming in video. In some implementations, a first video stream from a camera is provided, a digitally zoomed portion of the first video stream from the camera is provided, a second video stream from the camera corresponding to the digitally zoomed portion of the first video stream is requested, and the digitally zoomed portion of the first video stream is replaced with the second video stream from the camera.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a storage device, for using a drone to test monitoring system sensors. In one aspect, the drone perform operations that include navigating from a first location of a property towards a second location of the property, detecting a sensor that is installed at the property, interrupting, by the drone, navigation through the property from the first location of the property towards the second location of the property to initiate a test of the detected sensor and (ii) determining a sensor test type for the detected sensor, administering a sensor test to the detected sensor, wherein the sensor test is based on the determined sensor test type, evaluating results of the administered test, storing data describing the results of the administered test, and continuing navigation through the property towards the second location of the property or towards another location of the property.

Abstract: Techniques are described for handling an event where a control panel or an alarm signaling device is tampered with or destroyed by a disablement tactic, e.g., a “crash and smash intrusion.

Abstract: A computer implemented method including receiving, by a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property, and from a camera, first image data, based on the first image data, determining, by the monitoring system that an animal is located at the property, and that a human is within a threshold distance of the animal, based on determining that the animal is located at the property and that a human is within the threshold distance of the animal, determining, by the monitoring system, that the animal likely discharged feces on the property and that the human did not remove the feces from the property, and based on determining that the animal likely discharged feces on the property and that the human did not remove the feces from the property, performing a monitoring system action.

Abstract: A computer implemented method includes receiving one or more user set preferences for detecting a hub alarm condition and one or more actions to perform in response to detecting a hub alarm condition, receiving, from the output of the security panel, data indicating that a traditional alarm condition occurred, based on receiving data indicating a traditional alarm condition occurred at the monitored property, receiving sensor data from at least one wireless sensor in a vicinity of a hardwired sensor associated with the traditional alarm condition, determining, based on the sensor data received from at least one wireless sensor in a vicinity of the hardwired sensor associated the traditional alarm condition, that the sensor data satisfies a condition, and in response to determining that the sensor data satisfies a condition, performing an action.

Abstract: Techniques are described for providing remote device (e.g., thermostat, lighting, appliance, etc.) control and/or energy monitoring. A system monitors sensor data captured by one or more sensors that sense attributes relevant to user presence at one or more monitored properties and status of one or more energy consuming devices associated with the one or more monitored properties. The system analyzes the monitored sensor data and the monitored device status with respect to a set of one or more rules and performs an operation related to controlling the one or more energy consuming devices based on the analysis of the monitored sensor data and the monitored device status with respect to the set of one or more rules.

Abstract: An electronic system is described that receives data collected by a monitoring system, where the monitoring system includes a notification device that is tunable between different states that discreetly convey contextual alerts based on prior association of the states with contextual alerts. The system analyzes the monitoring system data against one or more event profiles that define events relating to the property or one or more users of the property. Based on the analysis of the monitoring system data, a particular event is identified. Information that specifies contextual alerts to be provided by the monitoring system that each correspond to an event defined by the one or more event profiles is accessed. A particular contextual alert that corresponds to the particular event is identified. The system causes output of the particular contextual alert at the notification device included in the monitoring system by changing a state of the notification device.

Abstract: Systems and techniques are described for a sensor designed to connect to and monitor devices in an ecosystem. In some implementations, a system monitors a property that includes the sensor configured to generate sensor data reflecting an attribute of the property. The sensor includes a host board that generates the sensor data and a core board connected to the host board. The core board identifies a type of the host board and communicates with a monitor control unit. The monitor control unit receives a request for firmware associated with the type of the host board from the sensor. In response, the monitor control unit accesses the firmware and transmits the firmware to the sensor. The core board of the sensor receives the firmware and stores the firmware. The core board receives the sensor data from the host board and transmits the sensor data to the monitor control unit.

Abstract: A method includes obtaining historical event data for events detected over a past period of time by sensors within a property, receiving a set of current event data for one or more events detected by one or more of the sensors within the property, determining that the set of current event data matches a pattern of events indicated by the historical event data, generating, based on the pattern of events, a confidence score for the set of current event data, wherein the confidence scores reflects a confidence that a person is not within the property, determining that the confidence score satisfies a confidence threshold associated with an action to be performed when a person is not within the property, and triggering execution of the action.

Abstract: An electronic monitoring system is described that receives data from a particular monitoring system, receives data from multiple other monitoring systems, analyzes data received from the particular monitoring system irrespective of data received from the multiple other monitoring systems, based on the analysis, determines whether one or more events occur at the particular environment, and in response to determining that a particular event occurs at the particular environment, evaluates the particular event against a set of rules, selects, based on the evaluation results, a particular subset of the multiple other monitoring systems to serve as a cooperative monitoring network, assesses data received from the particular monitoring system with data received from the particular subset of the multiple other monitoring systems, based on the assessment, tracks, in connection with the particular event, events detected by the particular subset of the multiple other monitoring systems, and handles the particular event

Abstract: In some implementations, a system can trigger an action to be performed at a property based on satisfaction of criteria related to location information and a connection status of a mobile computing device. Location information of the mobile computing device relative of a pre-defined geographic region including at least a portion of the property is initially obtained. A connection status of the mobile computing device for a short range wireless connection with a communication-enabled device within the property is then obtained. Criteria for an action at the property is then determined to be satisfied by the location information and the connection status of the mobile computing device. The action is finally triggered to be performed at the property in response to determining that criteria for the action is satisfied.