Alex Crettenand was sitting in his office, more than an hour from home, when he received a notification on his ADT+ app that an animal was in his driveway. Not a squirrel or even a raccoon. It was a horse.
A quick check of Crettenand's live Google Nest camera feed revealed the details: one of his horses, Trashy, had escaped his pen and was happily wandering the property, grazing on the front lawn and enjoying his newfound freedom.
Crettenand, ADT's VP of Software Engineering, has outfitted his working horse ranch in Texas with the company's second-largest ADT+ Security System deployment, boasting 18 security cameras, 26 sensors, 8 connected Z-Wave devices, two thermostats and more.
It’s a fun and convenient way to keep tabs on his ranch and the often-amusing antics of the four horses his wife, Victoria, trains. But, above all, it’s a real-world testing ground for ADT+ software.
A true security test case
The alert about Trashy the horse wasn’t random. Google Nest cameras, as part of the ADT+ smart home ecosystem, are designed to distinguish between people, vehicles and animals, sending notifications based on what matters most to the user. In this case, customized activity settings flagged movement on the driveway, helping Crettenand know fast that something out of the ordinary was occurring.
Back at home, Trashy had made himself comfortable, nibbling on fresh grass and rolling in the yard. It was funny to watch him frolic, Crettenand said, but it also provided meaningful reassurance that his system was helping him keep watch at home.
And it helped keep Trashy safe. After seeing that the horse was loose, Alex was able to contact a neighbor who got the horse safely back into his pen.
That’s what smart protection is all about: helping you stay connected to home, wherever you are. From a package delivery to an unexpected visitor — or a horse with his own plans — you can see what’s happening and respond quickly when it matters most.
Start configuring your smart security system at ADT.com.