ProControl‪+‬ 4+

OK but lacking some basics

I’ve started using this as it’s handy to be able to view both my alarm systems and Hikvision CCTV on one app. It is lacking a few basic features however. There appears to be no way of arming and disarming CCTV alarms through the app. You can enable/disable notifications globally, however when using IVMS 4500 app for the CCTV, you can remotely switch on/off the “notify surveillance centre” option on a per site basis. This effectively isolated the notifications while not affecting the alarm settings locally. Also, like the iVMS app you cannot reorder the list of cameras, intruder panels you’ve added - this is basic functionality in most iOS apps. They just appear in the order you’ve added them. Not much help if you’ve a long list of sites.

Will always let you down

Actually I’ve changed my mind… this app is utter UTTER garbage. It always lets me down!!! Every single time. They should delete this and just start again. The app is ok but very basic. What it does spectacularly badly is... when you really need it, it will let you down. For example, you spend thousands of pounds on cameras and equipment, and then have this app. There is movement detected on your garden.... so you open the app.... it stalls on “86% loading and a spinning wheel” whilst you are desperate to see what’s out there! Then it finally loads... but too late to see anything live... So, you select Playback... and decide what previous minute to view, you select it, then get a “camera failed to load” message!!! Which means you have to restart your phone and then repeat everything all over again, but by now, it’s 5 minutes later and the event is well past! The intruder is well gone. Total waste of time. Total waste of effort. Total garbage. And if any developer says it’s my system, it is always the app at fault, loads of checks done and the app is the weak spot of the entire system. Rubbish.

Developer Response ,

We're sorry to hear this. Can you confirm whether you're still experiencing this issue? If so, have you contacted your installer regarding the CCTV? They should be able to diagnose and resolve this for you as there could be a connection issue - if they have any issues, they can contact our Tech Support Team on 0333 444 1280 and we'll work with them to resolve this. If you are having issues with accessing the alarm panel, please email customer.support@pyronix.com and we can look into this for you.

Doesn’t work

I have a Pyronix alarm system which works perfectly with the HomeControl app, but given that the app itself is like something from the early 90s I thought I would “upgrade” to this new version.
That turned out to be a waste of time. Despite entering all of the credentials correctly and authorising the app via the Pyronix Cloud it doesn’t work and just times out with “Connection failed” after “Getting device information. Please wait” for a couple of minutes.
It would seem from other reviews that the similar problems aren’t uncommon and from Pyronix’s responses that they don’t really get that it’s now 2020 and that technology should just work, as it does with their competitor’s products. Blaming the installer (in this case me) or some convoluted network issues just doesn’t cut it anymore. There are plenty of security systems that have been designed with internet connectivity at their core (rather than an afterthought that has been shoddily bolted on). I would suggest you select one of those instead.
I shall stick with the old app and will most likely replace the whole system with a more reliable brand in the not too distant future.