CARLSBAD, Calif. — Boats aren’t cheap, especially 47-foot-long luxury trawlers. You invest in security for your house, so why not also your boat?
When Matt Lombardi Sr., owner of Seattle-based Absolute Security Alarms (ASA), wanted to to secure his boat, he turned to the very system his company is known for installing — the 2GIG GC3 by Nortek Security & Control (NSC).
“As someone who has been successfully installing 2GIG systems for years at ASA, I knew the 2GIG GC3 system would provide the high level of security and remote observation I need on my boat,” Lombardi said. “The GC3 offers the control and flexibility that I require to constantly check in and monitor the yacht remotely.”
The 2GIG GC3 Security and Control Panel is a customizable all-in-one wireless security solution that controls and automates smart home devices, including thermostats, light bulbs, light switches and more. The GC3 panel allows for access to the security and control system, through a 7” touch screen or remotely operated from a smartphone.
After installing the GC3 system, Lombardi says he inadvertently discovered an added benefit of the 2GIG system as the boat’s engine needed some work.
“I hired a mechanic to repair the engine, and boat mechanics charge by the hour. The 2GIG system instantly detects whenever someone sets foot on the boat and then also tracks when they leave, so I knew exactly how long the mechanic was on the boat. It turns out that I hired a very honest mechanic as the bill matched up precisely to the number of hours the GC3 detected that he was working,” he said.
Lombardi also added a 2GIG Smoke, Heat and Freeze Detector to the boat, as well as Z-Wave compatible light bulbs. He says he programmed the lights to come on automatically for a set amount of time for safe entry on to the boat and down the stairs into the living room area.
A GoControl programmable thermostat allows Lombardi to manually set the boat’s diesel furnace on and off via the system’s app. “This way I’m not heating the boat when I’m not on it and I can turn it on when I’m heading to the marina so it’s warm when I arrive,” he said. “It saves a lot of fuel. The thermostat also warns me when preset highs and lows are reached, helping me to watch the temperatures.”
