Alarm and monitoring system and method of operation thereof

A method of operating an alarm device comprising a transceiver, a controller and a rendering device, the method comprising:

• establishing a communication link between the transceiver and a mobile phone;
• providing, from the transceiver to the mobile phone, a plurality of pre-programmed alarm rendering options of the rendering device;
• receiving, at the transceiver, a notification signal transmitted from a cloud system via the mobile phone, the notification signal including a selection of at least one preferred alarm rendering option via the mobile phone by a user;
• forwarding the notification signal from the transceiver to the controller;
• generating, at the controller, a rendering signal based on the notification signal;
• forwarding the rendering signal to the rendering device;
• generating, at the rendering device, an alarm based on the rendering signal, the alarm including the at least one preferred alarm rendering option selected via the mobile phone,
• receiving, at the transceiver from the mobile phone, one or more new alarm rendering options for the rendering device and sending the one or more new alarm rendering options from the mobile phone to a memory at the controller, and
• when the notification signal includes the selection of at least one preferred alarm rendering option that cannot be rendered by the rendering device, indicating via the mobile phone to the user that the selection of the at least one preferred alarm rendering option is not supported by the rendering device,
• wherein the pre-programmed alarm rendering options and the one or more new alarm rendering options include at least haptic rendering instructions with at least one of a user-customizable haptic force, a user-customizable haptic frequency, and a user-customizable haptic pattern.

An alarm device, comprising:

• a transceiver configured to provide to a mobile phone a plurality of pre-programmed alarm rendering options of a rendering device and configured to receive a notification signal from a cloud system via the mobile phone including selection of at least one preferred alarm rendering option of a user via the mobile phone;
• a controller configured to generate a rendering signal based on the notification signal;
• and
• a rendering device configured to generate an alarm based on the rendering signal, the alarm including the preferred alarm rendering option selected by the user, wherein the transceiver is configured (i) to receive from the mobile phone one or more new alarm rendering options for the rendering device, (ii) to send the one or more new alarm rendering options from the mobile phone to a memory of the controller, and (iii) when the preferred alarm rendering option selected by the user cannot be rendered by the rendering device, to communicate with the mobile phone to indicate that the selection of the preferred alarm rendering option is not supported by the rendering device, and
• wherein the pre-programmed alarm rendering options and the one or more new alarm rendering options include at least haptic rendering instructions with at least one of a user-customizable haptic force, a user-customizable haptic frequency, and a user-customizable haptic pattern.