Method and apparatus for disarming a security system

A central security controller for automatically disarming a security system associated with a home or a business, comprising:

• a network interface for sending messages and receiving commands over a local area network associated with the home or the business;
• a memory for storing processor-executable instructions;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the network interface and the memory, for executing the processor-executable instructions that cause the central security controller to:
• receive, by the network interface, a command to disarm the security system;
• determine, by the processor, whether the command originated from a personal communication device proximate the home or business;
• and
• disarm the security system when the command originated from the device proximate to the home or the business;
• wherein the instructions that cause the central security controller to determine that the command originated from a device proximate to the home or the business comprises instructions that cause the central security controller to:
• evaluate, by the processor, a source address of the command;
• compare, by the processor, at least a portion of the source address of the command to at least a portion of a local network address assigned to the central security controller by a wireless router that forms part of a local area network;
• and
• determine that the command originated from a device proximate to the home or business when at least a portion of the source address of the command matches at least a portion of the local network address assigned to the central security controller.

A central security controller for automatically disarming a security system associated with a home or a business, comprising:

• a network interface for sending messages and receiving commands over a local area network associated with the home or the business;
• a memory for storing processor-executable instructions;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the network interface and the memory, for executing the processor-executable instructions that cause the central security controller to:
• receive, by the network interface, a command to disarm the security system;
• determine, by the processor, whether the command originated from a personal communication device proximate the home or business;
• and
• disarm the security system when the command originated from a device proximate to the home or the business;
• wherein the instructions that cause the central security controller to determine that the command originated from a device proximate to the home or the business comprises instructions that causes the central security controller to:
• receive a MAC address, from the local area network, of any device that has received a local network address from a router in the local area network;
• store the received MAC address in the memory;
• compare a MAC address associated with the command to any of the received MAC address stored in the memory;
• and
• determine that the command originated from the device proximate to the home or the business when the MAC address associated with the command matches the MAC address stored in memory of a device that previously received a local network address from the router.

A personal communication device for automatically disarming a security system that monitors a home or a business, comprising:

• a transceiver for transmitting information to a wireless router in a local area network associated with the home or business;
• a memory for storing processor-executable instructions;
• and
• a processor, coupled to the transceiver and the memory, for executing the processor-executable instructions that causes the personal communication device to:
• determine that the personal communication device is proximate to the home or business;
• and
• in direct response to determining that the personal communication device is proximate to the home or business, transmit a disarm command to the wireless router, the disarm command for disarming the security system by a central security controller in communication with the wireless router.