Clare Controls announced a powerful update to the ClareHome app. In addition to improving connection speed and reliability between the ClareHome mobile app and ClareOne Panels, this update delivers a new user feature that provides customizable home screen widgets.

The Quick Access Widget creator in the ClareHome app can be used to add 1×2, 2×2, 2×4 or 4×4-sized widgets to any available home screen, offering access and control for security, lighting scenes, door locks, climate controls, garage doors, motorized window shades and more. The 1×2 or 2×2 widgets enable one-touch scene activation or control of a single device, while the 2×4 widget controls up to four devices or scenes. The 4×4 can present up to eight devices or scenes and one recently used device. Users can place two types of buttons within widgets: action or scene buttons. These provide one-touch home screen control to run automatic scenes such as “Welcome Home,” “Night Mode,” “Lock Doors” or “Arm Security.” The device buttons automatically open the ClareHome app to the desired device to offer full control of it.

The ClareHome app also received an internal widget upgrade, so users can now add custom banner tiles to the ClareHome interface to view detailed device information and provide faster access and control of various subsystems. Specifically, the new Security Favorites Banner Widget enables instant control of arm, disarm and silent arming functions, displays zone status info and a new panic screen access by swiping the screen to the left.

The Thermostat Favorites Banner Widget offers the ability to display temperature status and adjust climate settings, while the Favorite Scenes Widget consolidates users’ custom scenes for all subsystems into a tiled interface. Finally, the Recently Used Favorites Widget always displays the most recently used devices or scene controls.

Other enhancements include a new quick-access Emergency Screen that provides targeted Audible and Silent Panic buttons to notify central station operators that either local police, medical first responders or fire departments. Clare also simplified the in-app setup procedure to connect ClareOne panels with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa devices, which enable voice commands to control ClareOne-connected locks, lights, climate, scenes and security.