Everything You Need to Know About Vivint Car Guard

The average car costs just over $42,000 a year, with a monthly payment of $563 per month. For many people (after their house), vehicles are their most expensive possessions. And since we rely on them to get us to and from work, school, and activities, it makes sense to take extra precautions to protect your vehicles.

With Vivint Car Guard, your car is protected no matter where it is. Read on to find out how it works to keep your car safe, day and night.

What is Car Guard?

Vivint Car Guard is a small, app-based device that plugs into your car’s OBD-II (On-board Diagnostics, version 2) port. Installation is simple and quick and can be done in a few minutes without wiring or tools.

Car Guard provides disturbance alerts, location tracking, and diagnostics, all accessible from a single app. And when part of a Vivint system, you can control your home and access Car Guard with the same Smart Home app.

Car Guard is compatible with most cars that have a model year of 1996 or newer, or that have an OBD-II port. You can also check your car’s compatibility here.

Car Guard features

Car Guard has a number of different features to protect your car day or night, whether you’re home or away.

Disturbance alerts

A lot can happen to your car when it’s parked, from door dings to towing and even theft. Car Guard is equipped with sensors that can tell if your car is bumped or disturbed and will send you a notification on your phone to let you know. You’ll know right away if something is happening to your car and can take fast, decisive action.

For example, let’s say you’re shopping when you get a notification that your car has been bumped. You quickly head to the parking lot and see that someone has tapped your front bumper while trying to park. While we love to think the best of people, not everyone leaves a note if they accidentally ding your vehicle. Car Guard’s quick notifications let you act quickly, helping minimize the chances you’ll be on the hook for repairs for a hit and run.

Location tracking

Car Guard is also equipped with GPS, allowing you to see where your car is at all times. This is particularly helpful if your car is ever stolen. Only 56% of stolen cars are ever recovered. With a location tracking device like Car Guard, you can work with police to help them find your vehicle.

The location tracking feature is also helpful for parents of teen drivers. You can check to see if your teens are on their way home from school or social functions, providing much-welcome peace of mind.

Car diagnostics

When the dreaded “check engine” light comes on, it’s easy to imagine worst-case scenarios. With Car Guard, you don’t need to guess. It includes an OBD-II scanner that serves as a diagnostic tool and can recognize the specific issues that trigger your “check engine” light. You’ll get a diagnostic code that lets you know what’s wrong with your vehicle so you can take it to your mechanic for repair. It also provides reminders for scheduled maintenance, making it easy to stay on top of oil changes and other repairs.

Integration with your Vivint Security System

Car Guard also integrates with your Vivint security system, extending the protection of your home’s security system to your driveway and helping protect your car from break-ins, theft, or even vandalism.

Deter car thieves

If you have the Outdoor Camera Pro, any disturbance to your vehicle will automatically kick the camera into gear. The Outdoor Camera Pro will begin recording, flash a light, and sound an alert, letting the thief or vandal know they’re on camera.

Light up the driveway

You can set your home’s outdoor smart lighting to activate if motion is detected. This shines a light on anyone who may be lurking around your car, deterring them from coming any closer.

Integration with smart lighting is also useful for when you’re coming home late at night and it’s dark. Using geofencing, you can set your outside lighting to turn on as you get closer to home.

Close your garage door

Car Guard also syncs with your Garage Door Controller to automatically close the garage door after you back out of the garage—no more having to remember to close it yourself on the way out.

Why you need Car Guard

There are many different scenarios where Car Guard will come in handy, including:

• Protecting your car from potential thieves or vandals while parked in your driveway or on the street
• Alerting you when the car is disturbed or tampered with, such as getting bumped by another car while in a parking lot or getting the windows broken during a break-in
• Monitoring your car’s location, so you know when a child has left a party or after-school practice or whether your car has been stolen or towed
• Diagnosing problems on your car, so you can address them before they turn into bigger, more expensive issues to fix

Start protecting your car today with Car Guard

Your car doesn’t have to be a target for thieves or hit and run drivers. With Car Guard, you can keep your car safe with the same system you trust to protect your home.

Contact our Smart Home Pros at 855.822.1220 to get started.