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Frequently Asked Questions

You might still have questions about this newer technology. If the questions below don’t address your concerns, please reach out to our team in the office.

How can I dispute an alert provided to property management?

Please email, call, or see us in the office.

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Can it detect incense?

No, this was something Minut used to test to ensure that it didn't falsely think incense was a cigarette. It should not yield a positive result.

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What if I accidentally burn my food while cooking?

We understand occasional cooking accidents, and these should not cause a cigarette smoking alert. If that were to be the case, we would work with Minut to flag it as a false alarm and will work with residents in these situations. It could, however, set off your smoke alarm, which Minut would recognize. Residents typically don’t repeatedly burn food on their stove. If they are continually burning things on their stove this could indicate the cleanliness of the unit due to the stove not being cleaned properly.

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How will smoke from vents and outside be handled? 

Luckily, due to the construction of the building, smoke cannot travel internally between units. If smoke from a neighbor is noticed via open windows, this typically is not strong enough to yield a false positive, and we have been advised by Minut to not expect it to cause an issue.

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How does it detect noise disturbances?

The Minut is measuring decibel levels that are sustained for a period designated by management. At the start of the project, this timing will be set to least 10 minutes. Management reserves the right to change that setting between 5 minutes and 15 minutes but would notify residents in advance of any changes.

What about everyday noises, like babies crying or multiple appliances running in my apartment?

Minut takes a rolling average of the decibel level in the area. Ten minutes of sustained noise is required for the device to trigger. Household items may cause a jump in decibel level, but the hum of appliances add up to a small gain - each item would need to have its motor right up next to the device to feel the full impact of these decibel level examples. And a baby would have to cry for 10 minutes straight without taking a breath, which seems highly improbable.

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What about noises just outside my apartment? (hallways, elevators, emergency vehicles)

It is highly unlikely that these sounds would be loud enough coming from outside to trigger a sensor, but this can be adjusted if this comes up. The device looks for ten minutes of sustained noise.

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What if someone is deaf or hard of hearing?

We can address this privately with residents that may need reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.

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What about privacy?

The device does not function as surveillance and is 100% privacy safe. It is not tracking when you are home or away, the number of guests you have, or specific guests. It is not listening in on your private conversations or activities. Its only function is to monitor decibel levels, smoke, and environmental conditions and alert management to issues as they arise. The device is very low profile and only takes readings and then communicates them in a small sized data packet. In the unlikely event that Minut were the target of a breach, they'd be looking at a lot of decibel readouts and timestamps - this device does not record any audio, video, or collect personal information of residents. All computing is done on board the device, so no raw noise, smoke, temperature, and humidity data is transmitted until it has already been calculated onboard the sensor itself.

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What information is shared with this monitor and app?

We provide Minut with apartment numbers to activate the monitors. If residents want to have more access, we can enter their first name and cell phone number. If a resident opens an account (installs the app), that will require an email address. Only employees of Monarch and GAHP would have access to your information, which is already part of your resident file.

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What if I work from home at night?

Normal activity levels such as telephone conversations, videochats, and computer usage is typically not at a high enough noise level to trigger an alert on the Minut device.

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What if I have a large pet?

The Minut device installed is not a motion detector or alarm. If your pet is barking loudly for 10 minutes or more, it will trigger an alert for noise.