Getting started

  • Join Zuluhood

    To join Zuluhood you need to download and open your Zuluhood mobile app on your smartphone. If you are 18 years old or older, we will ask you to enter your basic personal information and your mobile phone number, which we need to verify. This information about you is necessary for us to know who you are and to provide you even basic Zuluhood services.

  • Add a home

    In Zuluhood, a home is a place, a house, or an apartment you want to protect. It has its address, a name you’ve given it, and you as a Home Chief. It also has its Tribe and Watcher to help you keep it safe. The basic home data is shared only with your Tribe. Your Watchers are another story - you decide separately what they will see.

  • Add a Tribe

    People you share your home with are called Tribe members. You and they together create your home’s Tribe, and you can invite them easily to become your Tribe members from your contact list. They can raise an alarm and use Zuluchat anytime they need something important to share with the whole household.

  • Add Watchers

    Watchers are Zuluhood users that you add to your home to help you keep it safe. When you or your Tribe raise an Alarm for your home, all your Watchers will be immediately notified through Zuluhood and know that you need their help. You can add Watchers to your home from your contacts or by contacting other Zuluhood users who live nearby through the local map.

  • Watchers' permissions

    Watchers, once added to your home, can be marked as Keyholders or authorized to access Zuluchat. Keyholders have your home key, and since there might be some situations when you’ll need to check inside your home, you will be able to ask them specifically. Watchers with access to Zuluchat will be able to contact you when they pass by your home and need to share something relevant with you and your Tribe. Other Watchers, which you don’t mark in Zuluhood, will only be contacted in case of the Alarm.

  • Under 18

    To create a Zuluhood Account, to become a Watcher or a Home Chief, and add a home, you must be at least 18 years old. However, we wanted to enable users with children to add them to their home Tribe. Therefore, a child (a person under the age of 18) may join Zuluhood only in the role of Tribe Member and with the consent of a parent or a legal guardian.

Tribe tips

  • Sharing a home

    People living with you should be aware immediately if there is an emergency at the home you share, without wasting time on several calls or sending standard messages which could easily be missed. This is exactly how Tribe in Zuluhood works.

  • See who is at home and OK in alarm

    With one look at your alarm chat, you will see who from your Tribe might be at home* and at risk and who has marked themself OK. (Access to location needs to be set to "always allow" in each Tribe member's phone settings)

  • Daily checks on your family

    Automate your Zuluchat with IFTTT and ask your family to check in every day. They will reply in your Zuluchat as in any other messaging app.

  • Know when your home is empty

    Whenever you open your Zuluhood app, you will see who from your Tribe is at home*. If you enable "Notify me if my home is empty" in your Tribe settings, you will be notified when the last person leaves and the first person arrives. (Access to location needs to be set to "always allow" in each Tribe member's phone settings)

  • Communicate in Zuluhood

    Whenever a Zuluhood alarm or Zuluchat are raised, you can communicate directly with your Tribe and Watchers. Use Zuluhood as a channel for avoiding the clutter of standard messages and phone calls in communicating an important home issue.

  • Set up your public profile

    Set yours and your home's public profile. If you contact someone to be your Watcher, this is what they will see, so manage the information you share. Your home address is shared only in alarm.

Safety and privacy

  • What information about you is shared with others

    Whenever you invite another person to your home, in your Tribe or as your Watcher, once they accept, you'll both know who is behind public nicknames and see your name and phone number. However, other users with whom you are not directly connected will see only your public profile (Manage how others see my profile).

  • What information about your home is shared with others

    Your Tribe members will see your home in the same way you do. Your Watchers are different. You can manage a public profile for your home and decide what your Watchers will see (Manage info shared with Watchers). Think about the information that could be useful for them when they help you and add it to your home's public profile. Your home address will only be shared with Watchers when necessary - during the alarm.

  • What information is shared with Service Providers

    When you purchase a security service, we transfer relevant details to the Service Provider you choose. This includes your name, address of your home, contact details and other information you decided to share in your comment to the provider. Your communication with your Tribe during the service delivery is encrypted and is never shared.

  • Can anybody in Zuluhood see that your home is empty

    If you don't explicitly tell other Zuluhood users about it, no one will know when you are not home. But if you are a Home Chief and your Tribe approves it (by allowing Zuluhood access to their phone location), you can be notified when your home is empty.

  • Your location on Zuluhood local map

    If you decide to become a Public Watcher, we will show you on the local map. We will show you on the approximate location of the home from which you are watching but won't reveal the exact address.

  • Is it safe to add Public Watchers to your home

    We believe that Public Watchers are good people in your neighbourhood willing to help their neighbours. They know that by helping you, they play an essential part in keeping your mutual community secure. However, this may not always be the case. Decide carefully whom to add as a Watcher to your home. Check how many homes a Watcher is already watching and their profile. Once you invite them, and they accept your invitation, check their names and phone numbers. Contact your Watchers and get to know them. If you decide you don't trust them, you can remove them from your home anytime.

Frequently asked questions

  • How to add a Home?

    You can add up to 2 homes in Free plan, up to 5 homes in Homes plan and up to 10 homes in Extended plan. You can do that by clicking on "add a home" on the home page or changing your subscription plan

  • Who can raise the alarm?

    You as a Home Chief, and the Tribe members you have authorised. You can do that by clicking on each Tribe member's profile in your Home view and enabling this setting for them.

  • What if my Watchers are not responding to my alarm?

    We hope there will not be such moments since your Watchers know that you count on them. But if this happens, there is always an option to call the emergency number directly from your Alarm chat or request an Urgent patrol from a local security provider. (Security services are offered by professional security companies and may not yet be available for your home. Check them under Services.)

  • How to set up IFTTT?

    Tap on your profile and open "Set up integrations" under your profile settings. Click on IFTTT and define your alerts and triggers OR choose from listed applets offered by Zuluhood. Learn more about IFTTT integrations here.

  • How to select someone to be my Watcher?

    Enter your Home in Zuluhood, tap on the Watchers tab and click "Manage". You can then choose to add Watchers either from your contacts or from the local map.

  • How to see if my Tribe is OK during the alarm?

    The easiest way is to press (either you or your Tribe) the "I'm OK" button in Zuluhood alarm and let everyone know you're OK without wasting time on one-to-one communication.

  • How to know which Watcher is coming to help me?

    Once you open Zuluchat or alarm chat, you will see the Watchers who have come to help you. You can continue communicating with them and receive their feedback. Everything you share will immediately be visible to your Tribe.

  • Where can I see the home location of the home I'm watching as a Watcher?

    You can see the location of the Tribe's home only when the alarm is raised by the Tribe.

  • How to become a public Watcher?

    Tap on your profile in the top right corner. Go to settings and click on "My availability as a Watcher". Then click on the "Show me on local Zuluhood map" button and save changes.

  • Why don't I receive alarm notifications as a Watcher?

    Check if your availability as a Watcher is time limited. Click on your profile and choose "My availability as a Watcher". You can then easily alter your availability time.

  • Who are the people in the "Local "tab?

    They are public Watchers who are available to the whole neighbourhood and who you can ask for help anytime.

  • What does the shield in the top right corner mean?

    The shield and the number represent your current home security score.

  • How to change my home address?

    Enter your home, then click on your home image to open home settings. Choose "Manage info shared with Watchers" and edit your address.

  • How to change the cover photo for my home?

    Enter your home, then click on your current home image to open home settings. Choose "Change name or photo" and pick a new image

  • What is a Keyholder indicator, is it necessary?

    You can mark a Watcher with your home keys (friend and neighbour) as a Keyholder. To find out more about their role, read The Importance of Keyholders

  • Can a Watcher alert me in Zuluhood?

    When you add Watchers to your home, they won't be able to alert you, only respond to your requests. This is mainly to keep your home safe and home address private unless there is an urgency. Since some of your Watchers are your friends and know where you live anyway, it could be useful to ask them to check your home while you're away. To give them access to Zuluchat click on each of the Watcher's profile in your Home view and enable this setting for them. However, Watchers are not able to raise Alarms for your home.

  • Why can't I see and purchase any service for my home?

    Zuluhood is growing, but the security services may not be available yet for your location. Also, the security providers can decide to limit their geographical scope. But, if there's a will, there's a way. Let us know what you might need and where, and we shall do our best to bring the service to your home soon. In the meantime, we advise adding as many Watchers as you need.