An alarm mechanism comprising: a plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44), each of which incorporate an alarm system application that executes a remote action that responds to a change in a state in an environment being monitored; local devices comprising one or more sensors (61,62) that monitor the environment for the change in the state in the environment, a warning device, and a local router connected to the one or more sensors (61,62) and the warning device; and one or more Internet or other network routers connected to the local router and to the alarm system application via the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43,44), wherein the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43,44) include a primary device and a helper device, wherein responsibilities of the primary device include monitoring events from the one or more sensors (61,62), permitting users with sufficient access rights to alter a configuration of an associated system, and adding the helper device, wherein responsibilities of the helper device include providing backup when the primary device is unavailable and the responsibilities of the primary device except determining an order of the events in a presence of the primary device and administrative control over the configuration of the associated system, wherein the remote action is automatically selected by one of the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44) from a first group comprising recording video and audio information of the change in the state in the environment, ringing a bell, calling emergency health services, calling a fire department, calling a police department, and broadcasting a message to a site of the change in the state in the environment, and wherein the one of the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44) communicates the remote action to other ones of the one of the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44). a plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44), each of which incorporate an alarm system application that executes a remote action that responds to a change in a state in an environment being monitored; local devices comprising one or more sensors (61,62) that monitor the environment for the change in the state in the environment, a warning device, and a local router connected to the one or more sensors (61,62) and the warning device; and one or more Internet or other network routers connected to the local router and to the alarm system application via the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43,44), wherein the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43,44) include a primary device and a helper device, wherein responsibilities of the primary device include monitoring events from the one or more sensors (61,62), permitting users with sufficient access rights to alter a configuration of an associated system, and adding the helper device, wherein responsibilities of the helper device include providing backup when the primary device is unavailable and the responsibilities of the primary device except determining an order of the events in a presence of the primary device and administrative control over the configuration of the associated system, wherein the remote action is automatically selected by one of the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44) from a first group comprising recording video and audio information of the change in the state in the environment, ringing a bell, calling emergency health services, calling a fire department, calling a police department, and broadcasting a message to a site of the change in the state in the environment, and wherein the one of the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44) communicates the remote action to other ones of the one of the plurality of smart mobile devices (41, 42, 43, 44).