ADT is leading the security industry in adding home automation to their security product and monitoring service options. Security companies across the U.S. are adding remote monitoring services for security, video surveillance, lighting and thermastat control. ADT home management and automation is called ADT Pulse. ADT Pulse is quickly becoming the standard for remote home control and automation.
Other large companies are trying to get in the home management and automation business. Protection 1, the second largest security company next to ADT, just started offering what they call P1 Life. Comcast, now Xfinity, is trying to get into the home security business with Xfinity Home Security. Initially, Xfinity had not done extremely well in their test markets with home security. They have since focused their marketing on Xfinity Home which includes home security but markets the the cool features and benefits of remote home control and automation. AT&T has also started testing a service they call Digital Life.
Security Companies Partner with Software Platform Design Companies
ADT Security Services is partnering with iControl who create their OpenHome software platform. ADT calls their service ADT Pulse and the iControl software platform is want ADT uses to offer their remote interactive security and home control services. iControl is also working with Comcast for their Xfinity Home service.
Alarm.com has offered a remote home security software platform for sometime. Alarm.com partnered with hard ware companies 2GIG.com and GE Security (now Interlogix). GE Security Pro dealers and Vivint, who uses the 2GIG.com security panels, both market, sale and install systems with the Alarm.com features. When GE Security was sold and became Interlogix, their product offering and future sales numbers changed. Time will tell in how well Alarm.com software platform will do in the remote security, home control and home automation business.
Companies like ADT have moved away from the GE branded security panel, Interlogix, and install mostly Honeywell/Ademco or DSC security panels. With ADT choosing to go with the iControl software platform, it seems like this platform will become the standard in remote home security, home control and home automation business. With ADT providing security monitoring to more customers than the next 99 companies combined, it seems logical that the remote interactive home monitoring provided by ADT Pulse will become the volume leader in home control and home automation services.
Remote Home Control and Automation are now Affordable
For years, home control and home automation have only been available to the wealthy. Custom homes have systems that included lighting control, termastat control, remote viewing of home security cameras and remote control of security systems. Thes
e systems cost tens of thousands of dollars. Many of these custom home solutions are intergrated into the customer's home audio, video and home entertainment sytems. Most often these types of system included the need to run a lot of wire in the construction phase of the home and these systems where very hard to add to an existing homes. With the significant cost and the need to run wire, home control and home automation were only available to a few until now.
With wireless technologies like WiFi and Z-Wave, some of the home control and automation benefits of costly custom systems are now affordable to just about everyone. Also, you do not have to pay all the cost upfront for the equipment. You end up paying just a bit more for your alarm montioring service on a monthly basis which drastically reduces the initial cost. Most often your initial cost is somewhere between $199 and $2,000 depending on the products you choose. The monthly service including home security monitoring is $45-$60 a month. Lighting control can still get costly if you replace all the light switches in the home to Z-Wave switches.
As more wireless technologies emerge the cost of home control features like door locks and window blinds control will be added. Security systems will be able to get software updates as new technologies become available. Products are coming out that will allow you to add devices yourself to your security system. Security panels have the ability to "learn in" new devices and it is so easy many homeowners will be able to do it themselves. There are already light switches and cameras you can purchase yourself and add to home automation security systems.
To find out more about ADT Pulse and schedule a free home security review, call 1-800-310-9490. A Security Consultant will go over all your options and give you a free home security evaluation.
