Tag: home security

Yesterday's J.D. Power 2019 Home Security Satisfaction Study that includes both professionally (pro) installed and DIY home security systems got me to thinking about the importance of customer satisfaction as it pertains to the security industry. The study, based on responses from 5,289 customers, fielded during July and August of 2019, measured customer satisfaction with home security based on the following: billing and payment; customer service; price; professional monitoring; purchase and installation;...

Amazon announced last week that it is jumping into the home security business—with both feet I might add—with the unveiling of five security packages for both homeowners and renters. What is most interesting about this announcement, though, is Amazon's go-to-market strategy, which involves no monthly fees, just an upfront cost for the equipment package. Plus, all five equipment packages include free installation and visits from Amazon smart home experts to go over what is the best fit...

SEATTLE—Amazon has agreed to buy video doorbell maker Ring, the companies announced on Tuesday, a move that makes sense for both Amazon and Ring on many levels. The deal, which Reuters was reporting at more than $1 billion, is Amazon's second acquisition in the security space in just the last few months, as the company purchased security camera provider Blink for $90 million in December. Amazon is expected to continue—and build on—the Ring brand, as it has with some of its other...

DALLAS—Market research firm Parks Associates, based here, is predicting that an increase in smart home controllers will help drive the increased adoption of home security systems—moving the penetration rate of home security systems past the 20 percent mark up to 26 percent by 2020.Parks Associates estimates that by 2020 more than 50 percent of U.S. broadband households will have a smart home controller, up from 13 percent in 2015, and 24 percent will have an IP camera, up from just under...

What's the future normal for home security? According to an article from Business Insider, it's DIY and MIY, all from Silicon Valley giants Google and Apple along with telecom big names. What do you think? I speak to resi dealers five days a week. They tell me that DIY is often a selling point for them and that it works very well for some of their customers—especially in helping homeowners understand their systems better—but that MIY, on the other hand, is not beneficial. What happens...

Christopher Carney, a former director of finance M&A and director of finance, sales and marketing for ADT, has launched a Kickstarter campaign for his new company, Abode Systems. The 45-day campaign aims to raise $100,000 by May 7 to bring the “new kind of home security and automation solution to market,” Carney said in a prepared statement. The solution “will put big security companies on notice,” he said. Carney co-founded Abode, based in Palo Alto, Calif., with Brent Franks,...

U.S. Cellular's OnLook Digital System, a self-installed security and home automation system, is now available in Iowa and in the Tulsa, Okla., market in U.S. Cellular retail stores, online and over the phone.  The system can be managed over a smartphone, tablet or computer, according to the company. The OnLook Digital System is powered by Alarm.com's cloud-based software platform. It has three DIY package options available starting at $99.99 with a two-year contract. The options include Essential...

TORONTO—Skylink, a provider of DIY home safety solutions, recently introduced an alarm system kit that allows end users to secure and monitor their homes, according to a news release from the company. The SkylinkNet Alarm System Kit is controlled by an Internet Hub and includes a motion sensor, keychain remote, and two door window sensors. An app integrated with the system allows users to have complete remote control of the solution through iOS- and Android-compatible devices. If a door or...

ARLINGTON, Texas—Fortress Security, based here, expanded its reach into the Houston metro area this summer, drawn by a strong demand for its services, a slightly larger Houston market and a larger pool of technicians, said company founder and owner Jerrod Smith.“The technician availability was a big one,” Smith told Security Systems News. He estimated that, based on market research, for every one technician for hire in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) market, where Fortress is based,...

SAN DIEGO—The $3 million that Huntington Capital, a private equity firm based here, recently loaned to door-knocking company Envision Security marks Huntington's first foray into the security space, but more such investments could be in its future.Frank Mora, principal at Huntington, told Security Systems News: “If there's an opportunity that we like, we'll definitely do the same thing again. I think [security] is an interesting industry and a growing industry, and now with home automation...