Residential

BOCA RATON, Fla.—ADT and Google announced a long-term partnership with the goal of creating an end-to-end smart home solution that combines Google’s technology platform with ADT’s installation, service and professional monitoring network.Google will make a $450 million investment in ADT, which equates to 6.6 percent of ADT’s outstanding aggregate common equity, in exchange for shares of a newly created Class B common stock having all of the rights and preferences of ADT's common stock...

BOCA RATON, Fla.—ADT announced it has been named as the premier provider of smart home security and automation services for D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest homebuilder by volume.“As the leading smart home security provider, ADT is well positioned to serve D.R. Horton now and for years to come,” said Jim DeVries, President and CEO of ADT. “We are committed to bringing innovative smart home security and world class customer service to the expanding residential new construction market.”D.R....

FRISCO, Texas—The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld a controversial ordinance enacted by the city of Sandy Springs, Ga., that fines alarm companies for false alarm generated by their customers.The Georgia Electronic Life Safety & Systems Association (GELSSA), A-Com Security Co. LLP and Safecom Security Solutions Inc. were the plaintiffs in the case.The legal challenge was organized by the Security Industry Alarm Coalition (SIAC), which has managed all aspects of the effort, from...

DALLAS—Monitronics International, Inc. and its subsidiaries, which includes Brinks Home Security, announced it has acquired approximately 114,000 residential alarm monitoring contracts from Protect America, Inc., totaling approximately $4.6M in recurring monthly revenue (RMR). “This transaction fits neatly into our philosophy of acquiring profitable accounts at scale and holding them for life,” William Niles, interim CEO, Brinks Home Security, said in the announcement. “The company [Brinks...

BOCA RATON, Fla.—ADT is developing a solution for the home security industry’s need to adapt to the 3G sunset, which is scheduled for February 2022. Through a strategic partnership with technology startup CellBounce, ADT anticipates a user-installed, plug-and-play solution for the 3G-to-4G conversion will be ready by late summer 2020.The technology and product could apply to most of the 6 million 3G-powered home security systems in the United States.“We believe CellBounce is the most cost-effective...

TYSONS, Va.—Founded in 2004 and acquired by Alarm.com in 2015, SecurityTrax, a back-office, cloud-based platform built for the security industry and automation providers to manage all critical operational tasks, has recently and diligently been working on major upgrades and a complete redesign, all with the end user top of mind. Now, workflows are streamlined; new tech tools, dashboards and integrations give access to business performance data; and a simplified pricing structure has been adopted.“The...

OYSTER BAY, N.Y.—Voice control device shipments in 2020 will grow globally by close to 30 percent over 2019, according to global tech market advisory firm, ABI Research.Last year, 141 million voice control smart home device shipped worldwide and, despite the key China market being impacted during the first quarter of 2020, ABI said the value of voice control during the pandemic will remain strong.“A smarter home can be a safer home,” Jonathan Collins, research director at ABI Research,...

DALLAS—Consumer Insights 2020 research from Parks Associates finds security system adoption, after holding steady at 25-28 percent for over five years, jumped up to 33 percent of U.S. broadband households at the end of 2019.This growth comes as consumers have more options, including DIY and ad hoc monitoring through smart home devices. Parks Associates research emphasizes that 2020 will bring new challenges to the security industry as the COVID-19 pandemic is rapidly impacting the economy and...

BOCA RATON, Fla. and PROVO, Utah—Both ADT and Vivint reported strong fourth quarter and overall annual revenue gains for 2019, with ADT up 12 percent and Vivint up 10 percent for the year.Some of the highlights of the ADT report include:• Total revenue growth of 10 percent for the fourth quarter;• Total annual revenue of $5.1 billion, up 12 percent;• Full year commercial organic revenue growth of 16 percent;• Greater home automation with more than 80 percent interactive...

PROVOST, Utah—Vivint Smart Home Inc. announced that Alex J. Dunn is stepping down as president of Vivint Smart Home after 14 years at the company. He will remain an advisor to the company through March 2021. Scott R. Hardy, Vivint's chief operating officer, will assume many of his day-to-day responsibilities."I am deeply grateful to Alex for helping Vivint become a leading smart home provider," Todd Pedersen, CEO of Vivint Smart Home, said in the announcement. "We thank him and wish him continued...