feature
squeeze on budgets and people getting more savvy or dazzled by technology and video. Online sources such as
Doityourself.com have plenty of advice: “It is important to look
by ou ces
Home security video can be useful to young families with infants. Napco’s iSeeVideo can create RMR video accounts in addition to traditional home security, according to the firm’s Tom Karl. There also is an Internet video recorder that continuously records and stores up to 30 days of video from up to six cameras. Robust storage options are a little harder to come by with DIY packages.
for a video surveillance system that is easy to install and maintain. It is a good idea to look for a ‘plug and play’ system that can be easily and quickly installed. Choosing an easy to install and easy to maintain system will enable you to spend less time setting up the system and more time reviewing the valuable information it captures,” the Web site advises. Sounds easy. A perfect storm seems to be brewing. “Home video surveillance has really taken off as a
product category the past few years as manufacturers learn how to produce lower cost yet higher quality solutions and continue integrating with other product categories,” says Greg Rhoades, associate director of marketing at New Orleans-based Home Automation Inc. (HAI). “Personally, I’ll take conversation and installation from an educated security dealer any day over advice from a commissions-based employee doubling as a refrig- erator, TV, compact disc, (etc.) salesman,” Rhoades says. There’s a marketing pitch in that — would you really
take security video advice from the same guy who sells you your refrigerator? But there is more to it than that when it comes to the
difference between so-called DIY boxed solutions and professional sources for home security video. Russ Pritchard of The Audio Warehouse, Charleston
S.C., which specializes in connected lifestyle engineer- ing, believes that there is attraction to home security thanks to the lure of gadgets. “Home video is more fun than home security,” he says. But some gadgets are trickier relative to DIY than others. “We have had calls from some people who thought they could do it them- selves.” And after the purchase they find out they can’t. “How much will a homeowner know from reading the fine print on the back of the box,” points out Rick
SH-118 October 2010
Gaskell, president of Cobalt Automation, Durango, Colo. Making an incorrect DIY purchase and the frustration that goes with it can be significant. “Our business exists at the point of friction,” observes Ray Lepper of Home Media, Midlothian, Va., and a past president of CEDIA. “For some home electronics, complexities of connections, conflicts over wired and wireless as well as integration of products and systems means that only the biggest geeks may be able to do-it-yourself while others appreciate and need advice from an expert who really knows the technology” and the potential buyer’s lifestyle, Lepper adds. There’s another marketing pitch — your lifestyle
doesn’t fit in a box. Your video solution doesn’t need to either. Pointing out that homeowners get what they pay for,
Komar adds that, unless they are security experts, there are numerous issues inside a home security video deci- sion. “‘Exactly what are you looking for?’ ‘Do you want 24 hour surveillance?’ ‘Night vision?’ ‘Do you need storage and how much?’ Our job is to manage expecta- tions. Most people are reasonable. A custom integrator, through experience and past projects, can get to a spe- cific design through interviews with a client.” Dave Darnell and Jeff Ripplinger of U.S. Tech in
Denver see the basics: internally, externally (or both) installed cameras add to the security of a home. “All are easy to view and can be setup through a digital video recorder to react and record events as needed,” says Ripplinger. Adds Darnell, “For many, it is about age groups. Older clients often want just outdoor coverage while younger families with children or other needs see value in cameras inside the home.” In another U.S. Tech example, the firm set up two cameras in a baby’s room, including infrared and audio, a design that would be challenging from the standpoint of DIY. And there’s another marketing pitch — sometimes
you get more if you don’t do it yourself. Throw in the impact of the Internet, iPhones,
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180