feature
BlackBerries® and Droids as people, increasingly hooked on the advantages of getting information through their mobile devices, discover they can get streaming video from home-based cameras or video clips of alarm- triggered situations. Video,
says Tom Karl of Napco, Amityville, N.Y.,
expands on home and environmental controls and tra- ditional home alarm. “Video sells, and homeowners will pay extra,” he points out. Karl heads up the iSeeVideo divi- sion of Napco, which provides dealers with RMR generat- ing services from Internet-based video products designed primarily for the residential marketplace. iSeeVideo’s plug-and-play technology can work through a home’s AC outlets to eliminate coax cable runs, leading to both ease
Major Industry Players See
Home Security Video Pop If anyone would know about the strength of homeowner interest in the applica- tion of security video, it’s ADI, the influential wholesale supplier of security and low-voltage products with 100-plus branch locations. With a catalog of products from the simplest to the most sophisticated, Andre Svorinic, CCTV product man- ager for the United States and Canada at ADI, knows the market is growing. “Just take a look at how new homes are getting prewired,” Svorinic says, as struc-
tured wiring enables home security video as well as other home entertainment and controls applications. Camera installations are more common in residential applica- tions today, but should be installed by a professional. “Mounting and location of the cameras, weather resistance and lighting including sunlight and night darkness,” are all factors that may be over the head of a typical do-it-yourselfer. The ADI executive believes that, for professionals positioning themselves
relative to DIY home video, these firms’ strengths are inherent and obvious. Just as with other home systems, he says, “sell yourself and the value you offer. Is DIY really getting a homeowner bang for the buck? Lighting, field-of-view, focal length. Storage. High-quality images. Convenient mobile delivery. Integration to other systems.” Professionals know and install the technology all the time, and can offer many advantages to the homeowner. There can also be pitfalls. “If utilizing recording capabilities, there may be legal issues to consider, which is something a homeowner might not be aware of,” he adds. Mike DeMille, director of product management, Tyco Security Products, says home security video can, indeed, add even more value to the growing list of prod- ucts and services delivered to homeowners by their electronic systems contractors. “People want to see that value” even more today, he says. And for the dealer,
“there is more stickiness” beyond security. Home security video fits into “lifestyle and convenience needs,” DeMille says. Video also plays a role in emerging “interac- tive monitoring. The homeowner can log into a Web site” from a laptop or smart phone and from anywhere. “This can really take off” beyond so-called first adopters. When it comes to DIY home security compared with professionally installed
gear, “there are [retail] systems out there that are less expensive and often wireless. However, a professionally installed home security system offers many advantages — including the experience of the installer, higher quality, more reli- able product, easier integration with other home controls and diverse monitoring options, the Tyco executive says.
SH-120 October 2010
of installation and ease of use for homeowners. Homeowners like Vince Hunter appreciate easy-to-use
video. The Texas resident used an iPhone application to watch burglars enter his home while on vacation in Connecticut. A five buck app called iCam notified him and his wife via text message that home motion detec- tors had been activated. Then, using his mobile phone, he watched a live feed from Web-based cameras installed around his home after a previous break-in. Local police later reviewed the images as part of an investigation. So it is not surprising that firms offering alarm moni-
toring are now offering home security video services, added to their ability to offer clients remote control of security, energy and other apps. According to Alison Slavin, vice president of product
management at
Alarm.com, Vienna, Va., her firm’s mobile app allows users to watch real-time video footage and recorded video clips showing events that happened. “In developing the
Alarm.com mobile app for iPhone and BlackBerry®, we focused on making it easy for consumers to monitor and control their security systems using devices they already understand and carry with them all the time,” comments Slavin. Still, she sees a valuable role for professional pro-
viders of home video technology. “These specialists understand the components that will be most useful in specific facilities and have extensive experience when it comes to installation.” In addition, most often outdoor cameras are not a DIY project, according to Slavin, who points out the challenges of sun, weather and position- ing among others. “Using professionals is a value propo- sition,” she says. Dean Mason, senior communications product manager
with Honeywell Security & Communications, Melville, N.Y., agrees that home security video is “an emerging market with growing attraction over the past several years.” He sees the front door application as a primary objective for most homeowners. “They can see when a delivery is made or when a child comes home. There are also hot spots such as the pool area, covering the nanny and infants or the elderly. It’s an issue of awareness.” The Honeywell Total Connect video service,
for
example, allows a homeowner to view all cameras on a single screen or one at a time, selectively stream video, pan and tilt, cover multiple angles of a room or move the cameras around the premises. Mason warns that, in a DIY mode, there may be computer and communica- tion security threats to a self-installed network beyond purchasing and installing challenges. Joe Mac McConnell, vice president of residential and
commercial sales at Protection One, sees home video “as an enhancement, an extension beyond intrusion and fire and carbon monoxide monitoring.” The Wichita,
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