Future of alarm industry intertwined with the smart home

If you still believe the proliferation of connected home devices is only going to have a minor impact on the adoption of residential alarm systems, it is probably time to reevaluate your stance. As evidenced by this week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the concept of the “smart home” is going to be a part of every household appliance, both large and small, developed in the future — and security figures to play a prominent role in that. Nearly every major supplier of home security equipment was on hand at this year’s show with new products or lines of products designed to support the connected home.

Obviously, security manufacturers are onboard with where the market is headed, but the bigger question is will alarm dealers across the spectrum be able to keep pace with the changing technology landscape while also trying to outduel some of the larger recent market entrants for new customers at the same time? According to a report published last fall by IHS, the trend of integrating security equipment and home automation technology has been spearheaded by multiple service operators (MSOs), such as Comcast and AT&T, which through their large existing customers bases and marketing budgets are already in a prime position to upgrade customers’ accounts.

Read more: http://www.securityinfowatch.com/article/12033326/proliferation-of-smart-home-devices-to-have-a-substantial-impact-on-alarm-dealers