With the Home Security industry well established compared to the relative upstart world of Home Automation, it stands to reason that many veteran security companies are now offering systems combining the best of both worlds. ADT Home Security is no exception, with the company making recent inroads into the rest of the industry with partnerships with LG and Nest, and even embracing the DIY model with support for industry standard protocols Z-Wave, ZigBee, and Bluetooth LE (BLE).
Considering that ADT is mostly known for their turnkey Home Security systems providing 24/7 professional monitoring for a monthly fee, the company obviously sees a chance to grow their business by adding HA functionality to their traditional security product. If you are in the market for a system to secure and automate your digital smart home, going with an industry veteran like ADT offers you piece of mind to go with a state of the art Home Automation system. Let’s take a closer look.
ADT Home Security teams up with LG and Nest
Nest and their smart thermostat remains one of the most talked-about companies developing products for the Internet of Things. It makes perfect sense for a security company like ADT to partner with Nest when looking to add Home Automation functionality to their typical security system product. ADT’s Pulse system, which the company is positioning as a full solution for the digital smart home, is adding support for Nest’s thermostat products.
Even more notable is ADT’s partnership with the technology company LG, primarily known for their line of smartphones. The two companies are working together on a camera that also serves as a wireless hub for a variety of Home Automation and security devices. A notable feature of this new “Smart Security Device” is its relative ease of installation and the lack of a contract — and monthly fee — typical of previous ADT Home Security systems.
The new LG camera/Home Automation hub is slated to hit the market later this year. ADT is also updating the mobile app used with its Pulse system to include cool new features like IFTTT compatibility, which adds another layer of functionality to any HA setup. For example, you could use IFTTT to email everyone in your family if one of the devices in your ADT system triggers an alert.
Voice authentication and control, as well as an enhanced user interface are some of the other features of the new ADT Pulse mobile app. Expect the new app to be available on the Android and iOS platforms later this summer. ADT is definitely trying to market itself as a turnkey solution for the entire smart home, instead of merely a security company.
ADT to support Home Automation Industry Standards
One of the most promising new features of the ADT/LG “smart camera” is its support for a variety of industry standard protocols used to allow smart devices to communicate with each other. This new capability, which definitely embraces the DIY ethic in the Internet of Things, is something noted by CE Magazine.
These supported protocols include Z-Wave, ZigBee, and Bluetooth LE, which means more existing third-party devices will be compatible with ADT Pulse, and it also encourages device manufacturers to continue to add support for those protocols, knowing that anyone with a Home Automation system with DIY support is a potential customer for their products. CE Pro commented about ADT already boasting one million customers for their current Pulse product, which follows a professional installation model. This new smart camera with built-in support for common HA protocols offers the potential for ADT to increase their customer base even more, especially considering anyone is able to install the new Pulse system centered on the LG smart camera in their own home.
ADT is definitely upping the ante in the Home Automation and Security industries. If you are beginning to research turning your residence into a digital smart home, they are a company that belongs on your list. Expect to hear more about Pulse once their new app is released later this summer, followed by the new LG smart camera.
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