Win Over Newfound Prospects in the Connected Home
Learn how security systems integrators can succeed in the home control business.
Advancing Lifestyle Enhancements
Connected home systems are not a novel thing. Some of the earlier systems date back 20 years when dealers such as Suffolk Security sold a remote control involving touch-tone dialing.
From a remote location users could call their home phones, hang up and then call back to hear a series of prompts that would allow them to raise or lower the thermostat temperature.
Obviously, much has changed since then. Wi-Fi and cellular networks, touchscreen keypads, high-definition video, high-speed modems, and most importantly the smartphone, have evolved the connected home into a contemporary hot market commodity.
Several factors, however, contributed to a period when the connected home didn’t quite live up to expectations. First, the market simply got ahead of itself. Ten years ago the various subsystems could interact, but the software wasn’t advanced enough to achieve tight integration that catered to the smallest nuances of a person’s lifestyle. Second, when the technology finally did catch up, it was expensive and thrived only in an upper-scale niche market.
“Most of us didn’t know how to sell connected home systems 10 years ago. It was reserved for boutique dealers that specialized in high-end technology not designed for the traditional, economic market,” says Rich Simonetti, general manager at Southampton, N.Y.-based SCAN Security.
Thirdly, the technology behind the connected home was difficult to install. Because it involved several different contractors to make sure everything worked together, the process was cumbersome. If something went wrong it was easy to point fingers in the midst of a dispute among trades. In the end, many dealers ran away.
That’s finally changing. According to Romanelli, the products are starting to impact end users in ways they had always hoped. A number of recent leaps – including smarter programming, easier installation, cleaner interface and more sophisticated functionality across segments, from modest town-homes to mansions – have finally delivered an attractive value proposition for both dealers and end users.
Software also keeps getting better as it chases the wireless frontier, further facilitating integrated and adaptable connected home technology. As a result, prices are becoming more affordable and the market is opening up.
Customization Is Key
While the connected home keeps improving and increasingly marketed to the larger middle class, it would be a mistake to assume the technology alone is enough to ensure its success. Dealers such as Romanelli and Simonetti agree the secret lies in customization.
In an era when consumers nonchalantly order a grande skim mocha Frappuccino with extra caramel drizzle (no whip) on top, customization is a powerful tool for securing a sale in any industry. And when touchscreens, integrated video and constant access to a wealth of data have revolutionized the way they process information, it’s no surprise that customers expect the same custom benefits for their homes. They want to set their own schedules, control their home temperatures and know exactly when their kids get home from school.
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