As alarm signal communication is increasingly transitioned to a digital cellular link, the roughly 2.5 million wireless security alarm connections in use today will increase to more than 7.5 million in 2013, according to a new forecast by ABI Research.
As analog wireless security alarms have shifted to digital cellular services in the wake of the AMPS “sunset” in February, other factors are also fueling the trend for alarm backhaul lines to go wireless, says Sam Lucero, a senior analyst with ABI.
“More importantly, the continuing decline of landline voice services and the increasing utilization of second phone lines for DSL broadband services have made cellular connectivity more attractive, even necessary, for security alarm connectivity,” Lucero says.
Other factors promoting cellular security backhaul include the general trend for cost-optimized alarm systems to rely on wireless connectivity exclusively, particularly in Europe. In addition, wireless operators and broadband service providers are increasingly entering the security alarm service industry and are utilizing wireless either as a primary connection or back-up connection to a primary broadband connection. Also, unlike wired connections, cellular connections cannot be cut, and current cellular module technology includes anti-jamming features.
Lucero cautions there are challenges to the adoption of wireless technology by the security alarm industry. “Wireless is a relatively new option and many security alarm dealers have to be trained in the installation process,” he says. The relatively high cost of cellular connection modules, particularly CDMA modules, is also proving to be a market inhibitor, he says.
