Guess what percentage of homeowners had alarm systems in the early 1990’s? 20 percent. Guess what percentage of homeowners had alarm systems in 2012? 20 percent. I work in the security industry and I try to be an optimist. The optimists say, “Wow, our market has never really been penetrated! There is a lot of opportunity!” The pessimists say, “Wow, we hit our plateau!” I’ll tell you this, homeowners need alarms .

Well, those pessimists now have a reason to be optimistic. Industry analysts say that in five years, 60-70% of homeowners will have some type of home automation or smart home. What is home automation ? Think about anything that you can control remotely or automatically . Think about a device that can allow you to live a more efficient or carefree life. For example, thermostats , lighting control , and locks are all products that can be considered part of a smart home.

This is very exciting for our industry as several security companies also offer home automation. That means home security companies may see a 50 percent increase in their market place! The advantage of getting a smart home through your security company is the ability to have everything on one smart phone application and to also have a monitored security system. All said, I have found that still, homeowners need alarms.

There are several do it yourself (DIY) home automation systems . For example, Iris is the home automation package offered by Lowes. The advantage of Iris is that it is inexpensive. How does the old saying go? You get what you pay for . This Iris system, which incorporates home security and smart devices, lacks on the life safety side. For example, if your smoke detector goes off you can receive a text or a phone call. But guess what? You then need to hang up, call your local fire department, tell them your address, and hope they get there in time. When your home automation system is installed by a Honeywell Authorized Dealer , like ATP Alarms, the fire department will be notified by our monitoring station, even if you are in the movies, on vacation or in the hospital. Lowes almost brags on its website, that Iris “lets you decide if emergency services are needed”. I’m sorry; I do not need to decide if I have a fire in my home. If my smoke detector is going off when I am away from home, I want the fire department to be called every time, but that’s me!

In addition, this Iris system is not considered a professionally monitored system by your insurance company . What does this mean? If you have spent all that money on a motion detector, smoke alarm, and water detector, your insurance company does not care—and they should not. Their logic is well if it is not connected to the police or fire department, how do we know that the professionals will get there in time to prevent a robbery or a two alarm fire? The answer is simply… They don’t.

The Iris is a great affordable system for those that like to do things themselves and that are not concerned about home security or fire prevention. The automation side of Iris is a positive and is almost comparable to a home automation installed by ATP Alarms. However, if you are concerned about home security and fire prevention , please consider your local Honeywell Dealer.

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