Avatar photo

Freelance Writer

Author Bio ▼

Andrew Sansom is a freelance editor, writer, and journalist with 14 years' experience in B2B publishing, both in print and online. He spent nine years - in two separate spells - at the Safety & Health Practitioner (SHP) magazine, including six years as deputy editor. He has also worked on a number of fire and security and public-sector IT magazines at UBM and Kable (part of The Guardian Media Group), respectively. Currently associate editor at healthcare and architectural magazine World Health Design, he is also one half of Sansom and Sansom Associates - but he is claiming the "and" as well.
July 22, 2015

Download

Whitepaper: Enhancing security, resilience and efficiency across a range of industries

Should Security Installers Diversify into Home Automation? And if so, When?

With league football on its annual hiatus poor football fans have only transfer gossip and that other close-season tradition to pore over: the release of the upcoming season’s fixtures.

But revealing a club’s itinerary doesn’t just enable supporters to plan their travel arrangements; sadly, it can also alert thieves to those days when affluent footballers – of whom there have been several victims of burglaries in recent years – are away from home.

There have been suggestions that property crime is no longer a priority for overstretched police forces. In a report issued in March, the think tank Policy Exchange claimed that, to a large degree, it had been ‘decriminalised’, with one in three burglaries and nine in 10 shoplifting cases not even reported to the police.

If the public’s trust in the authorities to pursue such crimes wanes, it isn’t only gates and locks that could become more attractive to homeowners but also alarms and cameras, as part of home automation packages.

In December last year, CEDIA published the findings of research into the UK residential custom-installation market, highlighting a growing sector worth between £910m and £975m. And home automation had a noticeably higher profile at IFSEC International 2015 than in previous editions, with Comelit launching a new system.

About 40% of companies that contributed to the research reported installing security systems last year, but it appears the key demand-side drivers at present are comfort and convenience, with lighting, blinds control and entertainment systems the major attractions for consumers.

Police-response protocols

Installation companies that provide such systems are also fitting alarms and cameras but, hampered by the need to comply with police-response protocols following alarm activations, security installers have been slow to enter the market.

The National Security Inspectorate (NSI) says it would welcome standards in home automation to provide assurances to customers that NSI-certified installers are qualified in this field.

It says: “The pure home automation market is covered by few – if any – standards, has little to do with security, and so is currently outside the scope of the NSI’s activity.

“Some home automation systems may incorporate elements of security, such as intruder detection and cameras, but, to our knowledge, these elements are not, as yet, in accordance with recognised industry standards.”

There are security installers, nevertheless, who see the home automation market as key. One installed told IFSEC Global: “One of the reasons we aren’t in the business-to-consumer intruder/CCTV market is that, to the consumer, it doesn’t add much value to warrant the price that most professional companies want to charge.

“Home automation adds the value to warrant more expenditure and, for the end user, using one platform to do multiple tasks makes financial sense and offers great flexibility to control everything from one place.

“Installers face a simple choice: move up from alarm installer to another level, or the IT companies and home automation companies will just add ‘alarm installer’ to their bow.”

Just as the emergence of IP more than a decade ago required security installers to learn new skills, so home automation requires further investment.

“A source at one security installer considering entering the market believes the industry must get to grips with the fundamentals, such as fixing a TV on a wall, fibre optics, placement of lighting, and use of projectors, music systems and the Internet.

He says: “It’s difficult for a home automation company to move into security, which is more regulated and has more quality-management system integration. But for security installers looking to move into home automation, while it’s less regulated, technically it’s more of a leap.”

Security installers, he remarks, may find market penetration easier by partnering with an established home automation provider, and he would welcome something similar at the certification level, suggesting organisations such as CEDIA and the NSI might work together to speed up the introduction of relevant standards.

Simplicity

Daniel Wan, channel marketing manager of Honeywell, says all security installers should understand what it takes to build a connected home but that this knowhow isn’t necessarily complex.

“The calling card of technologies such as Wi-Fi, which home automation often depends on, is simplicity,” he says. “Many installers are also concerned about reliability and security of home automation, as Wi-Fi can go offline unexpectedly, or even be at risk of cyber attacks.

“The first concern is easily solved through measures such as redundancy, using Wi-Fi as either the primary or secondary communications path, and there are best practices installers can adopt to alleviate concerns about the second.”

Others remain more circumspect about the market. Simon Banks, group managing director of CSL DualCom, says: “Generic security systems and recurring income streams fund overheads. Home automation is still a luxury item – some might say a gimmick. I would advise an installer not to ‘bet the farm’ on this solely as a viable business stream, but more as a background task.”

Inertia is not always welcomed but when retaining maintenance contracts it can be a powerful force. “I think regulation drives inertia and, with lives and property at stake, rightly so,” explains Banks. “You don’t want installers changing technologies on a whim without consideration to the reliability and robustness of the security application.”

Nevertheless, social and political changes may help accelerate market acceptance; for example, policies to tackle energy shortages, and healthcare reforms encouraging care for the elderly in their own homes, could provide impetus.

According to a report from ABI Research, North America and Western Europe have recently seen increased adoption of video cameras, with homeowners enticed by their activity-tracking capabilities as well as traditional security functions.

Wan says: “A technology previously reserved for commercial buildings, video cameras have become more affordable and their interfaces more user-friendly, allowing homeowners to view video conveniently on their mobile phone or alarm panel.

“As a result, homeowners are becoming increasingly interested in monitoring different rooms from all areas of their house, including the front door.”

Internet of things

He believes that the point at which the ‘Internet of Things’ goes mainstream could also be when home automation becomes truly established.

Security installers need to be ready when this time arrives or they’ll miss the proverbial boat, especially with the rise of easy-to-install plug-and-play solutions.

Concludes Wan: “Technology is finally capable of catering to the end user as an individual, with flexible controls and settings that meet their lifestyle requirements.

“These requirements now include security systems, which previously weren’t a priority for the home automation market. As technology improves and prices become more affordable, significant growth in the UK home automation market, including security, could soon follow.”

Free Download: The Video Surveillance Report 2023

Discover the latest developments in the rapidly-evolving video surveillance sector by downloading the 2023 Video Surveillance Report. Over 500 responses to our survey, which come from integrators to consultants and heads of security, inform our analysis of the latest trends including AI, the state of the video surveillance market, uptake of the cloud, and the wider economic and geopolitical events impacting the sector!

Download for FREE to discover top industry insight around the latest innovations in video surveillance systems.

VideoSurveillanceReport-FrontCover-23

Related Topics

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments