As smart devices become increasingly accessible to the mainstream user, avenues we would have never have thought possible when the first video surveillance systems went live have opened up. Namely, for the first time, so-called ‘DIY’ security products allow homeowners to set up and monitor streaming footage themselves, without the help of a third-party agent.
That’s a glittering promise for homeowners, who may be looking to avoid the monthly fee incurred by home monitoring services. However, while these products bill themselves as all-inclusive security systems, they typically come with difficulties that make them challenging to set up.
Meanwhile, the perception of home security is changing: no longer are these products and services reserved exclusively for the wealthy, which means that payment structures – and the industry’s overall focus – must adapt as well to capture a growing market.
When the editors at CNET decided to outfit their CNET SmartHome with a DIY security system, they found the two options they tested were both difficult to set up and access. In particular, CNET had trouble navigating each system’s proprietary apps: the organisational hierarchy of smarthome apps has yet to be fully established, so setting up your own system can feel a bit like using a PC without the structure of windows, folders, and files.
21% of IoT users think smart products are “too complicated to use” while 19% admit that they had difficulty with the setup or that the device doesn’t work as they expected
Similarly, customisation – one of the selling points of a DIY unit – quickly became a problem all on its own. For instance, one system the editors reviewed didn’t even have cameras. So much for full-service security.
That makes you wonder, if the editors of a well-respected tech review site have difficulty with this, what’s the likelihood of an average homeowner getting it right? This kind of confusion runs rampant in smart tech.
A consumer study by Accenture found that many users are experiencing delays and frustration with the setup and everyday use of smart devices. For instance, 21% agree that smart products are “too complicated to use,” while 19% admit that they had difficulty with the setup or that the device doesn’t work as they expected.
Essentially, more than a fifth of all smart device users looking for an easy home improvement project walk away unsatisfied with the experience, largely due to unnecessary obstacles in their setup.
That frustration is where professional monitoring services have an edge. With 24/7 assistance and at-home setup, monitoring services offer smart security for the everyman.
However, the most popular companies still lock their customers into 36-month contracts at the start. And that payment model just doesn’t fit the preferences of modern consumers.
Monitoring systems offer a service that most homeowners want and need, but payment structures still need to catch up to make products more widely accessible
For many services, tech ‘disruptions’ have meant that locked-in contracts like these are largely a thing of the past. For instance, consider what Netflix has done to cable providers.
The payment model of the future isn’t contracts, it’s a subscription-based economy that allows consumers to terminate at any time, for any reason.
According to Fortune, the subscription model folds in a whole new customer base, and that’s important, since the face of home security is changing. Alarm systems are no longer high-end products reserved for working professionals and the very rich, as they were in the 80s and 90s.
Professional security has gone from luxury item to middle-class necessity, at least partially due to changes in the tech. Today, monitoring systems offer a service that most homeowners want and need, but payment structures still need to catch up to make products more widely accessible.
Most monitoring services do sell basic self-installation kits, which shows they’re game to compete with new DIY products on the market. However, as per CNET’s experience, it’s clear that some networks sell these kits with less-than-stellar setup tools, which could backfire on them in the long run.
No one wants to purchase a $700 security kit to be told that they need to upgrade to a monthly subscription programme – if they really want to use the equipment to its full functionality, that is.
While it’s understandable that sellers want to incentivise consumers toward monthly services, forcing a subscription with lacklustre products will only mean losing out to the competition in the end. And with a wider number of services and devices out there than ever before, that’s one fight the industry just can’t afford to lose.
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