NEWS 9SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS MaY 2014 www.securitysystemsnews.com

Continued from page 8

Great ISC West Roundup 2014 president of Lancaster, Pa.-based Select Secu-rity; Patrick Egan, owner and CEO of Select Security and also Security Partners; John Ber-gher, EVP of marketing and customer care for Sacramento, Calif.-based GHS Interactive Security; and Jim Vogel, the new VP of ADT’s dealer program.

Firestone told me one part of the company’s new Utah call center will support Select Secu-rity’s residential direct sales program. Also at the call center, he said, “we are about to start an inside sales outbound telemarketing orga-nization.”

Egan said Select Secu-rity has plans for growth through acquisitions this year.

GHS’ Bergher said the company has formed a new partnership with Solar Universe to provide a comprehensive solu-tion combining security,

home automation and solar. [See story, page 28]

ADT’s Jim Vogel spoke about the enthu-siasm of the crowds at the show and about some of the opportunities the ADT dealer program offers dealers.

I also heard about new life safety devel-opments from Beth Welch, public relations manager for Honeywell Fire Systems and also from David George, director of marketing communications for System Sensor.

Welch told me, “It’s a very busy show. It seems like there’s more interest from security integrators to do fre.”

She said there’s increasing interest in Silent Knight by Honeywell’s combined smoke and carbon monoxide detector, the SK-FIRE-CO Detector. “It’s one of the few, if not the only one, sold over the counter, so it’s non-propri-etary,” Welch told me.

Welch also spoke about Fire-Lite by Hon-

eywell’s new Emergency Command Center, which she said is “like having mass notifca-tion for the down market” because dealers can promote it for a smaller applications, ranging from churches to offce buildings.

The system also has a new interactive module, called the Remote Telephone Zone Module (RTZM) that is designed to provide authorized users remote access to send out emergency notifcations through a building’s ECC via any phone.

System Sensor’s George talked about how the 2010 and 2013 editions of NFPA 72 now require, as of Jan. 1, that all new commercial sleeping places must have a an audible device that produces a low frequency tone centered around 520 Hz. George said System Sensor has some new low frequency notification appliances that meet that requirement. [See story, page 22]

Next I talked to Jay Kenny, VP of market-ing at Alarm.com, who had many develop-ments to talk about.

The highlights included an announcement that Alarm.com’s cellular-based interactive technology will soon be available with Veri-zon’s 4th Generation, Long Term Evolution (4G LTE) network. “It’s really the beginning of the 4G life cycle,” Kenny said. He said it “opens up new opportunities to deliver things over the cellular connection” in a managed network way.

Another announce-ment was that Alarm.com and LiftMaster announced the integra-tion of the MyQ Universal Garage Door Controller, so that now all major garage door brands now integrate with Alarm.com’s con-nected home platform.

At the Interlogix booth, Warren Hill, prod-uct marketing manager, talked about some new technology Interlogix has acquired in

its recent buy of Ultra High Speed (UHS) from Australian company Hills Limited. The acquisition will “broaden [Interlogix’s] global portfolio of intrusion product offerings and services,” according to Interlogix, which is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp.

Hill said the new technol-ogy resulting from the deal was creating buzz at the show. “Lots of deal-ers are coming to see the new products we have,” he said.

Next up was the LILIN booth to fnd out news about Control4. Control 4 partners with camera manufacturer LILIN. At the show, Control4 was showcasing enhanced integra-tion for surveillance cameras and NVRs for residential and commercial systems.

Paul Williams, Control4 VP of security and communications products, spoke to me about Control4’s Simple Device Discov-ery Protocol (SDDP) technology, which he described as being able to “automatically identify and load drivers for supported IP-connected devices.”

Williams said SDDP increasingly sup-ports many surveillance cameras and NVRs, helping provide Control4 dealers with more security monitoring options in residential and commercial applications.

On Wednesday evening, I chatted with Russell Cersosimo, CEO of Guardian Pro-tection Services, at a Guardian event.

On Thursday, my third day at the show, I learned that Honeywell’s new wireless LYNX 7000 won Best Intrusion Detection and Pre-vention Solution Wireless in this year’s ISC West New Product Showcase event, according to Ralph Maniscalco, Honeywell’s director of marketing communications.

The company describes the LYNX 7000 as “an all new version of Honeywell’s self-contained wireless touchscreen security and home automation system. The product is the

frst of its kind to control up to four cameras and two-way voice over Wi-Fi.”

Honeywell also is developing a new app to help dealers in selling the LYNX 7000. Mar-keting communications specialist Natasha Ramjit told me that sales reps previously have had to lug around a “big demo kit,” but with the app, which can be used on an

iPad or Android device, the system can easily be demonstrated to the homeowner. “It just puts everything at anyone’s

fngertips,” said Ramjit.There was great excitement at the Eaton

Cooper Notifcation booth because Cooper’s new ALERiTY line of IP network-based mass notification solutions won the Best Emergency Communications System award in the ISC West New Product Showcase.

How does it function in the real world? Dan Moceri, CEO of Con-vergint Technologies, dropped by the Eaton Cooper Notifcation booth to explain. [See story, page 22]

Also on Thursday, I talked to John LaFond, VP of integrated systems, strategic business unit, for Linear, which provides access con-trol, health and wellness and security solu-tions.

LaFond talked to me about the e3 OneBox, described as combining “Linear’s embedded browser IP-based access control platform with Digital Watchdog’s full-featured DW-VMAX digital video recording capability within one enclosure to create a fully integrated access and video solution.”

LaFond noted that the combination of access control and video has a greater market appeal than either alone. “Integrated systems is a much larger proposition,” he said.

Mircom, a Toronto-based manufacturer and distributor of intelligent building and life safety solutions, held a interesting press con-ference to talk about the connected condo—taking home automation features into the condos and apartments of multifamily units. [See story, page 31]

At the Kwikset booth, that residential secu-rity door look manufacturer had on display its touchscreen version of the company’s Smart-Code 914 deadbolt lock. “The SmartCode Touch provides all of the features of Smart-Code—including keyless entry—combined with the added convenience and enhanced aesthetics of a capacitive touchscreen,” the company said in a news release.

Larry Goldman, Kwikset’s North Ameri-can sales and business development manager, told me the lock “is very robust” because its lock cylinder is the only residential lock cyl-inder that meets commercial grade standards.

I also talked with Dirk Wyckoff, VP of sales and marketing for UniKey, an access control technology provider. Wyckoff told me about updates to the frmware in the Kevo lock, powered by UniKey. The company bills the lock as “the only keyless Bluetooth resi-dential door lock on the market.” Wyckcoff noted that it’s a “mass market solution.” At the Tyco Security Products booth, Tim Myers, product line director, intru-sion, talked to me about the more than 30 products that DSC, part of the security products business unit of Tyco, released at the show. “This is the biggest product

Denis Hébert

Jay Kenny

John LaFond

roundup see page 10

n For more detailed versions

of stories in this section, go to:

WWW.SECURITYSYSTEMSNEWS.CoM

By Tess Nacelewicz

LAS VEGAS—Everyone has heard of the con-nected home, but what about the connected condo? That’s an untapped market that Mir-com, a Toronto-based manufacturer and dis-tributor of intelligent building and life safety solutions, says it is successfully targeting.

Mircom announced at the ISC West show here that it has taken its expertise in provid-ing security, fre and life safety solutions for multiresidential buildings and gone from the lobby into upscale condos and apartments, where it offers residents the latest in home automation services.

“We feel it’s the frst of its kind,” said Jason Falbo, Mircom VP of engineering. “No one in the home automation market today is target-ing the multifamily buildings.”

Rick Falbo, Mircom VP of marketing and business development, said Mircom has 24 Mircom Engineered Systems offces in Can-ada, the United States and internationally and is “well recognized for our fre and life safety solutions.”

But at the show, he said, the company introduced something a little different: its TX3 InSuite and its TX3 Community. Those are the latest additions to its TX3 Platform,

Continued from page 28

dovetailing neatly with the smart home services security companies offer, he said.

“One of the aspects of security is securing your home, but it’s also secur-ing your fnancial position for the long term, and if you can make your fam-ily more secure by protecting yourself from high energy costs, it’s just another form of security—it’s fnancial securi-ty,” Miller said.

John Bergher, GHS executive VP of marketing and customer care, told SSN, “There’s obviously a growing synergy in the last fve years with things like home automation and energy manage-ment and environmentally conducive products, and at some point we knew there was going to be a convergence of the two industries … and we just wanted to fnd a quality partner who would be willing to work with us.”

He said GHS found that partner in Solar Universe, which he said shares GHS’ customer-focused philosophy. “We were able to see their culture was really comparable to ours … [with a] quality focus and making things friendly and seamless with the latest technology,” Bergher said.

The two companies are also neigh-bors. “We were close in vision and close in geography, which also pre-sented an additional beneft,” Bergher said. “We’re strongest in California.”

The company recently expanded into southern California.

Solar Universe also sells door to door, Miller said, but it additionally employs other sales methods, such as its “innovative design center” for cus-tomers who want to buy solar online.

Miller said, “Think of it as the Ama-zon of solar. We can literally go online and help you custom build and design a system as well as [tell you] what the economic payback of what that system would be. We have distinct and differ-ent ways we can engage consumers.”

Bergher explained to SSN, “We’re taking what would normally be a complex relationship and [simplify-ing it by] co-merging and bundling it. I think the consumers are going to be really excited about this when they fnd they can get all these great benefts and save money in the process.”

He said the two companies will combine some resources to sell the comprehensive package, such as “shar-ing of data bases and marketing cross pollination.”

GHS will add to its selling arsenal with the partnership, Bergher said. “Door to door is still our bread and butter but we’re so excited about this partnership and will use any applicable chance to get in front of a customer who could beneft,” he said.

“You can see why this relationship makes so much sense,” he continued. “It takes advantage of converging trends of generating your own power and making your home smarter … as well as the sales and marketing approach which we’re both using.” SSN

Solar

which “provides a total management, com-munication and security solution.”

Jason Falbo explained that “the previous generation of the products were focused at the lobby of the building,” providing such services as access control. But InSuite, Falbo

said, “allows to get a footprint inside the ten-ant suites of the building as well, for a total management solution.”

He continued: “It’s a revolutionary home automation platform. Most of our competi-tors are focused on the single family home market but we’ve leveraged our experience and skill set in the multifamily sector and developed this home automation controller to provide the best in functionality from stan-

dard home automation equipment. And, in addition to that, we interface with what were previously stand-alone building solutions.”

For example, Falbo said, “with our con-trollers, not only can you manage the devic-es within your own home or condo, things such as door contacts, motion sensors, door locks, thermostats, lighting etc., you can also receive alerts, notifcations and emergency notifcations from systems such as the fre alarm detection system, the mass notifcation system, the building automation system and the energy management system.”

Also, he said, buildings can arrange for advertising on the system’s home screen panel. For example, the panel could have an icon for a local taxi service that offers special discounts to building residents if they press that icon and summon a taxi.

Mircom also has an app that provides the same functionality as the touchscreen for that and other services, Falbo said.

Another feature is a “portal” that is “a social network for that micro-community in the building,” he said.

Falbo said the offering is “meant for luxury environments but we are receiving a lot of traction in the apartment market.” SSN

Mircom vice presidents Jason Falbo

(left) and Rick Falbo say condo resi-

dents wants home automation too.

dmpContinued from page 28

“Every single employee in our company is in the sales department and I’m talking about the company operator,” he said.

Harris also warned against “devaluing professionalism by competing on ‘price’ as the signifcant differentiator.” He told the dealers, “There are effective ways to over-come that low price.”

For example, he said, security companies have to stress to customers that they stand

out from cablecos and telecoms in that they’re the local providers who are members of the community.

Harris asked dealers if they would buy fur-niture or a new car from their cable provider. “Why are your customers buying core secu-rity offerings from cable?” he asked.

Professional security companies also should bundle more services, like the big players do, Harris said. “We need to educate our teams with new levels of possibilities that empower them to lose the fear of selling value

bundles,” he said.Also, he said, adding fre services is a

way to distinguish a company. “I don’t see a cable company going out to do fre systems anytime soon,” Harris said.

Rick Britton, DMP CEO and president, also urged the dealers to compete with the big players in such ways as offering a single bill for bundled services and emphasizing their local ties to the community.

“We are providing something completely different,” Britton said. SSN

Mircom gets into ‘connected condo’

security systems news may 2014 www.securitysystemsnews.com residential systems 31