We’ve been discussing security’s ever-changing role to do more than just security for quite some time now and the movement to provide those interactive security solutions as more than just a security system continues.
The concept of “push content,” (i.e. in one variation, information pulled from the Internet displayed on a homeowners interactive alarm panel or keypad) versus that of “pull content” is one aspect that JoAnna Sohovich, president of Honeywell Security & Communications, Melville, N.Y., touched on in a session the company presented in their continuous developments of interactive home solutions. Sohovich agreed that “there are those dealers and installers who are excited about ‘push content’ and are looking to have such capabilities on the alarm panel,” capabilities that help improve the interaction of the dealer with its customer. One example of this may be implementing a feature on an alarm panel that includes the contact information for that dealer to the customer so that in the case of any technical questions or concerns, the customer can go directly to their alarm panel and hit one key to where that information is stored as opposed to looking that dealers company up on their Web site or searching for some hard marketing material to obtain that information.
“End-users are thinking less and less of their security system as a standalone application and are thinking of it more as an integrated product that they can bring into their home,” Sohovich confirmed. Part of that also falls in line with the interaction that a homeowner or user has with that alarm panel and one way that Honeywell is staying in tune with the need for “touch” applications and simple graphic user interfaces is that with some new capabilities the developer added to its LYNX self-contained alarm systems.
The LYNX Touch features a full-color, seven-inch touchscreen and supports Z-Wave thermostats and lighting controls. The touchscreen features large, easy-to-read icons and menu-driven prompts that walk both homeowners and installers through operation and configuration. The simplified interface also reduces the time needed to train installers and end users to operate the system.
“Being able to access your alarm panel via touchscreen graphics is not something you would have seen a few years ago,” said Sohovich.
In addition, the developer’s latest version of its Total Connect platform, version 2.0, includes enhanced graphics, an interactive user dashboard and simplified set-up steps.
“The rise of mobile apps, IP video, and open standards for home automation, creates tremendous opportunities for the security industry to enrich and broaden the appeal of its offering to tens of millions of homeowners,” said Jonathan Klinger, vice president of Marketing for Honeywell Security & Communications.
Stay tuned for more technological innovations being presented from ISC West, Las Vegas.
Natalia Kosk, Security Dealer & Integrator
