ADT and LG team up on new security device
ADT and LG announce plans for an all-in-one security system with contract-free monitoring.
Today, ADT announced that it is working closely with LG to develop an as-of-yet unnamed "Smart Security" product due out at the end of the year. The all-in-one security device is expected to have ADT's professional monitoring, video recording and storage options, but fall under the LG brand.
Specs for the product include a 1080p, 5-mega-pixel camera with a roughly 150-degree field of view and low-light night vision up to about 30 feet.
Live streaming, motion alerts and tamper detection, as well as video and audio analytics are all planned features. Two-way talk, a built-in siren and environmental sensors for tracking temperature, humidity and ambient light readings are also in the works.
According to ADT, the device will support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave and Zigbee -- and possibly even more through future updates.
There are only a few all-in-one security products on shelves today, most notably the $199 Piper Classic and $279 Piper NV by Icontrol and the $249 Canary . While ADT hasn't released pricing details yet, a representative said that its cost should be in the ballpark of other available retail products. If that's true, expect LG's device to set you back somewhere between $200 and $300.
The main thing that differentiates LG's device from Piper or Canary (aside from the fact that both Piper and Canary were crowdfunded and LG is, well, LG), is the ADT component. While you do have the option to record and store video with Piper and Canary systems, neither one offers professional monitoring services. If one of the devices detects a security breach, it can alert you and sound an alarm -- that's it.
LG and ADT's new product is supposed to offer contract-free professional monitoring a la DIY kits like Oplink and SimpliSafe , a more realistic service for apartment-dwellers or anyone who doesn't want to be locked into a term agreement that lasts for years and typically requires a fee for early termination.
This is one of the most direct steps we've seen to decrease the divide between DIY and professional home security, although AT&T announced something similar in January and ADT itself has been hinting at these changes for over a year.
In January of last year, the home security giant said that it would make its Canopy monitoring service available to third-party devices. Then, last August, it announced plans to introduce an IFTTT channel for third-party integration with its Pulse security platform. And at CES 2015, ADT reaffirmed its interest in IFTTT, although it still hadn't made anything official.
Now ADT is making good on its promises with a separate announcement today that a major overhaul of the ADT Pulse app is due out this summer. This update should feature newly-open APIs that allow for that long-awaited IFTTT channel as well as a new collaboration with Nest .
Not only are professional security firms getting in on the action, retail chains like Target and Best Buy are also ramping up their smart-home inventories. Last October, Best Buy announced that over 400 of its stores would get new "Connected Home" sections dedicated to smart home and security products and yesterday it added the Ring Video Doorbell as a new featured device. This week, Icontrol said that Target is bringing "Connected Life" departments to 1,800 of its stores and that its Piper Classic would be among the first products on display.
With the demand for smart home and security products on the rise, manufacturers like LG, service-providers like ADT and retail outlets like Target and Best Buy are doing what they can to stay on pace with the rapidly-evolving market.