Over the past few years, home burglar alarm systems have morphed into whole home security and automation systems. Home alarm monitoring systems were previously limited to protecting the homeowner's property against intrusion, fire, and carbon monoxide. The latest offerings in home security from the dominant provider, ADT, and others, feature the ability to manage nearly every home environment function.
At the heart of this evolution is widespread acceptance of a robust, moderately priced wireless network technology termed Z-Wave.
What is Z-Wave Technology?
According to Ron Fritz's What is Z-Wave?, viewed 2/17/11, "Z-Wave® is a mesh networking technology developed in 1999 to create a standard for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication for home devices."
Fritz describes the advantage of Z-Wave over previous home automation systems as, "Z-Wave communication is modeled after computer network protocols designed to afford high reliability. Z-Wave devices also act as signal repeaters, re-broadcasting signals to additional devices on the network."
Although Z-Wave products are available as separate automation devices for various home products such as locks, garage door openers, and dimmer-switches, home security giant ADT has incorporated Z-Wave technology in its latest wireless home security system, ADT Pulse.
ADT characterizes ADT Pulse as, "more than just remote security - it's home automation, climate and light control, and video."
With Z-Wave technology, home security and automation can be controlled remotely from your computer at work, or any device with Internet access, such as a smart cell phone, netbook, or tablet computer.
Why Install a Monitored Home Security System?
According to the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey Report on property crime, over fifteen-million property crimes occurred in the United States in 2009. The FBI reports that a burglary occurs somewhere in the United States every fifteen seconds, and in 2005 nearly three percent of U.S. households were burglarized.
With these statistics—which may under-represent the true numbers since some property crimes probably go unreported—protecting your property with a monitored home security system makes sense. The additional capabilities of Z-Wave technology home automation and the ability to remotely monitor and control home security, environment, and various home devices, make these systems very attractive for today's working families.
In today's economic environment of both parents working to make ends meet in a very high percentage of families, whole neighborhoods are vacant during the work day. Children come home to empty houses, with no adult oversight. The latest home security and automation systems provide parents the opportunity to view a child's safe arrival, monitor TV and computer usage, and control a child's access to forbidden territory, such as a locked liquor cabinet.
Major Home Security Vendors - ADT and ?
ADT has emerged as the dominant home security system vendor. Though Honeywell's Ademco division continues to dominate hardware manufacturing and supply, ADT dominates the residential monitored-services market. Former competitor Brinks Security spun off its residential security in 2009 as Broadview Security. Shortly thereafter, ADT purchased Broadview Security, eliminating its only significant competitor.
ADT Home Security and Whole House Management
Yesterday's burglar alarm system has evolved into a total home management system, with nearly every function of the home visible and controllable remotely. Widespread acceptance of Z-Wave technology by home products suppliers enable a property owner to monitor and control any home environment function that is controlled electrically. Smart cell phones and light-weight netbook and tablet computers, along with widely available Internet access, keep working parents in touch and in control.
Jerry Lopper - IPPA member, business and engineering degrees. Jerry's passion for personal development shows in 5 books, hundreds of articles & ...
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