alarm dealers
S. households and home automation technology taking off, Defenders CEO Jim Boyce is confident there is still plenty of room for growth. “This is a great, great business,” Boyce told IBJ. “There are tons of innovations going on within this industry and that’s going to push growth. ”But the potential has
spawned a plethora of new competitors, from cable television providers such as Comcast, to telephone companies
including ATandT and Verizon, and the latest—internet retail behemoth Amazon. The leaders at Defenders aren’t overly concerned. “We are excited to see new entrants in the home security industry,” Boyce said. “We believe these brands will increase consumer interest for security and smart home solutions and help grow the overall category. ”All of Defenders’ revenue comes from residential security systems installed nationwide, a total the company predicts will hit 2 million next month. It has no immediate plans to go into corporate security. “We’re good at residential and the category is growing,” Boyce said.
The SimpliSafe system requires a professional monitoring subscription to receive alerts. That’s because it relies on a cellular connection rather than internet, so someone needs to send you an SMS text. There’s no option to receive automatic in app alerts. This also means your DIY security system is essentially a local alarm — meaning if a burglar breaks in, your alarm will activate, but the police won’t be alerted. You’ll have to pay for one of the professional monitoring plans to save yourself the task of keeping a constant eye on the video feed. That said, SimpliSafe’s plans are still some of the most cost effective in the industry its most expensive plan is still $10 cheaper than Frontpoint’s least expensive.