ADT Goes Wireless in Latest Version of Pulse Smart Home Offering

ADT is combining home automation and security into a single platform in the latest version of its Pulse home automation offering, Tim Rader, director-product development, told us at CES. In the process, the company switched from using phone lines for communication to broadband, which he said is faster and offers more security and reliability. The company has integrated Z-Wave into its platform to be able to communicate with thermostats, lamp modules and with a high-voltage switch that can control outdoor sprinkler systems, pool pumps and hot tubs, Rader said. The company also integrated Wi-Fi for control of cameras and door locks. Pulse previously offered home automation via a three-box system, Rader said, that was specified by ADT, and developed by partner companies including Honeywell and iControl. In the new product, ADT wrote the requirements and worked with Honeywell and iControl with a focus on easier operation for the consumer, simpler and faster installation for the installer, and a “completely wireless solution,” Rader said. “It was time to do a more integrated solution,” Rader said, after realizing from its three years with smart home technology that “home automation is here to stay.” The wireless installation means “less disruption in the home” because it no longer takes an entire day to run wire, he said. A base installation price for monitoring two doors and a motion sensor is $99 with monthly monitoring fees of $50, Rader said. Cost scales from there depending on add-ons such as remote monitoring, notifications, lighting control and video storage from video cameras, Rader said. ADT stores 30 days of video on its servers, he said. Cameras have motion detection built in and when motion is detected, a 30-second video is recorded and then sent to the homeowner, he said. The feature is for security but also for parents who want to know kids have arrived home from school and to give homeowners a view of their pets when they're not at home. ADT "is not just your dad’s security system anymore,” Rader said, citing the company’s new relationship with IFTTT [if this, then that] that allows an installer to create conditional scenes among devices. An IFTTT example would be: “If the alarm goes off, and if you have Philips LED bulbs, turn them red to tell everyone to get out of the house because there’s a fire,” he said. “You can take two separate applications and have them talk to each other,” he said. “We’re expanding," Rader said, "and we're not just a security company anymore."