Vivint Smart Energy customers are now able to view solar production data from their solar panels on the Vivint app, the company said Monday. Customers can view data on how much energy their panels generate, insights into how well their energy production is working, their potential savings vs. using energy from the grid, and the environmental impact their system is having, the company said. The feature, rolling out over the next few days, will be available to existing Vivint customers with an Enphase inverter and to customers with SolarEdge inverters that are installed by Freedom Forever, Vivint said.
Parks Associates is launching a new conference series next year covering smart spaces, it said Tuesday. The in-person Smart Spaces: Apartments, Hospitality and Community Living conference will be at the Granite Hotel, Plano, Texas, April 17-18; virtual conferences are also planned, covering senior and student housing (July 20), hospitality (Oct. 5) and smart spaces (Nov. 30). The 700,000 multi-family properties in the U.S. are a growing market for broadband, smart solutions and technology integration and services; 30% of U.S. internet households live in multi-dwelling unit housing, said the research firm. Annual home service spending is $340 billion in the U.S. across home phone, internet, mobile, security and video services, it said.
Snap One is adding 51 products from Digital Watchdog in an expansion of its partnership with the video surveillance and analytics company, it emailed Thursday. The products will be available at Snap One’s Local Partner stores and on the Snap One e-commerce platform. Products include license-plate readers and AI-enhanced digital recorders. Digital Watchdog dealers will be able to port their existing authorized dealer status to Snap One’s system, it said.
Arlo followed Tuesday’s launch of a hub-based home security system (see 2211010004) with a Wednesday preorder announcement for a security camera available that will be sold on Arlo.com and Best Buy. The Pro 5S 2K ($249), which operates off dual-band Wi-Fi and Arlo SecureLink technology, works on the lowest power band when in sleep mode, saving battery life, the company said. Connectivity via Wi-Fi and SecureLink provides extended Wi-Fi range, and it mitigates RF interference and jamming attempts, the company said. The camera has an integrated spotlight, built-in siren and two-way audio. It’s compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and If This Then That platforms. Estimated ship date is Nov. 28.
The Arlo Home Security System, announced at CES, is available for preorder through Amazon, Best Buy and Arlo.com, the company said Tuesday. The $199 security system is managed by the Arlo Secure App, launching this month. The system’s multi-sensor can be placed on walls, windows, under sinks and water heaters and can detect door and window openings, leaks, freezing temperatures, lighting changes, smoke and carbon monoxide, Arlo said. Its keypad sensor hub, which doubles as a motion detector, has one-touch access to emergency response service and is backed by 24/7 professional monitoring. The starter bundle includes one hub, two multi-sensors and 30 days of monitoring ($199). The step-up bundle ($299) has five multi-sensors. Monitoring plans start at $9.99 a month. Estimated ship date is Nov. 28, it said.
Snap One joined the Onvif open forum, which provides and promotes standardized interfaces for interoperability of IP-based physical security products, it said Thursday. Snap’s first Onvif-supported product lines include Luma x20 surveillance cameras and ClareVision security products. Onvif profiles allow Snap One partners to easily identify specific interoperable features spanning access control, edge storage, door control and streaming video, the company said. Features required to meet Onvif requirements for IP surveillance cameras are H.265, H.264, MPEG4 and MJPEG video codecs; bidirectional audio; input, output, video motion and tampering detection; and pan-tilt-zoom and edge storage and retrieval, the company said.
The global video doorbell industry, with revenue of $1.2 billion last year, is expected to reach $4.6 billion by 2031 on increased awareness about security of residential and commercial buildings and higher demand for smart homes with intelligent security, said a Thursday Allied Market Research report. Challenges to video doorbell market growth are a lack of internet connectivity and high capital costs, the report said. COVID-19 affected category growth due to prolonged lockdowns, labor shortages and supply chain disruptions, it said. Wireless models had three-fourths of the global video doorbell market last year.
Nice/Nortek Control released AV distribution products in its Elan series, it said Thursday. Elan Premium Series audio and video matrix switches, available in 4x4 and 8x8 configurations, distribute 4K HDCP 2.2-compliant video, bidirectional IR and power-over-cable up to 100 meters over a CAT cable, it said. The HDBaseT-enabled matrixes can deliver 4K and 1080p images and high-definition audio formats, the company said. Elan’s new HDBaseT receivers and transmitters send HDMI signals throughout a home, extending HD content beyond the limits of standard HDMI cables by sending video, audio, control and power transmission on a single CAT 5 or 6 cable, it said. The Elan Network Audio Interface and 2-Channel Amplifier enable decentralized installations, allowing integrators to install sources and amplifiers where they make the most sense; they can extend audio to a remote location or add it to a room that didn’t have it before, without the need to run cables back to the main rack, the company said. The network interface and amp use Dante audio networking for distribution over long distances with high-quality audio and low latency, said the company. The amp supplies 80 watts per channel at 8 ohms and 100 watts per channel at 4 ohms and is bridgeable to 200 watts.
TP-Link introduced a Wi-Fi 6E two-pack router system with tri-band mesh technology and multi-gig connections billed as offering fast speeds without congestion. The Deco XE75 Pro set delivers up to 5400 Mbps Wi-Fi speed with six streams, which TP-Link called “ideal for 8K streaming, virtual reality gaming and more.” The two-pack is being sold direct from TP-Link and Amazon; a $599 three-pack adds Best Buy as a retailer, the networking company said Thursday.
Some 49% of do-it-yourself security system owners bought their home security system due to a burglary at their home or the home of a loved one vs. 27% of professionally installed system owners, Parks Associates blogged Wednesday. “There are many new entrants in the DIY and monitoring landscape, so companies need to go beyond the standard peace-of-mind value proposition to differentiate in this crowded market,” said analyst Ryan Hulla. Benefits such as ease of use and access control innovations can help security offerings stand out, he said. Some security companies are branching out into new sectors, including energy services and vehicle monitoring.