Smart home suppliers are expanding the capabilities of their systems, entering new niches, and expanding their product selections as the smart-home market continues to grow.
Many companies unveiled their new products today at this week's ISC West 2016 show for security dealers.
Here's what the suppliers are talking up:
Alarm.com: Security and home-control platform provider Alarm.com added its first Wi-Fi video doorbell, a new indoor infrared camera and a new eight-channel in-home video recorder.
Alarm.com also expanded its security-panel selection to include Nortek's 2GIG GC3 and Qolsys's IQ Panel 2 panels. Alarm.com will be the exclusive security and home-control service provider for the panels. The company sells its home-control services exclusively through service providers, primarily security providers, and has more than 6,000 active providers in North America. Some of the bigger dealers are Protection 1, Monitronics and FrontPoint.
The Wi-Fi doorbell is SkyBell's SkyBell HD Edition. The new ADC-V521IR indoor video camera offers increased Wi-Fi range. And the ADC-SVR100 D Stream Video Recorder supports more cameras — eight in all — compared with the company's other recorders.
Alarm.com's first Wi-Fi doorbell is the SkyBell HD Edition from SkyBell.
Kwikset: Five new Z-Wave deadbolt doorlocks incorporate the new Z-Wave 500 series chip to extend wireless range and enhance encryption. They include the company's first key-less touchscreen deadbolt.
That model lacks a keyway to prevent lock picking and bumping. The lack of a keyway also creates a sleeker, smaller deadbolt whose capacitance touchscreen lets users enter a security code. It runs on four AA batteries.
Also new are the:
--Z-Wave Smart Lock Conversion Kit, which converts mechanical deadbolts — including non-Kwikset deadbolts — into connected smart locks;
--a five-button deadbolt with new design, one-touch locking and all-metal design; and
--contemporary-style versions of the SmartCode 914 and SmartCode 916 Z-Wave deadbolts to supplement traditional-style versions.
All of the products will be available by the end of 2016. Pricing has not been determined.
Kwikset's first key-less touchscreen deadbolt features Z-Wave and a capacitance touchscreen for entering a security code.
Nortek Security and Control: The company unveiled its first wireless sensor that can be retrofitted to existing connected smoke alarms to communicate with a home's 2GIG GC2 and GC3 alarm panels to alert monitoring services. The 2GIG Smoke Ring mounts directly between an existing AC-powered interconnected smoke detector and the wall or ceiling. Traditional interconnected smoke detectors are designed to trigger each other and send audible alerts throughout the home if any one of the connected units detect smoke, but many are not equipped to communicate that event directly to the alarm panel, the company said.
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