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Still no home security service from Rogers

A spokesperson for the telecommunications provider said full details will be shared at the time of launch, but could not indicate when that would happen.

“Rogers Smart Home Monitoring will launch in the coming months,” the spokesperson told SP&T News.

On Nov. 3, Rogers president and chief executive officer Nadir Mohamed said in a speech that the wireless company was set to enter the home security services market.

The company did confirm this week that Rogers Smart Home Monitoring is an IP-based home management system that does not require a standard phone line. Also, it will deliver energy management and home automation tools as well as home security leveraging the Rogers’ wired and wireless networks.

Applications for the service will be available across multiple devices and the service will be supported by “dedicated, customer service and response teams that are specially trained in home monitoring and security,” according to the spokesperson.

The service will feature a touchscreen device for in-home use that will interact with all sensors in the home as well as with customer mobile devices.

U.S-based telco Verizon launched its new home security service at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month. Called Verizon Home Monitoring and Control, it will give consumers the ability to bundle together phone, Internet, cable, home automation and security features such as remote access control and surveillance cameras.

As well, cable giant Comcast Corp. offers a home security service.

Other Canadian cable and phone companies have tried to get into home security but have largely failed. Bell Canada, for example, offered a wireless security service but sold the business.

It’s not the first time Rogers has considered the home security market. Canguard was a division of Rogers that sold approximately 38,000 accounts to Protection One in 1997. Protection One had big plans to grow the business in Canada but sold the accounts to Voxcom one year later.
 
“All utility companies are focused on bundling services and the RMR from security is very attractive,” says Patrick Soo, formerly of Monitronics and now working with 2GIG Technologies.

“It will be interesting to see how they plan to re-enter this competitive space. Bell Canada also tried to enter the residential security market a couple of years ago but after a short time decided to walk away, stating they wanted to stick to their core business,” says Soo.

So while Rogers has access to a very large customer base with big marketing power and strong funding behind them, the security business has hundreds of competitors and the utilities need to understand if they don’t service their customers, someone else will.