CES 2013 Shocker: Lowe’s Iris Home Automation Has Legs

Julie,
It would be great if you could publish a comparison between all of the major CI channel home automation solutions and these big box/communication service company solutions.

My guess is you won’t be able to, due to all of the perturbations and pricing options. If professionals can’t sort it out, the public surely won’t be able to. Does the company with the most marketing dollars achieve best market share in the end?

Good idea, Mike. CE Pro and our consumer publication Electronic House often explain what these types of systems can and can’t do (as we did and continue to do with tablets as replacements for dedicated touchscreens). It’s probably time for a little refresher course on macros and triggers and support, for example.

Really?!?!?!  We’re going to cheapen the prospect of securing our families to a big box DIY system? The consumer is willing to spend upwards of $100/mo on cable or satellite TV yet they want to go on the cheap with a system from the big box guy who doesn’t know them from Adam so they can spend as little as possible?  Just another example of the backwards thinking of the American consumer…give me the cheapest home security possible, but make sure I have my 500 TV channels at whatever the cost. The values of the general population have definitely hit the toilet and are now being flushed!!! The sad part is, the consumer will get screwed by the big guy in the end and then get ticked off when the little guy charges them to come out and provide the customer service the big box guys fail to provide.

Sad, Ken, but true. There will continue to be more DIY systems hitting the market, so we need to do a better job of explaining why our stuff is better. The thing is .... the stuff has NEVER sold at retail and especially not at home improvement stores. We’ll see if Lowe’s can pull it off. Currently I give them the best chance in the DIY mkt.

Even in distribution more complicated systems are returned at a higher rate by professionals.  A diy wireless security system is going to have a VERY high return rate.  When the customer can’t get the most distant door to connect.  Or whatever.  This is certainly the trend.  Look at Sonos.  I find another indicator to be the willingness consumers have to spend tons on flaky cell phones.  I have to pull the battery on my android daily and my experience is not uncommon.  If our customers had to do that with their universal remote - forget about it!  Why is that?

Definitely, TheTechSource. I anticipate this going into smaller homes of people who would otherwise not get a professionally monitored security system. This is NOT a security system, just a modest “convenience” system.

I like how we are pretending that hooking up a panel and peal and stick wireless contacts requires an advanced degree in rocket science.

From my days in the PC industry—if a trained monkey can do your job you probably won’t have a job for long. When I started there it was tough to make a computer work. Then during the 90s things started being color coded. Anyone could do it. Now look at the PC industry.

We’re heading the same way too—the parallels are far to similar. Products like this (and Sonos, etc) is only the beginning.

Get ready for a wild ride.

I’m an early adopter to Lowe’s Iris system, and it has been pretty good so far.  I’ve had a few issues, like any early adopter would, but the system has certainly met my expectations, and the quality is improving daily.  Lowe’s Iris customer care has been especially receptive of my feedback and suggestions for improvement, with some ideas already implemented.

I have a large home, and live way out in the countryside where it takes emergency services a good time to get to my door—the state police are fifteen miles away with nearly thirty minutes travel time.  My family lives within arm’s reach and have proven to be much more helpful in an emergency, especially when it comes to property security.

I’m in the 25-34 age demographic, an engineer in information technology, and nobody’s fool when it comes to consumer or commercial electronics.  Inviting solutions like Vivint into my home for $60 per month wasn’t a good idea at all.  Besides the price, the lack of versatility wasn’t worth being a slave to, and the extra hype on security didn’t beckon to me, either.  (I’m not storing the contents from Fort Knox under the couch or anything.)

So, probably wondering… Does it work, was it worth it, and was it cheap? Yes, yes, and kinda. I’ve spent $1100 already and I’m not done yet; I have a lot more to automate.  More devices are coming along soon (as you can see) and it’s an incredibly great system with even greater potential.  The best is yet to come, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.  Try it and see for yourself!

I have the Iris system and love it. Gives me plenty of warning to get locked and loaded.

Guys and gals, I have an Iris system and it works great… before i had no security system at all. So tell me what is better, no security at all, or this one? I imagine most people don not buy these for the security anyways, they are people like me who by them for the other features like controlling my thermostats, lights, and other cool features. I presonally cant wait for the irrigation stuff and the motorized blinds, that will be awesome