All Articles Tagged Cloud

Julie Jacobson | 05/21 11:43 AM, 4 Comments

Telguard, a subsidiary of cellular provider Telular, recently announced a cloud-enabled security and home automation platform called Telguard HomeControl, powered by iControl and compatible with 2Gig alarm and automation panels. Now Alarm.com, a pioneer of cloud-based solutions for remote monitoring and management of security and home automation systems, is suing Telular for infringing on four Alarm.com patents. Previously, Alarm.com was the only interactive service provider for 2Gig Technologies—now owned by Nortek subsidiary Linear—which has sold more than 800,000 panels since 2009. (Linear and 2Gig are not mentioned in the suit.)… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 05/09 11:51 AM, 6 Comments

Almost since its inception, 2Gig’s self-contained security and home automation system has worked exclusively with Alarm.com for remote monitoring and control. Now there is another option based on the cloud-based platform from iControl. The new offering, called Telguard HomeControl (press release), employs a cellular radio from Telguard, a division of Telular Corp., and back-end services from iControl—the same platform that powers ADT Pulse (but not the same version behind Comcast/Xfinity, Time Warner Cable, Cox and other cable service providers also served by iControl). 2Gig will create new versions of its… View this story

Jason Knott | 11/01 07:38 AM, 1 Comment

If you’re an integrator in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania or the Washington D.C. metro areas and you’re able to read this, you’re one of the lucky ones. You have power when most of your colleagues and customers don’t. My prayers go out to you that all is safe. Hurricane Sandy is bringing to light vulnerabilities of how integrators communicate with clients and cloud content. First, how should you be communicating with your clients during this difficult time without appearing to be an “ambulance chaser” wanting to… View this story

Jason Knott | 10/18 09:08 AM, 0 Comments

Similar to a driver getting “highway hypnosis” on long, endless roads there is a common occurrence in the remote CCTV surveillance world. Central station monitoring agents stare endlessly at static images of hallways, parking lots and empty buildings in an attempt to witness and stop illicit activity in real time. Often, they are looking at multiple monitors, each with one to 16 images. Needless to say, criminal activity is often missed, no matter how good the guard is at his job. Moreover, video surveillance has been somewhat plagued by the… View this story

Jason Knott | 10/11 10:03 AM, 6 Comments

There’s been a lot of discussion about disruptive technologies, disruptive business models and the cloud lately, but according to industry watchers, it’s only the beginning. Instead of fearing these technology shifts, integrators should embrace them as huge opportunities. “The more confusion there is amongst consumers, the bigger the opportunity for integrators to become the go-to specialists,” said Bob Hana, executive director of the Home Technology Specialists of America (HTSA), during the buying group's Fall Conference in Chicago. Disruptive technologies and the cloud were the topics of discussion for two panels… View this story

Jason Knott | 10/10 10:26 AM, 5 Comments

“It’s déjà vu all over again,” as New York Yankee legend Yogi Berra would say. Integrators are once again facing an identity crisis caused by technology change. What should integrators call themselves to become established as the go-to resource for consumers seeking cloud-based or IT-based services? Integrators already go by way too many names: CE pro, dealer, home theater installer, low-voltage contractor, home technology specialist, connected home contractor, ESC (CEDIA's Electronic Systems Contractors designation), A/V integrator, high-end audio specialist, custom retailer, residential integrator, specialty retailer, security dealer, energy contractor. The… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 09/17 12:26 PM, 3 Comments

Remote Technologies Inc. (RTI) introduced 20 new products at CEDIA Expo 2012, in celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary. The highlight was the new Apex control platform. Among other useful features, the platform supports remote programming and project management. Projects can be stored in the cloud so anyone in the company can access the most current file from any Web browser. Programs then can be automatically downloaded to a customer’s devices including universal remote controls, keypads, and other whole-house controllers. Take RTI’s new T2X handheld controller, for example, which features… View this story

Jason Knott | 08/31 08:56 AM, 2 Comments

Americans' views on cloud computing are, well, somewhat cloudy. And it represents a major opportunity for integrators. A new national survey by Wakefield Research, commissioned by Citrix, shows that most respondents believe the cloud is related to weather, while some referred to pillows, drugs and toilet paper. But those in the know claim working from home in their “birthday suit” is the cloud’s greatest advantage. The good news is that even those who don’t know exactly what the cloud is recognize its economic benefits and think the cloud is a… View this story

Jason Knott | 07/25 08:47 AM, 0 Comments

The "disruptive" nature of cloud computing represents a huge financial opportunity for integrators to insert themselves in the role as Information Technology (IT) specialists for commercial clients. The increasingly integral role of cloud computing in IT operations is accompanied by significant change and disruption for cloud users, their IT staffs and their technology providers, according to new research by CompTIA, the leading non-profit association for the IT industry. CompTIA’s third annual "Trends in Cloud Computing" study indicates that the market for cloud solutions is robust, with the number of organizations… View this story

Julie Jacobson | 07/20 06:23 AM, 4 Comments

Clare Controls is a new home automation vendor that made more than a few dealers nervous about its cloud-based architecture when the company launched last year. Now that the company has trained a few hundred dealers on the system, though, that thing about the cloud “honestly has never come up,” says Clare principal Brett Price. He is certain that more home control developers will take some or most of their home management platform to the cloud, but “it will not be easy to replicate the automation that we have,” Price… View this story