Icontrol targets independent dealer

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.—Independent dealers for the first time now can take advantage of Icontrol Networks' connected home platform.

The new Icontrol One combines the software backbone Icontrol provides for the big guys, such as ADT, Comcast and Time Warner, but has a business model tailored to the smaller, independent dealers, said Greg Roberts, Icontrol vice president of marketing.

“Icontrol can host it for them and provide the technology that makes it very easy for them to adopt services for end users,” Roberts told Security Systems News.

The solution, which will be available for dealer deployment this summer, integrates home automation into existing security systems on a cloud platform. Customers can select from a portfolio of options that fit their needs and budgets.

The upcoming 2G sunset is one reason dealers will find the service compelling, Roberts said. Icontrol One makes it easy for dealers to upgrade customers to 3G and add home automation at the same time.

In addition, Icontrol One is compatible with the majority of security panels on the market. “We're not asking dealers to change the equipment, we're merely adding more features and functionalities to that panel. They don't have to change distributor networks,” Roberts said.

“We looked at the market holistically, and one of the things that has been in the back of our heads for some time [was addressing] the opportunity to provide the dealer universe in North America” with our platform, Roberts said.

“There are 14,000 security dealers in North America and the majority of them don't have the infrastructure,” he said.

Icontrol will provide dealers with training, a dedicated call center to support field installs, marketing and business development tools, end-user guides and platform customization guides and partnerships with top distributors and central monitoring stations.

“Based on the level of interest from the dealer community [so far], we anticipate Icontrol One to be a significant revenue generator for us moving forward. We're very excited about it,” Roberts said.