Pro 1: 'We're excited to be part of the home automation space'

ROMEOVILLE, Ill.—Protection 1 announced this week that it has launched a new integrated home security/home automation service called P1 Life.

The introduction of P1 Life, which uses Honeywell's new LYNX Touch 5100, marks the first time that Protection 1—which bills itself as the nation's second-largest business and home security company—has fully embraced the new home automation trend in the security industry, according to Jamie Haenggi, Protection 1 CMO.

She told Security Systems News that the company, based here, held back on offering a self-contained home security/home automation system until it could do it in a way that emphasized security first.

“One of the reasons why we really waited on launching our home automation, our self-contained package, was the requirement that we wanted [Honeywell's] Advanced Protection Logic—the whole protection for our customers against that 'smash and grab' flaw that a lot of the other systems may have,” Haenggi said.

With Honeywell's new APL service, an alarm will be reported even if the system gets damaged in an event like a break-in, Haenggi explained.

She continued: “We're excited to be part of the home automation space. We feel like we approached it the right way … looking at life safety first and automation second, and staying true to who we are.”

Protection 1 formally announced the launch of P1 Life in a news release Aug. 27. The actual launch took place nationwide on Aug. 13, Haenggi said. It's being offered to new customers and as an upgrade for existing ones, she said.

P1 Life is an all-inclusive service that combines professional monitoring, security and home automation. Using a smartphone, tablet or computer, customers can control home temperature, lighting and more.

P1 Life “ incorporates a new color touch-screen keypad with graphics and menu-driven prompts that guide users every step of the way. P1 Life is the first touch-screen system to offer Wi-Fi in addition to 4G network cellular communications. The two-way voice feature allows Protection 1 operators to speak directly to someone on the premise as soon as an alarm signal is received,” according to the company.

Before P1 Life, Protection 1 offered customers eSecure remote access security monitoring, Haenggi said. “We were still using the traditional Vista panel from Honeywell. We've now switched to the LYNX [Touch 5100] self-contained system,” she said.

Honeywell released the LYNX Touch 5100, the latest version of its self-contained wireless touch-screen security system, in June.

Haenggi said the P1 Life name came about because “becoming a P1 customer is a lifestyle.”

Protection 1 CEO Tim Whall said in a prepared statement: “We are a company that is dedicated to life safety and pride ourselves on our customer-centric approach. … We believe our responsiveness, affordable pricing and the hundreds of dollars consumers can save from energy management with P1 Life will provide consumers complete peace of mind.”

The company said the system's many features include professional fire and carbon monoxide monitoring; the ability for a customer to arm and disarm their system from anywhere in the world; alarm and non-alarm updates regarding such events as a child's arrival home after school; live video of what's happening in the home; and control of lights, locks, appliances and thermostats.

The company said P1 Life offerings start at $34.99 per month with $99 professional installation. The most feature-laden package costs $54.99 with $349 professional installation.