Alarming news: ADT to flog Nest smart home kit after Google ploughs $450m into corporate security dinosaur

Google is partnering with ancient alarm and automation vendor ADT to push its Nest smart home kit to more consumers and small businesses. Under the deal, Google will invest $450m in the publicly traded security firm in exchange for a 6.6 per cent stake. ADT's engineers will also be trained to sell and install Google's ever- …

[bazza]

Start planning on your ADT alarm being dropped by Google in 2 years time when they’ve lost interest in the idea...

[Warm Braw]

Ancient alarm and automation vendor ADT

I'm pretty sure it's ADT who send a youth-in-a-suit to knock on my door every couple of years (and, I assume, other doors too, unless I am uniquely cursed) offering a 'completely free' burglar alarm installation. Provided, of course, I sign up to an expensive service and/or monitoring contract.

So, clearly, it's those ongoing contracts that make the money. I can't see ADT really wanting to give that recurring revenue up in exchange for a share of the retail margin and some installation fees. And I can't see Google being keen on the idea that their kit needs to be linked to a third-party monitoring centre (the whole point is you control it from your phone via Google servers) or requires a hefty annual maintenance contract.

Admittedly, it might be a good think if support contract obliged Google to pay some attention to the longevity of its products, but this seems like such a clash of business models and cultures, I can't see it being plain sailing.

[RyokuMas]

Natural progression...

Well, I guess Google are all out of new ideas for forcing surveillance onto the digital world, and are now looking to move increasingly into spying on our lives in the physical world.

[hoola]

Re: Natural progression...

Just think of the possibilities for data harvesting.

[Badbob]

It still exists?

People still pay for monitored alarm systems for home use? When even the cheapest vendors sell wireless web-connected systems now?

I run a simple B&Q bought system, and keep the WiFi router/modem and alarm hub on a UPS. I was able to diagnose a low battery warning on a door sensor from 3000 miles away allowing me to instruct the person I had employed to feed the cats (my mum) on which battery to change in order to silence the beeping from the hub.

All without an extraordinarily high monthly fee.