I always thought that if Hikvision or Dahua added full featured alarm functionality to their standalone recorders, this would be a game changer. A complete All in One security system. A majority of your integrator customers already do this. This would rock the market.
Manufacturers, this is what you need to succeed:
- We need wireless options. You can do wired systems later but I think your core customer (4-16 channel camera installers) will prefer self contained wireless systems, focus on this first to boost your sales. Study leaders in this area: 2GIG, Interlogix, Qolsys, DSC. Your customers want easy, fast, and convenient.
- Give user the ability to connect to their own central station. Dont even consider making your own central station.
- Gain an edge by using your own web based cloud system that controls the alarm features through your phone and web. You will gain an edge by making this an optional "unpaid" service. Give the user the option to use their network as the communication line (which would be free) or they can stick a sim card in their and use a cellular service of their choice. This infrastructure should be easy for you since you already do something similar with your video surveillance P2P service. Look at alarm.com, great service, but you have to use cellular, which means you have no choice but to do a monthly paid service. Give the user the option to do a free service by hooking it up to their network.
- make a touchscreen video keypad. Dont even think about making those ugly 80's style push button pads. You can do this, you have made touchscreens with your video phones and some of your larger NVR's. Make a touchscreen. Want to really make the keypad cool? Allow camera feeds to be shown on it.
- add smart home automation features as well via Zwave. Im surprised you havent jumped on this yet.
If done right, this could really be a game changer.
