Brighthouse Home Security Program May End

While the home security business may seem to be a nationwide service as prominent as home internet service or cellular telephone service – the truth is that the alarm business is really a rather small community. Local Orlando, Florida home security providers keep their fingers on the pulse of the national industry health to provide their Central Florida home security customers the best experience possible. When companies like ADT home security alarm services do good, all alarm companies in the same arena do good too. Unlike electricity or cable providers, home security service customers have a freedom of choice for alarm monitoring service providers.

It’s no surprise that cable and internet providers have tried to jump into the home security arena in recent years. Over the last ten years or so we’ve seen Verizon jump into the home security business and back out again. Comcast, AT&T and now even Brighthouse have all tried to get involved in providing home security. Some of these programs were limited to very small test areas around the country but some of these services were launched right here in our home town of Orlando, Florida. We suppose that with the uprising of DIY home security systems, conglomerates like Brighthouse would see the home security business as EASY and attractive. After all, us home security businesses are just raking in huge profits right?

Listen, nobody comes into the home security business for the money. We  come into the home security business because we feel some sense of accomplishment when we protect our neighbors. Life safety is a very serious thing. The alarm systems we install are protecting more than property, we’re protecting lives. Sure, it’s easy to get distracted when you see all of the home automation services your alarm system can control but let us not forget that under all of the shiny widgets, there’s still a very demanding and honorable purpose for your home security system.

Unfortunately, it appears that the executive team at Brighthouse didn’t quite recognize this burden when they decided to dive head first into the home security arena. Their plan was great! Home security monitoring without any contract, free internet communicators for alarm monitoring, unlimited remote interactive arming and disarming of your alarm system, free service calls. My gosh! It’s a homeowner’s dream! This model is not sustainable and as we go into 2017 we see the impact this program has had on Brighthouse’s track record for seemingly booming success. Their home security program has failed. The alarm systems installed by Brighthouse didn’t provide security and they don’t provide profit to the business that eats our paychecks for breakfast.

If you’re a Brighthouse subscriber, you may have seen their recent announcements that Brighthouse was recently purchased by Charter Communications and now all Brighthouse services come under the name Spectrum. Spectrum is a company focused on the things they do best – telephone, internet and cable services over a fiber rich network. Notice anything missing there? Their niche is not home security.

There are rumors running around the home security industry that Charter Communications has decided to discontinue the Brighthouse home security program at the end of 2017. Insiders have told us that Brighthouse will make no offering to their existing home security monitoring customers to transfer their services to another provider. In fact, this may pose to be problematic for those homeowners who paid hefty alarm system installation fees and may have trouble finding new alarm service providers that can utilize the expensive proprietary wireless home security devices. While it’s difficult to confirm these rumors, Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems wants our Orlando, Florida area neighbors to know – we’re here for the long haul.

Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems is a full service home security and alarm system company based in Winter Park, Florida serving central Florida since 1988 – we love this business.

If you have questions about your home security alarm system or your alarm monitoring services – reach out to us, we’re here to help! 407-299-6070

 

 

CCTV Cameras catch “Grinch”

security, home security, cctv
Package thieves cash in on home delivery Christmas shopping in Orlando, Florida

Home security (CCTV) cameras are one of the season’s hottest Christmas gifts! Makers of wifi CCTV cameras like drop cam or ring.com are promoting their web cameras as home security devices. It’s no wonder they are so popular with an affordable price tag of around $300 and the promise of an easy DIY installation. Customers can connect the web cameras to their home wifi network and see their camera systems remotely via cell phone application or web browser interface from anywhere in the country! I have one of the ring.com doorbells myself – and have to admit, it’s a techy gadget lover’s dream. It’s also fun to respond to your doorbell when you’re away from home and see the expression on the post man’s face when you answer their ring.

Maybe you shouldn’t consider these cameras as a Christmas gift at all. Maybe if you have a need for these devices, you should invest in a quality CCTV system before the holiday shopping season begins. The National Retail Federation has posted their findings in a recent report that estimates nearly 108.5 million Americans did their holiday shopping online this year. Quite the jump compared to the 99.1 million shoppers who actually ventured into the brick and mortar locations to do their purchasing. Can you imagine 108.5 million packages (or more) being delivered to the doorsteps around the country – all set to be delivered in the few short weeks before Christmas?

In Central Florida, we’ve seen the craziest of crimes caught on our CCTV cameras – and package thieves are at it again (and again, and again). Some of these crooks are so brazen they actually follow the drivers of delivery trucks waiting for packages to be dropped off on the doorsteps of an empty house where the thieves pull up, retrieve the packages and then move on to the next victim. What good does that camera do you after it has been stolen? No good at all. Instead, Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems Inc. recommends that you have your CCTV cameras installed well before the possibility that you would ever need them. You should set your CCTV cameras to detect movement and send you some kind of email alert when there is movement at your front door, that way you know when packages have been delivered and can make other arrangements to get them safely inside. If it’s too late and your packages are already on the way, we suggest you have them delivered to your office or a local package pickup place for safe keeping.

Have a great holiday season – from all of us at Lane Electronics and Alarm Systems in Winter Park, Florida