Cox cable selling new home security system

Monday, March 11, 2002 | 11:10 a.m.

Schoolkids, beware.

Your parents may be checking in, remotely by Internet, to see if you're doing your homework. And if you aren't, you may hear a voice telling you to snap to it.

"We may not be too popular with kids for that," said Kirk MacDowell, general manager for @Security Broadband Nevada operations.

MacDowell's company began rolling out the newest entry in home-surveillance products in Las Vegas last month through a partnership with Cox Communications Inc.

It said a one-year pilot program involving 85 customers went well enough to take the next step in marketing its broadband-based SafeVillage in-home security system.

The system enables users to remotely monitor surveillance cameras protecting their homes through an Internet connection. The security system also comes with window or door sensors to detect break-ins and intercom stations that enable voice communications to the home.

MacDowell said the main purpose of the test was to make sure the technology worked on a broad scale. The test was a success, he said. One customer even caught his children not doing their homework.

"The feedback we received (from the test) was phenomenal," MacDowell said. "They like the two components to it, the security aspect with the central monitoring system and the ability to talk into the home."

The SafeVillage system is being marketed first to existing Cox Communications cable modem subscribers with direct-mail pieces. In a year, the company plans to broaden its marketing to other Cox customers.

The standard package is being installed for $500 with a one-year monitoring contract, with an additional $40-a-month monitoring fee. Installation equipment includes an indoor security camera with a built-in motion detector, an intercom station, two window and door sensors and a keypad to disarm the system when entering the home. Customers with existing home-security systems can tie in what sensors they have to the @Security system.

While the Cox broadband system is the primary carrier of the streamed video from the cameras, telephone lines are used as a backup if the modem becomes disabled.

Austin, Texas-based Security Broadband Corp., owner of @Security Broadband, said SafeVillage customers can see and talk to their children when they arrive home from school, monitor the people who come to the front door or verify the well-being of pets in the home through a password-protected website.

SafeVillage also has a 24-hour central monitoring station. When an alarm is triggered, monitoring staff can use the cameras and intercom stations to see and hear inside the home, and then contact the authorities as necessary. To protect the customer's privacy, the only time live audio and video are sent from a customer's home to the central monitoring station is during an alarm event.

"With a higher-than-average false alarm rate, our Las Vegas customers will benefit from a greater peace of mind about their homes by utilizing SafeVillage's remote home viewing capabilities and robust security features," said Mark Lipford, vice president and general manager for Cox in Las Vegas.

With 94 to 98 percent of alarm incidents reported false, police may not respond to such alarms without verifying there is a problem.

"Central monitoring station representatives can provide law enforcement and public safety officials with more specific, timely information about an alarm event in progress," Security Broadband said.

Local competitors say the system is a technological advancement over what already exists on the market, but they feel they'll be able to compete by offering less expensive products. They also expect that with time, some of the most expensive systems, including those capable of giving customers a view of their homes over the Internet, will come down in price.

Larry Folsom, general manager of A-1 Security, Las Vegas, said he could set up a system similar to the ones offered by @Security using telephone lines to transmit the video image.

"You're really only limited by your imagination," Folsom said. "Everbody is adapting to the new technology."

Greg Simmons, principal of Eagle Sentry, said the systems of the future will do more than just monitor security -- they'll be all-in-one packages that can control lighting and temperature in a home remotely.

"I personally believe that this will be a commonplace feature in the construction of a house in the future," Simmons said.

The @Security system is being targeted strictly for residential monitoring, primarily because that's where Cox has most of its broadband delivery system.

The SafeVillage system also is being rolled out in Sarasota, Fla., where @Security is partnering with Comcast Cable Communications Inc.

The Greenspun family, owner of the Las Vegas Sun, owns a minority stake in Cox's Las Vegas system.

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