Today’s homeowners are increasingly turning to alarm systems and video surveillance to secure their homes. Often, they are buying these products off the shelves at Big Box stores or through alarm companies and even their cable provider.
Recognizing this trend, locksmiths need to market their home security expertise by selling and/or installing such product lines. An ideal starter product is the new Kidde RemoteLync Camera & Monitor, which is wireless and operates over WiFi and free apps but provides some great features for your tech-savvy residential customers.
Many of your competitors now have walk-in showrooms to demonstrate their home security product lines, but the traditional locksmith shop’s displays are often limited to high security deadbolts and a few electronic locksets.
Why not add such products to your lineup and feature them prominently in your shop? The key is to choose products wisely and sell only those with a proven record and good customer suppoty.
We had the opportunity to test drive new electronic products from Kidde aimed at the residential market which might be a great revenue builders for some locksmiths, so we checked them out and asked the KIDDE sales, engineering and marketing teams lots of questions.
As the world’s largest manufacturer of fire safety products, Kidde’s mission is to provide solutions that help protect people and property from the effects of fire and its related hazards. Products include Smoke alarms, carbon monoxide alarms, combination alarms, fire extinguishers, key safes, escape ladders, and home automation devices
Kidde has a nearly 100-year history of using innovative technology to deliver fire safety solutions for homes. 2017 will be their 100th anniversary.
Based in Mebane, N.C, Kidde is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide.
RemoteLync Camera & Monitor
The RemoteLync Camera enables homeowners to stay connected to their home without the hassle of installing a hub or other products. The cordless, Wi-Fi enabled, battery-operated camera records video upon sensing motion and sends alerts to a designated mobile device and/or designated contacts via a free app or email. The user can program the camera to arm/disarm based on their location – arming while away and disarming while at home. And it’s pet sensitive, with a ‘pet-mode’ feature to prevent a pet’s movement from triggering the camera. Video clips up to 30 seconds may be requested on demand to view, save, download or share. The camera’s rechargeable battery lasts up to three months on a single charge.
How the RemoteLync Camera works:
- When motion is detected, the RemoteLync app sends an alert via email or push notification to the designated mobile device and contacts.
- Immediately after motion is detected, the camera starts recording video to the cloud.
- Upon receiving an alert, designated contacts can view video of the incident. The camera continues to record as long as it senses motion in the home.
The RemoteLync Monitor notifies homeowners of a home emergency when they're away. Ideal for a primary residence, vacation home or rental property, the device plugs into a single outlet, listens for a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, and uses Wi-Fi to remotely alert the homeowner on iOS®- and Android-compatible phones and tablets.
Upon receiving an alert, contacts can view video of the incident. The camera continues to record as long as it senses motion in your home.
The RemoteLync Monitor works with a home’s existing alarms and Wi-Fi and does not require additional products or monthly fees. It uses patented technology to distinguish smoke and carbon monoxide alarms from background noise to reduce the chance of a nuisance alarm.
When triggered, the monitor sends an alert to the homeowner and anyone who has been designated to receive automatic messages. Once the homeowner receives the alert, there is an option to call 911 directly, temporarily hush the warning, or call a contact in their network.
If the home loses power or internet connection, the device reconnects automatically once the connection is restored, but it won’t upload any videos it may have taken while the power or Internet connection was out.
Installation
You do not need to be a certified network engineer to install RemoteLync. Kidde’s RemoteLync Camera is cordless, Wi-Fi enabled and powered by a rechargeable battery so it mounts nearly anywhere.
One RemoteLync Monitor will provide coverage to an average-sized house (approximately 2,000 sq. ft.). If the home’s alarms are interconnected – meaning when one sounds they all sound – one device will provide coverage regardless of the size of the home.
The key is placement. As long as your monitor can hear the smoke or carbon monoxide alarms farthest away from where the unit is placed, or the nearest unit if your alarms are hardwired, you should only need one per household. Our set up guide will walk you through this step.
Before attempting to connect the RemoteLync Camera, make sure it is located within range of the Wi-Fi router. A quick way to check this is by connecting your mobile phone to the Wi-Fi network and ensuring the signal strength is strong when positioned near the device.
To start, download the RemoteLync App on your mobile device. Next, create an account and follow the instructions to connect the camera to the home Wi-Fi network.
- Download the free RemoteLync App from the Apple App StoreSM or Google PlayTM and follow the in-app instructions to sign up or log in.
- Follow the in-app instructions for sharing your Wi-Fi network credentials to connect your monitor.
- Voice prompts will guide you through the setup and testing process of your monitor.
- Charge the camera using the included USB cable. When fully charged, mount the magnetic base, attach your camera, and you’re ready to go.
Kidde Q&A
Locksmith Ledger recently interviewed the folks at Kidde about this video surveillance product. Following are Ledger’s questions and answers from Kidde spokesmen.
What are the primary applications for the RemoteLync?
Kidde’s RemoteLync products provide reliable, affordable and flexible monitoring for smart homeowners who want to keep tabs on potential home safety and security risks through easy-to-use devices.
Does the customer need both the camera AND the monitor, or just one or the other depending on what type of protection they want? Please explain.
Customers can use the RemoteLync app even if they only have one device. However, they can also add multiple devices of either type to their account to keep track of what’s going on in their home.
How do you enable/disable the audible alarm?
- Download the RemoteLync app
- Setup your camera
- Click on the icon at the bottom of the app that says, “Devices”
- Click on the name of your camera
- Look for Audio Alarm, and click button if you would like to turn it on or off
Are there fees for the product and what are the benefits of paying? Can the locksmith bill the client as an RMR?
The RemoteLync app is free to download and use. There is no fee for the RemoteLync monitor.
With respect to the camera, video clips are stored for 12 hours at no charge, during which time the user has the option to download the video directly to a smart device, to the cloud, or to share the clip via social media. Long-term clip storage in the app is available at a minimal cost. For $4.99 per month, the user can have access to clips that have been recorded during the previous 30 days. For just $49.99 the user can have the same 30-day access for three full years. The locksmith will not have the ability to bill for RMR.
Is it possible for the locksmith to sell the product at a competitive price?
Yes
If the locksmith brings the product to the clients’ premises, is this considered an installation requiring licensing for security or fire?
No, the RemoteLync Camera and Monitor are easy to install and they are considered do-it-yourself (DIY) products. Once the app is downloaded, the devices will walk you through setup.
In the app, there is a selection called “push.” What does that mean?
This would allow your customer to receive Push notifications on his or her mobile device in the event of a smoke or carbon monoxide event, or if the camera detected motion.
Does the monitor respond to other sound sources? Does the monitor sound locally so if the smoke detector senses smoke individuals at home near the monitor are alerted by it?
Kidde’s RemoteLync Monitor uses patented technology to distinguish UL listed smoke and carbon monoxide alarms from background noise to reduce the chance of a nuisance alarm.
When the monitor is triggered by the sound of a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm, it will send an alert to the homeowner and anyone who has been designated to receive automatic messages. Once the homeowner receives the alert, there is an option to call 911 directly, temporarily hush the warning, or call a contact in their network.
Can you identify the functions and features, in particular the lens shroud, and how to turn off the LEDs?
The lens shroud allows for quick and temporary “disabling” (a/k/a masking) of the camera image by lowering the shroud over the lens, blocking the camera’s view.
To turn off the LEDs, open the RemoteLync app, select the camera and scroll down to Camera Lighting. From there, you can make one of three selections:
- Auto will automatically turn on the built-in lighting as needed to illuminate the location.
- Always On will always use the built-in lighting when recording
- Off will disable the LEDs and never turn on the built-in lighting.
Can you explain the apps?
RemoteLync products only need one app and it allows consumers to determine who will be notified if risks are detected. A network of contacts can be alerted simultaneously, so as to not lose critical time during a potential home emergency.
Currently RemoteLync supports AndroidTM and iOS®. Download the app for free from the Apple App StoreSM or Google PlayTM and there is no desktop support.
The RemoteLync Camera has a one-year limited warranty To reach Kidde’s customer service, email [email protected] or call 1 (800) 880- 6788 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET. For more information, visit www.kidde.com.
Tim O'Leary
Tim O'Leary is a security consultant, trainer and technician who has also been writing articles on all areas of locksmithing & physical security for many years.
