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SecureNet pioneer
home automation
with Vodafone M2M
SecureNet Technologies
is a Ready Business
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SecureNet Technologies case study
Capturing a leadership position in
the home automation market
The home automation market is expected to grow by 25% each year for the next
four years. A smart solution from SecureNet Technologies, backed by Vodafone
connectivity, is well placed to capitalise.
Such forecasts are attracting a host of entrants,
all looking for a slice of this emerging market, all
looking to establish some credibility. At the top
end are energy and utility companies wanting to
take central control of everything.
The most likely to succeed are the ones with
a history of monitoring homes. They will have
proven technology, trusted by homeowners.
The best placed are security firms.
The challenge
A connection that cannot fail
SecureNet Technologies is a U.S.-based software
company, launched originally in the Australian
security market in 2003 by two brothers. It is now
a global operation, sold as a white label, with
customers in Europe, Asia and North America.
In that time it has evolved from pure security to
encompass home automation.
“
Vodafone allows our
customers to safeguard
homes and businesses much
quicker, more reliably and at
a much lower cost.
Ben English, Chief Marketing
Officer, SecureNet Technologies
“
The US home automation market was worth
$3.6 billion in 2012. In 2019 it is estimated to
be worth $16.4bn, an annual growth of more
than 25%.
“Essentially, our product is a rules-based
notification system,” says Pat Carmody, National
Sales Manager, SecureNet Technologies
Australia. “Our heritage is in the security sector,
and we understand the challenges of the security
sector very well, but we are software developers.
All we’ve done is add different solutions as part
of a growing platform. Just as we would send an
alert if a light came on, we can now send a signal
to lock a door or turn on the heating.”
The company has always maintained a position
as a product innovator. It was among the first
to offer a web-based management system for
security devices and a Dropcam-like video service
in the cloud; today it provides a virtual private
network to outstrip the connectivity of traditional
dial-up systems.
“The VPN from the customer’s location to
our service platform acts the same way as a
secure, two-way tunnel,” says Chief Marketing
Officer Ben English. “It’s always connected and
constantly ready to pass an alert or a command
back and forth. Traditional systems rely on an old
technology where the home dials in every 3-4
minutes to check if a change has taken place.
Our communication is instant. Whether you
are across the street or across the world, if you
press a button on your smartphone application
to switch a light on at home, the light comes on
immediately. There is no lag.”
To win, SecureNet needed a connectivity partner
capable of delivering this always-on access.
It wanted a solution that could plug-and-play
anywhere in the world, and a brand partner with
the credibility to help convince new customers in
new markets.
The solution
Global coverage provides total confidence
“Vodafone was the only one able to give us a
true global SIM,” says Carmody. “Redundancy
is hugely important in this market – the device
can’t fail to connect, and the Vodafone SIM
automatically connects to another network
should it be needed. It gave us a compelling
advantage in the market.”
3
Pat Carmody, National Sales Manager, SecureNet Technologies Australia
“
“
Vodafone was the only one able to give us a true
global SIM. Redundancy is hugely important in
this market – the device can’t fail to connect,
and the Vodafone SIM automatically connects
to another network should it be needed. It gave
us a compelling advantage in the market.
The bottom line
Carmody says it was always the intention to
expand beyond Australia, and using a local
supplier would just not have worked. The
Vodafone solution means SecureNet is ready to
move on any market opportunity, quickly and
consistently. For the home automation market,
the US market is the most advanced and the
largest opportunity.
“Home automation is a good sell for security
firms and bundling home automation with home
security really resonates with customers,” says
English. “Home security tends to be sold on
fear – the threat of something happening to
your home. Home automation allows us to have
a more positive conversation: how can we help
better manage your home. Security solutions
typically see less than 18% market penetration;
we expect home automation to be far higher.”
SecureNet is adding up to 1,000 new
connections each month, as the ‘ingredient
brand’ behind its customers’ home automation
solution. It is used by two of the biggest security
providers in the US, with security bundled with
home automation for one price. Carmody
expects a total of 50,000 by the end of 2015:
“No one else has the roaming SIM. It means we
can ship and install the same device to Nebraska
or Wagga Wagga, all off the same platform. This
makes things easier for us to manage and faster
for us to get to market.”
“We’re at an inflexion point,” says Ben English.
“Home automation is moving from the early
adopter to the mainstream. We’re seeing
more home automation devices in home
improvement stores, builders are building
homes with home control as standard, and utility
companies are pushing energy management.
As with solar power, I’d expect to see more
government incentives for home owners to
adopt home automation. Energy use is a major
concern globally.
• Delivers a future-proof solution capable of
absorbing multiple streams of data while
maintaining robust connectivity
“We have a lot of customers in the construction
sector and they love Vodafone. It’s simple
hardware with no complicated wiring, they can
just plug it into the home and it’s on. There is a
decline in fixed-line technology; the real growth
is with wireless.”
About the customer
Working with Vodafone brings SecureNet closer
to the broader world of smart cities, with more
opportunity to mix with Vodafone customers
in retail, local government and utilities. “We
look forward to building synergies within the
Vodafone M2M community,” says English.
The future, he says, is greater integration with
every smart device in the home: “Our skill is
in developing the software. We’ll be able to
communicate with more smart devices, analyse
the data and make automatic adjustments
based on consumer behaviour. We can predict
with a degree of reliability what the customer
is going to need.
“Vodafone allows us to deliver our solution
much quicker, more reliably and at a much
lower cost.”
• Ensures global connectivity redundancy
from one SIM, managed off one platform,
simplifying go-to-market
• Provides the scale to add 1,000 new
connections each week, with a target of
50,000 connections worldwide by the
end of 2015
• U.S.-based software company with a security
background, founded in Australia in 2003
• SecureNet makes homes and businesses
safer, more convenient, and enjoyable.
It provides interactive home security, video
monitoring, environment control, energy
management, and alarm monitoring
• securenettech.com
m2m.vodafone.com
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