MELVILLE, N.Y., March 30, 2009 – Honeywell (NYSE:HON) has delivered its
500,000th Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) alarm radio, a key
milestone that further signals the rapid adoption of digital communication
technology in the security industry.
Since its introduction in 2007, Honeywell’s GSM radio line has gained
distinction for its ability to help security dealers easily switch customers
from older radios using standard phone lines to the newest technology with
Internet-enabled capabilities. Honeywell’s GSM radios use multiple communication
paths to ensure alarm transmission and delivery; if one path fails, another is
there to transmit the signal to a central monitoring station.
Additionally, Honeywell’s Internet-enabled radio – the 7845i-GSM – is the
backbone of the company’s popular Total Connect offering, which allows customers
to stay connected to their homes and businesses using any Web-enabled device.
For example, Total Connect allows dealers to offer capabilities such as remote
alarm system control via text messaging, and services that allow home and
business owners to view real-time CCTV video on devices such as laptops and
PDAs.
“Alarm transmission is the heart of any security system, but the traditional
methods of transmission have shifted over the last few years as standard phone
lines have gradually faded away,” said Jim Callahan, chief operating officer at
Ackerman Security Systems. Ackerman, an Atlanta-based firm with more than three
decades of experience with wireless alarm monitoring, recently purchased and
installed the 500,000th Honeywell GSM unit.
“Honeywell’s GSM radio is very well received,” Callahan said. “Customers have
been asking for this type of technology because it fits their needs and
lifestyles. And the fact that Honeywell reached this milestone so quickly
demonstrates that dealers and integrators who embrace digital communication will
increase the value of their accounts.”
Honeywell’s GSM radio line was the security industry’s first to offer
redundant communication using the Internet, an approach that better protects
homes and businesses. The radios can use General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) and
the Internet as primary communication paths and are designed to meet the
ever-changing needs of the future. Short Messaging Service (SMS), commonly used
for text messaging, serves as a backup communication path. This platform enables
dealers to expand services and maintain and increase recurring monthly revenue
(RMR) streams. Ackerman, for example, estimates today that every one in four
sales includes GSM.
“Dealers and integrators who want to sustain and grow their businesses must
keep up with the lifestyle and technological changes their customers are
making,” said Gordon Hope, general manager of Honeywell’s AlarmNet services.
“Honeywell’s GSM technology was designed with that philosophy in mind. It not
only meets customer needs today, it allows dealers to evolve to meet needs in
the future. It’s a technology that truly helps strengthen dealers’ relationships
with their customers.”
For more information, please visit www.honeywell.com/security.
