With residential monitored security stuck at about 19 percent penetration, and existing home sales and housing starts continuing to lag, it is not surprising that dealers that install and monitor are rolling out services beyond burglar and fire alarms.

The giant of the industry, ADT Security Services, now has a three-tiered offering it calls ADT Pulse Interactive Solutions. It plays off of the need of homeowners to receive information on their mobile devices and the power of the Internet, according to Lewis Long, the firm’s vice president of residential and small business marketing. In an exclusive interview with smartHOME Magazine, Long points out that “it’s more than just remote security. It’s home automation, climate control, light, video and customizable, too.”

Such new approaches indicate that there will be a significant future fight for the so-called home platform, whether it comes from the entertainment, energy, home security or communications sector.

With all the bells and whistles, the new service, not yet available nationwide, includes:

• Alarm Monitoring
• Fire Monitoring
• Remote Arm/Disarm
• Email and Text Alerts/Notification
• Lighting Control
• Small Appliance Control
• Climate Control
• Remote Video Monitoring
• Home Control Touchscreen

ADT has hopped on the Z-Wave bandwagon for wireless appliance controls. And it uses a separate network as compared to a typical WiFi net for video and color touchscreen applications. For burglary, fire and/or carbon monoxide alarm signals, it continues to use approved telephone connections and/or wireless cellular connections. It will offer a Z-Wave door lock later this year.

An installer connects the ADT Pulse gateway to an open RJ45/Ethernet connection. If an RJ45/Ethernet connection is not available and a homeowner has broadband service, a device is added to provide additional connection capability at a nominal charge.

Pulse joins ADT’s Companion Service, a separate and basically personal emergency response (PERS) offering.

Long sees Pulse as an extension of ADT’s “trusted relationship with our customers. We also see attraction for those who value remote access through a smartphone, iPhone, and the Web.” Other home security system providers have or are also entering home systems, often through Z-Wave appliance controls and home temperature control or higher level energy management. In addition, electric utilities, slowly but surely installing smart grid technologies to the home, encourage more appliance controls.

Still, ADT’s Pulse offering is additionally strong with security video, though Long points out that monitoring will center on burglar, fire and carbon monoxide, not security video at this time. He expects a full national roll out of Pulse in September after initial introduction in south Florida, Houston and Portland.