Security dealers who participated in SDM’s 2016 Forecast Study believe their stiffest competition in 2016 will come from do-it-yourself security providers. DIY is an unfamiliar concept for most traditional dealers who specialize in professionally installed and monitored security systems. However, a new solution created by familiar industry names — RSI Video Technologies (manufacturer of Videofied) and USA Central Station Alarm Corp. — aims to take away that unfamiliarity with DIY, and is designed to help dealers be competitive even with the most popular DIY brands.
Their solution, DragonFly Security, is self-installed but professionally monitored — either in a traditional manner or as dispatch-on-demand. Video-verified alarms, generated by indoor or outdoor battery-powered cameras, qualify for priority police response. Users can see what is happening in real time and take action through an app on their smartphone. Users receive alerts as push notifications sent to either an iPhone or Android device. The user decides the outcome of each alert; after viewing the video clip, they can select dispatch-on-demand (dispatch can be canceled if necessary), dismiss the alarm, or disarm the system from the DragonFly app. The app also allows the user to capture a still image or video through a look-in feature.