With new competitors entering the home automation market, residential systems integrators need to work harder to attract and keep customers. 

From holiday cookouts to relaxing by the pool, summertime means more time outdoors. As homeowners step outside and want to bring technology with them, new opportunities arise for integrators willing to take them there.

In just the past couple of years, apps — and the mobile devices they inhabit — have revolutionized how we interact with the world. Security and home automation and control are no exception. 

With improving GPS and cellular technology, personal emergency response systems are breaking boundaries in what’s possible for personal protection and expanding the market to serve a growing segment of the population.

While most people like the idea of conserving energy and going green, moving from theory to practice in their daily lives requires more than just a philosophy. “Everybody likes being green if it’s not too much work,” explains Gene Jordan, president of Advanced Security Engineering, an Alarm.com dealer located in Pleasanton, Calif.