Comcast has added a professional monitoring option for the do-it-yourself home security system that the company gained when it acquired security equipment manufacturer Notion with little fanfare about two years ago.
Comcast already has been offering a security and smart home system originally developed by Notion to its customer base. Homeowners install the system themselves. Initially, the customers also did their own monitoring—they received text messages on their smartphones when an alert was generated.
Today’s news focuses on a $10 monthly professional monitoring option for that system dubbed Notion PRO. Professional monitoring is supported by live operators who can notify emergency responders as needed, even if the homeowner doesn’t see the smartphone alert right away.
The service monitors door and window openings and can also respond to alerts generated from multi-function sensors designed to detect other conditions including:
- when the temperature in a room exceeds or falls below certain temperatures, indicating a possible failure of a heating or cooling system
- water leaks
- “sounding smoke alarms” (the wording suggests not that the sensor acts as a smoke alarm, but that it can detect when a separate smoke alarm is triggered)
While the Notion web page indicates that a single multi-function sensor can monitor multiple conditions, it also notes that more than one sensor may be needed in a home. A sensor placed next to a washing machine in the basement apparently can’t detect a smoke alarm going off in the attic, for example.
Insurance Company Partnerships
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the Comcast offering, though, is a tie-in with insurance companies.
“Notion partners with insurance carriers in the United States and Australia to help empower homeowners to proactively monitor their property,” today’s press release states. “Notion is continuously expanding programs, including the ability to unlock revenue share with partners for Notion PRO.”
Customers’ alarm systems can help insurance companies minimize costs by helping to minimize damage to the customers’ homes. Some insurance companies offer discounts to customers who have alarm systems.
A Comcast spokesperson did not immediately reply to an inquiry from Telecompetitor asking for more information about the revenue share but confirmed that monitoring is provided by COPS and RapidSOS.