Broadband Security Centre (BBSC) in the UK supplies and installs wireless systems combining alarm, safety, home automation and cameras, all connected to its alert receiving center. As part of its broad offering, BBSC sells and supports Visonic PowerMax home security systems and the Visonic PowerLink Internet-based solution for advanced home security and control.
When Visonic launched its second generation PowerLink2 solution, in May 2010, BBSC was excited to offer its customers a state-of-the-art solution for securing, controlling and viewing their home or work premises. Like most, if not all, alarm monitoring services, BBSC is constantly on the lookout for ways to reduce its costs and raise profitability. Unnecessary responses to false alarms can be a significant cost-center, so finding a way to limit response services to real alarm events was a major focus for BBSC. Additionally, the company wanted to improve its ability to manage
accounts, in order to enhance customer service and reduce management costs.
New opportunities and benefits with PowerLink
BBSC realized that the new PowerLink2 home control solution from Visonic opened new possibilities for the company. With PowerLink added to PowerMax® home security systems at customers’ premises, BBSC is able to offer its customers a host of advanced capabilities and benefits, including:
- Securing, controlling and viewing their home or work premises using smart phones from anywhere
- Remotely arming and disarming their wireless Visonic PowerMax alarm system
- Remotely switching on or off their lighting, heating and curtains
- Viewing up to 12 Wi-Fi cameras from a wide range of manufacturers, and numerous Visonic market-leading devices and accessories
- Extensive surveillance: 15 images (5 pre-alarm and 10 post-alarm) from all cameras are sent within seconds for verification on alarmfrom any zone
- Receiving text/picture messages and email
Moreover, PowerLink enables BBSC to save on costs and increase profitability. For example, image verification of alarm events enables BBSC to avoid sending out response services unnecessarily to false alarms. Alarm time images can also be forwarded to the homeowner’s email or mobile phone for immediate view and real-time verification, adding an extra layer of confidence.
The PowerLink system supports Visonic’s comprehensive management platform, IPMP, which enables BBSC to increase its efficiency and control over account and service management, billing, and messaging.
Smart solution; smart business
“With its PowerLink solution, Visonic provides us with a very strong business model,” says Martin West, BBSC Director. “All the recurring revenues from this offering come straight to BBSC, so it’s a highly profitable proposition for us.”
With PowerLink, homeowners can use their existing broadband infrastructure, taking advantage of its performance to get virtual control of their home security and of certain home devices.
Despite this compelling proposition and the numerous benefits of PowerLink, BBSC found that the concept is a marketing language challenge. “Broadband-enabled security means very little to the consumer,” notes West. “Consumers normally revert to things they know and so end up thinking PowerLink is conventional network security for the LAN.”
Security in the age of the smartphone
To overcome this challenge and promote Visonic’s PowerMax systems and PowerLink to a broader audience, BBSC decided to take a further step. West explains: “We knew we had to think how consumers think; to speak their lingo. The way things are going, our customers will be doing everything on a mobile phone before long, so we decided to evelop a smartphone app. ”Young people know all about mobile technology, so we use the phrase ‘old hat, new app’ to sum up our approach to finding new ways to present whatever people need.”
The resulting BBSC App for PowerLink brings home security and home control into BBSC’s customers’ hands, wherever they are. In addition to using the App for PowerLink as a fast and convenient way to arm and disarm their security while they are on the move, customers can also:
- View inside or outside their homes via CCTV, and activate recording
- Switch lighting and heating on or off and open/close curtains
- Monitor for floods, fire, gas leaks, carbon monoxide, temperature or even check the well-being of any vulnerable people in the home
- Send picture messages, text messages and emails
- Connect to BBSC’s 24 hour monitoring control center
