Finally, Smart Homes In Ohio… Thanks Time Warner!

We’ve been hearing it’s coming soon for years but it appears that finally, Time Warner will be offering their smart home and security alarm service in Ohio. What does this mean for us lucky Ohioans? Let’s find out by reading the press release that’s been recently plastered on every single Internet news wire known to man… Mystery Science Theater 3000 style.

New wireless home management and security system can be controlled from anywhere.

Time Warner Cable has announced that it will launch its home management and security system, IntelligentHome, throughout its Ohio and Wisconsin service areas in June, followed by New York City this fall. The upcoming launches will wrap up TWC’s rollout of the new product to all major markets in its service area.

With the mid-June launch, homeowners in Ohio communities such as Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, Akron, Canton and Youngstown as well as Milwaukee, Green Bay, Appleton, Kenosha and Racine in Wisconsin can control their home like never before.

So you’re saying we can set our alarms and control our lights, locks and thermostats remotely with an app? Excellent idea Time Warner! If only there were companies like suretyCAM that specialize in security and home automation that have been doing this for years and are really good at it…

IntelligentHome is Time Warner Cable’s next generation home management system that provides security, automation and energy management. The easy-to-use wireless system lets customers remotely access and control their home security settings, lighting and thermostats and view real-time video of their home from a PC or mobile device. And, because the system includes cellular and battery backup at no extra charge, IntelligentHome is always on, providing customers even greater peace of mind.

Oh, Time Warner will have cameras too? Wow! They’re really pioneering something original here. I’m glad to hear the system will always be on. I’ve been waiting for a long time for a security system that’s as reliable as my cable service.

“Imagine you’re away on vacation and realize that you left the thermostat set at 72 degrees or left a closet light on. IntelligentHome lets you make adjustments remotely using a PC or smartphone. You can also temporarily disarm the system so a neighbor can come in to check the house or even watch live video of your pets at home. It really brings customers a whole new level of peace of mind – and convenience,” said Adam Mayer, VP of IntelligentHome.

IntelligentHome was first introduced in 2011 in upstate New York, Southern California and North Carolina. The service recently launched in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio, Kansas City, Eastern Carolina, Greensboro, South Carolina, Hudson Valley, NY and the remainder of New England.

I’ll admit, it’s hard to imagine uninstalling the Alarm.com app from my phone and replacing it with a new app from Time Warner that almost does what Alarm.com has been doing since long before Time Warner had even attempted to get into the security business. 2011? You’re even behind ADT!

With IntelligentHome, customers can:

Easily access and manage security and comfort from anywhere using the in-home touchscreen, secure website or free mobile app.

They have touch screen alarms now? Wow! Technology these days… pretty soon I wouldn’t be surprised if they could turn on a light wirelessly.

Control thermostats and lights remotely via the website or mobile app.

Ohhh snap! They done figured that one out already too.

See what’s happening at home when you’re away with indoor and outdoor cameras that let you view live video from any device day or night.

So these magic remote vision boxes allow me to see a motion picture show of my own house on my walky talk thingamajig?

Get round-the-clock protection with cellular and battery back-up and Time Warner Cable’s owned and operated 5-Diamond rated Emergency Response center.

I hope their central station quality of service meets the same high standards that their cable division customer service is known for. That’s reliability you can bet your life on!

Customize the system by creating personalized settings that can generate email and text alerts, or capture photos and videos when something happens in the home.

Time Warner you silly goose, you should go back in time 13 years and invent Alarm.com!

Monitor home safety with smoke, carbon monoxide and flood sensors.

I’ve been waiting my whole life for a security alarm company that can do that.

Check the weather, traffic conditions, sports scores, news updates and more, all in one convenient location on your IntelligentHome in-home touchscreen that can even double as a digital picture frame.

Honey, it looks like someone is breaking into our house and there’s a traffic jam on I-70. I’ll hurry up and check the Buckeye’s score before the central station calls to dispatch the police.

Integrate IntelligentHome into an existing home security system – no need to purchase all new equipment.

You had me at “no need to purchase”.

OK, I’ll turn down the sarcasm a little. Time Warner Cable’s new home security and smart home service is a late comer to the game that Alarm.com started more than a decade ago. No one can blame the cable companies for wanting to jump on the band wagon and compete in this space just like ADT Pulse, Honeywell TotalConnect and Comcast XFINITY did a few years ago. To this day they’re all still riding Alarm.com’s coat tails, none of them have yet caught up to the original.

How will they do? Probably pretty well. Despite the bad reputation they’ve earned themselves for customer service, reliability and professionalism, Time Warner has one advantage over everyone else: they get to advertise IntelligentHome to their massive base of existing cable customers. They get to talk about IntelligentHome on your cable bill. They get to cold call you about it without violating the Do Not Call list. They get to mislead a bunch of people into thinking this is something new they are bringing to the masses.

How will it affect real security companies like suretyCAM? I honestly think it will be a positive thing for all of us. They aren’t going to take away our customers. We do it better. What they are going to do is educate the public about why the Alarm.com services suretyCAM has been providing to Columbus, OH for years are so valuable. Thanks Time Warner, we can’t pay for that kind of a market awareness. We appreciate you doing it for us.

Do yourself a favor. Look at what Time Warner has to offer, look at what suretyCAM has to offer, compare features, pricing and reputation, then make an informed decision on who you’d rather have protecting your home. Remember – friend’s don’t let friend’s bet their life on the cable guy.

Written by Ryan Boder