Google To Buy Stake In ADT In Home Security Push For $450 Million (reuters.com) 31
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: Alphabet's Google is picking up a 6.6% stake in ADT for $450 million, betting on the home security company's strong customer base and an army of technicians to drive sales of its Nest devices. The investment gives ADT the backing of a high-profile technology partner and broadens its services business. In return, Google gets access to about 6.5 million customers, strengthening its presence as it competes with Amazon's Ring and Boston-based SimpliSafe, among others. ADT said on Monday that the two companies would work on ways to package popular Google products like Home Mini, Nest Thermostat and Nest Wifi with ADT's strength in installation and maintenance.
"Later this year, we will begin integrating Google devices and make them available for installations to our customers," ADT Chief Executive Officer Jim DeVries told Reuters. "We will exclusively support Nest products," DeVries said, adding that the companies will build products together and start rolling them out next year. The companies will commit an additional $150 million each for co-marketing, product development, technology and employee training, ADT said.
"Later this year, we will begin integrating Google devices and make them available for installations to our customers," ADT Chief Executive Officer Jim DeVries told Reuters. "We will exclusively support Nest products," DeVries said, adding that the companies will build products together and start rolling them out next year. The companies will commit an additional $150 million each for co-marketing, product development, technology and employee training, ADT said.
6.6% of ADT and 100% of customer data (Score:5, Insightful)
Google just buying another source of data to profile you by.
Re: 6.6% of ADT and 100% of customer data (Score:1)
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24/7/365 this crap has to stop, people need to start agitating for laws to bring down as evil and they can be Google, this invasion of personal psychological space with the goal to manipulate you needs to stop. Google should face the regulatory chop ASAP and be broken up as soon as possible.
Comment removed (Score:5, Insightful)
Seriously Google? (Score:2)
Probably the absolute worst security installation company in North America, and that's who they buy?
Yes, IAAPSP (physical security professional).
Re:Seriously Google? (Score:5, Insightful)
It's about buying a customer base, not about buying a quality service. It's a simple formula of number of users times the amount they can make on marketing research per user. Very little else is considered.
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Ah, they're after the home consumer market, absolutely the dregs of the physical security world. The only way to make any money doing home or retail security installations is to take minimally trained people and crap equipment and install it as fast and as poorly as possible, then run to the next installation without actually testing anything. That's why ADT is the principle installer in the home security market, almost no one else is willing to besmirch their name doing work like that.
Considering their t
Correction... (Score:2)
I think you mean
adt $37-57 mo monitoring fees long term is how (Score:2)
adt $37-57 mo monitoring fees long term is how they money not the installs
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Because of the exceedingly high rate of false alarms (over 90%) home security monitoring is at the absolute bottom of the police dispatchers' priority list. Complaints about kids smoking weed in the park are a higher priority, according to the dispatchers I've known..
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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I've never found YouTube videos worth clicking through unless there's an explanation as to why it would be worth my while.
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That's why monitoring companies and alarm systems don't call the police until absolutely necessary.
First, let's say you trip the alarm, You have about 45 seconds to enter your code. Then the alarm will go off, you still have another 30 seconds
Microphones and cameras (Score:3)
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Would a good security company push their customers into installing devices that spy on them?
Re: Seriously Google? (Score:2)
No.
That spy on *others*.
And even then, only "good" in the sense of good for selfish psycho you.
Watching your home is distinct from spying on others. ;)
Like that granny that sued a guy for fapping "in public", until it came out, that it was impossible for her to see him, unless she stood on a case to see out of a high window and into his bedroom. Aka she lost and got counter-sued for peeping and a quite frivolous lawsuit.
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Baloney. Part of the security platform's utility is to be aware of when you leave/return, what level of motion is acceptable at the site, weak points in the perimeter, and the like.
BTW, "aka" stands for "also known as", that's the incorrect usage.
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Of course. How are they to know when you're not at home so the residence needs additional monitoring? Turn on your alarm as you're leaving and they're "spying on you", they know your movements. Monitoring your presence/absence is part of what you pay for.
Ah, you mean the phantasmagorical "they're listening to everything you say" foolishness. Really, they're not. No one gives a shit about your private conversations at home, you're really not that interesting and there's no money to be made doing it. If
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At this rate next year will be (Score:5, Funny)
Re: At this rate next year will be (Score:3)
That's like saying a farmer will evict his new livestock.
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This will come first... (Score:1)
Kinda funny (Score:1)
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Good (Score:2)
They can show relevant ads to the robber. Maybe people will finally stop robbing houses then.
Don't call totalitarian for-profit suveillance "se (Score:3)
Nobody involved in this gives a single fuck about your need for security, deluded or real.
This is about leeching as much money out of your pockets as possible. By making you pay (Google) to get a device that will make you pay (the clients of advertisers (so they can pay the advertisers (so they can pay Google))).
It's a for-profit business. Not a for-your-security one.
Service built to scare the elderly (Score:2)
I knew someone who worked at ADT years ago who said their main MO was to scare the elderly. They would get them to get the monthly service and then also do things like charge them $100 extra a year to come install a 6 volt backup battery that costs $5. They'd tell people the criminals will cut their power lines and without the "hard to install" battery, they were subject to be assaulted and murdered.
I bought a house with a system installed and didn't transfer the service to my name and presume the previous
My Experience with ADT (Score:1)
My experience with ADT was arguably the worst experience i have ever had with a domestic utility/service provider ever.
Extremely shoddy equipment, installers with seemingly no experience in perimeter protection, completely inattentive monitoring, poor relationship with local police, poor customer service, no detection of malfunctions in their hardware, and expensive AF. The most valuable thing about their service at the time was that stupid little sign, in retrospect it's clear that the sign, deservedly