This article originally appeared in the May 2023 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention Security Business magazine on LinkedIn and @SecBusinessMag on Twitter.
The vast majority of home security users reading this article are decidedly not DIY security users – that is, unless you qualify DIY as being able to obtain security equipment direct from a manufacturer buddy you know, knowing the dealer code on your home panel, being able to hang a few cameras or sensors, and knowing how to learn it into the system. But that’s not really DIY; in fact, most of my readers are pretty much anti-DIY, as it remains a big threat to residential and even small commercial business.
So, rejoice, anti-DIY folks, because in April, Google gave you some more anti-DIY ammo for your quiver.
On April 7, Google announced it was phasing out Nest Secure, Dropcam, and Works with Nest products. In a blog post that day, Google said the following: These are all longtime Nest products that many of you have depended on to take care of what’s most important, and we take your trust in them – and in us – seriously. Over the years, we’ve launched new, updated products and features that deliver even more help and security for you. As we look at what it takes to support your needs going forward, it is increasingly challenging to continue to update these products given the early hardware and newer, better options available. We [also] made the difficult decision to stop support for Dropcam. All features will remain available until April 8, 2024. Dropcam will no longer work after that date, and you will no longer be able to use your Nest app to check status. If you wish to keep your video history, please download and save before this date.
Nest Secure launched in 2017 as a full DIY system, with a hub/keypad, motion detectors and more. It was discontinued in 2020 (at around the same time Google partnered with ADT), but they promised it would continue to work. Dropcam is a DIY home video surveillance provider that Google acquired in 2014.
What this announcement really means is that anyone who bought and self-installed a Dropcam or Nest Secure product – as of April 8, 2024 (or Sept. 29, for Works with Nest third-party integrations) – will own a brick instead of a security camera or alarm system.
Yes, Google is offering compensation to these consumers, in the form of a free ADT Self Setup system with one year of free professional monitoring or a Google store credit; and a free Nest Cam for Dropcam users with a new subscription for cloud recording (only half off without the subscription).
And yes, it makes sense that Google should do this. All of these products pre-date its relationship with ADT, and the two organizations are hard at work building better, modern alternatives for exactly these DIY customers.
That being said, if there’s one thing the technology curve hasn’t overcome, it is a significant chunk of the security industry. Consumers install home security systems with a set-it-and-forget-it mentality that would make the great Ron Popeil proud. If you are a boomer, and you have a security system, it might be so old that it runs on 12- or 16-button panel. Hey, as long as it makes a loud noise and someone from a monitoring center calls to check on the house, right?
Point being, nobody wants to change their entire system after 5-6 years, even if it doesn’t cost a thing. There will be consumers who don’t check email or read product bulletins, and they won’t know their Dropcam doesn’t work until that moment when they needed it to work.
I’d say with a fair degree of certainty that the pro security industry has that problem covered.
Paul Rothman is Editor-in-Chief of Security Business magazine. Email him your comments and questions at [email protected]. Access the current issue, full archives and apply for a free subscription at www.securitybusinessmag.com.
