Blog: Hands free is more than just convenient, it’s sanitary.
Wherever you find yourself on the scale of sanitization, one thing is certain: There’s more cleaning than ever before. That’s why we love the Qolsys IQ Panel. It includes a feature called “Bluetooth Disarming” which was originally designed for hands-free convenience, but in today’s new normal hands free is more than just convenient, it’s safer. Simply pair a smartphone with the IQ Panel over Bluetooth and the system deactivates itself as soon as that phone gets in range. In addition to disarming the security system, use smart home rules to unlock the front door, turn on lights, and resume thermostat schedules. Now when you come home the only thing you’ll have to touch is the door handle. Bluetooth Disarming TRULY makes less to sanitize.
Imagine just getting home from the DMV. To be safe, you tried not to touch anything, but there were some things you just couldn’t help, like the pen to sign the forms, the credit card machine to process the payment, the renewed license you got back from the person who verified your identity, and the paperwork and receipts you were handed at the end of your visit. Any one of those items could have come in contact with something that could make you sick, and to be safe, you plan to wash your hands as soon as you get home. As you approach the front door it unlocks automatically. You touch the door handle but DON’T have to touch the keypad. You step inside and lights turn on automatically, thermostat fires up and the security system is already disarmed. The first thing you do after placing things on the counter is to wash hands, and then, just to be safe, perhaps sanitize the car door, the steering wheel, the controls in the car, and my door knob. Its a lot of work, but knowing that the Qolsys IQ Panel lightened that load by making my lock, lights, and thermostat all hands free…. Its a good feeling… thanks technology! (Alexa, buy more Clorox wipes….)
News: Qolsys Makes Value Proposition Pitch to Interlogix Dealers
Qolsys SVP Mike Hackett explains the fortuitous timing of Interlogix’s exit announcement, plus how his company is attracting dealers left in the lurch.
Interlogix’s decision last September to bail on its security business in the United States and Canada may well endure as one of those “Where were you when you first heard?” moments in industry annals.
Pose that question to Mike Hackett, co-founder and senior vice president of sales and marketing at Qolsys, and it’s clear why that consequential announcement will forever remain with him like it hit yesterday.
“I’m very sensitive to the people at Interlogix, so I don’t mean to say this in a disrespectful way,” he says. “The timing couldn’t have been more opportunistic for us.”
News: Qolsys Offers Transition Path for Interlogix Dealers
There’s been a tremendous amount of industry discussion and anxiety about the fate of Interlogix dealers since the announcement in September. The Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus delivers a seamless transition for dealers while being compatible with the legacy Interlogix installed base, the company reported.
The IQ Panel 2 Plus comes with a 319.5 MHz radio, the same frequency used by GE/Interlogix systems for decades.
“We began developing our own sensor line in 2013 using the legacy 319 MHz frequency,” said Mike Hackett, Qolsys senior vice president of sales and marketing. “In 2016, we introduced our S-Line, with a layer of encryption on the 319 frequency.”
Press Release: Qolsys Expands to North American Manufacturing
Leader in Smart Home Automation and Security partners with Foxconn Industrial Internet to Manufacture Flagship IQ Panel in Wisconsin.
Sept 19, 2019 – SAN JOSE, CA. – Qolsys, the leading provider of security and smarthome technology, announced today an expanded partnership with Foxconn Industrial Internet (Fii) to assemble the IQ Panel at their current facility in the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park, Mt. Pleasant, WI..
“Foxconn Industrial Internet enables Qolsys to deliver best-in-class manufacturing technology enabling our high quality and leading market position,” says Qolsys CFO Ken McMaster. “US based manufacturing provides additional logistics benefits reducing lead times for faster customer deliveries and further expands our global footprint. In addition to our Juarez Facility which opened late last year,” added McMaster. “This new facility gives us greater flexibility to serve our customers in North America”.
“The Fii team has supported Qolsys from the beginning,” said Fii USA President Foo-Ming Fu. “We now have the opportunity to help this customer expand their platform by combining our smart manufacturing capabilities such as artificial intelligence and industrial internet of things (IOT) with our years of manufacturing and supply chain experience. Our team is excited for the continued partnership with Qolsys and look forward to the opportunity to support their aggressive growth plans.”
Foxconn Industrial Internet will leverage its expertise in smart manufacturing, supply chain management and global reach in implementing system production in the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Mt. Pleasant, Wisconsin. This fully integrated value-added manufacturing capability will enable Qolsys to achieve market expansion with sustainable supply chain success.
Build Your Business with Home Builders
How to leverage smart technologies to develop a relationship that will drive a residential security integration firm to new heights (Security Business magazine, Sept. 2019)
Cooking shows make preparing delicious meals look easy. “Simply add a dash of this and sprinkle a little of that. Then use this unique tool that was perfectly designed for this task and give it a little flip of the wrist and voila! Your creation looks like it belongs on the cover of Southern living magazine.” Reality, we all know, can be much different. For residential security integrators, working with builders can sometimes feel the same way – it looks easy to get sales volume without much effort, yet in practice, it is a challenge to even get the builder representative to call you back, let alone create a program that works.
The opportunity is obvious – while the security industry has its traditional 20-25 percent penetration rate, security integrators who have found a successful partnership with builders talk of take rates as high as 40 percent. Following the right recipe will yield results as high as 70 percent, with an opportunity to increase that percentage over time, but like any complex kitchen dish, the wrong ingredient at the wrong time could taint the entire dish.
Leveraging the following best practices can help demystify the creation of a successful builder program, and uncover the secret recipe to working with builders. Continue reading→
Press Release: Qolsys Supports Key Verticals with 2.4 Software Update
Deeper Support For Residential, Commercial, Builder, Wellness, MDU, DIY
SEPTEMBER 11, 2019 – SAN JOSE, CA. –Qolsys, the leading provider of security and smarthome technology, announced today that the 2.4 software update has been released for the IQ Panel 2 Plus. The 2.4 software includes a host of new features and improvements resulting from customer feedback to serve key initiatives in Residential, Commercial, Builder, Wellness, MDU and DIY verticals.
“Every one of these features and enhancements represents the voice of the customer,” says Qolsys SVP of Sales and Marketing Mike Hackett. “As we invest in growing the security and smart home solution beyond traditional markets we continue to innovate, leveraging our hardware and software expertise to improve the user experience.”
News: How Touchscreens Benefit Both Security Integrators and Homeowners
Elevating the dealer to a smart home or business expert in the eyes of the consumer reduces churn, allows for upsell and more RMR potential.
Touchscreen technology is a part of our everyday life. We use them at bank ATMs, to retrieve a boarding pass at the airline ticket counter, when our iPhone battery is about to die, to control aspects of our home or office, and more.
In the not-too-distant past, the electronic security industry offered keypads to control the system and before that a key switch to turn the system on or off — yes, a real key!
Press Release: Qolsys IQ Panel 2 Plus wins TechVision Challenge And Innovation Award at ESX 2019
“Best in Show” award earned in “Shark Tank” style competition
JUNE 10, 2019 – SAN JOSE, CA. –Qolsys, the leading provider of security and smarthome technology, announced today the IQ Panel 2 Plus was awarded the prestigious TechVision Challenge, presented at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) 2019 in Indianapolis, IN. The “Best in Show” award was earned during a “shark-tank” style presentation to a panel of industry experts. The IQ Panel 2 Plus also captured an innovation award which distinguishes innovation and excellence in the industry and recognizes next-gen products and services that offer significant opportunity for industry growth. The IQ Panel 2 Plus’ predecessor, the IQ Panel 2, previously captured these same two awards in 2016.
Press Release: Qolsys Releases New Hardwire, Wellness, Energy and Security Devices
Hardwire Module With UL 985 Residential Fire Certification, Slim Form-Factor Micro DW, Two Wellness Pendants, Z-Wave Smart Energy Plug and Next Gen Secondary Touchscreen
June 7, 2019 – SAN JOSE, CA –Qolsys, the leading provider of security and smarthome technology, announced today that it has expanded its device portfolio with several new product serving a range of needs.
“We continue to grow our portfolio of connected devices as the Security and IOT markets converge,” says Qolsys Sr. Director of Marketing Jeremy McLerran, “enabling our dealers to enter new verticals leveraging the best-in-class Qolsys and Alarm.com end-to-end solution.”
News: ESX Innovation Awards Winners Revealed on Show Floor
Winners of the 2019 Innovation Awards were announced Tuesday at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX).
Each year the ESX Innovation Awards program recognizes outstanding products and services that drive the electronic security and life-safety industry forward.
To determine the best from each category, judges select winners from a pool of applications from manufacturers and service providers, serving the industry with innovative end-user offerings and tools that help dealers, integrators and monitoring professionals become more efficient and profitable.
INTRUSION SYSTEMS: IQ Panel 2 Plus by Qolsys