Google recently made a big announcement for the smart home world. The search engine giant revealed that they’re investing $450 million in ADT, a leader in home security services. Google’s smart home expertise plus ADT’s security advantages could change the face of home safety.
In exchange for their $450 million, Google will get a 6.6% stake in ADT. Both companies will also invest another $150 million for their joint project, including marketing, product development, and employee training. This venture is a long-term deal, and the union of these giants should be welcome news for smart home enthusiasts.
Building the Future of Home Security
Google has established itself as a world leader in smart homes, especially after acquiring Nest in 2014. Nest hardware, combined with Google’s machine learning systems, provides one of the most reliable, connected home services there is. Bringing ADT into the picture will only push these advantages further.
The two companies hope to work together to create a new line of smart home devices. These will build on Google Nest offerings and bring in the security services of ADT. The result—according to Google and ADT—would be a far more cohesive and safe connected home experience.
It’s not just ADT that will help Google, though. As the companies work together, Nest devices could help make ADT’s security systems more valuable. Not only would Nest products be more secure, but ADT services will be more versatile and convenient.
Bringing the Google smart home to ADT will allow customers to have more control over their security. They’ll have more options for receiving alerts and controlling services, as well as reduced false alarms, thanks to Google’s AI.
Smart Homes and Security Concerns
As connected homes become more popular, security becomes a more pressing concern. For one thing, smart home gadgets are expensive, so they can be a tempting target for burglars. Consumers with a lot of IoT devices in their home should seriously think about security.
There’s also the issue of digital security, which is becoming more of a threat. Some IoT devices, like smart locks, can give criminals a way in if they’re tech-savvy enough to hack into them. When everything is connected, it means there are more points of entry to the network.
Threats like these make better smart home security an essential. By teaming up with ADT, Google is taking a necessary step towards offering that protection.
Google and Smart Home Interoperability
Investing in ADT also helps Google expand the reach of the devices their services work with. The ADT Pulse app already works with Google Home, but through this deal, Google can take this interoperability forward. As people buy more smart home devices, making sure everything works together like this is more important.
Google’s smart home initiatives have pursued this before the ADT deal. Late last year, Google joined other top smart home brands in working towards a common standard for IoT devices. This new standard would help devices from different companies all work together.
You could look at Google’s investment in ADT as another step towards this goal. The more companies Google works with, the more interoperability their smart home services will have.
The Smart Homes of Tomorrow
IoT technology, especially in the smart home market, is experiencing a boom right now. This latest joint venture between Google and ADT represents this movement going forward, for the better of all involved. The deal will undoubtedly be profitable for the two companies, but it will also create a safer environment for customers.
At today’s lightning-fast rate of development, tech companies need to focus on the future. Google’s latest bid for security does just that. With ADT’s help, Google smart home technology could bring residential security into the digital age.
