So after months of waiting, we’ve finally heard some more info on the new service being offered by Rogers. Right now its still limited to people living in Ontario in Rogers cable areas but at least we know a little more about it.
Most of the information was pulled from this months Connected magazine which can be viewed online for free here.
So here’s the lowdown on the new stuff:
The big push with the new Smart Home Monitoring is the fact that it will be connect to you the home owner, not only through the alarm system and sensors at home (through a nifty little ipad like touchscreen) but will be available to access online from your mobile phone or any internet connected device.
This means a few things for consumers
- 24/7 access to things like alarm status, lights, heating information (air conditioner/furnace), cameras and motion sensors within the house
- any of these can be accessed remotely using any internet enabled device (turn on/off the lights or heat, get a picture sent to you anytime someone opens the front door etc)
- customize alerts that monitor things like carbon monoxide levels in the house, large changes in temperature, gas levels etc
- it works off both a home connected internet line (Rogers Internet is a must) as well as wireless internet over Rogers mobile network) so it should never be able to go down as it has access to both
- 24/7 monitoring connected through the Rogers wireless network meaning no landline phone is required for service or emergency situations
Now how much does it cost you ask? We’re still wondering that… They do have some pricing listed on the site itself. Equipment will cost a bundle for sure for all these 2 way connected equipment, but here’s the pricing we do know so far:
- Rogers Professional installation charges – $99
- Monthly Service Fee’s start at $39/month (most likely for the most basic package out of 3 possible)
- Starter Kit = Touchpad, two door/window sensors plus motion sensor) $299 on 3 year contract or $899 with no contract (most likely broken down to $500 for touchpad, $150 per door/window sensor and $100 for motion sensor)
- other peripherals range from $49.99 to $159.99 each
Now that’s a fairly pricey home monitoring system. Based on the 3 packages that are available we’re wondering how much a full house would actually cost. There are phone numbers available to call and order and we will try finding more in just a little while but we wanted to get the basic facts out first.
Here is a picture showing the different packages and what they offer from rogers below is what the touchpad looks like.
Currently Rogers is also offering a promotion if you go for their Ultimate Package where you get 50% off for one year of service plus “Free battery care for one year, free smart home camera and free installation”.
If you want to try and get more info you can go to here for the referal page with the discount options and there’s a PDF of the information here
Source: Rogers, Connected Magazine
Agree your assessment re: the steepness of the price. This review found the same pricing, so confirms your hunch.
http://www.camcloud.com/blog/item/review-rogers-smart-home
They compare it to a webcam-based monitoring system which is obviously way more cost-effective with surprisingly good features.