Expanding further beyond its cable operator base, Icontrol is now going after the independent security dealer market.

After news about a new offering leaked last month, Icontrol Networks Inc. officially announced the launch of Icontrol One this morning. The new offering brings the Icontrol platform to independent security dealers as a hosted software solution. Icontrol VP of Marketing Greg Roberts confirmed that the company is selling the platform to dealers based on a per-month, per-subscriber fee. The system includes support for professional security monitoring as well as a wide range of home automation features, including connected thermostats, lighting and door locks.

Icontrol estimates there are 14,000 independent security dealers in North America. Roberts told Light Reading that a "tremendous number" have approached the company about accessing its platform over the last several years. While Icontrol didn't have the resources to address a new sales channel in the past, he said, now that the company has the ability to take on the dealer market, it's eager to do so.

The timing is also fortuitous for Icontrol. Numerous security dealers are looking at having to upgrade customer equipment as 2G wireless service is phased out. Icontrol claims that not only can it make the migration to 3G cost-effective, but it can also add on WiFi and Z-Wave connectivity to upgraded radio modules. Those wireless protocols will make it possible for traditional security dealers to introduce new home automation services.

"The sunset of 2G is a huge cost burden on the security industry," said Parks Associates Analyst Tom Kerber in an Icontrol press release. "Icontrol One allows dealers to use this transition to generate revenue."

Roberts noted that the Icontrol platform is also compatible with the majority of security panels on the market, which means that equipment won't have to be replaced if dealers opt for Icontrol One.

Want to learn more about home automation and home security? They will be just some of the many topics covered at Light Reading's second Big Telecom Event on June 9-10 in Chicago. Get yourself registered today or get left behind!

Speaking of replacements, Icontrol is hoping to displace existing competitors in the independent dealer sales channel. One of those rivals is Alarm.com Inc. , which showed earlier this month that it's seeking to encroach on Icontrol's cable territory when it signed Suddenlink Communications as its first prominent MSO customer. (See Suddenlink Sounds Alarm for Smart Homes.)

As part of Icontrol's new solution, the company touts its "immersive HD video, award-winning user experience and compatibility with an extensive open ecosystem of smart devices." Icontrol is also offering extensive dealer training and support.

— Mari Silbey, special to Light Reading