WE ARE SEEING MASSIVE SHIFTS in consumer preferences as technology continues to evolve and deliver services that are cheaper, faster and better than the old technologies that were “new” five years ago.

With the COVID-19 outbreak and various levels of lockdown, I’ve had a lot of time to read books and watch television. One of the technologies being heavily advertised is the 5G wireless technology, which is supposed to revolutionize cellular and internet connectivity.

But what is it going to do for our industry?

It seems that every night that I watch the local news there is a story that includes a video clip from a DIY outdoor camera. Whether it’s a drive-off at a gas station, a package thief, or someone stealing front yard displays, the doorbell camera certainly illuminates and magnifies the moral failings of some in our society.

The residential and small commercial system market has changed dramatically in the past five years. Large companies with big marketing budgets have reset how consumers think about security systems.

Dave Engebretson, technical writer for SDM for over a decade, is a well-known trainer and certification proctor in IP networking, copper and fiber optic technologies and techniques.

Things have changed for everyone since March when the pandemic caused many closures in businesses, government offices, schools, churches and other public locations. As my primary business is providing hands-on training classes in fiber optics and IP networking, COVID-19 has caused my 2020 schedule to be wiped clean.

The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to dramatically change our customers’ security and video surveillance system needs. Where past concerns were primarily focused on intrusion detection, shoplifting and/or vandalism, and life safety, now added to these issues are concerns about the spreading of the coronavirus from proximity to an infected person. 

The last two months have been interesting, to say the least. What’s the report from the Universal Headquarters of Slayton Solutions at the bunker in Bucktown Chicago? Well, the reality of the COVID-19 attack has changed a whole lot of things for us, and created some interesting opportunities to do things differently.

Hopefully, by the time this column is published, we will be over the hump of the COVID-19 outbreak. But while I hope for the best, I strongly suspect that viral infection fears may change the game for many industries, as small and large public meetings (such as my ADI Expo presentations and training classes) may be curtailed or delayed.