The U.S. fire market was steady and strong in 2018, with an equal or better outlook for 2019.

Doomsday didn’t happen. For all the concern many security dealers have shown in recent years — particularly about the rapidly changing residential market — all indicators seem to finally point to what was always the hope in the midst of the fear: that all the new entrants, technologies and business models would start to grow the pie for all.

The video surveillance market is strong and will continue to grow. It is less a lumbering giant, though, and more an agile athlete, able to pivot and adapt — it just happens to be the largest one on the security court.

To tweak a line from a famous Frank Sinatra song: 2017, it was a very good year. It was a very good year for connected homes, that is. Massive amounts of advertising from big players inside and outside the security space, a rapidly advancing technology landscape, and an avid interest from homeowners at all economic levels led to a connected home space that is growing by leaps and bounds.

The overwhelming consensus among security professionals interviewed for this first in SDM’s 2018 series of State of the Market articles, is that the video surveillance market remains strong and will continue to grow.

Many describe 2016 as a “pivot point” in the connected home space. While not yet out of the tall weeds, there are signs of organization and cooperation all around.

Anyone who thinks the fire alarm industry — with its restricting codes and standards and conservative outlook — doesn’t experience exciting changes, would be wrong.