Johnson Controls has announced that it has acquired the remaining stake in smart security technology provider Qolsys Inc., having owned a majority since 2014. Qolsys, which makes a variety of smart security and life safety products for the residential and light commercial markets, had $150 million in revenues during fiscal year 2019. The combined volume of Qolsys, DSC, Bentel, Visonic, PowerG and Tyco products will position Johnson Controls as a market share leader in the global intrusion detection market.
In a statement, Johnson Controls said that Qolsys’ founders and leadership team will remain in Silicon Valley and assume key roles in the company’s global intrusion business. Michael Hackett, Qolsys co-founder and VP of sales and marketing says “ “JCI has a long history delivering traditional security via the DSC brand. For now, there won’t be much of a change or impact. Over time, we will strive to bring the innovative IQ Panel user experience, features and benefits to the higher end commercial segments served well (by JCI) today. “Most exciting is how we already support the PowerG sensor portfolio….every IQ Panel 2+ includes PowerG, the same wireless protocol used by the DSC Neo and Powerseries platform,” Hackett added. “The IQ panel 2+ with PowerG and 433 MHz could easily replace a legacy DSC panel installed in a customer’s home and (integrators can) re-use all the existing sensors, upgrade them to LTE, add new PowerG sensors for extended range and encryption, as well as adding cameras and Z-Wave lights locks, thermostats, etc.”
This is a major milestone in our 10-year journey to disrupt and transform the security industry with advanced cloud-enabled solutions that transcend traditional intrusion offerings including advanced automation, energy management, apartment management, building management and wellness for aging in place.”
