Fidelity ADT and Amber IoT Successfully Deploy Over 300,000 Anti-Jamming IoT Alarm Communicators on Sigfox South Africa’s 0G Network, Enhancing Security Services and Expanding Their Footprint

The Challenge

Faced with rising connectivity costs, growing complexity, and the increased use of jamming devices, Fidelity ADT needed a cost-effective and reliable wireless network to enhance the efficiency and resilience of its security monitoring and response services across South Africa.

Solution

A collaboration with Amber IoT led Fidelity ADT to deploy an IoT alarm communicator solution on a large scale to more reliably and cost-effectively monitor and respond to security incidents at both residential and commercial customer premises.

Results

The Fidelity ADT IoT alarm communicator solution connected to the Sigfox South Africa 0G Network helped Fidelity ADT achieve:

Significant cost savings
Reliable 24×7 security monitoring and response services
Operational efficiencies
Larger network and service footprint
Competitive advantage

0G Network Operator

Sigfox South Africa (SA) is a pioneering force in the country’s IoT landscape, bringing the transformative power of the 0G Network, powered by Sigfox 0G technology, to businesses and industries nationwide.

Solution Partner

Amber IoT is a multi-disciplinary engineering development company that specialises in the development of cutting-edge IoT solutions that enhance operational efficiency and drive business growth.

Customer

Fidelity ADT is a leading provider of integrated commercial and residential security solutions with services deployed to more than 70 percent of South African retailers.

ADT as a business is more than 150 years old and since Fidelity Services Group acquired the ADT business in South Africa in 2017, protecting South Africa’s residences and businesses has been a top priority. Fidelity ADT is a leading provider of fully integrated security solutions and services, including high-tech intruder detection and personal safety solutions and 24×7 remote monitoring and armed responses.

Over the past decade, digital disruption has rendered traditional network infrastructure obsolete, increasing service costs and creating operational challenges like

Bandwidth lag
Slow data transfer rates
Susceptibility to jamming and interception
Service interruptions during power outages
The necessity for costly repeater stations

While cellular networks emerged as an alternative, the higher costs associated with cellular chipsets and airtime introduced additional challenges.

Faced with rising connectivity costs, growing complexity, and the increased use of jamming devices, Fidelity ADT needed a cost-effective and dependable wireless network capable of providing reliable 24/7 monitoring for its diverse intruder detection and personal safety systems. Additionally, they required a stand-alone network with high availability that could seamlessly integrate with their existing infrastructure, all without the burden of per-customer network licensing fees.

How IoT Remote Monitoring and the 0G Network Helped Fidelity ADT Scale Security for South Africa’s Homes and Offices

Fidelity ADT contracted Amber IoT, an innovative multidisciplinary technology company, to develop a wireless IoT-enabled communication device that meets its requirements and connects a customer’s intruder detection panel to its offsite 24/7 Monitoring Centre via the Sigfox SA’s 0G Network – a global narrow-band/ low-power, wide-area network that enables low-cost, low-energy device connectivity for Massive IoT.

Compact, lightweight and low-power, the IoT alarm communicator integrates seamlessly into a wide range of commercially available security alarm and intruder detection panels, including also legacy panels purchased from range of suppliers around the globe. Setup is simple and quick, similar to Do-It-Yourself kits. Due to its low power consumption, the Communicator takes power directly from the intruder detection panel, removing the need for an additional power supply and cabling, which further saves costs. The solution also has an optional long-life standby battery that allows it to function through total power loss.

On average, the IoT Alarm Communicator sends 12 messages daily to the offsite 24×7 Monitoring Centre over the 0G Network, enabling continual remote monitoring of the customer premises. Standard data captured and shared by the solution includes alerts signalling panic button activation, burglary, medical, and fire activations. In many cases, the built-in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) also provides Fidelity ADT with the precise location of the premises to ensure the reaction officer responds to the correct premises. The device can also act as a water leak detector for water geysers and automatically send an alert to the 24×7 Monitoring Centre if a leak is detected.

For Fidelity ADT, the 0G Network’s security and built-in capability to prevent cell jamming, a common technique intruders used to hack networks, were compelling operational benefits. Compared with traditional networks, the 0G Network gives customers a cost-effective choice to create sustainable, versatile solutions on a large scale that deliver long-term commercially viable solutions and drive healthy growth.

Carel Wessels, Group Chief Technology Officer of Fidelity Services Group

The unparalleled coverage and reliability of the 0G Network, even in traditionally difficult-to-reach and remote locations, are critical for our customer’s ongoing security requirements. The 0G Network’s low-power consumption helps us reduce costs, vastly improving each use case’s viability and allowing us to deliver exceptional security service standards. Finally, Sigfox South Africa was the only provider to give us a service level agreement on network coverage, which was critical to ensure the availability of our 24×7 monitoring service for customers.

Wahl Bartmann, Group Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Services Group

Fidelity ADT secures cost savings and improves service reliability with IoT Alarm Communicators connected to the Sigfox South Africa 0G Network

In 2017, Fidelity ADT launched a pilot project, installing IoT alarm communicators in Johannesburg homes and businesses. The project’s rapid success led to over 300,000 deployments across South Africa today.

The IoT solution connected helped Fidelity ADT overcome significant connectivity operational challenges while meeting regulatory and compliance requirements and delivering customers an outstanding security solution that is differentiated in the local market. Its affordability also helped Fidelity ADT achieve savings, and its reliability ensures trustworthy 24×7 monitoring. The solution delivers fast, targeted insights to help Fidelity ADT’s customers in need more quickly.

Customers value reduced response times to security incidents and peace of mind as Fidelity ADT can reliably monitor their homes and businesses and have the necessary insights to react quickly to any issues.

We are proud to partner with Fidelity ADT on this solution and excited to see more companies recognizing the benefits of the Sigfox 0G Network. With our extensive national coverage, anti-jamming capability, ultra-low power consumption, and being the only network in South Africa backed by an SLA, the 0G Network stands out. It’s inspiring to witness global security success stories, like Verisure and Coyote Secure in Europe, where the 0G Network has proven its effectiveness. Fidelity ADT is the latest example of how our 0G Network offers a reliable and powerful complement or alternative for the security sector.

Gregory Rood, Chief Executive Officer of Sigfox South Africa

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