AT&T gets into the home security & automation business

AT&T already provides telephone, Internet and cable television services to homes. Now, it wants to secure and automate those homes, too.

Houston is one of the first 15 cities where the telecommunications giant will make available starting Friday Digital Life, a customizable home security and automation product that puts it in competition with large, established players in the market.

The service starts with 24-hour security monitoring and then allows customers to layer on numerous high-tech options.

Digital Life lets customers control their home thermostats, remotely lock and unlock doors and monitor their homes by video. Other options include water leak sensors and the ability to shut off the water flowing into a home.

Glenn Hatcher, AT&T's director of sales for the Houston market, said Digital Life is a platform on which other services can later be added.

"This is just the beginning point," Hatcher said. "We believe the market for home automation and the digitization of everyone's life is really at the launching point."

The service starts at two initial price and feature levels: Simple Security, for $29.99 a month, which offers basic security monitoring, and Smart Security, which costs $39.99 per month and adds some home-automation features.

The two services also have installation costs of $149.99 and $249.99, respectively.

Smart Security customers can add additional services, for additional fees. For example, the Water Detection Package, which can sense water leaks in specific locations, adds $4.99 a month and a one-time installation charge to customers' bills.

Digital Life lets customers control and customize many of the features via apps for the Web, Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices.

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AT&T gets into the home security & automation business