Earlier this week, Ford and ADT announced a joint venture called Canopy, promising to provide "breakthrough technology" for vehicle security. This might be a breakthrough for cars and trucks, but if you have a smart home, you probably already own or are familiar with the technology. This is because this work brings smart home security to Ford vehicles. This is a big deal. Canopy is backed by $100 million from the two companies, which is no small sum.
So what is Canopy, and what will it provide? Essentially, Ford will offer self-installed, connected cameras in 2023 to monitor the cargo areas of pickup trucks and vans. Eventually, Canopy cameras will be offered as an integrated component of Ford vehicles. These will monitor larger interior areas as well as the exterior of cars or trucks. All cameras will have multiple sensors and will send their information to the user's smartphone via the Canopy app and ADT agents.
The idea here is to protect valuables in a user's car or truck, as well as the vehicle itself. This is the same security model we use in smart homes today, with various cameras and systems, including self-monitoring and professional monitoring.
Users will be able to view what's happening inside and around the car in real time. They will receive an alert if a window breaks or someone attempts to enter. Two-way microphones and speakers allow users to warn potential intruders to stay away from the vehicle. If the camera detects something that could lead to a break-in, the ADT agent will be alerted so they can take preemptive action, such as contacting local authorities. Canopy's cameras are advertised as having artificial intelligence capabilities that can distinguish between benign and suspicious behavior.
In my opinion, this isn't entirely a "breakthrough technology" because it's essentially transplanting existing smart home technology into a car. In any case, it's not the first of its kind. Tesla owners have been using Sentry Mode for a long time; it's essentially the same. The key difference here is that Tesla has already installed cameras and sensors in its cars to ensure driving safety and uses these cameras and sensors for security.
So, given that Ford has been adding similar cameras and sensors to driver safety over the past few years, why doesn't Ford do the same as Tesla?
This is where the smart home service model comes in, provided by ADT Services. Ford's core competency lies in manufacturing vehicles. By partnering with a company like ADT, which has a strong track record in customer engagement, Ford can continue to focus on what it does best. Investing $100 million or less to outsource safety to a partner is more efficient, allowing it to confidently invest billions more across its product portfolio.
Interesting fact: General Motors took the same approach with its GM OnStar program, launched in 1996, at least in terms of customer service. This was an accident detection service where OnStar representatives would call customers and offer assistance when an accident was detected.
Of course, Canopy's venture will be a subscription service, which is not surprising. The entire IoT industry is not just about novel new hardware, but also about subscription services that can generate recurring revenue after the devices are sold.
Canopy's pricing hasn't been announced yet, so I don't know how much it will cost. Tesla's premium service costs $10 per month, which includes Sentinel service, so this could be a reasonable starting point for Canopy.
