First available as a pilot program in select markets, AT&T Connected Life is rolling out nationwide starting today. The idea behind this is to simplify smart-home setup. Instead of buying different smart-home devices and using multiple apps to connect them, you can purchase one of two kits directly from AT&T’s Connected Life website — the Starter Kit ($11 per month for 36 months) or the Advanced Kit ($19 per month for 36 months). You can also prepay for the kits at $399 and $699 respectively.
Each includes Google Nest smart-home products and security sensors, with the upgraded kit offering more sensors, a security keypad, and a Nest Cam security camera. (Google has confirmed that the Nest products offered are not the latest devices launched by the company.) You’ll use the Connected Life app and the Google Home app to set everything up, though you can also seek a technician’s help if you don’t want to DIY.
Google says the platform leverages Google Home’s application programming interface (API) to integrate Google’s smart home devices into the Connected Life app, and after setup, users can rely solely on the Connected Life app to watch livestreams and manage devices.
There are two levels of subscription: Essential ($11 per month) or Professional ($22 per month). They provide access to features like 30-day event video history and intelligent alerts, although the business plan includes a US-based monitoring service from Abode that can dispatch police and medical services during emergencies. The system is designed so that you can stop professional monitoring when you don’t need it, rather than being tied into a contract.
AT&T is promoting the Cellular Backup feature in Connected Life: If your home internet goes offline, this feature will keep your smart-home devices running by routing data through your smartphone (via a hot spot), and there’ll be a battery backup for the hub in case of a power outage. It was a cornerstone of AT&T’s old Digital Life service, but cellular backup is now a staple in many smart-home security systems, like SimpliSafe or ADT.
You have to be an AT&T customer to use the Connected Life platform, although it doesn’t matter if you have a wireless mobile plan or home Internet. This means the potential customer base for these new smart-home services is huge; AT&T has 119 million wireless mobile customers and is the largest provider of fiber home internet in the US, with more than 10 million customers.
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