Lowe’s expanded its Iris product lineup to include routers...

an effort to add “breadth” to its product and service offerings, Mick Koster, operations director of Lowe’s Smart Home Business unit, told us. Verizon Wireless will also offer a wireless USB-based router to enable customers to connect wirelessly over the Verizon Wireless network to monitor the home when away, a spokeswoman told us. Lowe’s launched its do-it-yourself Iris solution last July with three starter kits on its website and then expanded to 500 stores with plans to be in all 1,740 stores with the service by the end of this year, she said. The first three kits covered security, safety, energy and convenience and were based on Lowe’s $99 hub that can work with ZigBee, Z-Wave, or powerline networks. For 2013, the company is focusing on senior care services, she said. Sensors in the home can notify family members if an elderly parent’s routine has changed, she said. The company is following the trend of older seniors “wanting to stay longer in their homes, so we knew senior care is an area our customers are looking for us to go,” Koster said. Beyond senior care, Koster said Lowe’s is “going after breadth” with its connected cloud-based platform that offers a unified user interface for homeowners. Categories will get “deeper” as consumers want additional features, he said. Lowe’s offers 40 levels of installation across its various product lines and is looking at developing an installation service around Iris, Koster said. Iris is a “simple, do-it-yourself system,” he said, “but we know there are consumers who are intimidated by that, especially as you move into senior care.” The solution is currently “self-monitored,” Koster said, and emails for changes in activity or certain conditions can be sent to other family members notifying them of a change of status. At CES, Lowe’s is launching a button-based device seniors can wear and press if they need help. Lowe’s doesn’t currently offer an outside monitoring service so the message goes to designated recipients rather than emergency personnel. That could change down the road depending on what customers ask for, Koster said. The core service from Lowe’s -- monitoring for the account holder with access to the last three notifications from the service -- is free, and premium service is $9.99. The latter allows up to six people to be notified when an alarm or alert is triggered and provides access to the entire history of notification, according to the Lowe’s website. The senior monitoring feature is an additional $4.99 per month, Koster said. No contract is required for Iris service so consumers can opt in or out from month to month, he said.