A DIY security system for Honeywell — a hub that connects security devices to a secure network, with nearly identical indoor and outdoor cameras designed around effortless installation.
kick off
The project consists of three products: a hub that connects security devices to a secure network via the internet, an outdoor camera, and an indoor camera that both connect to the hub. To ensure good design alignment, we made the indoor and outdoor cameras nearly identical in appearance, relying only on colour to differentiate between them.
We explored numerous design trends — "top-heavy texture break, layer, chrome metallic, squircle to circle" and "less is more: natural, geometric, precise" — and meticulously evaluated each before deciding on four specific design directions to pursue, taking into account form factors based on the estimated mechanical layout stacking.
Installation and maintenance are the main pain points of DIY security systems. That's why we spent time designing and prototyping to arrive at the best possible solution. Another concern was that the DAS system needed to work with a Honeywell security camera: we were asked to allow the Lyric Camera-2 to dock on top of the DAS hub, with its power cable coming through while integrating seamlessly with the system.
design workshop
It began with a two-hour design workshop. We unpacked the brief and the project team's requirements, reviewed competitors' products, and mined the latest trends for possible design elements — clustering everything into mood boards on the studio wall. Three directions emerged that would define DAS: structural surfaces with micro texture, matt, warm & natural finishes, and geometric forms with precise details.
models & prototypes
The electronics were inherited from an existing platform, so the new industrial design had to house those components within a tightly selected proportion — roughly a coke can. We sketched, printed and modelled our way from rough working mock-ups to refined appearance models: connectors hidden in the base, the Lyric camera docking through the metal top cover, and every detail tuned so one hand is enough to open a camera for maintenance.
final design
The final family is calm and domestic: a gently waisted hub wrapped in micro-textured soft-touch, and twin cameras told apart only by colour. An ambient light ring at the hub's base shows system state at a glance — off, disarmed, armed, alert — and a single stay-safe button lets kids immediately reach the trusted circle. Every camera simply slides onto its mount, no tools required.
final design direction
Prior to the final phase of preparing for tooling, Honeywell relocated the DAS DIY Awareness and Security Lite programme from the UK team to the US team. The UK team shared their knowledge with the US team, who made improvements and modifications to meet North American standards. The programme was subsequently launched in 2018.