Home Security News

Home Automation Plays Bigger Role in Home Security

Home automation has typically been the domain of tech-savy homeowners who like to play with the latest gadgets, but it's increasingly becoming a part of basic home security systems because of all the advantages it offers.  Examples are lights on timers and automatic window blinds that close by when it gets dark to save heat and protect the privacy of your family even if you're not thinking about it.

One recent article discusses some of the basic ways home automation is encroaching, not just in the high-end homes of tech gurus but in the homes of every day homeowners: "home automation can be as simple as having your lights turn on when you open your garage door, or as complex as having the lights in your house tied into the security system."

Home Automation Can Increase Safety

Keeping Track of Your Kids When You're Not Home

Part of home security is knowing what's going on when you're not home.  With an increasing number of households where both parents work, this leaves a gap between the time when the kids get home from school and mom and dad get home.  According to an article in a San Diego newspaper, today's technology is offering ways to check up on the kids during those hours. 

Here's a few of the technologies they mention:

• A motion detector that triggers an IP camera when the kids get home which would then post  an image to a web site that only the parents can access
• When the kids turn on a designated "smart" light switch, the sensor--hooked up to the home computer--can send a text message to the parents' cell phone.
• A front door security keypad that sends an email notification to mom or dad when the kids punch in the code to open the door.

The falling prices of home security and home monitoring technology are making options like these more attainable for the average homeowner.  Check out online stores like Smarthome for specifics on home automation and security products.

Original article: Remote Parenting

ZigBee for Home Automation

ZigBee is a new wireless connection technology, somewhat related to Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but targeted for a different use. It will be big with home automation and energy conversation. Though wireless automation has seen some use in the homes, most home automation experts still prefer wired applications because of their reliability. Tearing open the walls to installing wiring is costly, though. ZigBee may be a step up from what's out there in the wireless world, and it's slated to be fairly inexpensive as well.

For more information, try ZigBee is Changing the Rules for Home Automation

Upcoming Home Automation Expos

Sick of just reading about what's out there in the world of home automation and thinking you need to see and touch what's entering the market? A home automation expo isn't just for experts in the field; it's for anyone interested in the topic. If you're planning to turn your ho-hum home into a "smart home," you're looking at a sizable expenditure. It behooves you to fully explore what's available and make sure you're getting what you want. If you've got time, you might want to check out one of the upcomnig home automation expos:

• ICS Expo and the Home Automation Show will be in New York in August.
• The Cedia Custom Home Automation Networking expo will be in Indianapolis in September.
• The Space and Advanced Telecommunications expo covers more than just home automation, but smart home technology is a division. It will be in Italy at the end of September.

Home Automation for Mac Users

PC-based home automation control is becoming increasingly popular, but Mac users don't always get a mention. Now, you can control your home's lighting and home theater systems with an Apple Mac, a wireless connection, and iHack software. For more information check out Controlling Your Shiny Love Nest With a Mac and a Hack Called iNest and Wireless technology delivers home automation to Mac users.

Home Automation No Longer a "Luxury"?

Home automation (remote control lights/stereos, security systems monitored by computer) used to fall into the realm of luxury. According to Wired article Own Your Own Remote Control Castle Today! such features are becoming standard in new housing developments. Townhouses in a new community in Texas will feature  "We're talking a 50-inch hi-def television, standard. A fully integrated, surround sound-equipped home theater, standard. Three zones of AC, standard. Most remarkable is the automation system that ties it all together: a user-friendly, ready-to-program, low-voltage, Internet-accessible, secure wireless mesh network capable of controlling everything from the sprinklers to the chandeliers."

Now at $450,000 this isn't exactly low income housing, but many of these features were once the realm of million dollar plus homes. If you were to add a system like this to an existing house, the cost for installation and parts would be in the tens of thousands.

If you're in the market for a house today, you might be wiser to buy a "smart home" like these, one where everything is automated. I'd shy away from televisions and things that could quickly become dated however. Though technology will advance tremendously in the next 10 years, it's a good bet people will still find automated sprinklers and lights a boon in a house.

See also:
Home Automation--A Beginner's Take

Home Automation is for Women, too

According to the Citizen-Times, women are eschewing diamonds for high tech toys. "About 58 percent of women surveyed in the CEA study responded that they would choose a high-definition television over a one- carat diamond ring, and 64 percent said they would choose a digital camera over half-carat diamond stud earrings." And home automation makes the top 5 list of technology trends for female buyers, actually the top 2. At number 1 is lighting control, and at number 2 is automation systems.

Smart Home Lifestyle: Move over, guys! Women are increasing their tech-buying power

High Tech Smart House--Barcelona, Spain

How would you like a house that adjusts to changes in temperature (by it self), saves energy (by itself), and cleans (yup, by itself)? The Eneo Labs showcase home in Barcelona, Spain is a two-story smart house with a weather monitor on the roof that hooks to controls that shut off the sprinkler when it rains and unfurls the awning when it's sunny. Small vents along the floorboards act as vacuum cleaners that will suck up any stray dust in reach.

According to the AP Wire article, Europe May Be Gaining in Smart Home Tech, smart homes aren't so uncommon in the U.S. but Europe has traditionally been slower to adopt the technology. It looks like times are changing!