Smart Home Blog

Company Intamac has launched its broadband home monitoring products and services with WoonVeilig in The Netherlands. The BT Home Monitor VP1000 is easy to install DIY wireless security alarm and monitoring system. First of all it’s a security system. So, VP1000 includes a security panel and various wireless sensors: motion, smoke and flood detectors. The security panel offers a few pre-defined mode for the home security and possibility to connect to the broadband Internet to have access from everywhere. Additionally wireless D-Link IP cameras can be connected to the system to allow monitor you home.

The price of BT Home Monitor VP1000 including Main Control Panel, 2 Wireless Movement Detectors, Wireless Door Contact and Remote Keyfob is £115.99. Additionally consumer should pay £5 per month for the access to his online account and includes the cost of all outbound voice call, sms text message and e-mail notifications from our monitoring service. Additionally £2.5 should be paid for monitoring 4 IP cameras.

The new Intamac security system looks very similar to AlertMe but offers more useful features then it. However, AlertMe is based on standard home automation protocol ZigBee which is much better that using some proprietary unique one (I couldn’t find any information aboutVP1000 protocol). In any case, those two systems show a new tendency in the DIY home security and monitoring systems.

[via HomeToys News]

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Well-known producer of door locks Schlage is planning to add more intelligent in its products. It’s going to add Z-Wave-based looks line to provide consumers connect them to existing home automation systems or just manage them remotely via Internet.

The new product will be based on Schlage’s line of keypad locks and will have two-way Z-Wave RF technology built in. The battery-operated locks communicate with a Z-Wave gateway that connects to any broadband router. Since Z-Wave is a standards-based protocol, other Z-Wave-compatible controllers could operate the locks as well.

Remember that LinuxMCE has basic Z-Wave interface. So, you can try the new Schlage’s Z-Wave door lock when it’ll be released.

[via CEPro]

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Home Automation, Inc. or HAI started to ship its new surveillance system. It includes a Network Digital Video Recorder (NDVR) and two high resolution cameras, along with various accessories.

NDVR sports 4-channels which allows to connect up to 16 cameras. It can be used stand-alone to view video via its embedded web server or used in conjunction with an HAI home control system where cameras can be viewed on HAI’s family of touchscreens, over the Internet or smartphone.

I like the ideology of HAI. It produces devices which can be used together with HAI home automation system as well, as stand-alone or with third part smarthome software.

[via CEPro]

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A British startup called AlertMe offers a remotely managed security system that runs off a Linux-driven Hub. It tracks various sensors via popular wireless protocol Zigbee, and then reports back to AlertMe’s servers, which in turn relay alarm events to the customer via SMS or email. The system might include a door/windows sensors, motion, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

The AlertMe Hub is equipped with an ARM9-based Cirrus EP9302 and includes 64MB RAM and 64MB flash, plus a small boot ROM. There’s also an Ethernet port, LEDs, and audio in and out. The hub provides both battery backup in case of power failure and a GPRS radio in case of broadband failure. It’s also equipped with a ZigBee radio, using an Ember EM260 co-processor running Ember’s ZigBee EmberZNet PRO stack.

The price of AlertMe security system is $800 plus $23.50 a month. It seems a good alternative to ordinary security systems which used wared sensors and linked with dedicated security control center.

[via LinuxDevices]

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Recently EnOcean announced its new product self-powered occupancy sensor Sensolux. It combines a 360 degrees PIR detector and light level sensor for automated lighting control. The Sensolux uses solar energy to get the power. It needs just a 3 hours of ambient light a day to be fully charged and can work in the dark for 48 hours.

The solar powered occupancy sensor can be used standalone together with a lighting control actuator or can be integrated into a LON or KNX/EIB network. The Sensolux includes a functionality to report its own energy level.

Personally I like the “green technology” solutions. They save our money and our environment. But, in my mind, £147.10 is too much for 360 degrees motion detector. Even it’s solar powered and “green”.

[via AutomatedHome]

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