NEW YORK – Ninety percent of North American consumers ages 25 and older said personal and family security is one of the most important reasons to purchase a home-automation system, a survey commissioned by Icontrol Networks found.
And security can take multiple forms, based on recent product announcements. They include security cameras, smoke detectors, Bluetooth-controlled door locks, and automatic water-shutoff valves.
Here are some of the latest products:
Econet Controls: The company’s latest home-automation product is an automatic water shutoff controller that installs over an existing levered ball valve to prevent water damage to a home or business. The $125-suggested EBV105 features Z-Wave and is compatible with many home automation systems.
The basic $275 EBV105 starter kit includes a SmartThings Hub and wireless water-leak sensors.
iLuv: The company’s first Wi-Fi security camera complements its first home-automation product, a $39.99-suggested Bluetooth-controlled multicolor LED lightbulb. The camera is the $149.99-suggested MySight, which is available at Amazon and other retailers.
MySight uses bank-level encryption for streaming and cloud recording, streams live 720p HD video, and features 120-degree field of view, 4x digital zoom, infrared night vision, and motion and sound detection. A customizable detection area ensures that motion only in specific areas of its field of view will trigger an alert. It also features two-way audio.
Myfox: French company Myfox rolled outs its first DIY security system.
The Myfox Smart Home Security System differs from other DIY systems because it detects and deters intruders before they enter the house.
Other DIY systems use indoor motion sensors to detect intruders, but the Myfox system uses wireless sensors, or IntelliTags, attached to doors and windows to analyze door and window vibrations that indicate a break-in, the company explained. The sensors, which run on a single AA battery, differentiate normal events such as door knocking from doors and windows being pried open. When a break-in is attempted, the sensor sends a wireless 915MHz RF signal to a hub, which triggers a battery-operated siren via RF and uses Wi- Fi to send alerts via broadband modem to cellphones. Multiple family members or friends can receive notifications and get monitoring rights.
Nest: The new Nest Protect smoke/CO2 detector will be available next month at $99 on Nest.com, and the new Nest Cam is available on the site at $199.
The new smoke detector is said to last 10 years, up from seven, and it adds a commercial–grade photoelectric sensor, called a split-spectrum sensor, to use two wavelengths of light to spot different kinds of smoke and thus quickly differentiate between fastand slow-burning fires, the company said.
Because all photoelectric smoke alarms are susceptible to bugs and any tiny particles that can get into the smoke sensor over time, the second-generation Nest Protect offers a stainless-steel screen with tiny hexagonal holes to let smoke in and keep everything else out, the company said.
Also new is a brighter light to light the way through darkened halls. Like before,
The new Nest Cam, which replaces the Drop Cam, features a redesigned stand with magnetic base to stick to metal, but it can also be mounted to the wall or screwed onto a universal tripod. It twists around and bends.
Schlage: The Apple HomeKit-certified Schlage Sense door lock with Bluetooth is due in the fall at around $239 each.
