Recently Filed in Security

When is the best time to have full electronic control over your house? Often it’s when you’re away. It’s easy to control your home while you’re there, but when you’re at work or on the road, it’s tough to know which electronics have been left on, sucking up electricity, when they really should be off. “Turning things off is the basic tenet of saving energy,” says Jay McClellan, president of HAI (Home Automation Inc.), a manufacturer of energy-conscious home control systems. A remote monitoring system… View this story
Home Security Systems • Remote Monitoring • Home Control Systems • Security • Info and Answers

Over the past several weeks the yard at my friend’s home has been the target of teenage horseplay. Toilet paper has been tossed among the trees and egg yolks have stained the finish off their siding. Needless to say, they’ve had it—so much so that they’ve decided to invest in a surveillance camera. It’s something they’d rather not have to buy … I wish they didn’t, too, but the unfortunate circumstance has inspired me to track down the top features to look for when shopping… View this story
Safety and Security • Surveillance • Web Cameras • Security • Info and Answers

Having a decked out home theater and audio and video spread throughout the house is always fun. But does that ever make you wonder if anything bad will happen to your house when you’re not around? If someone knows about your electronics obsession? What about when the family is gathered around the theater, the surround sound blasting, popcorn popping. Do you want to scare away intruders? Security products may never be as sexy as other gadgets, but they can give you peace of mind that… View this story
Safety and Security • Security Sensors • Smoke and Fire Detectors • Surveillance • Web Cameras • Security • Slideshows

You won’t see a single touchpanel on the walls of this home. Nor will you run across big, beefy speakers or keypads blanketed with a bazillion buttons. With the exception of a 100-inch screen in the media room, this home doesn’t appear to be very high-tech at all. But when you pick up one of the family’s six remotes, the true sophistication of the electronic systems becomes apparent. From any one of these ordinary looking clickers, the homeowners can control every light switch in their… View this story
Home of the Year Awards 2009 • Home Theater • Multiroom AV • Networking • Security • Home Control • Cool Homes • Slideshows

Glass-break detectors are designed to “hear” the sound of breaking windows, creating a “first line of defense” for your home. The technology has improved immensely over the past several years. But do they really work and are they right for your home? Here are 4 things you need to know about glass-break detectors before you choose them as part of your security system. 1. Why Do I Need a Glass-break Detector? Glass-break detectors are designed to prevent a burglar from getting into your home by… View this story
Safety and Security • Security Sensors • Security • Info and Answers

We’ve all had that sinking feeling that something bad is happening to our home while we’re at work, on the road or on vacation. Call it paranoia, but there’s no denying that disasters can and do strike when you least expect it. It happened to my family and just a few months ago. Arriving home from a weekend ski trip, we were welcomed to standing water in our rec room. A pipe had burst, ruining the floors and walls. We’ve since gutted and remodeled the… View this story
Surveillance • Cell Phones • Security • Product News

Security may not be as sexy as home theater or even lighting control, but your home automation system wouldn’t be complete without it. Neither would your peace of mind. If you have a system from Colorado vNet, your home security options have been expanded, because the company has added integration of DSC and GE offerings to go with the Honeywell Vista models already included. The new offerings feature integrated security from DSC’s PowerSeries and GE’s Concord 4 Series of products. With Colorado vNet’s Security Application… View this story
Home Control • Home Control Systems • Safety and Security • Home Security Systems • Security • Product News

D-Link has added three new web-enabled home monitoring products to its security line. The D-Life Internet Surveillance Camera Starter Kit (DHA-390), D-Life Internet Surveillance Camera Expansion Kit (DHA-310), and D-Life Internet Surveillance Video Player (DHA-330) are now shipping to dealers. The DHA-390 is a surveillance camera that can monitor rooms from anywhere over the Internet. It has two color-coded Powerline adapters that use existing wiring to connect to the Internet. Up to four cameras can be viewed and controlled simultaneously. Other features: E-mail notification of… View this story
Safety and Security • Surveillance • Web Cameras • Security • Product News

History of Motion Sensors Motion sensors have been used with alarm systems since the 1970s. Back then, motion sensors were based on ultrasonic technology. Sound waves were emitted from a sensor, and the resulting reflected sounds were analyzed to detect changes. When a change was detected, the motion sensor notified the alarm system’s control panel (or whatever it was connected to). These ultrasonic sensors were frequently blamed for triggering false alarms. A phone ringing, an alarm clock sounding, or the heating system coming on could… View this story
Special Features • DIY Special • How To • Security

No one likes a blackout. After all, there are only so many board games one can play. Your A/V equipment likes it even less. Panamax wants to keep things business as usual—at least when it comes to home theater. While your neighbors are huddling around a flashlight, you can feel the warm glow of your home theater system with the MB1000 UPS. Sadly, the device won’t deliver the extra juice to get you through a “Lord of the Rings” marathon. However, it will keep everything… View this story
Surge Protectors • Uninteruptable Power Supplies • Home Theater • Security • Product News

Still using keys to unlock your home’s doors? That’s so last millennium. Step into 2009 with some new Access Control products from Home Automation Inc. (HAI) that are now shipping. The access controls integrate with HAI’s home control systems such as Omni and Lumina, if you’ve already stepped into the automation game for your abode. There’s a proximity card reader and accessories that lets up to 16 readers be connected to a serial port on the HAI controllers. You get an input for a push-to-exit… View this story
Home Control • Home Control Systems • Safety and Security • Home Security Systems • Locks and Hardware • Security • Product News

Fumbling with keys is not very high-tech. That’s why Black & Decker has developed a few new automated door locks under its Kwikset and Baldwin brands.  Designed to tie into your home control and/or security system, each of the locks will feature remote locking and unlocking, door status notification and automatic arming and disarming. Each product will also include SmartKey, which allows users to quickly re-lock the door for added security. One other nifty feature is that you can tap into the system via the… View this story
Locks and Hardware • CES • Security • Product News