homesecurity
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Command Nest's security system with Google Assistant
You'd think Nest's Secure alarm system would have worked with Google Assistant out of the box, but no -- you've had to arm it the old-fashioned way. Now, however, it's decidedly more convenient. Nest has quietly introduced Google Assistant support that allows voice control over Secure from a supporting device. You can arm the system whether you're home or away, check its status, or cancel it within seconds of making a mistake.
Amazon Cloud Cam now streams security footage to your browser
Amazon's Cloud Cam just became decidedly more useful, especially for those moments when you can't pull out your phone. You can watch your live view from your computer through a cloudcam.amazon.com web portal -- handy if you're at work and want to check on your pet. Web interfaces certainly aren't new to home security cameras, so this was arguably an overdue addition.
August's smart doorbells now include 24 hours of video recording
Video doorbells are great for spotting visitors, but their live footage only goes so far. What if you don't pay extra for cloud storage and miss an important guest, or (perish the thought) a burglar? With August, at least, that shouldn't be an issue -- it's giving 24 hours of free cloud video to Doorbell Cam and Doorbell Cam Pro owners. This won't help much if you go on a vacation or need to keep footage for evidence's sake, but it could help you catch a lazy courier or give police a snapshot to work with.
Engadget giveaway: Win an HD Pan & Tilt camera courtesy of VTech!
Once you leave the house, there's no looking back, at least not unless you've outfitted your crib with a remote monitoring system. VTech offers a an easy-to-use solution with its HD Pan & Tilt camera, which provides live streaming video and two-way talk via the MyVTech Cams app. This Wi-Fi device offers in-app gesture controls to pan and zoom, giving you a clear view of your at-home surroundings, even in the dark. Along with the peace of mind that video provides, you can also have a two-way chat with any person or pet in the room (comprehension is up to you). You can also get motion alerts while you're away, for in-home security. This week, VTech has provided us with one of its VC931 HD Pan & Tilt cameras for one lucky reader. All you need to do is head to the Rafflecopter widget below for up to three chances at winning some extra peace of mind with this VTech monitoring camera. Winner: Congratulations to Chris Z. of Milton, WA!
August's smart lock links up with Protect America's security systems
You'd think that smart door locks and home security systems would regularly work in harmony, but that's not really the case. More likely than not, you'll have to remember to check the lock after the fact. Not so if you have August's Smart Lock Pro -- the company has forged a partnership that integrates Protect America's home security hardware. You can now use Protect America's Alexa skill to automatically lock the door when you arm the security system, so you hopefully won't have to test the resilience of your system by giving thieves an easy entrance.
Canary’s new security cam offers simpler features for a low price
Canary announced today that it's adding two new camera features as well as one new product to its home security line. First up, Canary said last month that with the help of its new AI-powered intelligence, its cameras would soon be able to differentiate people from other moving objects. Soon, those with Canary Flex will also be able to receive notifications when packages arrive, courtesy of Canary's new Package Detection feature. Users will get alerts when packages arrive and they'll be able to keep monitoring those packages until they or someone they trust can secure them.
Ring adds more camera and light options to its home security line
Ring's evolution from a smart doorbell to the biggest name in home security has reached a new milestone today. The company has announced a pair of new indoor/outdoor video cameras to better compete with its rivals, as well as a series of outdoor security lights.
Amazon buys Blink in a bid to beef up its connected home lineup
Blink, the wire-free home monitoring system, has been acquired by Amazon. According to a release posted to Blink's website, nothing will change for its customers at the moment. The company will continue to operate and support its products as per usual.
Judge blocks Ring's home security sales over trade secret dispute
The Ring Protect DIY home security system might not make it under anybody's tree this Christmas. A judge in Delaware has temporarily blocked Protect's sales due to a lawsuit filed by rival electronic security provider ADT. The bigger home security company is accusing Ring of stealing and using the platform originally developed for its products.
Amazon Key opens your home for indoor deliveries
Amazon's gone to a lot of effort to make its services as convenient as possible -- free delivery, lightning fast delivery, delivery from the sky (well, soon, probably) -- now it's eliminating the need for you to even be at home to receive your packages (or to have a designated safe place), because its couriers can now simply let themselves into your property.
Wink's $200 home security bundle includes three sensors and a hub
Wink's mission (before and after getting bought by Will.i.am) has been to make smart product networks work simply and easily with its proprietary hub, and added Google Home and Alexa integration to boot. Accordingly, most of its earlier bundles, like its smart light bulb home safety package, have included other companies' products. But its latest is a collection linking its hub with three new Wink sensors for a holistic security bundle.
Ring launches its own DIY home security system
Ring may be best known for its video doorbells, but they've been branching out into a fully fledged home security solution. Today, Ring announced the Ring Protect, a DIY security system that brings together all of the company's products in one seamless system.
Canary improves livestream skills of its home security camera
Smart home security company Canary has unveiled a new range of features to make it easier to keep an eye on your home, including two-way audio, a web app and real-time monitoring. The updates join Canary's existing line of features which include intelligent security alerts, video playback, home health monitoring and incident support. First up is Canary Talk, which connects remote users to people (or pets, if that's your thing) inside the protected property through real-time conversation. This is usually called two-way audio, but Canary's offering allows multiple remote users to log in and chat simultaneously. This feature is available for Canary All-in-One devices today, and for Canary Flex come September.
Nest’s new camera is smart enough to know who’s who
After acquiring Dropcam back in 2014, Nest waited another year to launch its own home monitoring camera. It wasn't much of an improvement over the old Dropcam Pro, and aside from releasing an outdoor version with weatherproof body, Nest has focused on improving its software ever since. But now the smart home company is back with a second-gen connected camera -- the Nest Cam IQ -- which features serious upgrades in the hardware department and an inflated price tag to match.
Lowe's smart home system can call 911 for you
If you own a smart home system, here's the worst case scenario: You're away, something has genuinely gone wrong and you need to contact the emergency services. That involves a frantic phone call and some worrying about how swiftly your phone's notification came through. Lowe's Iris has a different approach -- if you sign up for its premium plan, the system will monitor your home and call emergency responders automatically. You'll be notified through the app, of course, and in some cases be able to cancel or confirm before someone from the police or fire department is sent out.
Nest said to be working on home security and a low-cost thermostat
Notice how Nest hasn't had any truly new products lately? If you believe insider accounts, it's no coincidence -- management troubles, and the struggle to develop a home security system, left it with little to show. However, it now looks like it's back on track... and then some. A Bloomberg source claims that Nest has multiple new products in the works, headlined by a reborn security system. The "end-to-end" design would include a central hub with a keypad, alarm sensors and a quick control fob. That doesn't sound too unusual, but it'd pair with a mobile app that lets you greenlight access for specific people, such as a friend checking in on your pets. The security setup is reportedly due to ship this year.
Your next home security system could deploy patrol drones
Security cameras are great, but only when they're actually pointed at whatever is going on. With Alarm.com's forthcoming smart security system, however, unexpected events will always be in focus, thanks to a veritable swarm of drone investigators.
Engadget giveaway: Win a smart home surveillance kit courtesy of Synology!
What's the cat doing? Did I leave the window open? Who's been eating my cereal? Keeping track of your pets and home security is easier than ever, and with Synology's latest Surveillance Station software running on one of its NAS products, there's more than just security. This well-known brand in network attached storage (NAS) offers your own personal and remotely accessible DLNA media server, letting you access photos, data, stream video and backup your files without third party services. The Surveillance Station package provides a video management system that lets you watch live feeds from multiple cameras, play back recorded video and even integrates with other security products like door controllers. This week, Synology has provided us with its DS416j NAS along with four 3TB drives and two Amcrest ProHD cameras for one extremely lucky reader. Just head on down to the Rafflecopter widget for up to three chances at winning this home security and media server package from Synology America Corp!
Silk Labs Sense: Not your typical home monitoring camera
As useful as Nest's Dropcam is, it isn't the best looking home monitoring camera. Still, there aren't many of them that do a better job design-wise. Silk Labs, a startup founded by Mozilla's former CTO, Andreas Gal, sees this as an opportunity to offer something different. Enter Sense, which is similar to Dropcam in functionality but also comes with a few notable differences. For example, it's said to be smart enough to recognize multiple faces; that can be used to let you know if it thinks a stranger is in your home, or play music based on a particular individual's taste.
Comcast home security exploit could let burglars in (updated)
Comcast's Xfinity Home system is supposed to keep your whole house secure, but a recently published vulnerability could leave things wide open. Researchers at Rapid7 report that you can use a quirk in the 2.4GHz wireless frequency to break communications with security sensors, forcing them to fail open and take a long time (several minutes to 3 hours) to reconnect. As the system doesn't even recognize the lost connection, that gives intruders free rein -- you might not know that anything's wrong until it's too late.
