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Belkin's WeMo: iPhone-based home automation with a taste of IFTTT
In my futuristic dreams, I'm able to control everything in my house from my iPhone. That dream might not be too far off, thanks to the Belkin WeMo system. The WeMo currently consists of two hardware devices -- a Wi-Fi equipped power switch/outlet and a Wi-Fi equipped motion sensor -- plus a free WeMo iOS app; the entire Belkin WeMo system is an easy way to move into home automation. Let's take a look. Setting up the devices You can currently buy the WeMo switches for US$49.99 each or a set with a switch and a motion sensor for $99.99. I chose to buy the set, as I have some "experiments" I want to try. Belkin obviously looked at how other companies were doing setup of wireless devices and chose to come up with the most simple method possible. To get both switches working took me less than three minutes. %Gallery-162203% You begin by plugging the device into a standard wall outlet. At first, a small light flashes blue and red to indicate that the device isn't configured. Launching the WeMo app, you're given instructions on how to proceed. First, go to iPhone Settings, tap Wi-Fi and select the WeMo's temporary WiFi network. Next, go back to the app, where the device appears in a list. You tell the app the name of your normal home or office Wi-Fi network, enter the password for that network, and then choose whether to store the settings in the app. Doing the latter step makes set up of all other devices a real snap, as the app already knows the name and password for the network. And with that, you're done. After I played around with turning lights on and off for a while, I noticed that there was a firmware update for the WeMo boxes. The process for updating is easy. You basically tap a button on the iPhone screen and wait for about three minutes. Using the app and setting rules There's not too much to say about the app, other than once again it's simple. There are tabs for switches, sensors and rules. For the switches, you'll see a list of all WeMo switches on your network. Each switch, which you can give a custom name, has an on/off button. Tap the button, the device is turned on and the button turns green. Tap it again, the button goes back to gray and the device is turned off. With the motion sensor, there's not a lot you can do until you set up a rule. Rules are exactly that -- "turn on the living room lamp if the laundry room entrance sees motion on Mondays between 2 and 4 PM" as an example. Rules can also be used with the switches. You can choose to program a switch to go on or off at a specific time, or you can turn something on, then off again a few hours later. But the built-in rules are rather simple... WeMo, meet IFTTT Whoever the person was at Belkin who had the brilliant thought to integrate WeMo with If This Then That (IFTTT.com) should get a big raise. If you've never used IFTTT before, give it a try. There are currently 50 "channels" on IFTTT, with everything from Twitter and Facebook to ESPN and weather. You create "recipes" that perform a certain action if a specific trigger is met. For example, I use a recipe that tweets the URL of every post that I write on TUAW from my Twitter account. What does this have to do with WeMo? Well, there are IFTTT channels for the WeMo motion detector and switch. This opens up all sorts of possibilities. Say you want to receive a text message whenever your cat uses the litter pan. You set up a motion detector next to the litter pan, and every time el gato feels the need to go, you get tweeted. There are even wilder things you can set up. Plug a fan into a WeMo switch, then set up an IFTTT recipe to turn the fan on if the local outside temperature goes above 85° F (I tried this -- it works). Have IFTTT call you whenever someone enters the house (it works). And if you want to shut that fan off, you can either write another recipe or just use the WeMo app to shut it off remotely. For push notifications, mix in a dash of Pushover and those emails and phone calls you're receiving on your iPhone turn into regular old notifications. Conclusion While the components are a little pricey, the WeMo system is probably about the easiest home automation system to configure. Anyone can set up this system in minutes, then proceed to control lights, fans, appliances, and more from their iPhone anywhere there's data service. With the IFTTT integration, it's possible to set up a huge variety of recipes to mix and match apps and services to work at your command. Pros If WeMo was any more simple to set up, it would set itself up iPhone app is well written and easy to use Firmware updates are installed with one tap of a button Remote access extends your reach to your home lights and appliances to anywhere with data service Attractive design IFTTT integration turns a simple set of devices into a home automation powerhouse Cons A bit on the expensive side, but still affordable for many Who is it for? Anyone who wants to dabble with iPhone-controlled home automation but doesn't have the skills or patience to build their own hardware or write their own apps.
Dropcam's Android app is now native, improved and live at Google Play
Sure, Dropcam already had an app for monitoring its web-connected home monitoring cameras on Android smartphones. The thing is, it wasn't native -- it was built using Adobe Air and was therefore limited to specific phones, processors and OS versions, while tablet users didn't even get a look-in. The new app, which landed at Google Play just this moment, was built totally in-house to "better match" its iOS counterpart. In addition to broader compatibility with new and old Android devices, a bunch of other improvements come along for the ride, including two-way audio, free-of-charge motion and audio alerts and a "smoother user experience." Head to the link below to download.
Comcast's 'Project Dayview' does PDA duty across TV, phone, PC and tablet (update: video)
While we expected to see Comcast roll out its X1 DVR platform today at the Cable Show, more surprising is the new Project Dayview initiative. As seen above, it attempts to provide a single cross-platform home screen that combines info from its services and third party sources to give customers a quick look at what's important to them, on any screen. Potential sources include Comcast services (DVR schedule from your cable box, voicemails from the home phone, email, or home security / automation updates when you're away) as well as third party information like your current calendar software, social media and local news. While ambitious, it does reflect a futuristic ability to bring its users relevant information (based on the time of day, it could pull the traffic report before you leave for work or TV listings in the evening, for example) automatically. How well it all works remains to be seen once this is integrated with the new DVR software and apps later this year, but you can get an idea of what Comcast has up its sleeve for your four screens from the pictures in the gallery below. Update: Check out a video of CEO Neil Smit demonstrating Project Dayview on the show floor embedded after the break.
Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera now shipping for $149
We've had the opportunity to spend time with an early version of the Dropcam HD WiFi monitoring camera prior to its CES unveiling, and now the company is finally ready to get the product out to the masses. Starting today, the bantam security camera is shipping from the outfit's site for $149, with that tally netting you a USB-powered camera with automatic night vision, HD-quality video, two-way audio support, optional DVR-style recording ($9.95+ per month) and always-on access. As stated in our review, users can access a live stream of what it's watching (or they're watching, if using multiple cams) from any web browser, iPhone or Android-based device, and privacy advocates should know that all streams are "encrypted with bank-level security, and streamed through the cloud, not your computer, so it's safe in case of any computer trouble or theft." Head on past the break for the full spiel, or hit the source link to get your order in.
A lesson in simplicity: securing a 'no landline' home with LifeShield and Dropcam
Think of this as an IRL, but longer. Recently, I bumped my head so severely that I would up buying a new abode, and for whatever reason, the insurance company mandated that I have a "monitored fire and burglary system" installed (that's UL-certified monitoring, by the way). Not too surprising when you consider their viewpoint in the deal, and honestly, I needed someone to push me into getting one, anyway. Being a grown-up, resting easier, protecting one's investment -- you know, those types of things. So, here I was, an inexperienced homeowner in dire need of a security system, with nary a place to turn. Well, except the internet. After days upon days of sifting through options and garnering advice from every corner of every related message board this side of http, I decided to phone up a couple of companies an in effort to try a hybrid (or perhaps hodgepodge) approach to keeping an eye on things. Click on through if you're interested in hearing how my time with LifeShield and the Dropcam HD turned out.
Motorola's Connected Home Gateway makes your house smarter, turns it into a 4Home
The world of home automation is one full of disparate, fragmented pieces often requiring high-dollar contractors with trucks full of adapters. Motorola's been trying to streamline that with its 4Home standard and the company's latest attempt at smarthome synchronicity has just been unveiled. It's called the Connected Home Gateway and it looks like your average wireless router, but it's actually much more than that -- according to Moto's press release, anyway, which promises the thing can easily tie together home security, automation and climate control into a single, petite box. Once harmonized, the whole package is said to be easily accessible from a mobile device, something that might help homeowners relax a bit more while on vacation -- or while covering a major convention in Las Vegas. We're still lacking a lot of details here (like, how exactly do all these devices connect to the thing) but we'll try to get a demo and more details as soon as possible.
Ask Engadget: best DIY wireless home security (and fire) system?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Roger, who is just about tired of hearing "ADT." If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com. "I'm moving into a new place, and I need a good wireless home security and fire system. But here's the thing -- I only have a broadband internet connection and a cellphone. I can't use one of those traditional ADT systems that require a landline, and moreover, the $40+ per month they charge is outrageous. I need a DIY option that monitors both security and fire, and I'm fine paying up to $25 or $30 a month for UL-certified off-site monitoring. SimpliSafe and Lifeshield seem decent, but the former doesn't monitor fire yet. Support for live feeds and alerts on my smartphone would be a huge plus. Thanks!" Looks like SimpliSafe will be the perfect solution when it adds fire support in 2012, but Roger needs help in the here and now. Any paranoid homeowners out there have any other awesome suggestions? Drop 'em in comments below!
Logitech Alert Video Security System gets Dropbox support, lets you park 100GB of footage in the cloud
We liked Logitech's Alert Video Security System when we took it for a week-long spin last year, which at that point allowed remote access to live HD camera footage, and video stored on your PC. But a new partnership with Dropbox adds cloud storage to the equation, letting you boot video directly to the web to supplement the PC- and microSD-based options already in place. Packages are available today, and come with 2GB of storage for free, 50GB for $10 per month or 100GB for $20 per month -- Logitech isn't exactly giving away the service, but when you consider that a bare-bones Alert system costs $300, those virtual add-ons sound a bit more reasonable. Jump past the break for the full rundown from Logitech, and get ready to beef up those passwords -- having your email account hacked is one thing, but you certainly don't want anyone watching you at home, in real-time or the past.
Turn your iOS device and Logitech Alert into a home security system
This is a really neat way to use your iPad. Gear Diary received the Logitech Alert for review, which allows creation of a do-it-yourself indoor or outdoor security system. When you're all set, download the free Logitech Alert app, and you are ready to monitor your home or business when you're not there. You can use the app to access the camera at any time, and you can also have emails sent to you when motion sensors are activated. Gear Diary was pretty impressed with the results, and it's not that expensive to get a basic security system installed in your home starting at around $299. Check out Gear Diary's review, and also one from The New York Times that goes a bit more in depth. If you want other iOS home security solutions, Auntie TUAW has a few suggestions for you.
Xfinity Home Security makes home monitoring and management Comcastic (video)
It looks like Comcast's trial bubble has been something of a success, and now the company is announcing that its Xfinity Home Security Service will be branching out beyond Houston to arm alarms, dim lamps and keep home automation freaks appraised of sports scores in an additional six markets (including Philadelphia, Portland, Jacksonville, Sarasota/Naples, Chattanooga and Nashville). Powered by iControl Networks' Open Home automation and security platform, packages start at $40 a month and feature live video monitoring, lighting and climate control, burglar and fire alarm monitoring, and more -- via touchscreen interface, web portal, and iPhone app. Now you too can put your family's safety in the same hands that bring Gilligan's Island into your home! Video, PR-palooza after the break.
Swann DVR4-2600 kit is 4 cameras and 500GB worth of remotely-accessible home security overkill
We've seen IP cams before, inexpensive ones like the DCS-930L from D-Link that get the job done with no frills, rather fancier ones like the Logitech Alert system that offer a premium feel -- at a premium cost. But nothing quite like this. It's the Swann DVR4-2600, a system that comes with four separate cameras, each offering a "high resolution" VGA that are about 10 years past a time when VGA could reasonably be called "high resolution." They do, at least, offer 65 feet worth of night vision and all-weather functionality. There's also a 500GB DVR included that can be connected directly to a TV or accessed remotely from a plethora of mobile apps covering everything from Android and iOS to Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian. You can get e-mails whenever your prisoners guests move and, the pièce de résistance, the kit includes four theft deterrent stickers. If those don't keep the crooks away, maybe the rottweiler* will. Full details in the PR below. %Gallery-116998% *Rottweiler not included.
A week under surveillance: Logitech Alert Video Security System review
Logitech dropped its Alert Video Security System on our laps just before we were allowed to tell the world about it -- not nearly enough time to put it through its paces. Since then we've spent a week beneath its piercing gaze, afraid to scratch inappropriately lest that movement be recorded forever onto the cold, merciless memory of network-attached storage. In that time we found living with Alert to be generally entertaining, sometimes frustrating, and occasionally disconcerting. How so? Read on to find out. %Gallery-98703%
Logitech announces Alert series of high-def security cameras, we go hands-on (updated with video!)
While it's not too difficult to see what's going on inside your DVR from anywhere in the world these days, keeping an eye on what's happening inside your house is sadly a little bit more complicated. Sure, there are solutions, but few are entirely plug and play -- and those that are tend to be far from affordable. Logitech's new Alert system is certainly easy to set up and, at around $300, won't exactly break the bank. Announced today and available later this month it's a simple, albeit somewhat limited, solution for home security and remote monitoring of... well... anything you can point a camera at. And, with mobile apps for iPhone, Blackberry, and Android, you can do that monitoring from just about anywhere. Click on through for the full details, some early impressions, and a little sample video. %Gallery-98703%
Home security on your iPhone
We all know how the iPhone can secure itself, but you can get it to secure your entire house as well. A while back, I briefly toyed with the idea of going without a landline. It's an alluring prospect, and strikes me as satisfyingly post-modern. But one thing held me back: my home security system, which relied on a landline to connect it to central monitoring. So even though I went through a brief affair with Vonage until Verizon FiOS Triple Play pulled me back in, I had to keep a limited line connected to the house for our security system. I tried to get rid of it. Oh, how I tried. But until recently, retrofitting the system to go cellular, or swap it out with a more modern system using (for example) a secure cellular connection, always cost more than it was worth. Then our home security monitoring contract price went way up and all of a sudden, the price difference between retrofitting and acquiring a new system went down. That made getting the new system worthwhile. I went about trying to find a security system that would give me the flexibility I needed, as well as the knowledge that I wasn't compromising home security. I already ran a small security program in the house to run a video baby monitor, but for the whole house, I needed some kind of central monitoring. Enter Alarm.com.
Kwikset finally adds remote locking functionality to door locks
Kwikset's SmartKey line of wares have been lacking in intelligence for quite awhile, but at long last, the outfit has finally added a pivotal feature here at CEDIA: true remote locking and unlocking. The new remote access control solution is being dubbed SmartCode with Home Connect -- an unnecessarily lengthy way of explaining how the company's keyless locks can now communicate wirelessly with other devices. Users can also check-in on door lock status when they aren't automatically arming / disarming, and you can initiate customized scenes upon entrance and exit in order to more accurately pretend that you're Prince. There's no mention of pricing, but given that you'll need to hit up a Control4 retailer to get your hands on this puissant technology, we'd recommend bringing the bank.Update: The MSRP is set at $349.
Axxis fingerprint door lock invites hacker wannabes to burgle your premises
Biometric security might sound cool, but relying on fingerprint recognition alone for securing anything more serious than your Windows password typically results in the rapid hacking, whether through flesh or software, of that protection. Well, Axxis is trying to address this problem with a new dual-factor security lock -- requiring a PIN alongside fingerprint identification -- which allows you to customize access times for each registered user and also spy on their comings and goings. Retailing for $699 per lock, alongside an entirely-not-optional $299 accessory, this is hardly a bargain bin item -- with a price like that, a burglar might be inclined to steal the locks instead of your treasured possessions.
Switched On: Connecting mobile, mantle and metal objects (Part 2)
Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. The last Switched On discussed Always Innovating's Touch Book, one of the new hardware products introduced at this month's DEMO conference and an entrant in the netbook category that trades compatibility for stamina by using an ARM processor instead of an Intel one. Like the Touch Book, the Avaak Vue personal video network will be offered for $299 when it debuts later this year (in a kit that includes two cameras and a base station) and has no apparent service fees -- at least not yet. Also, like the Touch Book, the Vue boasts outstanding battery life – so impressive, in fact, that the company claims its battery-powered video cameras should last a year under "normal usage" – the cameras use power only when they are being accessed remotely. This on-demand power consumption combined with a low-power mesh network enable Vue video cameras to be mounted practically anywhere and, like the Touch Book, Vue cameras take advantage of magnets, which is how they are affixed to and positioned around their small domed mounts. The result is a networked camera system that is almost completely wire-free save for the base station's connection to a home router and a power cable. However, unlike the Touch Book, which supports many open standards including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and an array of USB ports (including two internal ports), the proprietary mesh network that links the video cameras is Vue's secret sauce.
WowWee's patrolling Rovio gets unboxed
WowWee's Rovio isn't due to start shipping to the general populace for a few days still, but the mighty important folks over at RobotsRule were somehow able to procure one a hair early. Thankfully for us, it took the time to neatly unbox this home sentry and give us an up-close look at what it's made of. A full-fledged review is promised within the next few days, but for now, just hit the read link and enjoy the shots.
WowWee's $300 Rovio robotic sentry ships this month
The Rovio -- one of WowWee's finest if we should say so ourselves -- is finally ready to roam around domiciles and keep baddies at bay. First announced (and spotted) at CES 2008, this long-awaited robotic sentry is up for pre-order right now, and it comes packing a 640 x 480 webcam to stream back live video in MPEG4 format. Furthermore, it can snap stills, head out on a customized patrol route and avoid obstacles with its infrared sensor. Get ready -- this sheriff's rolling into your town next Friday for $299.95.[Via Random-Good-Stuff, thanks Juergen]
IntelliCorder 0 Door Camcorder System is a really expensive peephole
Knock, knock. Who's there?The IntelliCorder 0 Door Camcorder System which replaces your perfectly functional (and affordable!) door peephole with a $150 battery powered camera and 1-1/2-inch screen.... get the hell away from my house before I call the cops.
