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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.
A first look at the app for Canary's web-connected home security system
You may remember Canary, an all-seeing, all-knowing, net-connected home security system that obliterated its funding target to raise almost $2 million. Now, if we were the folks behind it, we'd be celebrating in Vegas, but instead they're here at CES showing off their progress. While the team have brought final hardware along, it doesn't look any different from the original proposition. Canary's CEO Adam Sager tells us, however, that many of the internal components have been swapped out for better versions as development has ramped up, and Ethernet has been added (in addition to WiFi) due to backer demand. What we were really interested in, though, was taking a look at the companion app Canary has been crafting. Sager demoed the iOS version, which takes many design cues from Apple's latest mobile OS, on an iPod Touch. He showed us how the app handles alerts, including that HD video recordings and all other sensor metadata associated with that event, as well as the various ways you can immediately react. We also saw how live video feeds would be presented, the feed-like alert history, and how you can set up both user and trigger profiles. Considering this isn't "fully functional," as Sager put it, we would call it mighty slick for something deemed unfinished. Development is being steered, in part, by an ongoing internal beta, and backers who signed up for the open beta are due to recieve their hardware within the next month. Everything is on track, too, for the launch proper in May. Head past the break for a brief video walkthrough of the app, courtesy of Sager.
Elevate aims high, agrees to become Sprint's newest MVNO
Another MVNO is going live on Sprint's network, and this time Elevate is the one signing the dotted line. The company, known primarily for providing digital services such as VoIP, wireline and wireless broadband in 22 markets across the country, is now aiming to expand its portfolio by using the Now Network to provide both postpaid and prepaid mobile plans for its customers. While we're still waiting to hear the specifics, Elevate mentioned that it will feature Android and "Windows-based devices." The MVNO will also be leveraged to support the company's Smart Home automation service, taking advantage of a new app that will give customers remote access to all aspects of their home security systems. Head over to the press release to glean every last little detail.
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.
