Category: Smart Home

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Smart Home

Sesame smart lock lets you open doors as you knock it from your pocket

Smart locks were quite possibly the smart home movement’s first attempt at a truly wireless home. Unfortunately, initial efforts resulted in oversized locks with impractical installation requirements and questionable security.

patent-claimedThe simple looking Sesame smart lock provides a modern day solution in this regard. The lock is manufactured with a five-patented design capable of being installed over a large variety of single-cylinder deadbolts, all without the need of any tools.

The lock uses Bluetooth LE in conjunction with military-grade encryption in order to enable home entry in a number of creative ways. For instance, users can utilize a companion iOS or Android app to remotely open a door or enable proximity entry by way of a nearby smartphone. Voice controlled based entry is also a feature of the device. Notably, users can be informed when doors are opened and closed, an important feature given that Sesame provides wireless and shareable access.

$149 gets backers both a Sesame lock and a Wi-Fi Access Point that lessens drain on the device’s battery. Its makers are seeking $100,000 and are aiming to get the product delivered by May 2015.

With its incredibly easy install and wealth of entry options, the Sesame smart lock is poised to find itself on more doors than competing products. This is well-tread territory, after all, previously occupied by the likes of August and Goji.

The Sesame lock, though, has some competition in Haven, whose all-business construction is the polar opposite of the fun, light-hearted tone Sesame takes — which may not sit well for those a bit more serious about their home protection needs. Still, its impressively easy installation process will undoubtedly attract many.

 

 

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Smart Home

Blueguard smart lock and doorbell lets you welcome guests from across the ocean

Doorbells just aren’t what they used to be. A simple ring to announce a visitor only works when someone is home to actually answer the door. Otherwise, a doorbell is effectively useless.

The Blueguard smart lock and video doorbell system modernizes this part of the home which has been long overdue for an update.

The Blueguard system takes advantage of the prevalence of wireless networks everywhere, offering a deadbolt with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity. This, along with an embedded color camera, allows homeowners, from anywhere in the world, to respond to someone at the door through their smartphone or via a web app. If no one’s home, an alert mode can be set whereby a motion sensor and camera will detect and record whoever is at the door, sending it straight back to the homeowner’s smartphone or computer.

All of this technology also allows for a multitude of entry options. Besides a standard key, Blueguard allows for coded entry or, even more interestingly, proximity based, one-touch entry to the home so long as the included Bluetooth fob is in the vicinity of the lock. A standard Blueguard package goes for $199, and includes two keys, two fobs, four electronic keys, four AA batteries, and the Blueguard deadbolt and interior. The $6,000 campaign is looking to ship the product in August 2015.

Although Blueguard claims to be the world’s first smart lock and doorbell, it most certainly isn’t. Other products like the i-Bell, Chui, and airBell also incorporate connected cameras, though Blueguard is the only product which includes a relationship with the lock itself.

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Smart Home

The only finger you’ll lift is a thumb with the xRemote smart home hub

The prevalence of home automation devices has given the Internet of Things a messy start. The more of these products are created, the more a common standard is necessary, and the faster infrared-based devices continue to be phased out.

Since that common standard isn’t here, the xRemote offers users a way to control everything instead. The smart home hub is outfitted with infrared sensors and Bluetooth LE to cover both the old and the new both in the home and a user’s body with the use of an Android app. As a result, preset modes can be designed with the help of the xRemote’s intelligent learning to tailor the home exactly to a user’s liking.

xRemote also boasts abilities like GPS location tracking to warm up or cool down the home in anticipation of a user’s arrival, or the remote control of lights within the home, and long distance control of the home from anywhere in the world through Wi-Fi.

xRemote joins the ranks of products like RoomBox, AnyMote and Puck in offering bridges for the gaps in home technology, but forces the purchase of multiple units to ensure range. A product like NUZii does so much more, but lacks the infrared component, which can be easily added in its case.

The flagship xRemote Gateway will be awarded to backers for $99, and the $100,000 campaign is promising the product in June of this year.

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Smart Home

Domus home automation system regulates your domicile’s energy

Smart home systems are all the rage these days. People love the ability to control and keep and eye on their homes when they’re away.

Domus is another smart home automation solution that monitors electronic devices in the home via an app for Android and iPhones. But the product goes one step further, allowing the user to also save energy by monitoring power consumption and calculating what the energy bill will be. It notifies the user if a space heater or other appliance has been on too long, which not only conservers energy, but also could prevent an accident.

The black remote control unit that serves as the system’s hub has a built-in Wi-Fi repeater module that enables the product to also extend the user’s Wi-Fi range. The user plugs a smart iPlug into any standard power outlet, then connects a device to the iPlug and downloads the app to control that device. Backers who pledge $39 CAD (~$33 USD) will get one smart plug, while those who pledge $49 CAD (~$41 USD) will get one remote control unit when Domus ships in June. The Vancouver company, Domus Living, is looking to raise $100,000 CAD (~$83,600 USD) on Kickstarter.

Domus Living’s combined focus on home automation and energy consumption regulation, along with the added Wi-Fi extender function add value to the product. But, as is the case with similar products, including Linkio, one drawback is that the more devices the user wants to incorporate into the system, the larger the cost because each one needs a separate smart plug.

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Maker/Development Smart Home

Personal Robot combines home automation with facial recognition, other technologies

editors-choiceHaving a device in the house that can function as a personal assistant, while also serving as a home automation system would come in handy. Especially when it combines far-field voice recognition with emotion, facial and object recognition. Introducing the Personal Robot, one such device, from the New York-based company Robotbase.

Personal Robot features a 3D depth camera and noise canceling microphone array technology, and it can communicate with the user’s connected devices via wireless Z-Wave Plus, Zigbee, BLE and Wi-Fi. The far-field voice recognition enables the device to hear the user’s commands all the way from the other side of the room. The user can ask Personal Robot for information including the local weather, news, sports scores and recipes, as the video on its Kickstarter campaign shows. The device can also be used to play music, schedule meetings, set alarms, and control the temperature in a home to save energy and money. Backers who pledge $995 will get one when it ships in December. Its maker set a goal of raising $50,000 on Kickstarter.

Other devices on the market have attempted some of the same functionality. But Personal Robot’s advanced software, which incorporates deep learning algorithms, give it an advantage over some competing products. Some consumers might find the computer-animated female character that is featured on the device’s screen a bit creepy, although the device’s maker says the user can change how she looks.

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Smart Home

Neeo thinking remote is the one system that can control all devices in your home

editors-choiceHaving a smart automation system that can control all the devices in a home is something that a growing number of consumers are looking for. Neeo from the Cupertino, California, company of the same name combines some of the best features of a mobile app-based smart home automation system with those of a universal remote control. It also adds a few features that rival devices just don’t have, such as four antennas that integrate Bluetooth 4.0, Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi, ZigBee and Z-Wave protocol functionality.

There are two main parts of the Neeo system: the “Brain,” a small hockey puck-shaped device made of solid aluminum and acrylic glass, that will command all of the user’s devices, including TVs and Blu-ray players; and the remote, which provides instant control of all those devices. Sensors in the attractive remote detect the user’s palm and matches it with that person’s profile. It then displays that person’s personal playlists, movies and favorites from connected devices instantly, the company claims. Also attractive is the remote’s 291 pixels per inch touch display.

If the user can’t find the remote, an SOS alarm function that is activated via an iOS or Android smartphone will help track it down. Neeo has a database of more than 30,000 devices that it can connect to and control, and is compatible with all major AV products made in the last 10 years. Kickstarter backers who pledge $148 will get one Brain in April and the free app. Those who pledge $219 will, in May, get the Brain and the remote in either the standard aluminum version or one of two limited edition SKUs, in black or white. The system’s maker is looking to raise $50,000 on Kickstarter.

As long as the Neeo remote is indeed compatible with as many devices as the company claims and the set-up process is as simple as it says, the system is among the most promising products to come along in the home automation and universal remote categories lately. It surpasses most similar devices including last year’s Droplit. As a universal remote, it also stands to be a major challenger to the popular Harmony remotes from Logitech.

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Smart Home

HomeTraq monitoring system tracks second home, reports any funny business

Keeping tabs on a rarely-visited second home with a remote home monitoring system presents a special challenge. That’s because most monitoring system depend on either a landline or Internet connection–two things many people don’t want to pay for unless they are actually at home.

The HomeTraq remote monitoring device resolves that issue by using a SIM card that does away with the need for a landline or Internet connection. HomeTraq monitors the temperature, humidity and alarm system of a property, and also keeps track of unusual sounds. A SMS text or email alert will be sent if the device detects an issue, such as the property being too hot or cold.

HomeTraq comes with a SIM card that will not expire and automatically roams until it finds a cellular network to connect to. There is no contract or activation fee. But there is a $6 fee for any month that the user wants the SIM card to monitor the home. However, users can opt to use their own SIM cards to avoid paying that monthly charge. Backers who pledge $29 will get a HomeTraq device when it ship in May as part of a discounted early bird Kickstarter special. The Lewisville, Texas, inventor is trying to raise $15,000 by early February.

The device is clearly designed for a very niche market. But there are many consumers who will find it appealing–such as snowbirds who spend half the year in Florida and half the year in a colder place.

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Smart Home

RoomBox smart home hub uses everything but the kitchen sink to control the home

Home automation is in a touch position, particularly in its adoption. Many of those who use such systems are usually more tech-savvy than others. Those who don’t are perfectly content manually flicking on a light, messing around with the AC settings, or fumbling with different remotes to turn on their TVs or DVD players.

The problem is that most of a person’s home isn’t equipped to become smart, but now the RoomBox changes all of that. Anything with a remote control is fair game for the product’s help, and allows any iOS, Android, or Windows device to remotely control them with a companion app. Anything without a remote control requires a Smart Plug that interacts wirelessly with the RoomBox, giving lamps and coffee makers a boost of IQ.

The RoomBox is loaded with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a temperature sensor, humidity sensor, and motion sensor. Each of these parts work together to do things like automatically turn on an AC when a user is nearing home, for example, or turn off all the active devices and lights in a room when they leave. The $20,000 campaign isn’t clear about when it would like to have RoomBoxes in people’s homes.

All the aforementioned functionality is only really possible with multiple RoomBoxes, forcing people to invest in a more than one $47 unit. Add onto that $27 for each Smart Plug to truly get the most out of a home, and the costs can add up quickly. The Droplit system employs some of the same tricks as RoomBox, but with the addition of scenes and more of a reliance of Bluetooth. Both suffer from similar drawbacks in having to use multiples of either units or remotes, taking a lot of the utility out of it. RoomBox is a solid choice though. It interacts with so much more of the home when compared to other similar solutions.

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Smart Home

iCamPRO robot tracks intruders, keeps eyes on them everywhere

The home security camera market is crowded with devices, but consumers tend to get what they pay for. For example, low-cost models tend to be stationary, lacking the ability to track moving objects.

Amsterdam company Amaryllo calls its iCamPRO FHD (full high definition) the first affordable, robotic camera that can see, hear, sense and automatically track moving objects. Algorithms were designed to make sure that the camera always keeps objects in the middle of the viewing area.  When an object starts to move away from the pixels in the middle of the viewing area, the camera tracks the object until it’s in the middle again. If two people are in the tracking area, the algorithm is designed to follow the first object detected until it stops moving.

The HD camera stands just over 3 inches tall and is powered by a high-speed central processing unit with a multi-sensor network. The iCamPRO features multiple motion sensors that always remain on, and it can see objects even in a dimly-lit environment.

Real-time object tracking like this is costly and has tended to only be available in military or professional surveillance systems in the past. The company already passed its goal of raising $1,000. Indiegogo backers can get either a white or black iCamPRO for $149 in May if they order now. That’s half the price that Amaryllo plans to charge at retail.

The camera offers a lot of promise and seems like an especially good deal at $149. But whether many consumers who are content with a cheaper Dropcam or Butterfleye will pay considerably more for an iCamPRO remains to be seen.

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Smart Home Technology

Habitat smart home protects, smoke detects, and opens your garage door

Home automation is enticing because it provides the ability to turn your electronic devices on and off from anywhere. But it needs to be easy to use and secure, and the Ottawa, Canada-based newcomer Habitat’s new automation system of the same name is both those things.

Like similar automation systems, including Linkio, Habitat is made up of several devices that can be connected to existing electronic devices in the home to control them. First is Habitat Hub, a mostly white desktop unit that takes up little room and serves as the brains of the system.

One key component separating Habitat from some other rival systems is that it includes a device, Habitat Park, specifically designed to automate garage door functionality. The third device is Habitat Protect, which integrates existing smoke and carbon monoxide detectors into the Habitat automation system, and informs users if there is an alarm or the battery in one of the detectors needs to be replaced.  It magnetically installs on a wall within range of a detector, and can easily be set up using the Habitat App on an iOS or Android smartphone.

The fourth device, Habitat Learn, comes with temperature, audio, motion and light sensors, and can monitor and react to events in the home, such as notifying the user when the refrigerator door is left open. Kickstarter pledges that include at least one of the devices start at $29, which includes one Protect. But there’s a catch: Pledgers must also back a pledge level that includes the Hub. For $89, pledgers can get one Protect and a Hub, and for $99, pledgers can get one Learn and a Hub. Shipment is expected in June and the company is looking to raise $80,000.

Habitat’s magnetic-locking system is appealing, and the Park device may be attractive to many consumers who own a garage door. But the $100 starting price tag is pretty similar to rival systems and the product will likely only find mass-market success if it can obtain major retail distribution. A lower entry-level price for each unit would help.