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Sunday, June 4, 2017

Installing Home Security System

The best home security system fit your lifestyle and the valuables you want protected. When looking for a system, consider your budget and ask for recommendations. To help determine what kind of system best fits your needs, call a professional installer. Look out for high-pressure sales tactics and offers that sound too good to be true. Before making decision, contact several companies before selecting one. Make sure they are licensed and always ask if the company runs background checks on employees. Ask for references and contact them about their experiences.

Read more: http://www.mydaytondailynews.com/business/safe-and-sound-installing-home-alarm-system/uglb1DCQJqiA8uxJ5OK8fO/

Smart Home Increases Property Values

Survey by August Home found that most consumers cite home security as motivation to buy a smart home device. The most obvious smart home security devices to use are cameras that detect break-ins; they can also be serviced by companies that can further assess the danger. Smart home devices can also detect an array of other threats: smoke, fire, carbon monoxide, moisture levels, radon, and more. Smart locks can also be locked or unlocked from afar, removing the hassles of lost keys and pricey locksmiths. Even better, most smart home security products won’t drain your wallet as much as you might think. When you sell your home, smart devices can boost your home’s resale value by up to 5%.

Read more: http://www.securitysales.com/article/five_reasons_why_smart_home_features_increase_property_values

Smart-Home Security System

Home security systems have been around for a long time, typically involving a professionally installed network of sensors and other devices that are connected to a central monitoring. These systems are relatively expensive and are well-known to be susceptible to false alarms when residents accidentally trip the alarm. Lower-priced systems are limited in coverage and require personal attention while more costly systems still include 24-hour monitoring. Some new systems include smart technology, reducing the chances of a false alarm. At its most basic, a smart security system includes a camera.

Read more: http://247wallst.com/housing/2017/05/28/what-is-your-best-choice-for-a-smart-home-security-system/

Consumer Trends in Smart Home

A recent ReportLinker survey highlighted consumer trends regarding smart home devices. In addition to smart devices, the survey observed trends regarding home automation systems and voice assistants. All respondents own at least one smart home device, with an average homeowner owning more than 3 smart devices. Despite the widespread use of smart home devices, many homeowners do not own automation solutions. Connected appliances are most widely used automation solution. Smart thermostats, smart security systems, and smart lighting solutions are used by at least one-tenth of the survey respondents.

Read more: https://www.androidheadlines.com/2017/05/survey-shows-consumer-trends-smart-home-devices.html

Friday, June 2, 2017

Tips for DIY home security system

You don't have to invest in a multimillion dollar surveillance system to keep an eye on your property. You might be able to do the job with gadgets you already own, paired with free software. We've collected three types of systems you can pick from: free software on an old device, off-the-shelf cameras, or a DIY setup. Here's how to assemble each option as quickly and easily as possible. If you've got an old phone or tablet lying around, then you can turn it into a home security camera. Choose this option if you have just one or two rooms to keep an eye on. This setup will miss out on a few of the tricks offered by dedicated security devices but it will also save you some cash. To turn your device into a security camera, first choose a location for it.

Read more: http://www.popsci.com/set-up-DIY-home-security-system

Control your smart home with a single command

For those unfamiliar with IFTTT, the name stands for if this, then that. It's an automation tool that specializes in bridging the gap between various online services and connected hardware. The possibilities seem nearly endless. The problem is, applets have always been limited to simple automations that adhere to a simple conditional statement: if this, then that. The Maker tier changes that. It introduces filters, which makes multiple actions possible. For instance, you can have an applet turn on your smart lights, but only after 5:00pm.

Read more: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/ifttts-maker-tier-does-what-google-home-and-alexa-cant/

Smart home now standard in California neighborhood

Delano community in Irvine, California will be the first neighborhood in the nation to offer Apple’s smart home technology, called HomeKit, as standard features, homebuilder Brookfield Residential announced. Residents will be able to control their front door lock, lighting and thermostat using smart home apps. “Our industry has been doing the same thing for many many many years — arguably well — but it hasn’t made as many leaps into the future as it might ought to have done,” said Adrian Foley, COO of Brookfield’s California region. “I think this connected home opportunity is a great platform for us to leap forward into the future and really distance ourselves from the used home market looking forward.”

Read more: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/05/04/apples-smart-home-technology-now-standard-in-new-irvine-neighborhood/

Accessible Smart Home

In 2017, the promise of the smart home is more or less reality. Companies like Apple and Amazon are using Siri and Alexa, respectively, to help customers control almost every aspect of their smart home. From controlling door locks to light switches to thermostats and more, the capabilities of these assistants are making tasks such as turning on the lights in the living room doable by just the sound of your voice or the tap of your phone. However convenient and futuristic, one area where the smart home has enormous potential is accessibility. For people with physical motor impairments, the ability to open doors and flip switches with only your voice has the potential to make the home more accessible than ever before.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/31/the-pleasure-and-the-pain-of-the-accessible-smart-home/

Tour of Savant powered Smart Home

The ultimate smart home should offer tech amenities that make your life easier, And that's exactly what we discovered when HGTV let us take a tour of its 3,300-square-foot home with a ton of great tech, starting with the Savant Pro home automation system. You can control everything from the TV and lights to the temperature, shades and home security using a pair of remotes, which support voice control. If you don't want to use a standard clicker, just pick up the iPad off the wall, which uses a LaunchPort,  magnetic induction charging system to keep juiced up and runs the same Savant software.

Read more: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/hgtv-smart-home-2017-tour,news-25184.html