|
|
| X10Files August 2002 Newsletter |
Security Concerns...
One of the greatest benefits of managing your own Integrated Home is that you can place yourself in charge of securing your family & possessions. But having said that, there's room for latitude here - not everyone wants to be responsible for something that's potentially pretty serious. If you have a monitored alarm system, or a professionally installed system, I'm not about to recommend you rip it out and "do it yourself." When we're talking about security, everyone has their unique factors to consider: your own personal tolerance for risk, the safety (or lack thereof) of your neighborhood, or whatever other reasons you might have for owning a security system. If you have serious concerns for your family's safety, I might consider myself reckless to recommend anything less than a monitored high-quality system. But - if you're like me (and have boundless arrogant confidence in yourself) - and if you DO happen to be ready to dive in and do something on your own, ... well, there are some pretty cool options open to you. The technology of security can be applied in various creative ways. 1. Typically the first goal is to make it as difficult as possible for an unauthorized person to enter your home silently. 2. The second goal would probably be to deter someone from even considering a break-in in the first place (maybe this is actually the first goal?). 3. The third goal would be to "nail that sucker" if he tries! Depending on what you want to spend, how hard you want to work/think, and what kind of reliability you need - there are at least a couple of ways you can accomplish these yourself. The simplest and possibly least expensive way is with an X10 based security system. These usually involve battery powered door & window sensors which communicate to the main panel via RF. When an alarm occurs, X10 signals can trigger lights to flash, sirens to sound, or whatever else you're prepared to do with X10. They're extremely simple to install and set up. The particular X10 system referenced in the link above also has a voice dialer built in which can call you, a neighbor, and/or police (check with them first!) in the event of an alarm condition. The Drawback? - reliability. If your batteries go bad... well, that's it. Still, if you need a security system right now, it's not a bad way to go. I've always been a fan of the good old-fashioned hard wired systems. They really don't need to cost that much (I'm somewhat partial to Caddx since it's so easy to interface with the JDS equipment) and their reliability/dependability is superior. Well, now. Either of these approaches can make it difficult for someone to enter a secure area silently (goal #1). But what about convincing a would-be burglar that your home isn't a good target to begin with? One of the easiest and most effective deterrents is adequate lighting at night, and so you don't burn up a lot of bulbs (and your wallet), you could make use of a simple X10 Sundowner device. This would work well with any X10 based system you might have for automatically turning on/off lights based on darkness. Another novel idea is the Robo-Dog barking alarm. It's designed to give the distinct impression that - well, something is home after all. Finally, you need to prepare for the possibility that someone just plain isn't afraid of your lights OR your dog, and that he/she fully intends to be in and out of there before anyone responds to the alarm. "Nail that sucker" with a camera or webcam. Time-delay VCR's are the typical industry standard approach to this (same stuff they use in a lot of stores) - but they can be sort of pricey. I'm kind of fond of the newer webcam applications. There are several manufacturers who produce what you might need for this, but I'm most familiar with Ivista's Inetcam hardware/software package. Ivista's product lets you select a field of view in the camera to monitor for motion & it can upload images to your PC or a remote web site if there's a break-in. A fairly cheap subscription also lets you check in remotely to your personal video webpage so that you can see what's going on at home! If you're more serious about your security/automation applications and want to do some advanced stuff ... USE THESE: 1. JDS Stargate/Stargate Lite/Timecommander Plus 2. Caddx NX series security panels Essentially my recommendation (if you're ready for it) is to add the Stargate for maximizing your security design. With the Stargate interfaced with Caddx you can add some serious intelligence to your home's protection. Program your own voice auto-dialer, control lighting based on almost any conceivable event, use Stargate's built-in voice response system to warn intruders that they're under surveillance ... Man, just use your imagination! While I'm talking about this, let me give you a heads-up on a product I'm developing. If you're uncertain about your abilities to adequately program the Stargate you might be interested: In the near future I'm planning to release a "Scripting Wizard" which will help you get a grip on most of the basic scripts you're likely to need for your whole house automation with Stargate. Meanwhile, you could also consider checking into "Integrating the Smart Home and its Owner (Part 1)" for a thorough overview of the home's different subsystems and how they can be interfaced with JDS Stargate. Till next time, Andy Jackson, www.Integratorpro.com
|