I-Pad and Other Tablet PC's with Home Automation

I-Pad Breathes New Life Into Home Automation and Distributed Audio

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love gadgets. From Media Servers to lighting control and talking alarm panels I have always been one to play around with technology. I even look back to when I decided to get into the Alarm Industry, I was 20 years old and interested in Robotics... Why? Because it seemed cool to have a machine do stuff for you. So why Alarms? Well, the Security Alarm Installation course information was on the reverse side of the Robotics brochure. At the time, I had no idea Security Alarm Systems would lead to Home Automation and Distributed Audio but I did find myself playing around with Relays and timers to make my own versions of Security and Lighting integration. (In the "Early days".... I'm only 40 and I'm sounding more like my parents every day, not really a bad thing.)

Now back to the topic at hand... The I-Pad and how it has opened up a whole new market in the Home Automation, Distributed Audio and Security marketplace. To start off, I will talk a little about the history of Home Automation.

Home Automation is not really a new concept, Automating Building functions has long been the mainstay of the HVAC and Production facility industries. Using electronics to perform various routine tasks by way of motors, relays, switches and photo beams is really not all to much different from the Modern Home Automation systems. Of course, installing a production facility grade automation system into the average home would be financially unfeasible for most, so the Home Automation industry relied on consumer grade powerline lighting control systems such as X-10.

Anyone familiar with X-10 and the various other earlier versions of Line Carrier technology will know of the inherent weaknesses of the technology. Basically, the premise behind Line Carrier Technology was sending coded information down the powerline to control specialized light switches and modules. This way, lighting could be controlled without the need to run any additional wiring. Sounds great right? well not really. The problem with the old Line Carrier technology was the limitation in the number of codes combined with a lack of stability and sources of outside interference. Simply put, with the old technology, your lights may turn on completely on their own, or they may not turn on at all. Back then, the only other option would be to install low voltage relay's and run additional wiring in the home or install a high end building automation system which would not be financially feasible for the average new home construction and pretty much a non-option in a retro-fit situation.

Nowadays, new versions of lighting control such as UPB (A digital version of the original Powerline technology), Radio Ra, Lutron and many others offer various ways of automating your lighting. Even Canadian Security Alarm Manufacturer, Paradox has jumped into the Automation market with Shmuel and Gang's recent creation, the Paradox Imperial Security Alarm System. Much like building automation systems, the Paradox Imperial Security Alarm/Automation System relies on Low Voltage Communication Bus modules to control electrical devices in your home. When combined with a Security Alarm System which can monitor activity in certain rooms, The Paradox Imperial Controller ends up being sort of a Green Machine in that it conserves energy by controlling your home lighting based on if you are at home, on vacation or even in the room in question.

Other systems, such as HAI, Elk and Colorado V-Net go one step further by integrating temperature control and Audio / Video Distribution into the equation (Control 4 also has a touch screen Automation system, however I prefer the more professional grade systems such as HAI, Elk, Colorado VNet, and Paradox Imperial - as the price point is generally better and they are usually built better.) So not only can your security alarm system protect your home from intruders, a properly integrated system can also control your lighting, temperature, Video Surveillance, Multi-room Audio, Garage door, hot tub and more through one interface allowing these systems to work together in "Seamless harmony." For more information on Home Automation check out the Home Automation section.

So what about the I-Pad, you ask. Well, the most expensive part to many home automation systems is the Touch Screen Keypads. Although you do not need to have a touch screen keypad to control your Home Automation system, depending in your system, standard keypads, telephone, smart phones, PDA's, universal remotes and your Home PC are some of the ways you can control and customize your Home Automation System. The problem with some of these, though,  is accessibility. Having to walk over to your keypad or computer often takes away from the convenience offered by Automating your Home.

Enter the I-Pad. At about half the price of your average Automation System Touchscreen Keypad, your I-Pad and the appropriate I-Pad Security / Automation Ap will provide you with a convenient user friendly interface to all your Home Automation Functions. From turning your Security Alarm System onto Night Mode or Unlocking your front door to Controlling your Temperature, Lighting and Home Audio Distribution the I-Pad and one of the many Home Automation Systems offered by KeepSafe Systems the control is now in conveniently placed in your hands to take with you wherever you go. Yes, if you like, you can even access your Home Automation System from a remote location via the Internet or a Standard Touch Tone phone. With many systems, you can even call in and listen in to your home to either talk to your pets or verify an Alarm occurrence. So really, it is almost like having your own personal Robot Butler... Strange how things work out eh!

In addition to the I-Pad, there are now several Andoid OS Aps available for many of the Home Automation Systems on the market.

Home Distribution Panels - Not all Systems are Created Equal

I recently received a referral from a long time client. The call came in
and the client said, "I have one of those Home Distribution systems
with wires going everywhere."

Home Distribution panels are quickly becoming common place in all new construction. The premise being, with everything moving to IP, it only makes sense to have a central distribution point for all the communication in your home. Generally speaking, a home distribution panel consists of Cable, Telephone and Satellite services into the home, as well as Data, Telephone and Cable TV distribution to all room in the home. Many home distribution panels also have whole home audio
distribution and security added to the system.

Home distribution panels are a wonderful concept in that they put everything to do with entertainment, communication and security in one location. This helps in reducing clutter (No more routers, modems and tangled wires under your computer desk.) As well, a properly installed Home Distribution panel also provides easy installation of a Home Automation and Multi room audio distribution systems. This may sound a little far fetched, however, Home Automation Systems have become increasingly popular with the introduction of the Ipad and other portable touch screen network devices. The thought of controlling your security, temperature, entertainment and lighting has almost become a mainstream necessity alongside high speed Internet and Satellite television.

With many telephone companies moving into the Television market, converting your home from standard Cable to an ADSL TV service is a simple matter of moving jumpers in a properly installed Home Distribution panel which includes Home Audio Distribution alongside Home Video Distribution and Data Distribution. On the other side of the coin, and improperly or incomplete Home Distribution panel will provide you with nothing more than spaghetti wiring and headaches, like in the picture to the left. Along with a security system, this particular "Home Distribution panel" consists of telephone and cable in data, telephone cable out. Due to a lack of planning and a severely undersized Home Distribution Panel, this Home Distribution panel has become nothing more than a difficult to service
mess of wires and electronics. Instead of being neatly tucked away in a can, the Modem, Router and Digital Phone Router (VOIP) are located outside the Home Distribution can. Forget about expanding this system to any sort of Home Automation / Home Audio Distribution system. There is barely enough room for the Security Alarm panel and battery. Well, that and there are no Audio Distribution wires to speak of. Sure, the home does have the typical centrally located theatre room, however there is no infrastructure for the installation of an Audio Distribution System (Aside from an IP based solution such as Colorado Vnet.)

I guess the long and short of it is, Not all Home Distribution Panels are created Equal. A properly installed Home Distribution system should provide enough space and wiring to accommodate future upgrades in technology. While a basic LAN will provide an avenue for many added feature, it is not the be all and end all. The infrastructure need to be properly thought out and planned. I have also included another picture of a different take-over. This particular "Home Distribution System" has enough wires for a small factory, however, the factory seems to be abandoned. We since cleaned up the system as much as possible and false alarms have been eliminated.

Monitoring More Than Just The Bad Guys

It comes as a surprise to many of my clients that we are able to monitor more than just Intrusion and Fire. In fact, if it has a switch or detector, we can monitor it.

Take, for example, a sump pump; Many sump pumps have dry contact outputs which enable you to connect a buzzer to the sump to alert you in the case of failure. Ask anyone who has had a sump pump fail on them how much damage the rising water caused to their basement.
So they have a buzzer, that is great if you are home to hear it. In fact, most of these sump pump buzzers are located in the basement with the sump. So what if you have a large house and cannot hear the sump pump alarm, or even worse, if you are away on vacation when the sump fails? No worries, at KeepSafe Systems, we can connect the failure contacts on your sump pump to the security alarm. So now, if your sump pump fails our 24 hour monitoring station is there to let you or the people on your call list know... wherever you may be in the world.

OK, so now we have covered sump pump monitoring, what about the hot water tank? I'm sure most people have experienced at least one hot water tank burst in their lifetime... I know I have. It is not a pretty sight when a hot water tank bursts, if you are lucky, the leakage will be maintained to the drip pan and find its' way out the drain. Unfortunately, there are those cases where the leak is so bad the basement gets flooded. The damage can be even worse if the hot water tank is on the second floor.

The solution? a simple $20 sensor which monitors for water. Yes, for a simple 20 bucks plus whatever it takes to connect the sensor to your alarm panel you can be rest assured our 24 hour monitoring station staff will know if there is a water leak around the water sensor. If you really want to get fancy, many panels will even enable you to activate an electronic water shut-off valve to limit the damage of the water. - Just like turning off the water main. What's more, all this protection is backed up by the alarm systems' back up battery supply, so even in the case of a short power failure, you are still protected.

So KeepSafe Systems can monitor your home or business for water, maybe you have other concerns. Since KeepSafe Systems offers a more customized approach to security alarm systems, some of our clients have come to us with some very interesting and unique area's and conditions to monitor. In addition to the obvious, Burglary, Fire, Smoke, and water, the simple installation of the appropriate sensor enables the KeepSafe Systems 24 hour security alarm monitoring station to monitor your home or business for high and low temperature (This is perfect for coolers, freezers, vacation homes, chicken farms, or in our case The KeepSafe Systems Chinchilla Family Mascots.) For those conditions which require either a dry or humid environment, there is also humidity sensors available to connect to your security alarm system. This is perfect for the cigar aficionado or the consummate wine collector.

So the long and short of it is, if there is a sensor or dry contact output, KeepSafe Systems can connect it to your home or business security system enabling you to rest easy in know our 24 hours security alarm station monitoring staff is on the job monitoring your most prized and valuable possessions from both criminal and environmental threats.

Paradox Touch Screen Keypad - Alarm System Reviews

Canadian Security Alarm manufacturer, Paradox, recently announced a
number of updates to their line of high tech affordable security
alarm systems.

First came the Paradox Imperial which is a security
alarm system / home automation / Access Control system beyond
compare. Aside from being a state of the art security alarm system
with the modular advantage of all products in the Paradox line, the
Paradox Imperial offers modular INTEGRATED Access Control and Home
Automation.

So, unlike many competitive panels, the Paradox Imperial actually
takes care of the Security, Automation and Access control in once
seamless system. Other Security Alarm panel manufacturers rely on
Integration with other systems which often results in technology
clashes and incompatibilities.

More recently, Paradox added 2 new keypads to their line of
"Sexy" (what can I say, they are in Quebec) user interfaces. Anyone
familiar with the Paradox line will remember the Graphica keypad,
which was one of the first LCD screen style keypads on the market.
Well, Shmuel has upped his game and come up with 2 touch sensitive
keypads.

The first is the Paradox Touchsense K656 Keypad which is ideal
for dusty environments where standard button style keypads are prone
to failure. In addition, the Paradox K656 Touch Sense keypad makes a
very attractive addition to the decor of any home or business.

Going one step further, Paradox just released the TM4 touch
screen security alarm keypad. At this point, the TM4 is compatible
with the EVO line of Paradox Security Alarm panels, however there
are plans to make it compatible with the New Imperial.

I just received a couple of TM4's today and am quite impressed
with the small footprint and attractive design. I believe there will
also be a flat black version available. Since the TM4 is so new,
Paradox has not even posted it on their website. Here are some
advance pictures of this sexy beast alongside the other Paradox
Security Alarm System Keypads. It is not powered up, but at least
you can see what it looks like.

 

Paradox EVO keypad line up:

Top Left - TM4
Touchscreen security alarm keypad

Bottom Left - K656
Touch sense security alarm keypad

Right - K641 Full LCD
button style security alarm keypad

 

 

This is still fairly new as I just revamped my website. There
will be information in here shortly

Cheers

 

Heinz

Credit Crads and identity Theft

Credit Cards

I was speaking with a client yesterday and she had brought up a recent incident she had at a local department store. It isn't really related to anything I do, however I thought it should be mentioned as it does relate to security and identity theft.

She bought some items and one of them was rung up incorrectly ($99 instead of $ 9.99) Honest mistake, I would hope. After abit of confusion the transaction was fixed.

On her way away from the til, she decided to check for her Credit Card. realizing it was not in her wallet, she asked the clerk if she had left it behind. The Clerk insisted she had given my client back her credit card.

Of course, knowing she had just used the card, my client continued to search for the missing credit card at the checkout. After a few minutes of searching, the teller said. Oh, hold on, I must have "Accidentally" put it in my pocket.

I don't know about you, but I have worked retail, and I deal with retail businesses on a daily basis. There is no reason anyone behind the til would "Accidentally" put anything in their pocket. Oh did she accidentally slip the 100 bucks cash from the next customer in her pocket?

To add to the suspicion, this particular client has a very common surname. In the world of Credit Card theft, common name cards are very valuable.