Some new electronic gadgets have been gaining steam—some of which might be of interest to San Bernardino homeowners who find the strain of maintaining constant vigilance over all areas of the property can take a toll.
For any homeowner who has ever dealt with an all-but-unnoticed plumbing drip that suddenly turned into a flood, there is a new breed of wireless monitoring products that are easy to install and relatively inexpensive—especially when compared with wired security systems which require a subscription to an offsite monitoring center. These new wireless systems can also be unexpectedly versatile—capable of performing more than one monitoring task simultaneously.
One example is the Notion system. The basics are simple. A starter kit contains a central “bridge,” an inconspicuous box which is plugged into a centrally located wall outlet, the bridge connects into the household’s existing Wifi network. The kit includes three multi-purpose sensors—round, inch-high, 2-inch diameter plastic wafers that adhere to doors, windows, walls or the floor. Each one can sense water, temperature, the sound of an alarm, movement—or a combination. Powered by two AA batteries, they send wireless signals of what they sense to the bridge.
The homeowner programs each sensor with limits which, if exceeded, cause the bridge to send alerts the owner’s smartphone and/or email account. For instance, if a door or window is opened at a time of day that’s not allowed—or a safe or liquor cabinet door is opened—the homeowner will be notified. If water is sensed under a distrusted water heater, or the temperature in a seldom-visited part of the house exceeds a set high or low limit, the alert goes out. The included smartphone app beams the current status of each sensor to anywhere a cell signal can reach. Since as many as a dozen additional sensors can be added, the result can be a flexible remote monitoring solution comprehensive enough to put the most anxiety-prone worrywart’s mind at ease.
For future San Bernardino households, an “Internet of Things” is projected to create a world where any appliance or doo-dad can be interconnected with the world at large. Part of my job is to stay abreast of the changing face of today’s San Bernardino household—and to keep my buying and selling clients aware of new cost-effective solutions to common needs. Call me anytime!
