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Home automation and security cameras seldom combine elegantly, especially for apartment dwellers who can’t rewire their living spaces. Blacksumac, however, believes it can seamlessly meld those technologies through its upcoming Piper hub. The device links both a fisheye camera and environmental sensors to a Z-Wave-based home automation system. Out of the box, it can watch for intruders, listen for (or produce) loud noises and monitor local conditions like temperature. Once Z-Wave peripherals are involved, you can program sophisticated triggers and responses: Piper can send a warning when a door opens, for example, or turn on air conditioning when it’s hot. We’ve had a chance to see Piper in action, so read on for both our early impressions and details of what you’ll get if you make a pledge. %Gallery-slideshow73286%

Filed under: Household

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Source: Indiegogo

We’ll be frank: it takes some pretty special features for an air conditioner to pique our interest. Consider us intrigued, then, when LG unveils a truly tech-savvy cooling system. A 2013 Champion-style Whisen unit is reportedly the first to directly take voice commands from as far as 16 feet away, letting us cool things down without having to leave our chairs. The AC system is uncommonly aware of the mobile world, as well. Tap an NFC-capable smartphone like the Optimus G on a programmed NFC tag and LG’s Whisen App 3.0 will automatically adjust the temperature, on top of more conventional remote control. Still not sophisticated enough? The new Champion has its own built-in camera with mobile viewing — it can double as a not-so-subtle security system while we’re away at work. Full details of its launch aren’t yet available, although LG is taking reservations for South Koreans between January 14th and March 31st, well ahead of the hot summer.

Filed under: Household, LG

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Source: LG (translated)

Home security may not have reached all-seeing aerial eye proportions, but Swann‘s TrueBlue 4000 series of D1 DVR systems can place up to eight digital peepers throughout your island fortress or humble abode. With a resolution of 480 x 704 pixels, the cameras offer “DVD-quality” video and feature night vision with up to 65 feet of visibility. Those hankering to remotely keep tabs on their homestead can load up the free SwannView app for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian to watch live video on mobile devices. Footage can also be viewed on monitors using HDMI or VGA connections and can be backed up through USB, eSATA or over a network. The maximum one terabyte of storage space nets continuous recording for up to 30 days — or longer if the device’s motion detection settings are flipped on. A 500GB base model with a quartet of cams rings up at $549.99, while the more expensive $649.99 and $749.99 models each pack 1TB hard drives and eight channel support. However, only the priciest of the trio comes packaged with the octet of cameras. Head past the break for the full PR and a glimpse of the rig in action.

Continue reading Swann TrueBlue 4000 series D1 DVRs pack up to 8 cameras, 1TB of storage for home security

Filed under: Digital Cameras, Software

Swann TrueBlue 4000 series D1 DVRs pack up to 8 cameras, 1TB of storage for home security originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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