All articles tagged with #home security
Ring has announced its first smart lock, priced at $249, which features a unique hand-cranked supercapacitor to prevent lockouts during battery failure. The device offers multiple entry methods and integrates with Amazon's ecosystem, with availability expected in early 2027.
Ring has announced its first smart lock, featuring a unique hand-crank mechanism to prevent lockouts during battery failure. The device, priced at $249, offers multiple entry methods and integrates with Amazon's ecosystem, with availability expected in early 2027.
Old routers remain useful for extending Wi-Fi coverage, acting as network switches, hosting USB storage, running dedicated VPNs, or supporting custom firmware like OpenWRT, offering cost-effective alternatives to new hardware.
A San Diego Golden Retriever earned the nickname of the world’s worst guard dog after security footage showed him greeting an intruder with toys and trying to befriend him instead of reacting defensively, highlighting a friendly, non-threatening approach to an attempted break-in.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports Apple plans a privacy-centric home security and monitoring service to launch in 2027, featuring an AI-driven, non-video sensor system that ties into a new service, potentially bundled with Apple One and paired with a broader Home lineup like a redesigned HomeKit ecosystem and new devices.
At IFA, Anker introduced MindBase, a local AI-powered home hub with NAS storage (64GB SSD plus two drive bays) designed to run smart devices and store media, while also serving as a security guard by integrating with Eufy cameras to analyze events in real time and respond with lighting, warnings, or deterrence. Price and availability are not yet disclosed.
A roundup of four affordable Ring-compatible accessories—solar charger, no-drill mount, rain cover, and adjustable angle mount—designed to improve installation, durability, and performance across multiple Ring models, with notes on compatibility and occasional caveats like adhesive wear and Wi‑Fi signal considerations.
Consumer Reports’ testing flags several popular home security cameras as poor purchases due to security vulnerabilities, privacy concerns, or weak performance. Notable entries CR disfavors include Arlo Essential Indoor Plug-in VMC3070, Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro, Wyze Cam Floodlight v2, Arlo Ultra 3rd Gen VMS5250, and Philips Secure Battery Camera, while suggesting alternatives such as TP-Link’s Tapo MagCam models that offer stronger security and local storage options.
Best Buy is discounting Blink home-security gear, with deals such as Blink Mini 2K+ for $21.99 (45% off), Blink Wired Doorbell for $29.99 (40% off), Blink Battery Doorbell for $47.99 (40% off), and Blink Outdoor 2K+ Wireless Camera for $54.99 (45% off). The promotions highlight easy setup and monitoring via a smartphone, and the content is sponsored.
A UNC Charlotte-led study and others show that visible home cameras and video doorbells deter burglars: 83% look for alarms and 60% skip targets with alarms; visibility matters, as hidden devices offer less protection, and while many studies are older, modern cameras with lights, audio and rapid alerts strengthen deterrence—even as criminals adapt with tricks like jamming.
WIRED surveys privacy-first home-security options that don’t rely on cameras, from radar outdoor sensors to standalone motion detectors and lighting-based presence tech, plus modular systems. Examples include Letwesaf radar motion alarms, Kinisium Kini SafeAlert, Eve/Aqara/Philips Hue sensors, Wiz SpaceSense, and SimpliSafe-style kits, with trade-offs like power and maintenance, hub or subscription requirements, data logging, and varying accuracy. The takeaway: you can secure a home without cameras, but you may face higher setup complexity or ongoing costs.
A technology piece details 10 practical smart‑home automations using IFTTT, geofencing, sensors, and schedules to boost convenience and safety—examples include lights that welcome you after sunset when you unlock the door, geofence-based thermostat control for energy savings, sensor‑driven alerts with blinking lights and voice notices, a coffee maker prepped for your morning, vacation‑mode lighting to mimic presence, weather‑aware smart sprinklers, vacuums that stop near a trash bin, leaving‑home vocal reminders, daily weather briefings from your assistant, and auto‑max security when you depart.
Yale’s new Matter-enabled smart lock ($150) targets smart-security newcomers with a simple install, a straightforward keypad, auto-lock, vacation mode, and passcode options, and works smoothly with Google Home (while also supporting other Matter platforms). It’s a solid starter for Google fans, though the optional door sensor can be finicky and the inner cover feels flimsy, and it lacks fingerprint or NFC features.
CNET tests Aqara’s P100 Multi-State Sensor, a palm-sized device under $50 that can monitor doors, drawers, windows, and even objects for tampering or vibration. It supports Thread (for Matter ecosystems) and Zigbee, works with Aqara’s app, and can trigger automations—offering a versatile, low-cost alternative to bulkier sensors. While highly capable, full features may require a Zigbee hub and occasional recalibration when switching modes.
Reolink’s TrackFlex Floodlight WiFi cameras use on-device AI to automatically track and identify people, vehicles, and pets, enabling fast search of locally stored footage without cloud processing or ongoing subscriptions; they offer wide coverage with dual lenses, integrated floodlights, PIR sensors, and motorized pan/tilt, with options including Elite Floodlight WiFi and Elite Pro Floodlight PoE.