the Networked HOME - Technology Information

Home Office Computing, Dec, 2000 by Bonny L. Georgia

Smart (Home) Advice

Home automation tools are for anyone who can appreciate a Little extra convenience and security, not just rich technophiles. But before you consider specific home automation options, consider these tips from Leo Soderman, director of marketing at Smart Home.

* Forget about costs at first, while coming up with a wish List of things you'd like your system to do. After a bit of investigation, you may find you can do 70 to 80 percent of them for very little money--perhaps only $100 or $200--without ripping out walls.

* If you have to step up to a more expensive system to get the functionality you want, stop and consider what that functionality is really worth. If it's not worth $20 for you to be able to turn a light on and off remotely,-don't let anyone convince you otherwise. This way, you're less likely to overspend on things you don't need.

* Finally, automate your home to enhance your lifestyle, not to boost resale value. The next person buying your home may or may not appreciate your improvements. Your own comfort, security, enjoyment, and convenience are all that should matter.

Somebody's Watching Me

The only thing worse than having your small business robbed is having it robbed twice in three months. What can you do to safeguard your investment and recover your sense of security?

To lower the risk of future break-ins, owner Dave Lucavish of Eagle Computers, in Kent, Wash., moved his store to a safer neighborhood and installed an alarm system. Adding video surveillance would have provided more peace of mind, but unfortunately it was beyond his budget: "My alarm company [wanted] thousands of dollars, something I couldn't afford," he says.

Lucavish did not have any video or images of the previous break-ins, so the cops told him he was pretty much out of luck as far as nabbing the culprits. Determined to catch the next set of would-be thieves on tape, Lucavish turned to a more affordable alternative--X10's wireless XRay Vision video cameras. He paid $260 for three, installed them himself, and has been keeping an eye on the store ever since. The X10 cameras constantly snap photos and save them to his computer's hard disk at predetermined intervals.

"I have cameras set up in the showroom of my store at various angles. One looks toward the sales counter, the other points toward the door, and there's one back in the tech area so I can look at employees or [see if] someone breaks in from the back," he explains.

Lucavish even logs in from home and views Live video of his showroom using Symantec's pcAnywhere remote-control software. "The cameras are in plain view, so they act as a bit of a deterrent," he adds.

Things are going so well at the store that Lucavish plans to explore the uses of home automation in general, a subject with which he'd been unfamiliar before his burglary woes--he's installed another set of cameras to watch his home. "One camera watches the front yard and one watches the back. I've got a kid that supposedly does my lawn. It's more to check on him than anything else," he says with a laugh.