The Smartest DIY Home Improvements

Mention the concept of home monitoring and control, and most folks envision a cumbersome, highly technical, and prohibitively expensive system requiring professional installation and a monthly service fee. So how would the same consumers react to a system that not only provides monitoring and control of a wide range of home functions, easily expanded and customized, installed in minutes by the consumer, capable of delivering a variety of alerts remotely (cell phone, e-mail) – and available at a fraction of the cost of traditional home monitoring systems?

Motorola now offers all this and more -- through a suite of home monitoring solutions under the homesight brand. The Motorola homesight Solution provides everything consumers need to install a do-it-yourself home monitoring system, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that family and home are secure. The system leverages consumers’ existing broadband connections to provide the ability to remotely monitor a variety of activities with real-time alerts sent via e-mail, to a cell phone or PDA.

Through an intuitive, Web-based interface, homeowners can access the system to capture both still images and video, monitor entry points, monitor temperature levels, and even detect water leaks. The system is easily customized to fit individual needs by simply adding devices such as wireless and wired cameras that capture still images and video with sound, wireless door and window sensors to monitor entry points, wireless temperature sensors for improved energy management, and wireless water sensors to detect water and problematic leaks.

The Motorola homesight solutions offer consumer-installed, PC-based home monitoring to enable a variety of customizable functions. By leveraging the home broadband connection and providing additional customizable functions that go beyond those of traditional home monitoring services, the Motorola system gives consumers peace of mind and unprecedented flexibility – without the high costs associated with elaborate custom-installed systems. The system supports up to three wired cameras, twelve wireless cameras and 16 other devices, so the level of customization is more than broad enough to completely cover most homes.

Easy Start Kit

The Motorola solution’s base configuration, the Easy Start Kit, consists of the PC-based Home Monitoring & Control software, a base station that connects to the home computer’s USB port, a wireless camera that works both indoors and outdoors, and the needed power supplies, mounting equipment and documentation.

In addition, Motorola recently introduced a new version of the Home Monitoring and Control software, designed to accommodate the functionality of the new accessories. New features to the software include “Live” Camera popup window that puts real-time video in the forefront and support for additional e-mail addresses – allowing for alerts to be sent to as many as up to eight addresses. In addition, support for additional message accounts allowing for alerts to be sent to as many as eight accounts. Individual arming and disarming of cameras and sensor devices; individual power state control for power modules, individual suspension or activation of scheduled events and schedule events to occur during specific time frames.

The wireless camera captures still images and video clips -- with sound -- of events as they happen, and allows users to have the images and text alerts sent to a cell phone or e-mail address, or stores them on a hard drive for future viewing. Useful inside and outside the home or office, this camera enables the monitoring of places in which running a wire would be inconvenient or impossible. The wireless camera does not require the user to have a wireless network installed.

With the camera installed, users need not be at home to know when the kids get home from school, a package is dropped at the front door, or someone enters the home.

However, in many homes or offices, one camera is simply not enough. Motorola homesight is easily and quickly expanded with additional wireless or wired cameras, allowing for extensive monitoring in and around the home or office. The available wired camera combines all the functionality of the wireless camera, with the added reliability of a wired connection.

Motion detection capabilities allow users to set program the camera to automatically capture still images or record video when activity is detected, and alerts to be sent to multiple devices.

Wireless Door and Window Sensor Detects Intrusion

Whether home or away, users gain additional peace of mind with the addition of a wireless door/window sensor that can be connected to any flat surface – doors, windows, even filing cabinets. This sensor creates a magnetic “seal” between itself and a contact strip, and sends an alert to the user-defined cell phone or e-mail address when that seal is broken.

The sensor is easily integrated with other components of the homesight solution, and can trigger a nearby camera to record images when activity is detected. The images can then be sent to the user, or stored on a hard drive and accessed later.

With this detector added to the system, users are remotely informed when someone opens or closes a door or window – whether it’s family members coming or going, the garage door going up or down, or an unwanted intruder entering the home.

Monitor Temperature Changes, Detect Problematic Leaks

For those parts of the home or office that may be impacted by a substantial change in temperature, the Motorola homesight Solutions offers a wireless temperature sensor. When the sensor indicates that a user-defined upper or lower temperature limit has been exceeded, the system sends a text alert to a cell phone or e-mail address. This easily installed addition is ideal for such applications as a baby’s room, wine cellar, greenhouse, or a vacation home – allowing the user to take necessary actions once a temperature threshold has been breached.

If a laundry room, basement, bathroom, water heater or sump pump has the potential for water leaks or damage, the addition of the optional wireless water sensor allows the Home Monitoring & Control system to detect the presence – or absence – of water before a leak becomes a costly problem.

When water is detected, the sensor will send an alert. The system can be programmed for wireless or wired cameras to record the moment when water is detected. This information, in the form of still images and text alerts, can then be sent via cell phone or e-mail and stored to the hard drive of the home computer.

Motorola’s Monitoring System – The System that Grows With You

Early this year, Motorola extended the homesight portfolio with an array of new accessories that are each easily added to the system through “one touch discovery” – a feature that adds the new device to the system with the touch of a button.

• Home/Away Keypad Kit and Extra Key Pack – Arm or disarm the System from a keypad-style panel rather than from a PC.
• Wireless Power Controller – Turn lights and appliances on/off.
• Wireless Motion Sensor - Detect motion with a stand-alone device that also includes an integrated infrared sensor.
• Wireless Siren – Sound an audible alert when the System is armed and one of the sensors are triggered.

The advent of this affordable and easy-to-use home monitoring system enables consumers to gain the peace of mind that comes with knowing their homes and loved ones are safe and secure, and also realize additional value from their broadband connection, and gain the reassurance that comes from a robust, multi-function monitoring system.