Chris Pirillo » home-security

How to Monitor Your Home with FaceTime

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 08:11:28 +0000

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Using Apple’s FaceTime, you can chat with someone in another part of your house or a person on the other side of the world. It’s simple to use your iPod touch, iPhone or iPad as a webcam when using this built-in feature. You’ll need to create an Apple account for each computer you want to connect with and let other users know which one they should use to chat with you. There are also a number of other ways you can use FaceTime – which don’t necessarily involve other people.

I was expecting a package recently and was afraid I might not hear the doorbell. I’ve been looking forward to this delivery for a while and couldn’t spare the time to sit next to the front door waiting for mister deliveryman. Instead, I connected my iPod touch to FaceTime with a computer up in my home office. The iPod was pointed out the front window so that I could easily monitor everything going on outside the door without leaving my desk or interrupting my work flow.

This will also work when you want to keep an eye on your home while you are away, of course. You’ll need to set up your Mac to automatically accept incoming FaceTime calls in order to do this.

With this script enabled, you can call yourself from your iPhone or iPod touch and the Mac will automagically pick up the call. When you disconnect, the script will close FaceTime and continue to watch for a new call. Once you get home, you can quit the app to keep FaceTime from answering everything that comes in. This lets you quickly check up on anyone – or anything – in your home while you’re out and about. I like to use it to make sure Wicket isn’t surfing those bad doggie sites.

What other uses can you think of for Apple’s FaceTime?

How to Monitor Your Home with FaceTime

Monitor Your Home Remotely

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 08:30:34 +0000

Monitor Your Home Remotely

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My home is seriously secure. I know this because I have like a billion cameras pointed into every possible nook and cranny. Recently, I was going through a bout of insomnia and happened to catch some news that the security system I use – ADT – had a pretty cool new feature. I can enable or disable the entire system using an iPhone app! Hallelujah!

ADT Pulse gives you the ability to:

Arm and Disarm your home security system remotely.
Control and monitor your home�s thermostat and lights (allowing you to make your home more energy efficient).
Receive text message and email alerts for important events.
View live video of your home while you are away.

You have to be an ADT Pulse subscriber in order to use this app, which I happily paid for. I am gone out and about quite often. I love this extra peace of mind the app gives me. I can make sure doors and windows are closed with the tap of a button. I can turn the system off and on the same way, and I can spy on Wicket to make sure he isn’t getting into things he shouldn’t be.

I also started using another application within the past few days called Witness. You’ll again need to be signed up for an account. Witness turns your Mac system into a house alarm. It uses the iSight camera as a motion sensor. If any motions are detected, the app will send “mugshots” and video to your iPhone or iPad instantly. I’ve caught the dogs misbehaving more than once already.

The Witness Remote app will let you control the alarm system from a remote location using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. You can also use the app to check out any saved images and movies each time motion has been detected.

This application works very VERY well, and I’ve given them some ideas for future releases. Why purchase another camera for security when I already have one sitting right on my desk? Using this application adds another layer of peace to this brain of mine.

What home security solutions do you recommend?

Monitor Your Home Remotely

Lorex Baby Video Monitor Review

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 14:49:58 +0000

Lorex Baby Video Monitor Review

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With Pixie so ill recently, I was happy that the folks at Lorex had passed along the Live “Snap” Video Monitor for me to review. I was able to keep an eye on her as she rested in another room. This little monitor is light and portable, and works VERY well.

The system comes with one camera but you can add up to four total cams. The unit comes with one base station and everything you need in order to keep an eye on your baby – even if that baby is a puppy. It’s compact and rechargeable and transmits wirelessly.

Store and share your video with microSD recording. It also has two-way audio, which is fantastic. I can hear what’s going on with Pixie… and she can hear me talk to her. That’s comforting for you and baby both, right? If baby (or pet!) is doing something particularly cute, you can touch one button to snap a picture.

The night vision mode works VERY well. Since Pixie’s eyes were injured, she had to be kept in low-light conditions. This camera made things much easier on us both.

Thanks again for passing along your get-well wishes for Pixie. She and I appreciate it a lot.

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Lorex Baby Video Monitor Review

Does Your Home Need a Dropcam?

Chris Pirillo — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 02:28:56 +0000

Does Your Home Need a Dropcam?

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Here I am taking a video with one camera of another camera here in my home. I think I have more security cameras in my home than anyone else in all of Seattle. The people behind the Dropcam state that their product is the easiest one to set up and begin using. I have to agree with that. The quality of it is actually extremely good, as well.

A Dropcam will make a great Internet baby monitor (no computer necessary!). Use it to securely share video of your little ones with grandparents and other extended family members. Use the camera to check on your pets while you aren’t home by using any Internet browser or the free iPhone app. It also would make an excellent business security camera.

As I said, there’s a free iPhone app available. Use it to watch your dropcam video from anywhere. All cameras linked to your account are accessible in the palm of your hand using either an iPhone or iPod Touch at no extra cost! There’s no extra equipment needed, either.

Dropcam will let you see what you’re missing when you aren’t there. It also provides an Internet DVR so you can go back and review what happened, and you’ll never have to worry about losing tapes or theft.

The camera doesn’t run on battery, so needs to be plugged into a wall. It’s an excellent system and can be built up to suit your needs with additional units.

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Does Your Home Need a Dropcam?

Lorex Security System Review

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 00:37:25 +0000

Lorex Security System Review

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I’ve demonstrated home security systems in the past. This time, I’ve gotten my hands on a couple of different systems from Lorex. I’ll even be giving one of these products away at the end of this video review.

One of the systems allows you to “Connect. See. Hear. Protect”. You can connect the camera to any electrical outlet. It then transfers to a wireless receiver which is connected to my Slingbox software. The other allows you to record as well as watch what’s going on. So how would you like to win one of these systems?

The LW 22-series, the receiver features single view, auto switching or quad (4 camera location) view. That’s right – you can connect up to three other cameras to this so that you can keep an eye on several locations in your house at once. You can view in VGA resolution for high quality video or CIF res for real-time observation. There’s also a mic built in to provide audio.

The other system I was sent performs these same functions. However, it also comes with the ability to record. It is the fast and easy way to add video security to your home or small business. The digital wireless micro-receiver plugs directly into your surveillance monitor, DVR, or TV. Set up the security camera near the front or back doors, garage, backyard, patio, kid’s room, or any location that you would like to keep an eye on. Thanks to wireless technology, there is no need to run video cables between the cameras and the receiver!

This system is what I’m offering to you! I will send the video surveillance system recording device to one of you in our community. You may have a small business that you need to protect. I got to review a few products that I happen to like, so it’s time to pay it forward. I’ll choose a random winner from either the blog comments or YouTube comments left for this video.

I have to thank Lorex for passing these products along, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to have tested them.

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Lorex Security System Review

Security Camera Systems for Home

Chris Pirillo — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:04:57 +0000

Security Camera Systems for Home

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The Vue is a wireless camera connected to my home network, thanks to the base station. The kit includes a base station and two wireless cameras. If you’re looking to add something like this to your home network, this is about easy as it gets. This was sent to me as a review unit, but I asked them how much it is for me to KEEP it. That’s how well this works!!

Essentially what I have is a personal video security network. Set up the base station, press a button on the cameras, and you’ve got the ability to see what’s going on inside your home. You can check this feed out from anywhere you are in the world, because the video can be accessed from anywhere. You can easily position Vue cameras anywhere with peel and stick magnetic mounts!

You can even share your feed if you like, by using your my.VueZone account. When you purchase the camera system, you’ll get 2 GB of storage and your first year FREE! You can even keep connecting devices to your base station… buy as many as you like, and add them anywhere in your home.

I asked the people at Avaak if there will be an iPhone App at any point, so that I can access my feeds on the go. I haven’t heard back from them yet, but I’m still holding on to hope! Having the ability to keep an eye on my home from anywhere in the world using my mobile device would be the ultimate icing on the proverbial cake.

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Security Camera Systems for Home

What Wired or Wireless Network Camera is the Best?

Chris Pirillo — Wed, 20 May 2009 22:43:37 +0000

What Wired or Wireless Network Camera is the Best?

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If you listen closely to the beginning of this video, you’ll hear Wicket bark. I was doing a pan and scan of my living room downstairs, using a camera connected to my network remotely. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t caught lying curled up on the couch. That’s where he tends to spend most of his time when he thinks I’m not looking.

Having a camera like this gives me a better idea of what is going on around my house at any given time, without having to get up and physically walk to another area of my home. Yes – I’m lazy! If I’m busy working, I can glance at my screen and see who is where in the house, and what the dogs are up to.

The resolution is nice, and the quality is decent. I can easily change the image quality and brightness, to match the lighting in each room. This particular camera has a built-in web interface even. In fact, I could give you the link to my camera feed, and you could watch what’s going on in my house.

The Panasonic Wireless 802.11 b/g Network Camera and Pet Cam can be viewed and controlled from a standard web browser. Place cameras in your home, office, vacation home, or almost anywhere else that you’d like to keep an eye on things, with no PC required on location. They are easy to install, easy to operate and require no additional software for your viewing PC. Each camera also comes with a free web address which can track the camera automatically.

All you need is a browser. All of the software comes included with the camera. Cameras are attached using a regular outlet and router or Ethernet connection. Therefore, you don’t have to have a computer sitting there to have it connected to.

Simplify your life, and grab yourself some extra peace of mind. Grab one of these for yourself today.

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What Wired or Wireless Network Camera is the Best?

Which Wireless Security Cameras are the Best?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 00:30:50 +0000

Which Wireless Security Cameras are the Best?

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If you look at this little device, you’ll see it looks like a phone. It’s not, though. It’s picking up audio and video from the wireless signal in my bedroom. I can use this tool to pick up up to four of these little wireless cameras. I picked this up from Safety First. It’s marketed as a baby monitor, but it can be used for any time of home monitoring you may need.

The Safety 1st High-Def Digital Monitor provides a 100% clear connection anytime, anywhere. Its state of the art wideband audio clarity ensures no static, no interference, and guaranteed privacy while monitoring.

The battery doesn’t last very long, so I suggest using the AC adapter whenever available. I’m likely going to get three other devices for my home, so I can flip between all four. This way, I can keep an eye on who may be at one of the doors. Basically, I can keep an eye on any place in my home that I can’t physically be in at the time. This will give me more peace of mind, and help keep me focused on my work instead of having to run around the house to see why my dogs are barking.

The features include:

100% private, no static, no interference
Remote digital zoom and pan
DataLock technology means no dropped picture or sound
Indoor/outdoor range: 650+ ft.
Auto-night vision
Auto channel selector
Secure sound lights
Low battery/out of range indicators
Rechargeable parent unit with belt clip
Baby unit is battery operated or can be plugged in

This does not interfere with wireless networks. It has a belt clip so you can carry it around with you. If you’re looking for a wireless monitoring tool, every indication has been that Safety First has the premier setup. Don’t be fooled into thinking you have to have a baby or child in the house to buy one of these little setups for your home. If you want to feel more secure in your home, this will cover all your bases. It’s wireless, it’s affordable, and it’s expandable.

There you go – my initial review of the Safety First High-Def Digital Color Video Monitor is quite good. I am happy with my purchase of it, and I think you will be, as well.

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Which Wireless Security Cameras are the Best?

What Kind of Home Security Do You Have?

Chris Pirillo — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 09:54:58 +0000

What Kind of Home Security Do You Have?

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Nearly a decade ago, I was on the cutting edge with a web cam. I didn’t even have broadband back then, but I had a semi-live web cam. People would watch it and save images from it. I received an email question, asking if I knew of something that would work to help him do surveillance with his computer and web cam. He’s using a Mac, and asked specifically for a Mac application. However, for you Windows users, you can check out webcamXP.

webcamXP is a powerful webcams and ip cameras management and streaming software for private and professional use. it offers unique features and unequaled ease of use to let you broadcast and manage multiple video sources on the same computer. it is the perfect tool to secure your goods.

For the Mac, I use Periscope.

Periscope is the next generation of web cam software that lets you use your iSight to capture activity in front of your Mac’s camera and then save or share that image simply and automatically.

Within seconds, you can configure Periscope to monitor a room for motion, sound or on a timer. Periscope will send real-time images to your e-mail, .Mac web page, or FTP site, and can upload to Flickr!

The configurationg of Periscope is simple. You can set it up on air, and then make the configuration selections that are right for you. Choose how and when it captures photos, and decide if you want to add timestamps or text overlays. Then you can choose from a variety of places to publish the photos, including iPhoto or your .mac account.

Periscope has the potential to be just right for your home surveillance needs. It’s only $25.00, and works very well. It doesn’t record video, but it is quite full-featured otherwise. The images from this are high quality, as well. Whatever you’re doing, Periscope is fun and functional.

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What Kind of Home Security Do You Have?

What Do You Do to Keep Your Home Secure?

Chris Pirillo — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:28:46 +0000

What Do You Do to Keep Your Home Secure?

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Home security is important. Crime doesn’t go away, it keeps growing. There are many things you can do to keep yourself, and your home/possessions, safe. Thanks go out to Joe for sending in some tips on how to keep your home safe.

The first and the most important tip is to purchase a homeowner’s insurance. Purchasing separate insurance for your most valuable possessions is a next step. If you have the proper insurance, even if all your security measures fail, you may still be able to recoup a portion of lost valuables. Many of the insurance companies will require you to install some type of the security system before an insurance policy will be issued to you.

Tip number 2 is to store the most expensive and most valuable items (including jewelry, money, etc.) in a safe deposit box in the bank. This step will definitely protect your valuables. The expensive items that are needed in the house can be kept in the safe.

Tips number 3 & 4 are to install an alarm system and sign up for the alarm monitoring service. When you are installing the alarm system, make sure that the fire and smoke detectors are integrated with the system. The alarm monitoring service is also very important. Without the monitoring, you can not be sure what time will pass before someone will notice the fact that the system went off and will call the police. With the alarm monitoring system, the police department is contacted right away.

Tip number 5 is to include motion detectors as a part of your alarm system. Motion detectors can be installed inside the house, near windows and doors. With motion detectors, you will become aware of any movement inside the house. The alarm system will be triggered by the detector and the monitoring company will be notified. It is also a good advice to have a motion sensor light outside your house.

Tip number 6 deals with the situation when you are installing video cameras as a part of your security system. When you are installing video cameras, you should purchase the cameras that provide infrared functionality. There cameras will usually switch to the black and white mode and will turn infrared LEDs when it gets dark.

Tip number 7 deals with the power down situations. You should purchase and charge the back up power supply in advance. In a case of a power down situation, a back up power supply will keep your security system up and running… and your house protected. Without a power supply, you risk a complete stop in the functionality of your security system.

Tip number 8 is to go wireless. If you have wired cameras, you should probably upgrade them to wireless cameras that don’t need a wire connecting them to the VCR. Wireless cameras are easier to install, manage and hide. It will be harder for a criminal to notice a wireless camera than a wired one. If you signed up for the alarm monitoring systems, you should check if the security company has a wireless option (when the system can use cellular link to contact the company if the alarm goes off).

Tip number 9 is to make sure that you lock your doors and windows every time you leave the house. Also, don’t forget to turn your alarm on before you leave and turn it off when you come back. If you don’t do these simple steps, even the most expensive security system may not be able to protect you.

Tip number 10 is to join a neighborhood watch program, if there is one. This is definitely very important. If you are not at home, some of your neighbors may be. If they can keep an eye on your house, this will provide an additional level of security. Talk to your neighbors and see if you can join a program. If there is no neighborhood watch program in place, it might be a good idea to discuss the possibility of creating one with your neighbors.

The above tips, especially the first one, don’t only apply to keep yourself safe from criminals. Please, please make sure you are properly insured, even if you rent. My assistant, Kat, nearly lost her home due to fire recently. She didn’t have renter’s insurance at the time, as she thought it would be too expensive. She called the day after this near-tragedy happened, and is now fully insured. What she went through only goes to show you how quickly something can happen, when you least expect it. Ponzi and I are both very glad that Kat, her family, and her home are ok. I hope to be able to say the same about all of you in the future, as well.

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What Do You Do to Keep Your Home Secure?

Home Security and Electronics

Chris Pirillo — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 22:02:49 +0000

Home Security and Electronics

Ken Thomson in San Francisco, CA sent me an email this morning with a handful of helpful hints – especially if I’m trying to build the geekiest Fort Knox on the planet:

Being a retired real estate broker, I can tell you how to accomplish what you want. You are right; brand new is best of all because it lets you have all the other things on your wish list with ease. In addition, if you can find a builder who will work with you (i.e., let you know when the plumbing, electrical, and duct work will be roughed in and who will get out of the way while all the extra goodies are placed inside the walls).

I have never bought a house in my life. Every house I’ve owned, I’ve built myself under the theory that if you want it done right, you’d best do it yourself. Here are some of the things inside my walls…

1,000 feet of high-quality TV cable originating from a central point at the front of a house closest to a telephone pole. In the bedrooms, the TV outlet should always be on the side of the bed furthest away from the door. Telephone wires should be on the side of the bed nearest the door.

An intercom system with transmitter / speakers in the bedroom, in a hallway, and in the garage / workshop area. That way, you won’t have to get out of bed to answer the door and it makes getting rid of a pest a lot easier if you can talk to them through the front door speaker.

A blinker circuit with a LED in a shady jam of all doors and garage doors that blinks every 3/4ths of a second. It warns potential burglars that there are other surprises in store for them and they will go elsewhere.

A relay that makes a loud clack when the pressure mat under the front door mat is stepped on. And it also turns on the overhead light. this is even more convincing to a potential burglar.

Access to a hidden switch that, when activated, opens the garage door. This will take care of the times when you lock your self out.

Concealed wiring running between the living room wall where you plan on putting the stereo equipment and where you want the speakers to be in the living room and a second set of wires going to the master bedroom.

A small relay running off 24 volt AC that when tripped by the mailman putting your mail into the slot will tell you that your mail has arrived.

In a multi story building, wiring from near the front door, in the garage and upstairs that will cause the garage door opener to function. Saves you running up and down the stairs.

An off switch for the door chime if you don’t want to be disturbed.

A warning light circuit that will inform you if the garage door is not fully closed.

Some of those features would be wonderful to have, though I may go the wireless route if I can. Not only would wireless units be more easily upgradable, but I wouldn’t necessarily have cords and cables flying all over the place (inside the walls or otherwise). Wireless intercoms, wireless monitors, etc. I think as long as we have Cat5e strewn about the house, most of our wired needs will have been met. Ken continues:

Getting your own home built can often be cheaper than buying an existing home if you play it smart and get the land cheaper than anywhere else. One way to do this is to decide on one or two towns where you’d like to live, and then gong to the town hall tax assessor’s office and asking how you go about bidding on the auction of city properties foreclosed for non-payment of taxes.

For example, in NYC you write to: The Department of Real estate, 2 Layfayette St, New York, NY 10007 and ask for a copy of the nest ‘IN REM’ sales booklet and they will send it to you. In San Francisco, you bring a SASE with extra postage on it (to cover future postage increases) and they will send it to you. Once you get one, you will have to go back and give them another SASE. That’s how I got my lot at a cost that’s way less than the runaway prices in San Francisco.

Good hunting! Remember: building a house is not a big job. It is a thousand little jobs. It’s a lot like eating an elephant – you keep at it until there is nothing but bones left on your plate.

Home Security and Electronics