technology
The Smart Home: A Tale of Two Standards
Smart home technology is here and is increasing penetration into consumer’s homes day-by-day but, as with any technology, standards and protocols matter.
For the past 15 years or so, technology companies have sought to develop software solutions that enable the use of Internet protocol (IP) for wireless sensor networks and other connected devices that leverage Internet connectivity. As a result several means of connectivity and networking have emerged that are making their way into smart home solutions including ZigBee and 6LoWPAN.
iOmniscient’s Automated Response System Wins Australian Innovation Challenge
iOmniscient, the leader in providing intelligent analytics solutions has just won ‘The Australian Innovation Challenge 2014’ for the most innovative Information and Communication Technology. The Award was for iOmniscient’s latest product which uses artificial intelligence to significantly reduce the response time for emergency services during accidents.
Intel Licenses Cognitec’s Technology for Device Access
Cognitec Systems has signed an important software development and license agreement with Intel Corporation. Under the agreement, the companies will cooperate to apply face recognition to access control on electronic devices. Logon to PCs, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, and other computing devices will become both more convenient and secure as the technology replaces conventional passwords.
Tyco Security Products Sponsors Prestigious Women’s Symposium
Tyco Security Products, part of Tyco (NYSE: TYC), the world’s largest pure-play fire protection and security company, announced today it is a proud sponsor of the Massachusetts Conference for Women, which will host its 10th annual event on December 4 in Boston. The conference features nationally recognized speakers and provides professional women with workshops and seminars on entrepreneurship, professional development and personal /professional life balance.
Advances in Camera Technology for Vending Machines and ATMs
Video and camera technology is used in a wide range of vending machines from food and beverage-type dispensers to ticketing kiosks and ATMs. Applications range from video security to prevent damage and theft, to uses of cameras as an intrinsic part of the transaction, such as reading barcodes or QR codes for access control.
Newer applications or in development include using video for marketing and to boost sales and biometrics for enhanced security. Facial recognition has an important role to play in both current and future applications.
The CPU Power Paradox
A couple of years ago HauteSpot Networks introduced the microNVR which was and remains a valuable tool for video security. The premise of the microNVR is to be a small (as in “micro”), power efficient, computing device that has all sorts of connectivity and the ability to store and process video at the edge. In this case the edge means on a pole, in a car, along a fence, on a roof, out in the woods – anywhere you just cannot place a big computer.
UDP VPN and Multicast – A Better Way to Stream
Many government and commercial organizations want to be able to easily stream video from a single point to many receivers over the public Internet. For instance, a large traffic accident on a freeway may have video from traffic cameras, video from news helicopters, and video from patrol cars all coming back to a central command site. Incident commanders at that central site want to send these video sources back out to all first responders, over the Internet, to their smart phones, in-vehicle computers, and tablet devices.
How the Cloud & Big-Time Manufacturers Will Affect the Security Industry
In my 37 years working in the industry, I have seen the “race to the bottom” occur with every popular technology that has come into our business.
Deck the Halls With Smart Home Technology
2014 will go down in history as the year smart home technology went mainstream. Rapidly evolving security, entertainment, cleaning, and mobile technology have made home automation more affordable and easier to integrate than ever before. And this holiday season is the perfect time to give yourself and others the gift of smart home convenience.
Nine Out of Ten Consumers Excited About the ‘Smart Home’ Say Security and Privacy Issues Abound
Consumers foresee the arrival of the smart home as even more imminent than that of smart cars or wearable technology. And while they welcome it, their enthusiasm is tempered by some confusion around the smart home concept, as well as concerns about price, ease of use, and physical and data security, according to new research from iModerate, a leading qualitative research firm.
While consumers aren’t quite sure if the smart home is a product, a series of products, or a comprehensive system they can purchase, they envision the smart home as a means to solve numerous problems and issues they face on a daily basis. Study participants said they think a smart home would be most beneficial when they’re away from home: specifically, they said a smart home would alleviate worries of leaving an appliance on (72%); help lower energy bills (71%); and reduce burglary worries (58%).