Home security tips: How to create a safe haven
We saw an article in this month’s ShowHouse magazine which offered some fantastic advice for those looking to create a safe haven and secure their homes. Author, Kate Hamilton offers: “Start with the basics when securing your home and then let technology take the strain.”
Kate explains the home security market as it is today:
“When it comes to home security, never has the phrase safe and sound been more apt. Put simply, this is because in today’s modern world there are two main aspects to security: quality looks and sensible safety measures and, with up and coming technology, that means should a disturbance take place then we will be able to see and hear it by simply touching a button.”
Of course, most of us understand that burglaries that take place in the UK are opportunistic; therefore Kate starts by suggesting that ensuring your doors and windows are constantly locked can start the process by putting off potential burglaries. Installing high security locks, such as multi-locks, take this to the next level and, as 27% of all burglaries involve lock snapping, it’s not just a precaution.
However there are also emerging technologies that “should a disturbance take place … we will be able to see and hear it by simply touching a button.” ShowHouse cover our own latest home security monitoring system, HomeMonitor and our latest professional IP camera range, the Cube, as examples of how home owners can ensure peace of mind that their belongings are safe every time they leave the house.
Our SEO, Devin Chawda, explains why we, like ShowHome, see these technologies as the future:
“We believe remote video monitoring is genuinely valuable to a wide range of consumers, the challenge up and until know is that most people are put off due to high costs, technical fears or reliability issues. HomeMonitor changes this. We believe it will revolutionise the way people connect to the things the care about most.”
If you are becoming more and more concerned for the security of their homes and family, there are steps you can implement that will help protect. These actions are now more necessary than ever and ShowHouse see the adoption of security measures only growing in the future.
To read ShowHouse article visit: www.showhouse.co.uk
To learn more about HomeMonitor visit www.homemonitoronline.com.
Y-cam clearance: Grab a deal while stocks last
If you are looking to grab a home security bargain, boy do we have great news for you. We have just added a clearance sale to our online shop, shop.y-cam.com, where a number of B -Grade Y-cam cameras, including our new Bullet HD 1080, and accessories are available at a heavily discounted price.
What is B-Grade stock?
This means we cannot guarantee this product is in its original packaging and it may have been opened. These items may have minor cosmetic issues, box damaged, customer returns or showroom clearance stock. However all items have been tested prior to dispatch and come with a 90 days warranty, plus our standard 14 days, no-questions returns – if you are not happy after your purchase.
For more details we recommend reading the product description on individual items.
This discounted goods will be available while stock lasts, so don’t miss out on a great deal – head over to shop.y-cam.com.
Technology for your valentine?
Best technology inspired messages this Valentine’s day.
What could possibly be the best way you could show your loved ones how much you care? Flowers, expensive dinners, fluffy toys? Or how about thinking out of the box and showing just how much you care with these innovative, technology inspired valentine’s messages.
Go on a trip
However, not any ordinary trip. Amazon have launched an interactive map of the ’50 great American love stories’. Perfect if you’ve always wanted to do that ‘across America’ tour.
Search the map at www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=tsm_1_fb_s_ab_mh1sst?ie=UTF8&docId=1000990781
Lovesragram
If you are one of those couples that can fill a photo album in seconds, why not use this Valentine’s to create a unique slideshow for your other half on Lovestagram.
Sign up at http://lovestagram.com/
Vinentine
People are still making a fuss over Vine so if you have not tested it out yet, why not dedicate your first post to six seconds of love and see how quickly you can say “I love you”.
Here is a few of our favourite so far: https://vine.co/v/b1weemdV1qY and https://vine.co/v/bnzbOitH3xr.
Google it
We’re not sure what they are up to yet but remember Google always have something up their sleeve when it comes to celebrating Valentine’s. We wouldn’t like to say it will be something you can share with your loved one, but who knows with these guys.
This was Goggle’s 2012 Valentines special:
Do you have any other recomendations? We would love to hear how you and your loved ones are celebrating Valentine’s Day.
Engadget recommends Y-cam as best video baby monitor
Who do you go to when you want the best advice on geek-up monitoring for your first-born? Of course Engadget would be up there, what these guys don’t know about tech isn’t worth knowing and with a high percentage of dads on the team, you’d be sure that they would have some great advice up their sleeves, so we were thrilled when they recommended Y-cam as a great choice for expecting parents.
Tech loving dad, Berry2Droid, put the Engadget to the test when he asked them about the best way to geek-up monitoring his little one on the way:
“My wife and I are having a baby soon and need a video monitor. We’d like it to be compatible with our Android phones, rather than having a separate screen in the package. We’d also like some sort of visual aid as my wife is deaf so she would need some sort of other signal. If there was any ability to add additional cameras, that’d also be great. Thanks for your help!”
Engadget journo, Daniel Cooper, was happy to point him in the direction of Y-cam, highlighting our “infrared and internet capable cameras that can pump the picture straight to your mobile device,” making our cameras a great choice for the tech dads out there.
What makes Y-cam the right choice for those that are about to embark upon the majestic journey of parenthood? Our two offerings provide both the tech-fanatic and the technophobe the ability to monitor their baby direct from their smart phone, from home or from anywhere in the world.
Our Knight S, or Wi-FiBaby, offers the tech-obsessed the ability to monitor their little one through their phone with the fantastic app, BabyMonitor HD. For those that still love an amazing (and functional) gadget but don’t want any fuss in the set up, there is BabyPing, the new baby monitor from Y-cam.
BabyPing offers new parents a super simple way to connect to their baby. Giving parents the best of both worlds, it offers the core functionality of a traditional baby monitor but adds in the latest technology and features to create a simple to use, truly next generation smart baby monitor without any of the fuss.
To read Engadget’s question time visit here: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/26/ae-video-baby-camera/
For more information on Y-cam and Wi-Fi baby read more here: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/24/wifi-baby-3g-review-or-how-we-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-lov/
To find out more about BabyPing, visit our website at www.babyping.com
Capturing criminals in the act
Mr Wallis and his family have lived in Suffolk since the 1990s. Their home is located just outside a small rural village and with no immediate neighbours, they are left vulnerable. Whilst Suffolk has one of the lowest crime rates in Britain, Mr Wallis has been regularly troubled by unwelcome visitors trying to break into his family’s homes. Unfortunately some of these attempts paid off for the criminals and Mr Wallis and his family became victims of crime numerous times. This was where he decided action must be taken.
Requirements
Due to the location of the Wallis family home, they became easy targets for unwanted visitors, so much so that Mr Wallis would come across a stranger looking around his house every two or three months, even when the rest of the family was at home.
They repeatedly suffered from break-ins and thefts to a point where Mr Wallis reached breaking point – enough was enough. Mr Wallis decided to take action.
Solution
IP cameras seemed the easiest way around the issue and the most relevant to Mr Wallis’ needs, so he and his partner set about installing two Y-cam cameras.
Quickly they expanded to eight cameras, all working together in harmony with Blue Iris software. This left Mr Wallis with a robust security system of eyes and ears everywhere, even when he wasn’t at home.
Outcome
Very quickly the Wallis family caught thieves in the act of stealing a number of items from the garage. There was a full four minutes of footage from three different cameras. One camera in particular recorded excellent close-up face shots of both of the thieves which helped the Police in connecting the burglary with known criminals.
Mr Wallis explained:
“We had popped out for a mere forty minutes to pick up my car which had been serviced. Soon after we returned home I went into the garage to take something from my van and noticed some items on the floor which had previously been on a shelf, and when I looked in more detail discovered that various items including about 400m of new cable on reels, and a heavy box of brass tap parts which I keep for spares, were completely missing. I rushed indoors and played back the clips from the past hour, and eureka! – there it was, about 4 minutes solid footage from 3 different cameras of two guys stopping on the road in a white pickup truck, entering my drive, having a good look around and then going in and out of my garage transferring all my stuff into their truck. One camera in particular recorded excellent close-up face shots of both of them.”
An example of the footage can been seen below:
Mr Wallis offers a final conclusion of his experience with the Y-cam cameras thus far:
“I can say in summary that my overwhelming feeling about this experience was not so much that the cameras led eventually to the arrest and conviction of one of the thieves, but much more importantly for me, regardless of whether he had eventually been caught or not, my cameras deprived them of their anonymity – I knew who they were and what they looked like from the moment I played back the recordings, and that alone made the whole thing not feel nearly so bad.“
To read more about Mr Wallis’ solution download the full case study at www.y-cam.com/how-y-cam-helps-home.