This tiny smart home monitor keeps an ear out for the most important sounds at home

Smart home security today is mostly about things we can see, from the people approaching our doorsteps to the things that go bump in the dark at night. While that might be the easiest way to identify visible things, it hardly encompasses all the things that could happen inside the house, whether you’re there or not. More often than not, the things that matter most can only be heard, whether it’s the cry of an infant or the shattering of a window. For these events, smart home cameras are really not enough, especially considering their limited presence. Fortunately, the solution is both simple yet also ingenious, as this small and rather cute smart home monitor proves.

Designer: Earzz

Click Here to Buy Now: $72 $100 (30% off). Hurry, only 279/400 left!

Some smart home security cameras do have audio detection that alerts you when something’s happening at home, even when you’re far away. It’s an all-or-nothing deal, however, and leaves it up to you to figure out what’s really happening out of sight. There’s also often a limit to the number of cameras you install around the house, often directly at security-critical spots only. All in all, these smart devices can’t cover the whole breadth of sounds around the house, especially the ones that you need to be aware of.

Place your Earzz devices where you want to listen for sounds.

Earzz offers a smarter way to keep your home safe and secure in a tiny package no bigger than the palm of your hand. That makes it easy to put it anywhere it’s needed, whether beside a window or on a kitchen countertop, without calling too much attention to itself. Both its size and its price make it possible to have a whole army of these around your house, becoming your virtual ears that are always on alert for important sounds, from the whistling of a kettle to the opening of the pet door.

In the Hallway – Doorbells, knocking, mail slots, window smash, and letterboxes amongst others.

In the Kitchen – Appliance beeps, water running, timers, alarms, whistles & latches and even fire and smoke alarms for added peace of mind.

In the Nursery – Crying, coughing, baby gates opening or closing, offering peace of mind for parents.

What makes Earzz truly special, however, is the expanding library of sounds that feeds into its AI, allowing it to identify and listen only to specific sounds. Each monitor can be set to be attentive to a specific set of sounds, allowing you to be more precise and more efficient in listening to what’s happening around it. Once it hears that sound, it fires off a notification to your phone instantly, even when you’re not at home, including information such as the type of sound and when it was heard. All of these settings, of course, can be tuned and controlled from Earzz’s mobile app, available for both iOS and Android devices.

Earzz AI recognizes sounds NOT speech.

Since this smart home monitor listens only to sounds and not human speech, Earzz has the privacy advantage over smart speakers that need to be constantly attentive to what humans nearby are saying. Once sound clips are identified, the sound clips as recorded are automatically deleted from the device. Earzz also uses advanced security and encryption to ensure that any data that goes to and from the device is safe from prying eyes and ears.

We live in a world that’s full not only of sights but also of sounds, some of which are more important than others when it comes to home security. Rather than relying simply on what a few security cameras can tell you, the Earzz smart home monitor truly keeps an ear out for the sounds that matter to you. For just $71, which includes the Earzz Standard subscription upgrade for free for Super Early Bird backers on Kickstarters, you can have the peace of mind that comes with knowing what is happening at home, even if you’re not around to hear it.

Click Here to Buy Now: $72 $100 (30% off). Hurry, only 277/400 left!

The post This tiny smart home monitor keeps an ear out for the most important sounds at home first appeared on Yanko Design.

Ecobee expands its smart home lineup with a camera and more sensors

Ecobee is fleshing out its lineup beyond thermostats and SmartSensors and tying all of its gear together with a home monitoring platform. The latter is called Haven and, according to the company, it "eliminates the need for keypads, programming and s...

The New and Improved Oco Cloud Camera!

Big brother to the Oco1 currently for sale, the Oco2 now features self-learning, a full HD camera, hybrid storage, a handy magnetic base and even two-way talk! Place it on any wall or surface in your home to keep a watchful eye on the goings on directly from your smartphone.

The magnetic base allows you to position the angle of the camera in virtually any direction and change it quickly and easily to adapt to different spaces. HD and Cloud storage ensure your data is always accessible, even if thieves decided to run away with your Oco2. The self-learning feature actually gets to know your space and can differentiate between pets, lighting and other elements to prevent false alarms and only alert you when something serious is going on. Smart push notifications let you know about distinct changes at your home, and not just a truck driving by or a light turning on. If you want to check on the status of your home or activate functions, you can even talk directly to Oco2!

Designer: Etienne Bougeot

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Digi-Owl Keeps an Eye on Things

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Ulo is the cutest surveillance camera ever. Period. This expressive owl will keep you company at home with its interactive eye expressions. When you’re away, Ulo will monitor your home with audio, video and sound that you can access directly from your smart devices or computer. Its two modes are activated and deactivated automatically when it detects your smartphone leaving or joining the shared wifi signal. Whether it’s on a bookshelf, mounted near the ceiling or on your desk, Ulo can be placed anywhere for remote monitoring and will even stay charged in alarm mode for up to a week without being plugged in!

Designer: Vivien Muller

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Logitech Circle Is Smart Home Monitoring Done Right

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Home monitoring has become very accessible in the recent past, and since more and more manufacturers include connected cameras in their smart home kits, keeping an eye on your valuables while away is very convenient, not to mention affordable. Logitech’s Circle is a smart camera that keeps an eye on your home when you’re not around.

The second product to be launched under the Swiss hardware manufacturer’s Logi brand (did they just drop ‘tech’ from the name?), Circle is a security camera that, once turned on, connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth. It is accompanied by cloud storage for up to 24 hours of recordings, so everything should be OK, assuming that you check the companion app at least once a day. Once it’s connected to your smartphone and you have the companion app installed, you can set up the connection between Logi Circle and the local Wi-Fi network. You can even take the camera with you, but its built-in battery only keeps it running for three hours, or up to 12 hours, in power save mode.

“There’s a new movement in home monitoring,” explained Vincent Borel, director of new ventures at Logitech. “The nature of today’s connected world is changing the way people interact with cameras in the home. Video surveillance is no longer just about security, it’s about staying connected with our homes and loved ones.”

That’s exactly the idea Logitech wants to convey, even in the promotional pictures for this product. We see kids playing around, doing potentially dangerous activities, and the Logi Circle taking the place of the babysitter. Maybe you shouldn’t take the babysitter off the payroll just yet, unless you spend the whole time away from home with the phone in your hand.

Just in case the kids seem to be doing something that could harm them, you can take advantage of the camera’s 2-way audio. Talk to them and listen to what they have to say. This is not really an innovative feature, as it has been done before, including by Xiaomi in it’s Yi Camera. The video will be streamed real-time in HD, while the wide-angle viewing and the 8x zoom will help a lot at seeing the details. At the end of the day, the companion app allows you to see a 30-second clip of the previous 24 hours.

Logi Circle doesn’t feature motion tracking per se, but it does use a video analysis algorithm that can tell when there is significant motion. In other words, if the camera is pointing to your window and there are leaves falling, Circle won’t think much of it.

The Logi Circle app is available for both Android and iOS, and even though there aren’t that many reviews for it, yet, people seem to be happy with its functionality.

Unfortunately, Logi Circle isn’t yet available worldwide and it may take a bit till it finds its way to retailers. For the time being, it can only be purchased from the Logitech website in the U.S. and selected European countries.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Logitech Harmony Ultimate Home Control, or the Logitech G302 Daedalus gaming mouse.

Via: Venture Beat

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Nest home monitoring device pops up at the FCC with ZigBee, greater ambitions

Nest home monitoring device pops up at the FCC with ZigBee, greater ambitions

Thermostat makers aren't exactly known for their rapid update cycles, so we've been wondering just when a company as unusual as Nest would try its encore. If a new FCC filing is any indication, Tony Fadell and company aren't resting on their temperature-controlled laurels. While we don't know if it's a thermostat as such, the "home monitoring device" at the US agency sports Nest's familiar circular shape while tossing in some previously unseen ZigBee wireless -- a clue that there's home automation harmony afoot, either with other Nest units or with third-party devices. It's also apparent that Nest is keeping WiFi and won't venture far from its internet-friendly roots. All of the firm's secrets will be revealed in March, although we'll side with Zatz Not Funny and leave the possibility of an earlier announcement that helps us lower our heating bills.

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Nest home monitoring device pops up at the FCC with ZigBee, greater ambitions originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Sep 2012 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video)

Cisco leaps in with its first Linksys 80211ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform

Cisco won't be the fastest out of the gate with an 802.11ac WiFi router, but it's certainly one of the most ambitious. The dual-band Linksys EA6500 and a companion, single-band Universal Media Connector network bridge hike the bandwidth up to 802.11ac's 1.3Gbps peak, each of them carrying their own quartet of gigabit Ethernet jacks. A pair of USB ports on the EA6500 should make sharing storage that much faster as well. If you ask Cisco, however, the real highlight is the new Cisco Connect Cloud app platform. Not unlike Novatel's MiFi apps, the software helps either manage the router itself (think parental controls) or tap into other devices around the home, including AirPlay sharing and remote camera monitoring. There's even a new SimpleTap hardware integration platform that will pair third-party WiFi gear like Onkyo receivers to a router through Android and iOS smartphone apps. Eventually, that should include a gentle NFC-based nudge.

A Linksys Developer Community is starting now with six app developers already lined up, and support is due for any access point Cisco deems worthy of the Smart Wi-Fi Router name. That said, you'll have to wait awhile if you want the 802.11ac tag attached to that router at the same time. The currently-without-a-price EA6500 doesn't hit shops until early August; you'll have to wait until September for the equally priceless Universal Media Connector.

Continue reading Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video)

Cisco rolls its first Linksys 802.11ac WiFi router and bridge, kicks off Connect Cloud app platform (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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