On the heels of Apple’s unveiling of a beefed-up smart home notification system in its Apple Homekit, home automation company Fibaro announced a brand new line of Homekit-compatible smart sensors. Comprised of flood and motion sensors, as well as a door and window sensor, the new products boast Bluetooth connectivity, an intuitive smartphone application, and integrate smoothly for anyone using the Apple Home app in iOS 10 — and, to a further extent, the recently released iOS 10.2.
While motion, door, and window sensors are novel smart home innovations in their own right, Fibaro’s Flood Sensor is the first leak detection unit capable of working in tandem with Apple Homekit. Concerning the device, Fibaro outfit its Flood Sensor with gold telescopic probes which instantly detect water the moment a leak begins. Along with a built-in LED indicator light, the sensor also audibly sounds an acoustic alarm geared toward quickly alerting owners of a flood or if the device has been tampered with. Additionally, the Apple Home or Fibaro app can be set up to alert users of any issues.
In regards to Fibaro’s other two releases, both the Motion Sensor and Door/Window Sensor feature temperature measuring tech, though the former also boasts light intensity measurement giving it a useful multi-sensor skill set. As mentioned above, both feature Bluetooth compatibility which allows owners to sync their devices with the Fibaro or Apple Home app, granting access to notifications and remote access. Serving primarily as pieces to a larger home security system puzzle, the Motion and Door/Window Sensor are easy additions to anyone’s budding smart home setup.
“Expanding our product line to include support for Apple HomeKit was a natural choice for Fibaro,” U.S. managing director of Fibaro Rich Bira said in a statement. “The HomeKit platform offers a simple and secure solution for expanding the many benefits of a smart home to a new category of consumers that up to this point, may not have had the means or knowledge to participate. Working with companies like Apple to expand the mainstream consumer smart home market is very exciting for us.”
A Poland-based company, Fibaro is currently shipping its new product line to not just the United States but also to any country which has access to Apple Homekit. Price-wise, the company is retailing its Flood Sensor for $70, Motion Sensor for $70, and its Door/Window Sensor for $60. Each is expected to be available for purchase by the end of 2016.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.