Blog - Who Will You Be Competing Against Tomorrow?...

[Joe Harris]

did you write that before or after we spoke?

 

Before - I did have an inward chuckle though when the conversation covered the same subject

[arfur mo]

I've always believed the competitor of tomorrow will be someone we don't yet know.

but i bet they know of me

Let's forget the inspectorate rules....

already forgotten, well i like to be compliant with todays common sense

[arfur mo]

Please use this thread to discuss the blog entry: Who Will You Be Competing Against Tomorrow?...

tbh the talking smoke alarm made me smile, how many languages can it say "please leave the building, do not take any belongings etc, by the time it completes it's loop most people in a council office will likely be victims, so is it ever going to beat a loud multi-lingual klaxon and strobe?

With advent if wireless (which can only improve with battery technology), already removes most of the skill required to install a system,

that opens the market up further to self installers more than big co's imho. Don't think Apple or Samsung would be to interested, unless they can sue each other for patent infringements, but if they did would we get iPhone 5 or Galaxi shaped pir's?

as the market us already swamped in cheap very good detectors, not much of an opportunity left - i'd think.

i disagree gaz, this is just the beginning

when it triggers will it say 'to silence (dramatic pause) wave a tea towel at me' or if you burn the toast 'the battery is on the side @ 3 o'clock, just pull'?

[GalaxyGuy]

Interesting article.  The replies have focused on the talking smoke sensor, but they seem to miss the point in that it's the holistic approach that the new technology brings that will ultimately drive changes. Imagine multiple devices all communicating securely and feeding information to a machine learning algorithm.  If the machine can work out who and where you are, include vast amounts of information about all of the pieces of property you own (status / location... Etc.) and interact with, then it can determine the security and level of action to take depending on the status of the whole.  These features will eventually be built-in as standard and bundled with something else - perhaps energy efficiency/home entertainment/communication.

 

Perhaps sounds a little futuristic or 'blue sky' to those who are just getting to grips with IP networking, but all the pieces pretty much exist now.  One of the biggest blockers for all of this is the privacy aspect.  If you're gathering all of this information for your own 'security' then who else can gain access to make you 'insecure'...

[james.wilson]

Agreed as was noted by that metasploit script that could break into some dvr's

[Joe Harris]

Thanks for the kind comments and observations.  I see this as a very real potential and by burying our heads in the sand and refusing to change or acknowledge that things can be done differently, we will be out of place in the way that society is developing.

 

Fire and Security is a small part of a bigger picture that is emerging.  It is only natural that we see it differently, but looking from the outside in we are nothing more than a component part.  That does not have to be the end of the story though.

 

@Adrian - I applaud your efforts and will continue to do so, keep doing what you are doing.

 

@Galaxyguy - Security of such data rich devices is crucial, as observed in a Defcon talk way back when - being able to see electricity usage allows you to calculate when people are in / out and when they wake / sleep.  Powerful data from a seemingly unrelated dataset.  We will see improvements from manufacturers but we also must consider that many of the faults we see in the current kit on the market is a side effect of costs being nailed to the floor causing an underinvestment in skilled developers being involved and secure code lacking as a result.  The current market place needs to change I would suspect in order to support this different ecosystem.

[cybergibbons]

Good blog post. 

 

I find the evolution of security systems interesting. The problem with these new, WiFi connected nodes is that they cost a fortune. It might be re-assuring to use a camera/PIR combo like the Canary (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/canary-the-first-smart-home-security-device-for-everyone/x/1914325) ad Piper (http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/piper-smart-elegant-security-and-home-automation/x/1914325), but you don't get nearly the coverage or reliability of a conventional PIR alarm.

 

I guess the question is, what do people want? A lot of people do seem happy with email alerts and being able to dial in to look at their house. But as soon as the power goes out, none of it will work. Maybe it is two markets - expensive WiFi gear with no service costs to reassure along with cheaper alarms with service costs that actually detect burglars.

 

Specifically with the Nest Protect, it aims to solve a problem (silencing false alarms and people taking detectors down due to low batteries), but in doing so creates another (they are so expensive that people won't have enough detectors). We have 6 smoke detectors and 1 CO detector and because they are appropriate for the room they are in, false alarms are not an issue.

[datadiffusion]

The canary looks interesting, but as usual more convenient than clever - nothing that couldn't be knocked up on a pi,

so for those without the time or the ability, here's one we made earlier.

 

There is no killer feature other than the cost, which is why the public will love it and we'll just be left pointing out the shortfalls.

 

99% false alarm rate eh? What makes them think their device will be any better? Presumably most alerts will be false alarms

caused by pets, malfunctions, and otherwise legit visitors coming into the property that can't or don't unset. The whole system

is immediately useless if any expected visitor doesn't have a smartphone and the unset app I assume - so you have to leave it

unset that day etc...

 

The siren option did make me laugh - yes, why not alert the burglar to the single device they need to destroy?!

 

As for power, as you rightly point out, I am slightly surprised vendors (or 3rd parties) don't make a killing flogging tiny external

battery packs for routers that don't need an extra socket and/or not provide suitable outlets for bricks like a standard UPS.

Something like the tiny 12V UPS that Elmdene sell, but marketed at the 'consumer'.

 

Good initial post though Joe.

[cybergibbons]

Neither the Canary or Piper have IR LEDs either, and I don't think they are real PTZ - just done in software. Pretty limited in use really. If you want to monitor, a Foscam or clone is probably better and a lot cheaper.

 

I've not actually seen what happens to my cable internet when the power goes out. The ADSL used to work fine during local power cuts.

[arfur mo]

Interesting article.  The replies have focused on the talking smoke sensor, but they seem to miss the point in that it's the holistic approach that the new technology brings that will ultimately drive changes. Imagine multiple devices all communicating securely and feeding information to a machine learning algorithm.  If the machine can work out who and where you are, include vast amounts of information about all of the pieces of property you own (status / location... Etc.) and interact with, then it can determine the security and level of action to take depending on the status of the whole.  These features will eventually be built-in as standard and bundled with something else - perhaps energy efficiency/home entertainment/communication.

 

Perhaps sounds a little futuristic or 'blue sky' to those who are just getting to grips with IP networking, but all the pieces pretty much exist now.  One of the biggest blockers for all of this is the privacy aspect.  If you're gathering all of this information for your own 'security' then who else can gain access to make you 'insecure'...

the above futuristic year 3000 machine is already here -

(for most married men ).