D-Link has announced a trio of products designed to make the digital home more secure and less power hungry with minimal impact on the family budget.
The D-Link Home Monitoring Starter Kit is an affordable, easy-to-use and very innovative “Connected Home Monitor” system that provides homeowners and renters with new levels of security. Designed for quick and easy installation by the user, the system connects via broadband router in the home, and can then be remotely monitored and controlled through a personalized web portal account at mydlink.com. Alerts from wireless sensors around the home are instantly relayed by text, email and voice-call to the consumer and their designated contacts.
The D-Link Home Monitoring Starter Kit offers enhanced features found in more costly security systems, and uses Internet Protocol (IP) technology to offer an improved range of services and functionality. The system can be easily expanded with infrared motion detection, door/window contacts, keypad, personalized key fobs, fire, carbon monoxide, and water leak detectors — all offered as additional accessories. A home video option is available with D-Link IP cameras which can capture and record events with remote access to the images available through the website or via mobile phones.
The Home Monitor can be expanded with the D-Link Home Energy Monitoring Starter Kit. One of the first products that lets consumers measure energy consumption of all electrical appliances in the home, turning the Home Monitor into the ultimate smart energy “Green Machine”. When linked to the Home Monitoring Starter kit, consumers can use the mydlink portal to program devices to power-down when the home is empty, helping reduce carbon emissions and reduce utility bills by saving electricity.
The kit is equipped with two power-usage sensor adapters (additional sensors may be purchased separately) that plug into the home’s wall sockets near where the electrical appliances are located. By plugging the appliances directly into the kit’s sensor adapters, users can automatically download energy consumption data to their personal mydlink.com webpage where they have access to real-time power usage levels; daily, weekly and monthly breakdowns; cost conversions and graphical analysis. In addition, the product allows utility companies to offer users incentives on fee schedules based on their history of energy conservation.
The D-Link 3G Door Phone, another security innovation from D-Link, adds another level of surveillance for the home. It acts like – and is powered the same as – an ordinary doorbell. It is the first doorbell of its kind to allow homeowners to get a full view of visitors to their property from wherever they are – at home or away – using their 3G mobile phones. A built-in fixed focus .1 megapixel CMOS camera captures the images of visitors and streams the information to the PC or 3G mobile device, an LED indicator lets the homeowner know that the device is working, and an illuminated button allows easy visibility when it is dark outside.
Price and Availability
All three products, the D-Link Home Monitoring Starter Kit with a MSRP of $149.99, the D-Link Home Energy Monitoring Starter Kit at $99.99 MSRP, and the D-Link 3G Door Phone priced at $199.99 MSRP are expected to be available in the second quarter of this year through the company’s vast network of retail and etail outlets, and at D-Link’s online store, www.dlinkshop.com. Additional details for free and paid-subscription services for the D-Link Home Monitoring Starter Kit will be available when the product ships.
