
Big things come from small things.
Apparently, you have been hearing that cliche right. Scout, Piper and even Canary can attest to that. They have all been through the same hole to get to where they are now. Well, not literally.
Crowdfunding has been a major game changer in the market of home security systems. It brought up clever ideas and transformed them to physical devices we now use to make our homes smarter than they were yesterday. Although presenting ideas for crowdfunding isn’t an easy process, there’s still more than a handful of creative ideas already boiling in the pot.
Here’s what has been keeping the laboratories busy lately.
1. Flic
Funding target: $80,000
Platform: Indiegogo
Flic works in a single push of a button.
Well, it depends on what you want it to do. It condenses several of your home automation features in a colourful range of buttons.
- Fliq works by Bluetooth low energy or the BLE technology.
- You can attach it to walls using the adhesive tapes you can find on its back. The adhesive tapes, by the way, are reusable. You can simply clean it with water to make it good as new.
- If you want, you can also try clipping it to your collar or even your bag.
- However, the button has to be 50 meters away from your smartphone for it to function properly.
- It’s dust resistant and it’s weather proof, too. You can use it even when you’re outside.
- It works on coin batteries. It’ll take around five years before you need to get a replacement.
- Flic can connect to both iOS and Android smart phones.
As small as it is, Fliq can work wonders in making your digital life easier with a click of a button. Actually, you can also double press it for a task and hold it for a few seconds for another action.
- You can use Fliq to make phone calls easier. The same goes with finding your phone.
- You can adjust your lights at home and even lock your doors.
- You can click for your favorite music to play or to have your camera capture a picture.
- It can also be used as a medical alert system. Grandma can simply click to let you know where she is and if she needs help.
2. Cocoon
Funding target: $100,000
Platform: Indiegogo
Cocoon is actually pretty for a security device. However, although it looks aesthetically pleasing, it has an equally amusing set of capabilities.
- It watches you and learns your behaviors. If something happens that is not in line with your usual routine, it starts to get suspicious. Say for example, it hears someone walking upstairs when you’re still supposed to be at work.
- It has SUBSOUND technology that listens for low frequency sounds to monitor for movements even if they are coming from the next room. It works by the same principle as how earthquakes and seismic activities are studied by scientists.
- It also has a wide angled HD camera. It comes with high quality night vision, too.
- Actually, Cocoon is an all in one device for your home security and surveillance. It has a built in loud siren, a motion detector and a temperature sensor as well.
3. Point
Funding target: $50,000
Platform: Kickstarter
Point stays discreetly attached to your walls. It stealthily listens for any unusual sound or abnormal air humidity level at home. If it finds one, it lets you know immediately.
- Point comes with several sensors that enables it to analyze first the events in your home before it send you the data through the internet.
- It is able to listen for sounds. However, it only comes with a one way talk feature.
- It can monitor humidity as well as cigarette smoke.
- You can program it to respond to certain triggers such as lighting up when your kids are too noisy. It can also include triggering the alarm in case it feels someone moving around in the other room.
- Other than movement, it also knows when your window glass breaks.
- Point works via batteries and is Wi-Fi enabled, too.
The device becomes more powerful when you include it in your recipes for home automation. Yes, Point works with IFTTT, as well. It’s the programming language non-experts use to make their homes smart.
4. BeON
Funding target: $100,000
Platform: Kickstarter
It’s a light bulb. No, it’s a home security device- as well.
More than your plain light bulbs, BeON is actually a home security device playing two roles at the same time. Since it’s a light bulb too, you can easily install it on your ceiling and no one won’t even notice.
- BeOn learns and mimics the way you control your lights at home.
- It works by Bluetooth to communicate.
- It can also hear if your smoke and fire detectors are sounding an alarm. As a reaction, it automatically turns the lights on towards the nearest exit.
- It also comes with batteries so you can keep your lights on even when the power fails.
- It functions to keep burglars away by making that impression that you’re home.
- If a burglar decides to ring your doorbell, BeOn can hear it and turn your lights on automatically.
- As a light bulb, it can give you 800 lumens of soft white LED light. It’s actually the same brightness you get from a 60 watt incandescent bulb.
- You can even use it as a nightlight or simply set the light to fade slowly so there’s no tripping over your dog on your way to bed.
The ideas relating to the concepts of home security systems have changed over time, especially the ones that are put up for crowdfunding. Why? Simply because the project has to appeal to its consumers first before it gets backed up.
Mirroring this statement, you’ll see one thing common among the most recent projects to hit crowdfunding- multifunctionality in small sizes. They have also taken more creativity in making home security systems which is actually more fun.
Now, which project are you backing up?