Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Logitech Keeps An Eye On Your Home For You
Posted by Hooch Tan in "Digital Home News" @ 02:00 PM
"The system basically consists of a camera and a pair of bulky plug adapters. Connect one to your camera, the other to your network via Ethernet, and that second one will pipe signal to the first via HomePlug powerline networking. While WiFi would seem like a better choice initially, this does mean you won't have to worry about having a completely uninterrupted signal in and around your home."
I have to admit that I am a Logitech fan. I love their keyboards and mice, and I do think they have a nice range of speakers and webcams. However, as easy as the Logitech Alert system looks, I have questions about just how practical it is. It is not that I think that their system is bad, but rather, incomplete. Having cameras that can store images and videos themselves is great, but needing a computer to download those images seems like an extra hassle. No mention is made about whether the cameras can independantly offload images to a separate site, which I would consider to be a critical aspect of the cameras, especially since they look like they could be easily pilfered themselves. What I am really surprised is that while they offer a "mobile" solution, they are not promoting a newly launched (non-existant) service that would archive and provide an anywhere accessible web based interface to their cameras. Whether for paid or for free, I think that would be an invaluable component to any IP based security set up and it is not like there is a lack of companies already doing that. Anyone set up their own home security system? Have you included IP cameras? Any tips for those that are starting to set up their own?