The Motorola Homesight Wireless Easy Starter Kit has been generating interest in computing and other techie press since the early October announcement that it was to be sold exclusively through PC World in the UK. Most reviews have concentrated on its use for home or office security monitoring. However, with its range of add-on monitoring devices such as wireless day and night vision cameras, movement detectors, water (flood) sensor, door/window sensors, temperature sensor, it would be possible to set this up as a telecare system.
Devices can trigger each other. So a movement sensor in a bedroom can be programmed only to operate at night, and to switch on a light if someone gets up, or the flood sensor can activate a camera. Events triggered by the system can be sent via email or text. With additional software from ‘I’m in touch’, monitoring can be done from a remote PC (costs 99$ per year?).
Downsides seem to be: no installation or set-up help from PC World; no direct connection to emergency services; a proprietary system (so no interconnectivity with other manufacturers); ethical considerations are down to the installer. The upsides are: availability; potential for increased consumer awareness, and the prices of the add-ons seem reasonable.
Here are a selection of links for further information:
Information from the Motorola site.
PC World site. Not very informative, but each product does have a link to slightly more information. (Starter Kit is fourth entry down.) The kit is also featured in PC World’s in-store magazine, Autumn 2005 edition. Link to site.
UK review, security focused, misses the telecare monitoring potential. Scroll down the page to read the review.
Lengthy on-line US review with set-up instructions. Click here.
Finally, a link to the ‘I’m in touch’ software site.
There is also a useful review in January 2006 edition of PC Pro (p70) but this does not appear to be available on the internet yet.