Page 59 - Green Builder September-October 2018 Issue

Security: All Eyes on

the Door

HE TRANSPARENT, ONEœWAY FRONT DOORS seen in
later Jetsons adventures—which give a clear view of a
visitor without revealing the homeowner’s presence—
T aren’t quite here yet. But Nest’s Hello video doorbell
[https://bit.ly/2p5PeMf] brings us closer. The unit has a built-in
HD video camera that streams to a phone or computer, enabling an
owner to see who’s ringing, even if they are nowhere near the house.
A microphone and speaker allow
two-way communication. Similar
systems exist—such as those from
Ring, August and SkyBell—but
Hello one-ups competitors with the
ability to scan faces and identify
visitors from a database of friends
or family. This capability requires CREDIT: LG
a subscription to Nest’s Aware
database management service. Fully stocked. Among other things, LG’s Smart InstaView ThinQ
Available for about $230 to $330, refrigerator allows an owner to check contents through a smartphone,
Hello is compatible with Google draft interactive messages and prepare recipes.
CREDIT: ZEN ECOSYSTEMS reason still had to deal with lost keys, Appliances: n
Assistant and Alexa.
Unlike the Jetsons, who for some

anyone whose homes use standard
CREDIT: NEST deadbolts can open and close doors What’s Going On
with their phone. August’s Smart
EMEMBER THE JETSONS’ CAR that folded into a suitcase?
Lock [https://august.com] o•ers Sorry, but parking spaces are still needed when you go
keyless entry to family, friends, to shop. But there’s now a machine in the works that
housekeepers and others. The R can fold shirts on demand. The Laundroid from Seven
product’s DoorSense technology Dreamers [https://bit.ly/2AVjFbM] debuted at CES in 2017 and
also gives the homeowner the appeared in upgraded form at this year’s show. The Wi-Fi-driven
ability to tell if a door is closed and product—jointly developed by Panasonic and Daiwa House—scans
Hello there. Nest’s Hello smart locked. Although the product works each article of clothing, then uses a catalogue of 256,000 images to
doorbell includes an HD video with the Nest system, Logitech’s determine the best way it should be handled, held up and folded by
camera that streams to a
phone or computer, enabling an Harmony, Comcast’s Xnity Home mechanical arms. Speed isn’t its forte, as it takes “ve to 10 minutes
owner to see visitors without and Apple’s Siri, it’s not compatible to fold a T-shirt. And at a price tag of $16,000, it’s not likely to be a
being at home. with every lock, and it currently household standard yet. But the days of accidentally burning a shirt
only runs through iPhones. Smart through hand-held ironing are numbered.
Lock retails for about $230. The Jetsons had more fun with food—real stu•, not vitamins—
with the family “nding ways to overeat, consume super cookies,
even feed a kleptomaniacal lug nut to the family maid and robot,
Rosie. One thing they didn’t have was a smart refrigerator. LG’s
Smart InstaView ThinQ [www.lg.com/us/lg-thinq] features a large
touchscreen on the front and a camera on the inside that allows
an owner to check a smartphone for food needed while they are
CREDIT: JOHNSON CONTROLS CREDIT: AUGUST Under lock and (no) key. August’s Smart Lock system provides keyless at the grocery store. The touchscreen also serves as an interactive
bulletin board for messaging, and the unit stores recipes and reads
them meals are prepared. InstaView runs on Amazon’s Alexa for
various digital assistant duties, and enables use of Amazon Prime
access to the house, and eliminates worry over whether a door was
locked before leaving home. to place orders items such as groceries. It can even request an Uber
ride if needed. GB
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