Sponsored by Silver Star Communications
Heath Jensen from Silver Star Communications joined SVI Radio to discuss the latest in home automation systems.
He is a developer with the company and he says there is still some confusion to people about what automation is. He says many people may associate it with the Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant that will play music or turn off lights when you tell it.
“Those are fun, but they’re basically just party tricks,” Jensen said. “We’ve discovered devices out there that actually enhance what you can do with the broadband through apps on your phone.
“You can actually monitor your house and control your home, as well as be notified if there is something wrong in your house.”
He says it does start with reliable wifi in the home and once that is established there are lots of things you can do with it. For example, the Silver Star Communications has been studying sensors in the home that make monitoring your home so easy.
“These sensors allow you to know what temperature is going on in your home,” Jensen said. “Or if there’s a water leak or a door opened which is a whole new realm of having that insight as to what’s going on in your home.”
He used an example of a water heater. You set up one of these sensors by it to monitor the unit. If there is a problem, a notification to your phone will tell you not only if there is a leak, but if the temperature drops above or below certain settings.
“Most homes have a lot more water damage than fire or theft,” Jensen said. “Water damage is the leading cause of an insurance claim.”
He said this was originally developed to cater to the snowbirds to give them a way to monitor what’s going on in their house. With these sensors it can tell if the door is opened, windows are opened, if the temperature is too cold, etc.
This device is called the Notion Home Monitoring System. Silver Star Communications has been working directly with a company called Notion out of Colorado. Part of the reason Silver Star teamed up with them is because one sensor is responsible for multiple things.
“You can provision that sensor to look for water leaks or high or low temperature swings,” Jensen said. “It’ll do both of those. A lot of the devices out there require separate devices to do it.”
He says there are lots of uses for those who live year-round as well. You can set one up at the door and it will notify you if the door opens to maybe let you know your child made it home safely from school. He says there are ways to customize it as well.
“An odd one I have is in my medicine cabinet at home, I’ve put one of these sensors,” Jensen said. “So I know every time the medicine cabinet opens, someone’s been in it.”
He says the marketing department at Silver Star Communications will be running a special on the new product. So he said you should be able to buy the Notion with some cost savings at the beginning of September.
