News Blog

Wireless devices and controller from Threshold.

(Credit: Stefanie Olsen/CNET Networks)

Setting up a wireless network of home-security gadgets can be a pricey venture. So a California company hopes to produce a line of low-cost gear for home automation that might appeal to the Sears and Wal-Mart set.

Petaluma, Calif.-based Threshold, a privately held company founded three and a half years ago by a former Nokia GM, is developing a set of gadgets that include front-door Webcams, motion sensors, and light controls that can talk wirelessly to a control device and the PC. The system will let people automate tasks like timing interior lights, monitoring the front door while on vacation, or keeping track of their energy footprint.

Threshold plans to release its products sometime later this year, but the company gave CNET News.com a preview of the gear late last week. (Pictured above.) The design of the gadgets leaves little to be desired, but the products could prove useful to people caring for elderly parents or trying to watch out for home intruders.

Threshold is known in the home-automation industry for developing OneNet, an open-source protocol for wireless networking in residents or small businesses. The company designed the open-source protocol in early 2007 as a low-cost alternative to proprietary wireless standards like Z-Wave or Insteon; and since then, it's been adopted by chip makers such as Texas Instruments.

But OneNet was a stepping stone for Threshold. It developed the protocol so that it could ultimately make small, low-cost devices that would run on the specification. The chip set for OneNet, according to Threshold CEO James Martin, can be made for between $1 to $2 and includes a wireless range of 300 feet indoors. In contrast, Martin said, Zensys chip set costs an estimated $2 and has a wireless range of 80 feet in the home. The chip set for the industrial wireless standard ZigBee costs as much as $7.

"We needed something low cost, with better security, and supported by a bunch of chip guys," said Martin, who left Nokia in 2004.

As a next step in Martin's vision, Threshold recently came out with an automatic device-configuration system called ConfigSpot, which works in conjunction with its upcoming products. The technology lets buyers of Threshold gadgets add a new device to the home network without reading a user's manual or running any software. ConfigSpot appears as a blue dot on top of the devices; and people need only to literally connect the dots--so they're touching--in order for the new device to be automatically installed and configured with security settings.

Threshold will eventually start by selling a home controller, or a wireless base station and application server that can control all the various Threshold devices in people's homes. The controller, which has a Linux-based computer inside, will sell for around $300, according to Martin. Once they buy the controller, customers can log to a personalized Threshold Web site to create settings for their home controller and related devices.

Devices will include a power controller to control lights and monitor energy output (about $30); a clock radio with MP3 player and LCD video monitor (about $200); a full-motion Web camera for monitoring front and back doors (about $100); and motion sensors that can track movement or environmental temperatures (about $30).

Martin said that once the products are available, he plans to sell a starter kit for around $500 that might include the controller, a Webcam and door sensors.

Martin is realistic that his products aren't groundbreaking, but he said that they are lower cost and easier to use than the competition. "Anything we do today is already done, but it's not going to be a $300 thing, it'll be a $5,000 thing," he said.

The company is funded by Martin along with a few other seed investors, including wineries such as DLM Wines. Martin said that he expects to raise a series A round of financing this summer.

InGrid's new Digital Home Protection system starts at $199.

(Credit: InGrid)

The DIY home security market is one of those fast-growing markets you don't hear that much about. But trust me, it's hot, and InGrid, one of the leading developers of digital home protection services, has entered the fray with the announcement today of the direct to consumer availability of its Digital Home Protection system.

According to the release, "The next generation in home security uses portable, digital technology and fully integrated broadband providing a nearly impossible to defeat system. Each InGrid kit comes with quick, easy step-by-step instructions and illustrations that guide installation and activation in less than 90 minutes. The system also streams up-to-the-minute weather forecasts, keeping homeowners aware of what's going on outside of their home. The sleek design of the InGrid wireless products changes the way home protection looks while the "grid of protection" changes the way it operates."

The typical custom-installed home security system starts around $4,000 and moves up from there. The good news for the do-it-yourself crowd is that this system starts at $199 for a "Basic Kit" kit that covers 1,500 square feet and $299 for a "Home Kit" that covers 2,500 square feet. The not-so-good news is to get those prices you have to subscribe to InGrid's 24-7 monitoring service, which runs $29.99/month. That's the standard rate for these types of monitoring services (I know, I pay for one myself), but at least the upfront costs are much lower.

I don't want to bore you with descriptions of all the components of the system, but if you want more info, check out InGrid's Web site.

Instead of talking about the digital home today, I thought it might be fun to relive the days of old and help us all develop a greater appreciation for the 'digital' in digital home.

Analog clock

(Credit: Ayende)

Some people have asked me what the digital home is and what makes it up. Sometimes I'll go with the obligatory, "Well, imagine a home that's full of the most advanced technology money can buy. And in the process, imagine your home making your life just a little better. That's the digital home." Other times, I'll try a more direct route: "It's the epitome of the tech revolution that we're all a part of." Sometimes I'll get approving nods, while other times I'll look at a confused face from a person who asked a simple question and didn't get an answer at all. Well, in response to those confused faces, I want to highlight the way things were and help show everyone what they're missing.

The digital home is the exact opposite of what I'm about to talk about.

So, without further ado, feast your eyes on some analog and old-time tech goodness.

The digital clock's precursor: The analog clock

If you're reading this on your computer right now, chances are there is a clock in the top right or bottom right of your screen. What does it say? What time is it? Pretty easy, huh? Now imagine a world where the digital clock is gone and the analog clock is the only means of telling time. Sure, you may have an analog watch on your wrist and you probably know how to read it, but isn't it easier to just read the time instead of trying to figure out where two hands are placed on a circular dial? I certainly think so.

The watch I wear everyday features those hands, and many of the clocks in my home are still analog. But for some reason, I still come back to the ol' digital to see what time it is; not only is it more convenient, it's easier--and I like easy.

The iPhone predecessor: Rotary phones

Rotary phone

Remember these old phones? You remember, you have to stick a digit into a hole and spin it around to register a number. Once that number registers, remember that weird static noise that would sound after every rotation? Creepy.

The rotary phone is one of the devices that I can still remember growing up. The handset was attached to the base and if you were really lucky, your family owned an extra-long phone wire so you could go elsewhere with it. The days of portable phones were still years ahead, and while some phones offered the push-dial option, the majority of phones were still using rotary dialing.

Try to go back to the days of rotary dialing and tell me how long that'll last. If you notice when you call for tech support or any other automated answering service, the voice on the other end asks rotary phone users to go elsewhere. I'm not quite sure where they go, but some have come back and said the rotary phone abyss is the scariest place on Earth. Simply put, a rotary phone is about as useful as a sundial these days. That said, I guess there's a market for them on eBay--I've seen old phones going for well over $200.

The computer's big brother: Typewriters

Typewriter

(Credit: UMN)

For some of the younger people in the crowd, do you even know what a typewriter looks like? Imagine having a 30-pound behemoth of a machine sitting on top of the desk you're currently using as a place to store your iPod, iPhone and new laptop, and imagine pressing mechanical keys that trigger a printing mechanism on the one sheet of paper you can load into it at a time. Oh, and when you get to the end of the line, make sure you push it back over so you can keep writing your 10-page paper.

That was life when the typewriter ruled the home. And while more advanced machines came out during the twilight of its life that allowed for error correction and automatic line breaks, the typewriter was mostly a pain to use. Not only did you need to line up the paper just so, if you were wrong, chances are you were starting from scratch. Today, you have the ability to hit backspace or delete on your keyboard and everything works perfectly. Be thankful you're not using a typewriter--trust me.

Say goodbye to the TI-83 and hello to the slide rule

Slide rule

(Credit: Wikipedia)

The slide rule is basically a mechanical analog computer. It features two rules or scales with a fixed outer pair and an inner pair that slides across the rules while allowing for an open window (called a cursor) to give the user results. As crazy as that explanation sounds (I'm still not sure what this thing does!), the device was just a little crazier. The slide rule was originally used for multiplication and division, but was also used for scientific functions such as roots, logs and trigonometry. Believe it or not, it was once the most commonly used tool in science and engineering before the ol' calculator came around and ruined its party.

Just imagine using one of these things today and I think you'll begin to appreciate that $80 price tag for the TI-83+.

Vinyl-lovin'

Vinyl record

(Credit: Says-it)

Remember those days of vinyl? Not only did it help to catapult the entire music industry to another, more ubiquitous level, it allowed for the best sound quality money can buy. And while some people still spend time watching records travel around in a circle, most have given up on it in favor of digital audio--a lossy format that isn't capable of capturing as much sound information as vinyl.

I've heard the justification for vinyl and some have even asked that it come back, but would you really be willing to give your iPod up for a rotating record that only plays one artist's songs and needs to be flipped over if you want to keep listening? Not me. I'll take the loss in audio over that in a second. And if you're really an audiophile, check out FLAC--it should give you adequate sound quality.

So there you have it--a quick list of some of the greatest products from years past. Sure, they may have been great back then, but could you imagine living in that world today, knowing what you know about today's technology? I have no problems with the past and if you put it into perspective, those products were then what our HDTVs and cell phones are today.

Given my druthers, I'd take the digital home any day.

As I sit in a hotel room and write this, I can't help but think that most hotels are behind the curve. As I sit on this king bed, I'm looking at a 27-inch standard-def TV and a couple of old-fashioned telephones. There's no DVD player and the video games available to me on the TV are played with the help of a Nintendo 64 controller. Am I missing something? I know I'm not staying in the Ritz-Carlton or some other fancy hotel, but come on! Can't I get something innovative?

Are your experiences the same with hotels? It seems that regardless of the quality of the hotel I stay in (this one is going for $200/night), I can't find one that offers what I'm looking for at an affordable price: an HDTV, a DVD player and full-HD content. Is that too much to ask? I certainly don't think so.

Which brings me to another idea: can it be that the hotel industry is an indicator of the nature with which we purchase our tech toys? If the hotel industry is lagging behind, is that a solid indication of where we are in terms of innovation?

For years the government has been touting a complete elimination of the TV signal as we know it today, but it continues to push it back because the people of this country haven't been able to catch up. And while this is certainly the truth, I'm starting to wonder if another reason is because the entire hotel industry hasn't even caught up yet. How can we justify flipping the HD switch when a $200/night hotel room doesn't even have a puny 20-inch LCD hanging from the wall?

I don't know. Maybe I'm just a little frustrated about being in this room. But if you ask me, the time has come for innovation in the hotel industry because, until that happens, I don't think we'll see any more innovation in the home--the hotel industry simply follows the majority of the nation.