homescape.honoluluadvertiser.com/homes/january08/hs0108 -
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Published on: 10/7/2008
Last Visited: 5/30/2008
"The latest trend is integration," says Don Smith, vice president of sales and operations for Alert Alarm of Hawaii."For many years it was just the burglar alarm and the fire alarm, but now there are integrated homeautomation systems.Everything can be controlled from a touch screen.You can monitor with close-circuit TV, and the Internet lets you check on what's going on in your house from your office or anywhere else in the world."
Homeowners can now access security alarm systems remotely through the Internet, Smith says."They can change codes, add or delete a user, and arm or disarm a system."
"If you have a problem with a property manager, for example, you can delete his code and he won't have access to the property," he says.
Digital cameras, which have become more affordable in recent years, allows for the transmission of images through the Internet.Homeowners are able to keep track of the activity through laptops, PDAs and cell phones.
Digital recordings flag any activity and allow those viewing it to go straight to the specific time and date when that activity occurred, according to Smith.
"Not only can you watch live via the Internet, but if you suspect a problem you can view a recording and see what happened," he says.
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The best line of defense outside of technology, according to Smith, is one of the oldest.
"Get to know your neighbors," he says.
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