home security

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on home security:

Protect your valuables with Yale’s new HomeKit-enabled smart safes

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Yale's new smart safes come in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi versions.
Yale's new smart safes come in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi versions.
Photo: Yale Home

Worried about keeping your valuables safe? Venerable lock maker Yale said Tuesday it has two new smart safes for you: Yale Smart Safe and Yale Smart Safe with Wi-Fi.

And you can control the new safes using the Home app via HomeKit. Or, in the case of the Wi-Fi-enabled safe, with the Siri voice assistant.

Safeguard your home with this DIY security system

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Check for break-ins from your iPhone with this DIY security kit.
Secure your home from your iPhone with this DIY smart security kit.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Is your home safe? With more than a million burglaries every year in the United States, it could be worth double-checking. If you want to ensure your home’s safety even when you aren’t there, you don’t need an expensive security system. The Smart Home DIY Wireless Alarm Security System is easy to install and can alert you 24/7 to a break-in.

For a limited time, it’s only $69.99 (regularly $89). And you won’t need to pay exorbitant monthly fees, like most other systems require.

Fortify your doors with reinforced smart locks

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Aura Lock
Upgrade your home security with one of these advanced door locks.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Security is key, whether online or IRL. Thanks to smartlocks, though, secure doors don’t need keys. Install one on your door, and you can enter and exit more securely, using a simple code or even your thumbprint. That’s just what these two smart locks bring to any home or office.

Easily control Abode’s DIY security system with iPhone and HomeKit [Review]

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Abode Iota review
Abode Iota includes a camera, motion sensor and supports HomeKit home automation.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Abode Iota is a do-it-yourself security system that’s one of the very few with support for Apple’s HomeKit home-automation platform. That means it’s a breeze to control from your iPhone. It includes a camera, motion detector and windows/door sensor. Additional sensors can be added.

I installed the Iota Starter Kit and have extensively tested it. Read on to see whether it’s the right solution to secure your home or business.

Abode’s cheap DIY home security kit adds HomeKit

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Abode Smart Security Kit gets you started
The starter Abode Smart Security Kit now works with Apple’s home-automation system.
Photo: Abode

Abode’s do-it-yourself home security system just gained support for Apple HomeKit. With this software update, the Smart Security Kit can be controlled via Siri commands, and an iPhone or other Apple device will be notified when sensors detect a window or door is opened, or there’s movement in the house.

The best iPhone accessories on sale for Prime Day 2019 [Update]

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Best-iPhone-accessories-Prime-2019
Enjoy these stellar savings while you can.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

UPDATE: New deals added!

Amazon Prime Day isn’t over yet. You have another day to enjoy deep discounts on more than 1 million products, and Cult of Mac is here to help you seek out the best before they’re gone.

We’ve rounded up the best iPhone accessories right here. You’ll find cheap Beats and Bose headphones, smart speakers from Sonos, must-have battery packs from Anker, and lots more.

Bust out your wallet and enjoy these massive savings while you can.

Apple takes on Lighthouse team after acquiring security patents

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Lighthouse
Is Apple planning to make cameras of its own?
Photo: Lighthouse

Around 20 members of the Lighthouse team are now working at Apple, according to a new report.

The hires, which include two company co-founders, come after Apple acquired a bunch of Lighthouse’s home security patents earlier this month. An email sent to customers this week requested permission to transfer security camera data with Apple.

Forget about passcodes with this Wi-Fi-enabled smart safe [Deals]

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With Wi-Fi connectivity, smartphone access and other cool features, the iKeyp smart safe is ideal for storing often-used valuables like meds, passports, and more.
With Wi-Fi connectivity, smartphone access and other cool features, this smart safe is ideal for storing often-used valuables like meds.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Everyone owns valuables they want to keep safe, from jewelry to passports to medication. But keeping the stuff we need on a daily basis in a traditional metal safe just isn’t practical. Ever tried to enter a passcode on a safe’s clunky dial in a rush? It’s hard, by design.

Keep a watchful eye on your home when you’re away [Deals]

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This WiFi camera is ideal for home security, keeping an eye on your baby, or just answering the door.
This WiFi camera is ideal for home security, keeping an eye on your baby, or just answering the door.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Whether it’s wrangling kids or avoiding break-ins, home security cameras are a must for many situations. Some security cams are a complex mess. But others, like this new smart Wi-Fi camera from Sinji, are a cinch to set up and use.

Floodlight Cam combines all-in-one security with simple setup

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Ring Floodlight Cam
Floodlight Cam does it all.
Photo: Ring

CES2017 Step up your home security with the new Ring Floodlight Cam.

Making its debut at CES 2017 in Las Vegas this week, the Floodlight Cam keeps an eye on your property with 1080p video recording, motion detection and the loudest siren available on an outdoor camera. What’s more, it’s incredibly easy to install.

Home security kit will keep you safe (but not your wallet)

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MyFox's wireless home security hardware works well but will cost you a pretty penny.
MyFox's wireless home security hardware works well but will cost you a pretty penny.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

A few years ago, home security systems were a luxury for the rich and famous (or at least the well-off). They could be super-expensive, clunky, and usually had to be installed by a team of security specialists.

But times are changing. As the market becomes flooded with smart home-security systems, they get better and better. A great example: wireless security systems by MyFox.

Presence security camera keeps an eye outside your door

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The Presence that promises to deliver peace of mind.
The Presence that promises to deliver peace of mind.
Photo: Netatmo

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage
Consumer electronics company Netatmo has made a camera that is easily overlooked as it keeps a lookout outside your door.

The outdoor surveillance camera Netatmo named Presence uses an algorithm to detect whether something in its view is a person, car or animal. It then immediately sends a notification through a companion iPhone or Android app along with an option to see what the camera recorded.

Affordable iOS security kit locks down your house

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Here's our review of this cool security system.
Here's our review of this cool security system.
Photo: Stephen Smith/Cult of Mac

A connected home security system that you can run right from your iPhone sounds like a fantastic idea. But which system should you pick up?

We’ve taken a look at the Skylink Alarm System Starter Kit to see what it can do. It includes a security hub, various window and door sensors, and a slick Wi-Fi-connected camera that you can set up and use from your iPhone no matter where you are in the world.

Check out our fun video review of this iOS-controlled home security system below.

Apple loves this new security cam and its 1TB of storage

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The Uniden home security system is only available from the manufacturer or Apple.
The Uniden home security system is only available from the manufacturer or Apple.
Photo: Uniden

Home security system manufacturer Uniden just released a swanky new system that can store 120 days’ worth of data and, if you want one, you’ll have to go directly through the manufacturer or Apple.

The Uniden Wireless DVR HDD comes with two cameras and a 1TB drive for storing your home movies like so many unwatched episodes of Psych. And it could lead to some bad news for smart-thermostat maker Nest’s own security offering.

Hands On: Capture Home Invaders, Not Freaky Time In Your Living Room [CES 2014]

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https://youtu.be/_RenT6bTtis

LAS VEGAS — Webcams are such a thing of the past. The Canary is an Indiegogo-funded security camera and app that uses algorithms to detect abnormal movement in your home and send you an alert.

Which means, of course, that you can use the Canary not only to get notifications when there’s out-of-the-ordinary activity recorded, but also to capture video you can look at later that may not have tripped a notification.

We talked with the Canary crew at CES, as you can see in the video above.

Bond Factor: Now Surveil Your Home in HD on the iPad

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logitech-alert

Doubtless because creeps look indistinguishable from the pizza delivery guy on the iPhone’s tiny, standard-def screen, Logitech yesterday released an HD, iPad-version of their remote CCTV app, Logitech Alert.  The app allows the user to monitor hi-def feeds, complete with “rich audio,” from an installed Logitech Alert CCTV camera system over the Internet.

While the app is free, the hardware starts at $300, and lets you observe a live feed from your iPad or iPhone; you can also view footage recorded onto your computer’s HD directly. An extra $80/year will net you the full Monte, allowing remote review (with an iDevice) of recorded footage from your computer’s HD.

The App’s page states “please use Wi-Fi for the best video and audio performance and experience,” which we’re assuming means the service will function over 3G, albeit most likely with hobbled performance.