security

The year 2020 will mean different things to different businesses, however, I have noticed that many businesses, governments and world organisations have set themselves goals which they would like to achieve by 2020.  In terms of numbers it is five years from now and five years short of a quarter century.  For the connected home sector there are many predictions around its worth by the year 2020 and how many homes will have the technology.  The sector is not short of evangelists and analysts, predicting many changes and milestones for the sector.

Digitization and rapid developments in digital technology has made it possible to collect data on almost anything; this includes biological, physical, mechanical, structural and atmospheric. It also made it easier for us to quantify and connect all of these items so that they communicate, to us or among themselves.  This is where IoT (Internet of Things) comes in, its concepts has raised hope and fears about its possibilities. A major fear is; can we trust the technology to protect our privacy?

Gainsborough is making having a different key for every access points in your home a thing of the past with their new G+ home access system.  The G+ Access system eliminates the need to carry separate alarm, garage door and gate remote controls in addition to front door keys.  G+ gives the home owner control from inside and convenience from the outside.

According to research firm ABI Research an estimated $590 million was spent on smart grid security technologies in 2010. They are projecting that by 2016 the amount will surpass $2 billion. In 2011, security spending on transmission upgrades made up the largest portion of smart grid spending; approximately 54%. ABI expects security spending to maintain this trend over the next five years.

The entire energy sector eyes are on Hawaii’s second largest island of Maui.  The island's electricity provider Maui Electric Company (MECO) and the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute at the University of Hawaii (HNEI) said they want to reduce their dependency on imported Diesel Oil.  Currently 15 percent of the island’s electricity is generated by renewable energy and they have set themselves an ambitious target of increasing this number to 70 percent by the year 2030. Therefore, Maui Island has become a test bed for the latest in smart grid technologies under a Japanese-businesses and US joint partnership.

ADT Security has released the ADT Pulse, a new interactive smart home touch screen solution. The ADT Pulse will provide anytime and anywhere access to your home security system via computer, iPhone or smartphone. ADT Pulse can be integrated into your whole home automation solution, so you can manage light, temperature, get security alerts and more.  It is built around Z-Wave open standard and will support other home automation solutions.