Kidde SmartHome Remote Lync System
December 2015 – A long time name in household and commercial security and monitoring Kidde, has introduced two components of their home and SOHO/SMB smart home system. These are a monitor for detectors in the building and a security camera. Both are supported by a smartphone app that is the center point for all the components in their system. The app is available for both iOS and Android.
The products have a straight forward installation, and it starts with installation of the app. The app is called RemoteLync and is found under the search in both iTunes and Google Play. The app installs normally and does not turn on any unnecessary services on the phone. The app also does not require and financial information, as the use of the app is not a fee based service.
Both the monitor and camera use WiFi based connectivity. The devices have both a host and client side controller for the WiFi, so the intitial connection is through the WiFi of the device to the smartphone, and then it prompts for the environment SSID and sign-on, so it can act as gateway device. While this simplifies the connects and insures compatibility with both IPv4 and IPv6 networks along with DHCP protocols in any valid IP range, the connection method can be slightly confusing. On the latest version of Android version 5.0, when the device first connects to the smart phone, the only notification is the WiFi from the environment’s network dropping. It does not command the device to open the settings screen for WiFi and prompt for selection of the device’s network to start. Once selected the rest of the setup is mostly automated to connecting the device and network configuration. On iOS the prompts have a similar pause.
Kidde RemoteLync App and Monitor
The Monitor product is a plugin to any outlet and leave it device. It works by having a microphone located in the device that listens for detectors in your home/office to go off and then sending a notification to the smart phone. These detectors include smoke detectors, CO2 detectors, and Radon detectors. The device is specified for all UL listed brands of smoke and CO2 detectors, but works with most Radon detectors also. As the unit use a microphone to listen to the sound of the other alarms, it does not need to be located near them and will work for both connected and standard legacy detectors. The device runs off the line power and will not report during a power outage, as it requires a live running wireless internet session to work.
Kidde RemoteLync Home Security Camera
The security camera is a rechargeable self-contained unit. The connection method is the same as monitor product, and similarly connected without incident or difficulty. The camera has a couple of unique to the market features – first it is a completely wireless product. It uses a magnetic base to mount on the wall. The magnetic connection is strong enough to hold the camera stationary, but it easily repositioned if needed or removed to recharge the unit. The unit has an integrated motion sensor and lighting system, so it can capture images in both day and night. The motion sensor keeps the camera off in most cases until it senses something, then it enables capture of a 1sec to 30sec long video clip that is sent to the smart phone via the WiFi network. In this use model, the camera only needs to be charged about every 3 months, and the app informs the smartphone when a charging of the camera needs to be performed.
