LAS VEGAS — You don’t need Minority Report-style precog powers to stop crime before it starts, say the makers of the Myfox Security System and Myfox Security Camera. Usable separately or together, these two new smarthome security products were announced today (January 4) at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Both the Myfox Security System and the Security Camera will go on sale this Spring. The Security Camera costs $199, and the Security System, which includes one sensor for detecting intruders, a siren, one key fob, and a connection hub, costs $299.
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The Myfox Security Camera is controllable via a mobile app for Android and iOS, and features a 720 pixel lens and a 130 degree viewing angle. The camera also has motion detection and night vision capabilities, so it's less likely to miss anything suspicious.
But what if you want your cameras to miss something? For people who'd rather not be watched all the time, the Security Camera features a mechanical shutter that, when drawn, blocks both visual and audio recording. You can move the shutter manually via the app, or set it so the shutter closes when you're home, and opens when you leave, thus ensuring your privacy even from yourself.
All recordings are automatically backed up to Myfox's servers via its cloud storage system. This connection is encrypted via SSL to protect users’ privacy.
The Security Camera works alone, or it can work in tandem with the Security System, a set of devices designed to stop intruders.
When placed on a home’s doors and windows, the Security System’s motion detectors, called IntelliTAG sensors, can detect vibrations on the surfaces that may signal danger. A Myfox representative at CES told me that the sensors can distinguish between the vibrations of a friendly visitor knocking at the door, for example, and the vibrations of a window being forced open from the outside.
If a disturbance does occur, the sensors ping the connection hub via a radio frequency, which then pings the siren to emit a piercing wail designed to scare criminals away. At the same time, owners are alerted of the incident via the Myfox mobile app, and given the option to alert the police.
Owners can control the System via the same smartphone app as the Camera. If you want to add other people to the system, such as children or neighbors, all they’d have to do is download the Myfox app.
Alternatively, owners can use the key fob included in the Myfox Security System to disarm it when they come home. Fobs can also be registered to individuals, and the Myfox Security System will record when these folks come and go. If you give the fob to a child, for example, you’ll be able to see when the child enters and leaves the house.
Additional fobs and sensors will be available for purchase when the systems themselves go on sale, but pricing for the individual devices has yet to be determined.
In the case of a power outage, the Myfox Security Camera also has a one-hour embedded battery so it can continue recording. Further, if your home Wi-Fi has any issues, your Myfox system can send its recording data via LoRa frequency to other Myfox systems within a two-mile radius, which will then upload the data via working Wi-Fi to Myfox’s servers.
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Jill Scharr is a staff writer for Tom's Guide, where she regularly covers security, 3D printing and video games. You can follow Jill on Twitter @JillScharr and on Google+. Follow us @tomsguide, on Facebook and on Google+.
