CES: Canary in the mine: device makes homes smarter and safer

Las Vegas – Up until the 1980s canary birds were used to detect noxious gasses in mines. Now a different kind of device, with the same name, could help guard your home from intruders, fires or floods.

The all-in-one security system, shown at International CES, is equipped with an HD camera and humidity, temperature, air quality, motion and sound sensors. By connecting with either Wi-Fi or Ethernet, Canary sends real-time updates to a phone while the user is away from their house.

Using a mobile app, people are notified when the conditions in their homes change. As they monitor their homes from afar, they can act on what they see. For instance, if they see a burglar breaking in, they can notify the police through the app, sound a siren, or simply record footage of the intruder.

‘You can use Canary as much or as little as you want. If you’re a parent you can check on the kids intermittently if you’re away, or just be safe in the knowledge that the house isn’t on fire,’ says Lee Hampton, software developer at Canary.

The innovation fits well with the state of the current housing market in the US, according to Hampton: ‘With many people renting right now, especially in New York, most of these people have no security installed in their homes, and getting it is prohibitively expensive. We wanted to provide something that was more accessible, affordable and democratised.’

In the connected world, consumers will be able to join up previously separate areas of their lives, and be everywhere, all the time. Check LS:N Global’s shows for our forthcoming review of the 2014 International CES.