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Devolo and D-Link show off smart home sensors, cameras and plugs

Home networking providers Devolo and D-Link have launched into the smart home monitoring and energy control market at IFA 2014.

Known for their routers, WiFi access points and Powerline plugs, they’ll soon be offering motion detectors which talk to smart plugs and apps on your smartphone.

Devolo’s also promising thermostats, radiator controllers and smoke alarms, while D-Link will have motion-detecting HD security cameras.

Devolo's smart home control includes thermostats and keyfob switches
Devolo’s smart home control includes thermostats and keyfob switches

Devolo Home Control

The Devolo Home Control range will land in the UK in early 2014 with a starter pack expected to cost around £180.

This will combine a door/window contact switch, smart plug and the essential central control unit, which integrates low-power Z-Wave communications with Powerline tp connect to your router.

The Door/window contact switch also includes brightness and temperature sensors, so it can send a variety of alerts if doors and windows are opened.

The smart plug doesn’t only switch devices on and off on command, it also measures power consumption and can use this to alert you if a device stops drawing power – maybe when the washing machine has finished its cycle.

You’ll also be able to add a wireless motion detector and a smoke detector, and create rules in the My Devolo app for how different events such as detecting movement set off actions like turning on a light or sending a text message.

In a briefing at IFA, Devolo promised their motion detector will be able to tell the difference between people, pets and moving objects like cars or robot vacuum cleaners.

The wireless room thermostat, thermostatic radiator valves and door/window sensors will be able to combine for adjusting the temperature around your home, although there’s no plan for a boiler control unit to turn your heating on and off.

Finally, there will be wireless stick-on wall switches and a four-button remote control keyfob, which can be set up to control individual switches or activate more complex scenarios.

Mydlink combines cameras and sensors for smartphone security
Mydlink combines cameras and sensors for smartphone security

Mydlink Home

Getting the jump on Devolo with a UK launch in early October, 2014, Mydlink Home is a more security-focussed system with a motion sensor, smart plug and wireless cameras.

The WiFi Motion Sensor plugs into any socket and communicates with other components via 2.4GHz WiFi 802.11b/g/n. 

D-Link’s entry-level camera is the Home Monitor HD, a full colour fixed-position 720p HD-Ready camera with built-in night vision at up to five metres, with four times digital zoom.

It uses 802.11b/g/n WiFi at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, so it can stream HD at 30fps in real time, and can be triggered by both motion and sound.

The alternative is the Home Monitor 360, a non-HD (640×48) camera adding 360-degree pan-and-tilt movement, up to eight metres of night vision, and an Ethernet port as well as WiFi.

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