Many see home automation as the next big thing in the consumer electronics space and D-Link is keen to plant a flag in the emerging connected smart home with its new mydlink Home range of smart devices. The line includes five modules aimed at letting homeowners control technology around the home using a smartphone or tablet, be it from the comfort of the sofa or when out and about.
The heart of mydlink is made up of four modules designed to keep an eye (or sensor) on the home and react accordingly. According to D-Link, these made to be simple to set up with one-button installation using QR codes and a setup wizard.
The mydlink modules include:
- Home Monitor HD: This is a one-megapixel camera with wireless AC connectivity, night-vision with infrared illumination and an integrated microphone. This has a fixed point of view and is intended for monitoring entrances, garages, and similar areas.
- Home Monitor 360: A fully-featured pan and tilt camera, the Monitor 360 is for monitoring large areas or to reduce blind spots. It boasts real-time H.264 and MJPEG compression, night vision capability and an integrated microphone.
- Home Smart Plug: This Wi-Fi-enabled module is a simple device that plugs into a wall outlet, with appliances then plugged into the module. This allows users to turn appliances on and off remotely, schedule automatic activation and deactivation, receive activity notifications and monitor energy use. The plug also has a overheating safety cutout.
- Home Wi-Fi Motion Sensor: This motion sensor is a one-piece module that also plugs into a mains socket. It has one-button setup and can detect any movement within 8 m (26 ft).
These modules are controlled by the mydlink Home mobile app, available for Android or iOS, that allows direct control of the modules and can be used to set schedules to turn appliances on and off. It also sends email alerts when activity is detected by the modules, and can be used to pair the wireless modules so they can work together, such as the Motion Sensor pairing wirelessly with a Smart Plug connected to a lamp to turn it on when someone enters the room.
The mydlink system is designed to work in concert with not only the aforementioned modules, but also the mydlink Home Music Everywhere module. This wirelessly streams music from an Android or iOS device, or any network-connected media player that supports DLNA or AirPlay, to a connected speaker of home stereo with a standard 3.5 mm input jack. Like the other modules, it plugs directly into the mains and operates using a secured Wi-Fi connection.
"Most households now have digital music libraries spread across several devices, combined with music from online streaming services. Music Everywhere makes it incredibly easy to tap into these and stream music around the house, without the short range limitations of Bluetooth," says Kevin Wen, President of D-Link Europe. "For added convenience, it also boosts Wi-Fi coverage in hard-to-reach areas, such as basements and upstairs bedrooms, ensuring a great listening experience no matter where you are in your home. Music Everywhere helps you turn your simple home into a smart home."
D-Link says that Music Everywhere can not only increase a home Wi-Fi network's range, but also the speed to upwards of 300 Mbps.
"D-Link’s motto is 'Home is where the smart is' and the new mydlink Home range fulfills that perfectly. Our complete smart home ecosystem truly simplifies home automation, control and security," says Wen. "Most current 'smart home' systems are expensive and complicated to install. We are leading the market in developing this affordable, full-featured do-it-yourself suite of home automation solutions. The devices can be used individually or together, set up quickly and don’t require any monthly fees or subscriptions. Now it’s easy to turn your simple home into a smart home."
The mydlink Home range and Music Everywhere module will go on sale in Europe on October 7 with pricing yet to be announced.
Source: D-Link
Affordable home automation has been around since the 80s. Its primary value is in turning lights on and off. X10 lamp modules cost about $12, work fine, and are still readily available. Attempts to replace it with +$100 devices have all failed. This product is unlikely to succeed.
Thx for the info on X10. I am now looking into it. So many of these solutions around now, choosing the right one can be hard.
Early X10 systems were able to connect to home computers* and some even had voice command capability, though that part didn't work too well due to the limits of available technology.
You had to train it for each command and if what you said later didn't match close enough it didn't work or would perform the wrong function.
*I know interfaces were available for apple ][ and TI-99/4A. Most likely was available for Commodore 64 too. I wouldn't be surprised to find that X10 for MSX computers was available in Japan.