Black and Decker to offer remote home locking solution

Hot on the heels of SchlageLink, comes Black & Dekker, owners of the Kwikset Brand, with their own version of a Z-Link powered remotely operable entry lockset.

Insiders report that the product is still in final development but is supposed to be released in the first half of 2009.

No idea on pricing, but expect it to be super competitive with other existing vendors as is typical with all Kwikset products.

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Garage Shadow Bluetooth Enabled Garage Door

The Garage|Shadow™ easily transforms your BlackBerry® smartphone into a remote for your garage door. Our interface allows you to quickly open, close and stop your garage door just like the switch currently connected to your garage door opener. Simply choose which door you want to control and press. Do this from within your car, coming back from walking your dog or if you are just doing work around the house. As long as your phone is by your side, you can access your garage.

Installation is easy. The Garage|Shadow installs just like your existing switch. Simply plug in the two wires from the Garage|Shadow, in the same location as the two wires from your switch. Activating our "automatic open" feature means that your garage door will open as soon as you come into sight of your garage. You don't have to worry about buying any more RF remotes or keypads, now, all members of the family with a BlackbBerry® smartphone can enjoy their own personal garage door remote.

Features

• Bluetooth technology means reliable, secure and easy operation
• One touch access to all garage doors
• "Automatic Open" feature knows when you have come home and opens the door for you
• Download application directly onto BlackBerry without connecting to a computer
• Easy do-it-yourself installation
• Also works with any Bluetooth enabled cell phone

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Due available in April 2009. Estimated List Price $40.00.

The Schlage LiNK remotely-controllable door lock

January 25, 2009. Locksmithing, one of man’s oldest and most venerable professions, appears set to join the digital convergence mix with the first wirelessly-controlled door lock now on the market. It's also further proof that the device formerly known as the mobile phone will one day become the remote control for much of our lives. The Z-wave-enabled Schlage LiNK deadbolts and locks offer consumers the ability to remotely control and monitor access to their home 24/7 with any web-enabled mobile phone or computer. The locks provide keyless entry through 4-digit access codes that can be entered, activated, deleted or disabled on the lock's 11-digit push button keypad or via the Schlage LiNK web portal. This means never having to circulate multiple sets of keys, never needing to stay home to meet the handyman, and the peace of mind of having a listing of which codes (i.e. who?) opened each lock and when for the last 90 days. The $300 starter kits (and subsequently $200 locks) might also be suitable for real estate agents wishing to streamline their ability to show properties.

Via the Schlage LiNK online portal, homeowners can choose to receive text or e-mail notifications when specific user codes are entered on the lock’s keypad and track code activity over the past 90 days. These features deliver peace of mind to the parents of active families so they know exactly when people are entering their home. It also does away with the need to regularly replace locks for rental properties and second homes.

The Schlage LiNK locks are Z-Wave-enabled and will work seamlessly with more than 300 other Z-Wave-enabled home automation devices. Check out the Z-Wave alliance web site here and investigate the other possibilities for home automation here. Designed with plug and play simplicity, the wireless Z-Wave Bridge easily plugs into an Ethernet port on the home computer's Internet router, the light module plugs into any standard 3 prong electrical outlet, and the Z-Wave Bridge's RF signals are fully encrypted using AEC 128 bit encryption protocols.

Schlage LiNK deadbolts and locks can be used anywhere a traditional lock is used and are available in bright brass, satin nickel and aged bronze. The locks are powered by standard AA and 9-volt batteries and typically install in less than 30 minutes with only a screwdriver.

The Schlage LiNK Starter Kit costs US$300 and includes one Schlage LiNK deadbolt or lock, a wireless Z-Wave Bridge and a compatible light module, while additional deadbolts or locks are US$200 each.

There is also a US$12.99 monthly subscription fee for use of the Schlage LiNK online portal and mobile applications, which gives homeowner the power to control all Schlage LiNK locks and a wide variety of Z-Wave enabled home automation devices.

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Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae Debacle

Articles presented recently give rise to a deceptive method (although not illegal) being perpetrated by the two leading Mortgage Companies Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae.

One particular article written by an author in Arizona includes this," Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s policy is ultra cheap for their own bottom line, but outrageously expensive for the American public who now become victims of crime and must absorb the costs associated with increased crime rates. Insurance claims have soared, forcing inflated premiums for average policy holders. Police departments must respond to more calls-- a critical challenge considering budgets have been severely cut due to the economic downturn. And all this because two mortgage giants chose simplicity for themselves over safety for the consumers they serve."

Apparently Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have been paying the locksmiths and handymen across the country to rekey foreclosed properties, but to the same keys exactly. The initiative is in effort to reduce the cost to the mortgage houses for granting access by their teams of tradespeople.

It is well known throughout the professional locksmith world that keying alike properties of separate addresses, whilst generally unknown to the end user, substantially reduces the security of a property, to the point of allowing access to people of ill intent.

Properties owned by the two leading mortgage houses have seen unprecedented levels of criminal damage and theft, often after foreclosure, with most blame being inferred upon the previous homeowner or tennant, when more likely it is due to thieves and burglars having access to the same key that the tradespeople use to access these properties.

Items like copper piping, fixed cabinetry, lighting fixtures etc, are being removed and sold on the black market. The causation to the next owner of the house is substantial increased costs in not only fixtures, but also increased insurance premiums.

In a poor economy, any added increase in costs to the consumer, fundamentally decreases the consumers ability to spend to improve the economy. The new Obama Administration is making accountability a forefront policy. It is time that the large federally backed companies also become accountable.

The reason for getting your locks changed is further heightened, with this knowledge. Not only with Freddie Mac & Fannie Mae properties but all properties, even new constructions, because how many keys do you really know are in circulation for your home or office?

Master key systems and key control systems need to have professional locksmith attention to maintain the security and safety of the consumer.

Change Locks Now! (for your peace of mind and your family safety)

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Identity Theft - Stolen Adresses

Identity theft is a common concern, but what if your address was stolen? An Omaha woman is getting unwanted business mail addressed to her home.

"Sometimes I get more mail for the locksmith than I do myself," says Lois, who doesn't want her last name used. Piles of junk mail for 24-Hour A Locksmith come to her address.

"Why would a reputable company hijack someone's address and use it as their business address unless there was some reason to conceal it?"

24-Hour A Locksmith has a local phone number, but a call goes to a dispatch center on the east coast. "They put the addresses in there so you know that they're nearby and in your area, but there's no store fronts at all there,” says a dispatcher.

"I'm trying to find out why that address is being used?" asked Channel 6 News’ Mike McKnight. After a Six On Your Side call to 24-Hour A Locksmith for assistance, a local locksmith was dispatched.

"I don't know if it's legal or illegal, I don't know anything about that," he said. "I have nothing to do with that.”

Would he call them and ask why are they doing this? “I don't think it's any of my business, that's their problem."

Postal inspector Dave Margritz found 24-Hour A Locksmith on three Internet Yellow Page Web sites. All show the address for the company which we won't reveal because it's Lois' house.

"We're going to contact those three Web sites that I found and demand they take that listing off there because that company is not authorized to use her address," says Margritz.

Lois worries that one day a disgruntled customer will show up on her doorstep when she's home alone. "I'm not in the phone book, I have an unlisted number. I just have no idea how this locksmith got my address and felt they could use it."

The hijacking of her address by an out-of-state dispatch company for local locksmiths has Lois worried about opening her mail and her door.

The locksmith who responded to our call to the dispatch center says he's an independent contractor working for Dependable Locksmith out of The Bronx, New York.

Channel 6 News left numerous messages with dispatchers asking a manager to call Six On Your Side. No one ever did.

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Google is the worlds leading search engine, but unfortunately it is not immune to the fraudulent tactics of these and other unscrupulous companies either.

I have personally investigated the matter and noticed some interesting characteristics. Specific among these characteristics is the fraudulent company's claim to be allowed to use the subject address due to their works having been performed there, at one time. This action specifically confuses the search engines ability to recognize an address as true or false.

Coincidentally, the other more generic search engine known as The Yellow Pages, also suffers from similar identity frauds because similar addresses are also not checked prior to inclusion in their print books. Therefore, it begs the question as to whether or not the Yellow Pages and web search engines are aiding and abetting these fraudulent companies to defraud the markeplace?

Biometric Access Control With Face Recognition Technology

RCG Security products distributes some brilliant technology designed for the access control market.

The FxGuard Pro offers the most accurate
facial identification and verification
technology available today. The technology
is user-friendly and highly intuitive with
verification time of less than 1 second.
For added security, FxGuard Pro adopts
dual-factor authentication (right token
and right face). The system is suitable for
access control at public exhibitions and
business & government premises.



• The first facial recognition application that runs primarily on TCP/IP.
• Easy integration with corporate LAN.
• Proven speed and accuracy.
• Cross-platform compatibility.
• Built-in infrared sensor and RFID reader.
• Perfect for access control and time-and-attendance application.
• Facial verification takes less than 1 second.

FxGuard Pro can easily integrate with
corporate Local Area Network (LAN) and
PC workstation or server. It is the first facial
recognition solution that runs primarily on
TCP/IP. This ensures cross-platform
compatibility and users don’t need to install
special software on any PC. With its
user-friendly Web Administration Interface,
clients can easily setup, maintain and access
information in the device by only using an
Internet browser.

FxGuard Pro biometric access
control can help to reduce security
cost with automated, unmanned
entry points. All required software
is embedded in the device and no
dedicated computer is required.
This reduces cost of maintenance.

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HDMI Connection Lock

Not the usual product posting in this site, but still a novel approach to securing those HDMI cords, that sometimes have a nasty habit of falling out.

Designed to work with most HDMI components and most HDMI cords, the premise is pretty simple. The lock uses either a screw or adhesive to stick itself around the HDMI port, forming a sort of outer port that can clamp to your HDMI cord. At $20 a pair, the EZ locks cost as much as some HDMI cords. But then again, if you're spending thousands or tens of thousands on your home theater setup, maybe they're not a horrible investment.

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Help Lock - Restroom Assistance For Mentally Or Physically Challenged

This concept door lock for bathrooms is designed to initiate assistance for people who might be physically or mentally challenged.

The concept is: In the initial setup, you program a time limit—say, 20 minutes—for your future bathroom. From that point on, whenever you close the door and activate the alarm, the Help Lock will sound a preliminary alarm after the allotted time, giving the bathroom inhabitant 30 seconds to deactivate it. After that, the doorknob will initiate an alert call to whatever number you've chosen to enter, whether it be a neighbor or emergency services.


This is a concept that will be released commercially in the near future.

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