Internet-connected home security cameras are great for keeping an eye on your place, but they rarely give you a complete picture of what’s going on at home. If you want to keep tabs on everything happening in your house, you need something more. Notion, a new home monitoring system, wants to do that job.
Designed to complement your security camera’s function, the system can keep an eye on every door and window on your house, as well as water leaks, emergency alarms, and prevailing temperatures. Basically, it gathers information your security camera can’t, so you can get a more complete picture of how your home is doing even when you’re away.
Notion consists of two module: the bridge and the sensors. The bridge is a device that plugs in to a wall outlet and hops on to your Wi-Fi network, allowing it to serve as a central for the multiple sensors scattered all throughout your home. Each sensor module comes with a variety of actual sensors inside, allowing it to perform different tasks. Yes, they could have created different modules for each individual sensor, although doing it this way sure makes it a lot easier to set up.
You install the sensor by snapping it onto a surface using the adhesive backing, then launching the app and defining its exact function on there. As of now, you can use the sensor module to look out for one of four things: motion, water, sound, and temperature. For motion, you can attach the sensor to a door or window to get alerts every time each one is opened (you can monitor the front door as well as your gun safe this way), while attaching it to a lower part of the wall in the bathroom can let you know when the area is getting flooded. For the sound function, you can place it near your home’s smoke alarm to receive an instant alert every time it goes off, while the temperature function allows you to keep tabs on exact temperatures in every part of the house.
Each Notion sensor actually comes with four other functions, although they aren’t activated yet. These are acceleration, natural frequency, angular rate, and light, all of which do sound a little more complicated than the first four, which is why, we guess, they’re still tweaking things on the software side. No word, so far, on when those functions will be activated.
Since they are expected to be exposed to water and sunlight, depending on functions, the sensors are IP67 water-resistant, UV-resistant, and capable of functioning in extreme temperatures, so they can perform their duties without succumbing to the elements. The sensor, by the way, is powered by a single AAA battery, which can keep it running for up to two years before requiring a replacement. And, yes, the app will alert you whenever that’s necessary, so no need to check every once in a while.
The Notion Home Awareness Kit is available now.
