When the door bell rings, do you know who is calling? This next product could help.
Encased within a bulbous, lacquered white shell, the takes central stage in the kit. It comes with a mount unit that features a built-in articulated device that allows the angle at which the camera points to be adjusted through 90 degrees. A set of three screws and rawl plugs are provided for attaching the mount and camera to an outside location.
Most people will have heard of Ring for their video doorbells. However they also do other products and here is a Security System with an associated item a Glass Break Sensor. In my area there are dozens of homes that have Ring door bells and these do have a small security aspect in that every time movement is detected even if the bell is not pushed you get an alert to your phone.
So here I am looking at the Ring Alarm package plus the Glass Break Sensor which works with the Ring Alarm. The Base Station is 17x17x3.5cm and can connect via Ethernet or USB and this brings together all the parts of the system. Next is the Key Pad which can be wall mounted or sit near a main entrance door, it is 11x10.5x2cm, it can run on battery or from USB. What else you get depends on the model you purchase, lower down the box I got sent are seven items.
Having recently told you about a large outdoor camera that can be Wi-Fi or Ethernet here one that is a lot smaller but it still offers the choice of Wi-Fi or Ethernet but of course it weighs a lot less and has another very useful feature it’s a lot cheaper but still offers the same resolution of 2K.
The camera measures 5.5x5.5x7cm and its fixed mount can move it 7cm further out from whatever it is mounted on. Its hard wired lead can go through a wall or window frame up to 35cm from the camera. The mount allows a good area of coverage. At night you can set either monochrome or as an added help as deterrent full colour with the aid of the built in spotlight. You get a near instant notification of any movement being detected on your Smartphone.
While you may feel safe when in your home, could you say the same when connected to the Internet?
While perhaps not as familiar as some names in the world of computer protection, ESET has a well-established reputation for developing protective solutions for customers. Founded in 1992, ESET is a Slovakia-based company with its current range of products including Anti-Virus, Smart Security and Password Manager plus the subject of this review ESET Internet Security.
Having recently updated the drivers on my computer courtesy of Avast, I decided to look at the company's latest general protection offering.
This is one of the few pieces of software that is always installed on my PC or notebook, I have used it for years and apart from a couple of occasions when I have had to do a total reinstall of everything when the hard disk failed all other problems – including my stupidity – have been resolved by visiting my last backup normally to restore files.
For just over a year I have not had other security software and just relied on Acronis – now Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office – to keep me safe from those who wish me harm. Some may wish to make money from things like Ransomware and others just want to prove they can make life difficult.
This is a battery controlled external camera with Siren and Floodlight and you have the choice of what it can detect, as an example ‘human only’ would be great in my area with the number of cats and foxes that roam around, if can save lots of false alarms that both you and your neighbour's will appreciate.
The Arlo Pro4 Spotlight Camera measures 7x4.5x8cm, the last figure the depth is to the back of the camera the mount can add around another 4cm to the depth. Like so many things today it is linked to your phone and indeed the setup of the unit is on your phone in the Arlo App.
Offering to add visual capture facility to your car is a device from a company with strong Korean connections.
When thinking of automobile GPS navigation devices and dash cams, one company whose name does not immediately spring to mind is that of Thinkware. This is probably for the reason that Thinkware has concentrated its effort at developing its profile in the field of automobile accessories in Korea rather than the rest of the world.
As computer-targeted threats continue to grow. so antivirus software companies need to offer users appropriate protection.
As one of the oldest producers of IT security solutions, F-Secure has built up a reputation in the field of developing both hardware and software solutions to face the threat of unwanted attacks on computer set ups. In the past I have looked at some of the company's hardware products, such as F-Secure Sense, now it is the turn of F-Secure software. This product is the company's F-Secure TOTAL which is available on a subscription basis to suit the needs of the customer.
Personal data has an attracting for many as they can not keep their hands off it. It is up to you to protect this type of data from the schemes of hackers.
Setting up the product, in its initial format, is relatively easy as you follow a series of instruction screens. These screens will include options to accept or decline for feedback to be sent to Eset and whether you want to enable or disable potentially unwanted applications. The installation routine concludes with an initial automatic scan of the system under protection. As well as this automatic scan, there is a choice of other types of targeted scans.
Most recent ‘outdoor’ cameras that have crossed my desk have been battery offerings that would require you to climb up to change the battery or recharge it. They of course require only fitting, this offering from D-Link is wired so it needs to go through either a wall window or door frame to get power and to deliver its signal to you.
It is 8.5x5.5x6.5cm the last figure the depth is increased by the bracket so could be as much as 12cm. The hard wired lead that emerges from the back of the bracket is 4.2 metres long ending in a round 1cm across fitment that carries both power and signal. There is a further plug/fitment on another 3 metre length of cable that ends in a power plug so however you link it you need power within three metres of entering your home. Also in the box is a ten side fold out Quick Start Guide.
Since I last took a look at a Yubico product, the company has made some changes to its line-up including this next offering
Data is a valuable asset whether you are an individual or, more importantly, a business. The corruption, theft or illegal access of your data could cost a great deal of money and affect numerous people in many different ways. It is up to whoever owns the data, in the first place, to ensure that this valuable item is adequately protected. You can be sure that those who have attempted, and maybe succeeded, in stealing your data will protect the information they have gathered.
The only way you know if your Anti Virus or Total Security product is doing its job is if it fails; and, if you have no problems, then it is probably doing its job. While I have previously told you about what McAfee and Kaspersky have to offer today its BitDefender.
I have been using it for nearly a month and the only time I know it’s there is when I attach a memory stick while it checks its content. Some people are concerned that certain files are permanently deleted and here they have a secure shredder to do the job. The thing that most recently seems to be the thing that people worry about is Ransomware and BitDefender say they will stop files being encrypted once they know an attach is in progress.
This is an outdoor (IP65 waterproofing) camera, it uses custom batteries that form more than half of the units overall size. Fitting can be done by anyone happy to climb a ladder and it should take only a few minutes but do not try to install it before you have linked it to your phone.
The KAMI Outdoor Wire Free Camera measures 13cm from front to back and the body is round at 6.5cm, it is heavier than most at 402grams. The majority of the weight is the four solid rechargeable batteries stated to last between 4 and 6 months between charging. These are each 6cm long and round at 1.5cm each of the four batteries weigh 46.5grams. The back 9cm of the housing unscrews to allow the batteries to fit into the centre of the unit.
Earlier versions had one problem for my door frame they were slightly too wide. This version solves this and indeed another problem that I had never thought of. So the people at Ring have listened to my moans and probably that of others and now both are solved.
The problem(s) are solved by the inclusion of a corner mount and a wedge mount so now if you have narrow door frames or indeed live on a hill the doorbell will sit exactly where required to give you a perfect view and a perfect secure fit. It is 12.6x6x2.7cm and weighs 198grams. It is black and grey, the top part is the camera that has a wide field of view and the lower part the bell push.
Personal Computer users will appreciate that over time their piece of equipment will often loose its initial fast responsiveness. Tasks that once could be completed at a rate that was more than acceptable during the earlier months, now take their time thus causing degrees of frustration.
Now up to version 5.65, Ccleaner Professional follows a fairly standard pattern. After downloading the software and providing the necessary registration details, such as user name and license key which consists of letters, numbers and dashes, you can access the various features of the product. The opening view will be familiar to users of previous versions of the software as you are presented with a list of categories running down the left side of the screen.
With a title of Hive View, the subject of this next review has to be a security camera that has been designed to keep you informed as to what is happening in the home when you are on your travels.
The Hive View security camera kit consists of the actual camera unit, various power plugs and connecting cable, screws, wall plugs plus mini User Guide and warranty document. . Deck out in white, the camera unit comes in three parts. These are the well-made camera unit, metallic base plate and stand unit. The various components can easily be slotted together for a free standing device or you could opt to have the camera wall-mounted using the supplied screws and wall plugs.
This indoor camera is shaped like a wheel and has a slightly magnetic base so it stays where you put it. Like most such items it is controlled by an App. The setup is therefore almost entirely on your phone. Place the camera and insert the long micro USB lead and answer a number of questions on the phones screen and then you have a working security camera.
This indoor security camera from Somfy measures 9x9x4cm without the small curved base it sits on. The box it comes in has three layers first the camera, then after removing the top layer the three metre (10 foot) micro USB to USB lead and on the final layer dual EU and UK plugs with USB front. Plug in the plug to a power outlet attach the full sized USB end to the plug front and then anywhere within three metres place the camera and plug the micro USB end of the lead into the rear of the camera.
Where did I - you - put my keys, who has moved my mobile, where is my &*%!ing wallet and many more. Perhaps more importantly you could attach one of these – with their permission – to your cat, dog or tortoise to locate then when they become elusive.
Something I have looked at before, now available in a range of styles and pack sizes. I was sent a four pack of ‘Pro’ and another pack of four of ‘Essential’. First the ‘Pro’ this consists of four tiles, two white and two black. They are 4cm square and are less than .7cm thick with a notch cut out of the corner will fit on any keyring or possibly all but the smallest cat or dog collar as they weigh only 13 grams each.
A lot of software is sold as a subscription some stop working once the subscription ends other will continue to work with limited functionality which in the case of security software probably means you will soon find you have problems with viruses and other nasty results. So one thing you always keep right up to date should be security software.
I am old enough to remember when you purchased a floppy disc and then later a CD-ROM but as threats became more immediate these needed to be updated and so what you buy now is a download link and these are updated every time you go online as the threats are not just updated monthly weekly or daily but all the time.