Security and Automation

Where to put the interior and outdoor alarm siren: out of reach and off the entry path, heard in every bedroom, protected by tamper…

What the C wire is, why a battery powered Z-Wave thermostat does not repeat, how to add power with a spare conductor or kit,…

How a Z-Wave garage door controller works: the relay at the opener, the tilt sensor on the door, the required warning before a remote…

Cellular vs roller shades compared for dealers: insulation from national lab tests, blackout and privacy, how each is motorized, stack height, cleaning and which…

A scene controller is a multi-button keypad that recalls whole scenes through a hub. Learn how it differs from smart and companion switches, how…

What WDR does on a security camera, where backlit doors and docks need it, true vs digital WDR, why dB ratings do not compare,…

Export NVR footage without losing it: stop the loop overwriting the event, find it in playback, format the USB drive correctly, choose native or…

How an end of line resistor lets an alarm panel tell normal, open and short apart: wiring NC and NO contacts, single vs double…

Set upper and lower limits on motorized shades with the common program, jog and confirm pattern, find out why shades lose their limits, and…

Smart switch or smart bulb? Learn when each one wins, how to stop a wall switch cutting power to smart bulbs, why they never…

There is no fixed camera count. Work out how many WiFi cameras a router can carry from client limits, airtime, camera bitrate and upload…

Night image hazy, glowing or washed out? Find what is bouncing the camera’s own infrared back at it, from the dome bubble and lens…