Now it's possible for you to install a security system that will work for the farthest reaches of your land without having to worry about where to plug in the base station.
Steve Sanford
7 Ways New Technology Can Make Your Life Easier
Sony’s SRS-NS7 Wireless Neckband Speaker, $300, has tweeters pointed up but also includes twin subwoofer-like speakers pointed down that stimulate your clavicles during tense television moments. Another option is BeHear’s Proxy and its HearLink Plus wireless audio transmitter, from $200, which is designed as a PSAP — or personal sound amplification product — for those with mild to moderate hearing loss.
Both of these neck speakers can pair with your smartphone for listening to music or talking on the phone. And they are so comfortable I even forgot I was wearing one.
— Stewart Wolpin
4. Safety without Wi-Fi, electricity worries
If you live in a rural area, your security needs might be at a distant gate or shed door — places your home’s Wi-Fi signal can’t reach. A new type of battery-powered security sensor that works with a cellular signal can ease that concern.
These sensors hook up to gates, doors or windows and alert you electronically when a breach occurs. Flex IO sensors from Alarm.com start at $160, plus activation and service fees. I found these worked so well that I began wondering what else around my home needed security.
If the Wi-Fi signal isn’t a concern, another inconvenience can be a lack of power outlets for some sensors. Some products, such as the $80 SKK Home Security System 2nd Gen, have battery-powered sensors, and its base unit with up to eight hours of battery backup connects with Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant system without monthly subscription fees.
— Risha Gotlieb
Tiny Bluetooth and GPS trackers can do big work, a light for your porch also is a video camera and pepper spray that pinpoints your location can help law enforcement when you're under attack.
Apple / Chipolo / Symynelec / Sabre
5. Trackers, not new but very handy
GPS or Bluetooth trackers, little devices that attach to just about anything and signal their location via a phone app, have been around for nearly a decade. But 2021’s release of Apple’s AirTags in particular has heightened interest in these products.
Bluetooth trackers, such as an AirTag, Chipolo One Spot or Tile, cost $30 or less. When a Bluetooth tracker is in range, it communicates directly with your phone. When out of range, the tracker relays its signal through other people’s compatible devices, creating a network effect to reach you and show its location.
Bluetooth trackers may not work well in remote areas. GPS trackers, a variant, can be better because they use cellular signals instead.
— Lexi Pandell
Gloss