More Homes Becoming Smart
By: Michael C. Fehn
Updated: March 15, 2013
What do you buy the person who has everything? What about a smart home?
It may sound a bit odd, but smart home technology is becoming more affordable.
Eyewitness News' David Heckard met up with an Evansville family that's living in the future. Click on the video player for his report.
Elizabeth Logan's house on Evansville's east side looks normal on the outside.
but one box makes her home a smart one.
A console allows her to control her thermostat, her front door and even the lights in her living room, all from her iPhone.
"The company was going around promoting and they knocked on my door. I thought about it once before. I had lost one of my dogs. The timing just wasn't right before & this time it was."
"When they started telling me everything I could do in my house, I was like, oh, that's really nice."
The process is simple. Logan has a smartphone app that is directly connected to her console. She gives a command on her phone, and the home responds.
Robert Kanedy from Vivent, the company that installed the equipment, says change in technology is now allowing customers to control their home remotely.
Our goal is to basically simplify people's lives. To be able to control everything in your home all in one device."
And it's becoming more affordable. A basic system now starts between 100 and 200 dollars.
"But smart home technology is not about just unlocking doors & turning on lights. Today, it's also about home security, including the ability to see your living room any place, anywhere in the world."
"It almost goes hand-in-hand with each other just the way the technology has changed."
"People are surprised at how much you can do on one little device."
If there's a fire, Vivint calls the fire department. It can notify customers and police of open doors and break-ins. And logan can keep an eye on your living room from her phone, even keeping a eye on her dog, Kacey.
"My dog was sick one day and so I keep contained and put the camera where I keep her contained so I could check on her throughout the day while I was at work."
And while there is a cost to the technology, Logan says it's money well spent.
"When you consider your security, it's worth it."
It may sound a bit odd, but smart home technology is becoming more affordable.
Eyewitness News' David Heckard met up with an Evansville family that's living in the future. Click on the video player for his report.
Elizabeth Logan's house on Evansville's east side looks normal on the outside.
but one box makes her home a smart one.
A console allows her to control her thermostat, her front door and even the lights in her living room, all from her iPhone.
"The company was going around promoting and they knocked on my door. I thought about it once before. I had lost one of my dogs. The timing just wasn't right before & this time it was."
"When they started telling me everything I could do in my house, I was like, oh, that's really nice."
The process is simple. Logan has a smartphone app that is directly connected to her console. She gives a command on her phone, and the home responds.
Robert Kanedy from Vivent, the company that installed the equipment, says change in technology is now allowing customers to control their home remotely.
Our goal is to basically simplify people's lives. To be able to control everything in your home all in one device."
And it's becoming more affordable. A basic system now starts between 100 and 200 dollars.
"But smart home technology is not about just unlocking doors & turning on lights. Today, it's also about home security, including the ability to see your living room any place, anywhere in the world."
"It almost goes hand-in-hand with each other just the way the technology has changed."
"People are surprised at how much you can do on one little device."
If there's a fire, Vivint calls the fire department. It can notify customers and police of open doors and break-ins. And logan can keep an eye on your living room from her phone, even keeping a eye on her dog, Kacey.
"My dog was sick one day and so I keep contained and put the camera where I keep her contained so I could check on her throughout the day while I was at work."
And while there is a cost to the technology, Logan says it's money well spent.
"When you consider your security, it's worth it."
