Skip to main content

The Wazo Home Security System can recognize knives and guns

A security camera by itself works great as a crime deterrent. The majority of criminals target low-hanging fruit, and any hint of a security system will tell them that your home would be more trouble than it’s worth to break into. But what if the camera went beyond that and could recognize if an intruder had a weapon, or determine if a visitor was someone you knew? The Wazo Home Security System is powered by artificial intelligence and is capable of recognizing dangerous objects like guns or knives, and can then alert both you and the authorities within seconds.

Recommended Videos

The Wazo Home Security system uses these capabilities to do more than just home security, too. It can also recognize when someone falls and then alert both you and emergency services. Wazo built this functionality into the system to respond to the number of dangerous falls that happen each year; according to the company, more than 600,000 people are seriously injured by falls each year. By detecting these falls and alerting relevant authorities as soon as they happen, Wazo hopes to avoid some of the most severe injuries.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Finally, the system also boasts facial recognition. The A.I. “learns” the face of its main user, as well as the faces of friends and family. This adds a level of personalization to the alerts by letting users know when someone is at the door, but it also makes the system more secure because it alerts users if someone unfamiliar has arrived.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Wazo says there will be no monthly cost associated with monitoring and that the company has the lowest three-year cost of any home security system. A release date for the Wazo Home Security System has not yet been given, but the company’s demonstration at CES 2020 drew a lot of attention. If you’re interested in staying on top of the development cycle for the system, you can sign up for updates on the company’s website.

While there may be a lot of security systems on the market, features like weapon and fall detection set Wazo apart from a lot of the competition. The facial recognition is another strong feature that gives the system a lot of potential to go beyond just home security and become an integral part of a connected home.

Patrick Hearn
Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…
Your Google TV can now control smart home devices
The Home Panel on Google TV Streamer.

In late September, Google announced a new feature for Google TV called the Home Panel that would make it easier to control all of your (compatible) smart home devices from a single location. The feature first appeared on the Google TV Streamer and then later on Chromecast, but it has now rolled out to Google TVs from other companies including Hisense, TCL, and others.

The Home Panel offers a lot of utility. It shows your lights' current brightness level, the volume level of speakers, and even live streams from security cameras. The demo video Google has on its blog shows that the user can even adjust the thermostat. All of this is done through the remote, so you don't even have to get up off the couch.

Read more
SimpliSafe launches AI-powered detection system alongside the new Outdoor Security Camera Series 2
The SimpliSafe Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 mounted outside.

After spending some time in early access, SimpliSafe’s Active Guard Outdoor Protection feature is now available to the public. Using AI technology in conjunction with its team of security experts, Active Guard Outdoor Protection is designed to detect and stop crime before it happens. It’s available on the new Outdoor Security Camera Series 2, though you’ll need to enroll in a monthly membership to get full use of the service.

SimpliSafe isn’t new to the world of AI-powered crime prevention, as you’ll already find a similar feature on the Smart Alarm Wireless Indoor Camera. That functionality is great -- but if an indoor camera is picking up intruders, it means they’ve already made it inside your home. The Outdoor Security Camera Series 2 and Active Guard Outdoor Protection are looking to fix that, as the system can react to threats and alert SimpliSafe agents within 30 seconds of catching a motion event.

Read more
Roku rolls out its security camera monitoring feature
The Roku Smart Home camera webview.

On December 17, Roku began the process of automatically rolling out a new feature it had previously announced in October: tighter integration between the platform's operating system and security cameras. Once the update hits your Roku TV or streaming media device, you'll be able to:

Automatically cycle through camera feeds on your television, using motion detection to intelligently display the correct camera.
See additional notifications on the television when an event is detected. (You'll need to turn this on in settings.)
Be able to watch all your camera feeds from a website, on a computer, or on your phone or tablet.

Read more