Ding-dong!

Whos there?

When someone is at your door, you dont know who they are until you check the peephole, or a pricey security system. If youre not at home, you may never know.

But what if your doorbell could talk? Two gadgets have turned the humble doorbell, little changed since the Victorian era, into a digital doorman.

Press the Ring or Skybell doorbells, and theyll still set off a chime in the house, but then also alert your phone with a live video feed of who is at your door. When someone prowls around the door without pressing the bell, theyll show you video of that, too. No rewiring is required, since most existing doorbells already have power.

Think of these $200 doorbells as home-monitoring systems and two-way intercoms for the smartphone era. After testing them both, theyre among the few smart-home gadgets I would actually buy and use.

Skybell Handout photo showing the Skybell doorbell

There are heaps of DIY connected security cameras on the market, but Ive found most to be a little creepy, and of questionable utility for securing regular homes. A doorbell camera makes more sense because it captures a critical passageway for the people you want to see, as well as intruders you want to keep out. It is socially acceptable: If youre standing within 10 feet of my door, pretty much everyone can agree youre presenting yourself for inspection.

There are good reasons why you might want your doorbell connected to the Internet. You can use an app to show you who is ringing while youre in the backyard, or to tell the delivery guy to leave the package when youre at work. And even if you dont have to answer the door frequently, it can offer peace of mind by alerting you if someone is casing the joint.

Setting up either the Ring or the Skybell doesnt require extra gear or an advanced degree in operating a smart home. You will need a strong Wi-Fi network in the vicinity of your front door and an Apple or Android smartphone for everyone in the family who wants to be able to check the live video feed. Both products can handle rain and a fair amount of cold.

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Your doorbell is watching

For more than 30 years the Nicholas family has lived off the power grid, in a home they built from mud, wattle leaves and timber. Reporter JASON THOMAS recently visited the solar home near Wynyard.

PHILIP and JeannineNicholas do not paypower bills, yet theirdouble-storey mudbrick home nearWynyard never gets cooler than12 degrees.

The sun heats the mud bricksduring the colder months.

Two large batteries are chargedduring daylight and the homesoccupants live comfortably at allhours.

OFF THE GRID: Philip Nicholas and his family have lived off the grid in their sustainable and eco-friendly home for more than 30 years. Picture: Grant Wells.

SCAPE: Philip Nicholas shows Scape around his eco-friendly home. Pictures: Grant Wells.

SCAPE: Philip Nicholas shows Scape around his eco-friendly home. Pictures: Grant Wells.

SCAPE: Philip Nicholas shows Scape around his eco-friendly home. Pictures: Grant Wells.

SCAPE: Philip Nicholas shows Scape around his eco-friendly home. Pictures: Grant Wells.

SCAPE: Philip Nicholas shows Scape around his eco-friendly home. Pictures: Grant Wells.

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SCAPE: Living off the grid

Imogene Wong

Monday, February 16, 2015

This continuing government thrust not only benefits the nation's three largest state-owned telecoms operators, which dominate both the wireless and fixed-line broadband service markets, but other private enterprises as well, specifically fiber optic makers.

For instance, China Fiber Optic Network System Group (3777) is set to operate its first fiber-to-home broadband business in a few months instead of just being a pure fiber optic products vendor, thanks to the government's plan to introduce more private players into the market.

"We are transforming from a fiber optic products maker into a professional internet operator," says executive director and chief financial officer Randy Hung King-kuen.

The Hebei-based company has identified vast opportunities in fiber-to- home segment.

"It is compulsory under the law since April last year for new homes to be equipped with fiber-to-the-home or FTTH network service, apart from utilities such as water, electricity and coal."

China Fiber Optic Network, now the mainland's biggest fiber optic patch cords maker with a market share of about 20 percent, ventured into the network operating business by partnering with China Telecom (0728), the world's largest fixed broadband operator.

China Fiber Optic is responsible for installing fiber optic network in return f

In the past, China Fiber Optic was confined to producing and selling fiber optic products, mainly tailor-made for telecom operators or broadcasting companies.

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Wiring up the mainland

DECATUR TOWNSHIP, CLEARFIELD COUNTY - A Philipsburg contractor is facing theft and fraud charges after police say he took a woman's money but never completed the job.

Now the homeowner is left in a financial bind.

Police say a Clearfield County woman hired a contractor to make some additions onto her home, but he never finished the job.

"There's no plumbing in. There's no wiring done," says homeowner Theo Waksmunski.

Waksmunski says the two bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen near Osceola Mills were supposed to be finished last spring, but all she has now is the framework.

"He asked for money in advance with the thought that he was going to buy all the supplies at one time and then store them next door," says Waksmunski.

She was trying to consolidate and sell one family property, but $70,000 later and the rooms aren't fit for sleeping or cooking, but she can climb up to her deck on a ladder left behind.

"He was supposed to be done in May and at the end of May, the beginning of June, he let us know that he wasn't going to do any more work. He was quitting business," says Waksmunski.

Police say Brian Barton, 45, didn't fulfill his end of the deal, and that's a crime.

"It took most of our savings," says Waksmunski.

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Woman Loses Savings In Home Addition Project

The "smart" home may not be quite as clever as you think.

With the arrival of the so-called Internet of things -- where household items such as thermostats and washing machines and webcams are connected to the global network -- security problems may also be on the rise. A study from security research company Synack found that commonly connected products opened up a host of safety issues. One of the firm's analysts noted it took him only 20 minutes to break into a range of devices, according to GigaOm.

The study comes amid heightened concern about hackers and the vulnerability of everything from credit cards to automobiles. Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) issued a report this month warning about the dangers of hacking attacks against vehicles. In the Synack study, the only device that didn't have a major security flaw was a Kidde smoke detector, which wasn't actually connected to the Internet.

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Smart home technology can let homeowners network together entertainment, security, environmental control, and other systems into a completely aut...

"Right now the 'Internet of things' is like computer security was in the nineties, when everything was new and no one had any security standards or any way to monitor their devices for security," Synack security research analyst Colby Moore told GigaOm.

You do have some ways to protect your home against hackers, such as hard-wiring devices to the Internet rather than relying on WiFi. But if a device is linked via a wireless network, make sure it alerts you if it's bumped off the connection.

Plus, connected devices require strong passwords, so don't enter useless ones such as "123" or "password." Still, GigaOm notes that might be difficult for devices, such as thermostats, that don't come with keyboards.

Manufacturers of networked home devices aren't thinking about security front and foremost, according to Network World. That means it's up to consumers to evaluate the safety and security issues of each thermostat or home automation center on their own.

According to the Synack study, connected cameras have the greatest number of security flaws, including unencrypted data and weak password policies. All of the connected thermostats the firm studied have security issues (including poor password protection), as well as the home automation centers. The smoke and carbon monoxide alarms had issues, except for the Kidde version, which doesn't connect to the Internet.

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Your "smart" home devices can easily be hacked

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- Trent Johnson settled in for a nap in the coach's locker room before the Big 12 opener in TCU's temporary home while the campus arena is renovated.

Next thing the Horned Frogs coach knew, four high school swimmers were coming through the door, needing to use the bathroom.

"How about that?" Johnson said. "So I had to leave. I thought they'd be in there and get their business done and be right out. But I had to knock on the door for about 10 minutes."

As for how much of an inconvenience a high school facility with a natatorium attached has been for the likes of No. 8 Kansas and Texas, well, not as much as some might think.

Sure, the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center is fairly cozy and has tall walls near the court adorned with Fort Worth school logos such as the Polytechnic Parrots.

But chairback seats and concourses have offered a surprising feel for players, coaches and fans who might have expected the one-time experience to be something out of "Hoosiers." In short, "arena" might be a better word than "gym."

"I thought for the sacrifices they've had to make probably this year, it certainly was better than what I thought it would be coming down here," said Jayhawks coach Bill Self, whose team hung on for a 64-61 win last month.

"It's a nice facility, without question.

The Horned Frogs are spending one season about 10 miles southeast of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum while the 54-year-old facility undergoes a $45 million facelift.

The facade will match that of TCU's recently renovated football home, Amon Carter Stadium, and have more courtside seats and wider concourses.

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TCU's temporary home is quirky

A few weeks ago, a couple friends and I were about to watch a surprisingly bad scifi movie in my crowded apartment. One of them asked if we could dim the lights, and started to head to the switch. "No, no, I've got it," I said, reaching into my pocket. "He's reaching for his phone!" said the friend. This was the moment I'd been waiting for. Time to show off my smart home.

I'd spent the last six months making my home more intelligent with Wink components. That meant six months of programming lightbulbs and installing sensors and adjusting shades and updating hubs. All my effort to connect my appliances added up to this one very public test. My friends didn't need to walk ten feet to the light switch, when I could manage everything with a couple taps. My friends would be so impressed. I'd talked up my pet project plenty, and now they could watch the future unfold before their very eyes.

I unlocked my phone. I found the right home screen. I opened the Wink app. I navigated to the Lights section. I toggled over to the sets of light bulbs that I'd painstakingly grouped and labeled. I tapped "Living Room"this was itand the icon went from bright to dark. (Okay, so that was like six taps.)

Nothing happened.

I tapped "Living Room." The iconnot the lightswent from dark to bright. I tapped "Living Room," and the icon went from bright to dark. The lights seemed brighter than ever.

"How many gadget bloggers does it take to turn off a light?" said the friend, smirking. "I thought this was supposed to be a smart home."

I threw my phone at him, got up, walked ten feet to the switch. One tap, and the lights were off.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Last summer, when I stepped into an expensive-looking SoHo loft where Quirky was unveiling its new Wink system, I had high hopes. The plug-and-play platform was designed to turn any house with Wi-Fi and a couple connected devices into a smart home. Quirky set up Wink as a separate company and partnered with Home Depot so Americans could easily buy all their Wink-related products in one convenient place. Even Quirky's longtime partner GE was buying into the platform and making some of its products Wink-compatible. It all sounded so ambitious, so appealing, and so impossible. Kind of like communism.

As Wink's executives showed me around the demo smart home, I couldn't help but think how this whole system was designed to be the people's smart home. In my experience, connected home products were kind of like luxury goods. On their own, things like the Nest thermostat and the Philips Hue lighting system were pricey but impressivea glimpse at a future where your gadgets at home responded to your behavior and adapted to your wants. Fully integrated smart home systems like those offered by security companies, however, were even more expensive up front and cost monthly subscription fees. In other words, smart homes had historically been the domains of the tech-hungry rich.

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Why Is My Smart Home So Fucking Dumb?

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Wiring Diagram

insurance

Dear Insurance Adviser, We are thinking of making some improvements to our house. What home renovations can reduce your home insurance rate? -- Lois

Dear Lois, There are plenty of ways to give your home a makeover and knock down your insurance premium in the process.

Compare quotes on home insurance today

Many home insurance companies offer new-home discounts to older, renovated homes that have replacement wiring or plumbing, or a new roof or furnace. Typical savings for making all of these improvements amount to about 10 percent in the first year, with the size of the reduction gradually decreasing over about seven years.

Consider installing a central burglar and fire alarm, which will save you about 10 percent every year.

When using a contractor for home projects, be sure that you request proof of general liability insurance and workers' compensation insurance. That way, if there is a construction-related injury, you'll be a lot less likely to be brought into the lawsuit.

Contact your homeowners agent when you start construction and raise your structural coverage to the new replacement cost of your home, taking the value of the renovations into account. While you're reviewing what it will cost to increase coverage, check out how much you might save by increasing your deductible between $500 and $1,000. You will probably save another 10 percent off your total bill.

Have fun!

Bankrate's content, including the guidance of its advice-and-expert columns and this website, is intended only to assist you with financial decisions. The content is broad in scope and does not consider your personal financial situation. Bankrate recommends that you seek the advice of advisers who are fully aware of your individual circumstances before making any final decisions or implementing any financial strategy. Please remember that your use of this website is governed by Bankrate's Terms of Use.

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Which upgrades cut home insurance rates?

Flames shoot from 78 Holman St. in Fitchburg on Saturday morning as firefighters battle the blaze. (TIMOTHY SHEA PHOTO)

FITCHBURG -- A Holman Street homeowner is in critical condition in a Worcester hospital after he was pulled from his burning home by two Fitchburg police officers Saturday morning, fire officials said.

John R. Saulnier was transported directly to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and is in critical condition, according to fire personnel.

Police Officers Todd Deacon and Michael Sevigny were transported to HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster for what appears to be smoke inhalation after helping rescue Saulnier from a window of the home at 78 Holman St.

Deputy Chief Kevin Curran said when the fire was reported, the two officers were some of the first officers on the scene and helped pull the occupant out of the window.

Police Sgt. Chuck Siomos said the two officers suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Both police officers were treated and released.

A dog living in the home perished in the blaze, according to Curran, and the city annimal control officer was called to the scene.

It appears the homeowner went back inside the home to rescue the dog, according to fire personnel.

Fire Captain Brian Murchie estimated the total damage of the home, including contents, at $225,000.

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Two police officers hurt pulling man from burning Fitchburg home