The Official Smarthome Blog - All Things Home Automation

This simple, affordable hose bib and faucet lock by Orbit®, helps conserve earth’s most precious resource, water. The product comes with a plastic cap that fits any standard 3/4″ hose bib or faucet. That cap is then encompassed by a heavy duty metal casing which is locked together by a brass padlock. Capping and locking an exposed water outlet will reduce unwanted water use, leaks, waste and damage. This is a fantastic solution for protection of exposed hose bibs and faucets for homes, boats, RVs, rentals, apartments, condos, golf courses, park, marinas, municipal, building, and housing developments. Save money on your monthly water utilities and do your part to promotes water conservation efforts and preserve our environment.

• Deterrent for unauthorized water usage of your hose bib or faucet
• Reduces water waste and leakage
• No tools required, install or remove in seconds
• Padlock and keys secure cover once it is in place
• Price: $9.99

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Protecting your property can be as simple as using this heavy-duty versa-cable and lock from TRIMAX. It is ideal for securing your bicycle, tool box, patio furniture, kayak, motorcycle, ATV, moped, or shed, just to name a few. The TRIMAFLEX quadra braid cable is six feet long with a 10mm diameter, long enough and strong enough to provide convenient worry free protection of your hard earned possessions. The lock is keyed with a European style type E flat key, an exceptional defense over standard keys and combination locks that other cables use. As an added bonus, there is a cinching feature that helps to prevent the cable from coming loose and a PVC coating that reduces the scratching of surfaces. The TRIMAX Heavy-Duty Six Foot Versa-Cable and Lock is a inexpensive security device and theft deterrent.

• Versatile six foot long cable with a cinching design for extra protection
• Heavy-duty 10mm thick quadra-braid cable
• Uses an extremely secure Type E key
• PVC coating helps to eliminate surfaces from being scratched with the cable
• Price: $24.99

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If you have a 3.5mm (1/8″) stereo jack on one of your audio peripherals and simply need more length for the cable connecting your headphones or mini stereo speakers, this is the simplest solution out there. Imagine being able to listen to the TV or stereo while your significant other is trying to sleep or simply expanding the current distance between you and your audio device. This 12′ audio extension cable can be used for these things and much more. There is a male and female plug that will extend the audio connectivity of any 3.5mm jack from iPods, CD players, stereos, speakers, PC sound cards and other audio devices. The package also comes with a 1/4″ male adapter that fits right over the 1/8″ male adapter for even greater functionality.

• 12 foot long audio extension cable with one 3.5mm (1/8″) male to female plug
• For use with iPods, CD players, stereos, speakers, PC sound cards and other audio devices
• Price: $6.49

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How would you like to share the tunes you’re listening to on an iPod or other mobile audio device? Let a friend connect using an extra set of headphones or enhance the audio experience coming by adding an extra set of speakers with this high quality splitter from Belkin. This 3.5mm y-adapter is a fantastic accessory that will expand an audio output from one jack to two. It has gold plated contact providing exceptional multiple-user listening enjoyment via headphones or mini-stereo speakers.

• Splits one mini-jack output into two
• Seamless connection with any music device that has a 3.5mm mini-jack output
• Allows for multiple listeners on a single iPod or other portable audio players
• Price: $5.99

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Elk Products, Inc. has developed this two way listen-in amplifier board as a solution for those looking to install speakers next to their Elk M1 Keypad and add microphones on their Elk M1 Security System. There are three individual speaker outputs, or zones, that will allow for multiple speakers to be wired in parallel or series, each zone with an independent volume control. Three microphone inputs, or zones, can connect up to four individual microphones each. The microphone setup offers the ability to listen to individual microphone zones or all microphone zones at once. By combining speakers and microphones, this device creates a two way listen in setup which can be programmed and operated as part of an Elk M1 security system. Additional units can be daisy chained together to add more speakers or microphones; however, three zones will always be the maximum.

• Creates two way listening capability to Elk M1 security systems
• Three zones of speakers with adjustable volume
• Three zones of microphones with selectable mute by zone
• Price: $74.21

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While most homes have a pre-wired doorbell for the front entrance, for those that don’t, using this wireless door chime module by Honeywell is a great solution. Other excellent applications would be for apartments, travel trailers, back entrances, garages, dorm rooms and offices. The bell push unit communicates with the chime module via radio frequency (RF) so no wires are required. There are multiple sounds available and tunes can be programmed to individual bell pushes (if others are added) to identify which doorbell is ringing. Additionally, there are visual indicators on the chime module which helps out those that are hard of hearing. The receiver chime unit can be free standing so you can take it wherever you go in the house, or it can be wall mounted with the included hardware. The bell push module is rated for outdoor use and has a UV resistant plastic housing with a rainproof push button. It can be mounted with included screws or double-sided tape. Each push module has also been individually coded to prevent interference with other transmitters such as PIR movement detectors and telephone ring detectors. The chime module requires three AA batteries for operation, sold separately.

• Wireless RF communication between Chime module and Bell Push module
• Multiple tunes available as a chime with CD quality sound
• Adjustable volume control
• Three visual icon indicators to show what has activated the chime module
• Price: $49.99

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The Venstar Wireless RF Thermostat Receiver works in conjunction with the Venstar Thermostat Telephone Controller, sold separately. The controller connects to any analog phone line within your home and the receiver snaps into the RJ-11 port of the 1-Day Programmable Digital Thermostat, 7-Day Programmable Digital Thermostat or 7-Day Dual-Fuel Programmable Digital Thermostat, so no wiring is necessary. Communication between the controller and the receiver takes place via RF, allowing for remote access control of your thermostat, or thermostats, from any phone, anywhere in the world. The controller will communicate with up to four receivers, giving you control of up to four thermostats in your home. Whether you forgot to turn the thermostat off on the way to the office or simply want to have your home cooled down or heated up on the way home, managing the temperature in your home is now only a phone call away. Managing the amount of time your HVAC system is running is a great way to conserve energy.

• Links to a Venstar thermostat telephone controller for remote access of a thermostat
• Communicates with a Venstar thermostat telephone controller via radio frequency
• Plugs in to a compatible Venstar thermostat RJ-11 port in seconds
• Price: $49.99

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Enjoy the benefits of high quality security camera features at a fraction of the price. The Indoor/Outdoor, Day/Night Color IR Camera with 12 LED’s & 100 Foot Video Cable comes with everything you need and matches all of the specifications for other similar camera. This surveillance camera can capture clear images up to 35 feet away in complete darkness (0 Lux), thanks to the 12 built-in IR LEDs. You’ll see clear color images by day, and at night the camera automatically switches to an IR-sensitive black & white mode. Unlike most other surveillance cameras that require the purchase of extension cables, which often don’t allow the IR to work, this camera comes with 100 feet of power and video cabling for easy placement in and around your home. Additionally it has an IP67 weatherproof rating making it perfect for indoor and outdoor applications.

• Color surveillance
• 12 built-in IR illuminators to capture images in almost complete darkness up to 35 feet
• IP67 weatherproof rating is safe for use indoors and out
• 1/3″ CCD color image sensor provides 420 lines of resolution for ultra-clear color images
• Includes a 100 foot video/power cable for long run applications
• Price: $109.99

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Keep your Roomba running longer! The iRobotAPS Battery charges completely in less than three hours with a Roomba APS Fast Charger, sold separately. With a single charge, your Roomba Red, sold separately, will be able to clean for up to 120 minutes!

Important Note: This product is not compatible with Roomba 500 Series robots.

• Rechargeable APS battery for 400 Series, Discovery Series and Original Roomba models
• Enough Power to supply up to 120 minutes of continuous clean up
• Keep a second battery on hand to double Roomba’s cleaning time
• Price: $79.99

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For the first time ever, Smarthome is offering you the opportunity to purchase one of four whole-house INSTEON solutions at a discounted price. Based on sales data and customer surveys, we put together NetLinc kits that include the most commonly used and requested INSTEON devices, or if you know what you want, simply create your own kit:

For a limited time, each kit will feature discounted INSTEON products and a free iPod Touch.