Smarten up your oldschool home security setup with Scouts Takeover box

Heres a new idea: an alarm system that piggybacks on your existing landline-based home security system and makes it smarter. Instead of replacing it entirely, you simply retrofit your oldschool setup with a web-connected box to give it more capabilities.

Pretty novel, right? Well thats the idea behind an upcoming product from Chicago-based startup Scout. The company, which already offers a line of DIY home security devices, is currently running three separate crowdfunding campaigns to launch a trio of new products one of which is the aforementioned Takeover box.

The potential product lineup also includes a connected security camera and a smart light socket adapter.Each device has its own crowdfunding campaign on Dragoninnovation.com, and the first one to reaches its goal will ship before the other two.

Weve seen other iterations of the security camera and connected socket adapter before (i.e. Dropcam, Emberlight), but as far as we can tell, the Takeover box is a completely new idea. Theres currently nothing like it on the market right now.

Most traditional alarm systems like those youd get from a provider like Brinks or ADT are tied to wired telephone lines, and relay information using a series of tones to indicate when something happens. Therefore, if a window opens/is broken in a particular zone, for example, it sets off a fixed series of tones over the phone line that is interpreted by the alarm company. Scouts takeover system uses those same tones, buttranslates them over a cellular or IP connection so instead of getting a call from your security provider, you can get an instantaneous alert on your mobile device and can act accordingly.

Speaking with GigaOm, Scout co-founder Dan Roberts said about 90 percent of home alarm systems in North America would work with this system, so nearly anybody who has an oldschool alarm system hardwired into their walls already could easily install one. Right now, the companys planis to charge $19.99 a month for the monitoring services, plus $199 for the Takeover box itself. Sounds a bit steep at first, but it would essentially allow you to ditch your current provider and pay a considerably lower rate in exchange for a one-time 200-dollar hardware investment.

Not a bad deal if you ask us.

DT

Drew's fascination with technology began at an early age - shortly after he licked a 9-volt battery for the first time. It was this first taste of technology that sparked his interest in how electronics work, and he's been obsessed ever since. Aside from keeping up with the latest developments in tech, he enjoys shock humor, and working puns into his writing at every opportunity. You can find his work on Digital Trends and The Manual.

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Smarten up your oldschool home security setup with Scouts Takeover box