Well Hello There!

Firstly, my apologies for the huge gap between Newsletters, we have discovered that our Newsletters have not been going out properly to our very important subscribers, which I am remedying now by using a dedicated newsletter email company, and thank you to those who have regularly reminded me that they enjoyed and have missed them. We have decided that we should resend our first newsletter for the year, and will follow up shortly with our latest newsletter, so our apologies should you receive these twice.

There has been so much happening in technology I almost don’t know where to start, so in the famous words of Pooh Bear – “lets start at the beginning”

TV interference on the Sunshine Coast:

4G interference continues as the number one cause of Digital TV reception problems on the coast – on our trusty digital signal meters we can clearly see there are now three 4G mobile data transmissions on the coast and while it varies from area to area, they are strong in nearly all suburbs on the coast. The signal is usually as strong or stronger than the TV signals and once amplified through the aerial system it overpowers the TV signal causing annoying pixilation.

We are now finding that to filter it out completely we are having to replace the antenna and the amplifier with the new, fully filtered versions.

The other interference we have is the emergency services 2way radio which is now digital and although in the 477Mhz range this still can get into the TV system and cause pixelating trouble. We now have an effective filter for this also.

So, if you are having pixilation (picture breaks up or goes into blocks) then give us a call and we can install the correct filters.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

Alarm Systems:

Risco Agility 3 Alarm SystemThis month there is an Alarm system with cameras and smoke alarms we have started installing, that I am really excited about. We have been trained by the manufacturer to get up to speed on the new Risco Agility 3 Alarm System. In our testing we are really impressed with the functions and ease of installation.

What about those annoying False Alarms? The biggest problem with Alarm systems is always the number of false alarms due to insect, birds, pets, etc. Something like 84% of alarm call outs are to false alarms! What is so good about the Risco system? Glad you asked… It is because unless the trigger (the dog, the cat or the Budgie) is over 35kg it won’t activate and if it is activated, it comes with cameras built into each of the detectors which sends a picture to your mobile or your monitoring company so you can determine what triggered the alarm and respond or not.

The add to this, they have a smoke alarm, which combined with your camera detector can send the image of what triggered the smoke alarm. You can also add flood/water detectors to alert you to burst flexi pipes under the sinks, leaking dishwasher or washing machine. This may also save you on home or business insurance.

We had only just completed the course on this (where I had joked about “who needs a flood alarm on a 2 storey house”) when the next night my wife and I were sitting at home watching TV when we heard a loud pop followed by a gushing water sound from the upstairs bathroom. The braided flexi pipe had burst under the basin and water was going everywhere! Panic stations, turn the water off then call the plumber.

In just those 5 minutes the vanity cupboard was full of water and the bathroom floor waste was just barely coping with the volume of water. Crisis averted – but what would have happened if we had been out at dinner when it burst. Our plumber tells us that is exactly what happened to a friend of his and when they got back 2 hours later the house was virtually flooded.

Suddenly the water alarm that goes to the alarm monitoring company and to your phone seems a VERY good idea!

While all these features are great and there are more (of Course!) one of the best things is this system does not need to be wired in like many other detectors, they are genuinely wireless. The batteries can last between 2-3 years, depending on the access. The base station does need power and a connection to your internet but everything else is fully wireless. The beauty of that is that it can be retrofitted to an existing house without the difficulty and cost of rewiring the house.

Mobile Apps:

Last but not least is the remote control App for your phone or tablet, which allows you to arm and disarm the alarm, check the cameras and the alarm log, plus much more, and the App is just so simple to use.

I almost forgot to mention that it also has a wireless barrier alarm feature which you can use across gateways and pool access to alert you directly – how cool is that!

So, we are all excited with this product and ready to install. Come and see a demo at the shop, I think you will be impressed!

Well that is it for this Newlsetter. Next time I will cover some new Wifi product tests and touch on the ramifications of large tech company buy outs.

Until then keep smiling
(it will make ‘em wonder what you have been up to!)
Phil & the Sunshine Team