Smart, camera-packing lightbulb could be used to catch home invaders

By Gannon Burgett Updated January 4, 2017

Bell & Wyson Ampoule LED 9W WIFI avec appareil photo et micro intégrés

At one point in history, the sole purpose of a lightbulb was to brighten up an area that would otherwise be dark. Now, thanks to the internet of things, lightbulbs have not only evolved from their original purpose, they’ve also gained new capabilities.

First it was custom color lightbulbs. Then came along lightbulbs with built-in speakers. Soon, though, lightbulbs might also arrive packing an integrated camera and microphone.

French lighting company Bell & Wyson has unveiled Pix+, a completely new lightbulb with a built-in security camera capable of wirelessly streaming the feed to Android and iOS devices.

At the core of the Pix+ is an 11-watt LED bulb capable of outputting 600 lumen of light, the equivalent of a 60-watt incandescent bulb. Placed atop the center of the bulb — and suggesting the sort of tech shown in spy movies — is a dedicated camera module with an integrated two-way microphone and a MicroSD card slot.

When screwed into its intended socket and connected to Wi-Fi, the lightbulb streams live video and audio to a proprietary smartphone app. Motion detection is built in, and if something moves when it shouldn’t, you’ll receive a notification on your smartphone. Video can be recorded locally on a MicroSD card and remotely using the smartphone app.

The exact specifications of the video quality are still unknown, but in a reply to a comment on the product page, Bell & Wyson says the video is streamed in HD quality and will work in the dark, even without the lightbulb on. Like other smart lightbulbs, the Pix+ can be turned on and off both locally and remotely.

The Pix+ is currently available through Bell & Wyson’s online store for approximately $105.

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Smart Home

Ring Always Home Cam: Everything you need to know about the flying indoor camera

The Ring Always Home Cam and its charging dock.

Next-Level Autonomously Flying Indoor Security Camera | Ring Always Home Cam
Yes, your voice assistant-powered smart home can provide plenty of ways for you and yours to manage your residence while you're on the go. But sometimes what we need the most is an extension of our own two eyes. Security cameras go a long way in solving this problem, but no matter the degree of panning and tilting that your home surveillance gear can muster, a camera is a stationary product, relegated to only one room in your home unless you move it to another. If only there were a way to get eyes on the whole home without investing in a full-fledged security system.
Thanks to Ring, now there is. We caught our first glance of the Ring Always Home Cam last year, and we finally have word on a release date for the $250 security drone. Those interested in buying it can sign up for an early invitation right now, according to an announcement at Amazon's annual fall September event, though it's unclear when it'll ship if you're invitation is accepted. Here's everything you need to know about the Ring Always Home Cam.

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Smart Home

How to protect your home security camera from hackers

Google Nest Indoor Security Camera

You've probably seen the stories in the news about trouble with do-it-yourself Wi-Fi home security cameras. There are home camera “invasions,” where user video is stolen from private cameras and posted to the internet, or straight-up hacking where an unknown person can access your camera and the microphone attached to it, and speak to you, threaten your children, or otherwise harass you from afar.

While these instances are rare, they do exploit certain vulnerabilities in wireless home surveillance cameras, so it's important to know how it happens, how you can tell if your camera's been hacked already, and how to secure your home network and evaluate whether your cameras are at risk and fix them.
How do hackers get into your cameras?
Why hackers hack security cameras is a whole separate question, but there are two common ways hackers can access wireless network information.
Local Wi-Fi network hacking
The first involves the hacker being within the range of your Wi-Fi. The hacker either guesses your Wi-Fi password or creates a duplicate or spoof network that looks like your Wi-Fi network. Next, they suppress the real network so that you sign in to their network instead. Once they have your password, they log in to your actual Wi-Fi network, and that's where the trouble begins.
Remote hack attack
While these local attacks are possible, they’re much less likely than a remote attack. Remote attacks occur when hackers gain your actual password info. How do they get your password? Sometimes if people use weak passwords like 11111, password, or 123456, hackers can simply try a bunch of the most common and default passwords until they hit on the right one.

Smart Home

Best places to install a home security camera

Ring cameraa's wide view of a room and a cute dog.

Home security cameras are a quick, easy way to add peace of mind to your home. Today’s cameras are small, wireless, and unobtrusive, meaning you won’t feel like you’re living in a reality TV show when you look around your home.

But where should you place your cameras? After all, they have a job to do, whether that’s monitoring the comings and goings of tradespeople or your kids, or watching over the area in case there’s ever a break-in.
Where NOT to place a wireless home security camera
Before we get to the best places for a home security camera, let’s start with a short list of the places you should not opt for a security camera: The bedroom and the bathroom.