Chuango Plays It Smart at Hong Kong CSF – 2014 Autumn Edition

(Sept 15th, 2014 – Taipei) Chuango Security Technology Corporation, an innovative developer of wireless home automation and DIY security systems, is pleased to announce its participation in China Sourcing Fair in Hong Kong from Oct. 11 to 14th, together wit its own smart home brand, smanos. “We are excited to be back at CSF in Hong Kong, and are proudly highlighting our new smanos WiFi portfolio,” said Ken Li, founder and CEO of Chuango. “We want to show our existing and potential partners that we are truly committed to research, design and innovation, and are launching even more comprehensive, intuitive and sleek-looking solutions.” The complete smart home solution portfolio of Chuango and smanos speaks self-install or DIY, and will be available on Booths 2K26 & 2L16 in Hall 2 at Asia World Expo.
New products on display include the latest IP camera and one-touch WiFi alarm. “The new HD WiFi camera, Chuango IP113, has a wide field of view at 95° (equivalent to two regular home cameras combined) and a head-turning cooling mechanism, far superior to its competition’s in comparison,” said Hayden Hsu, Director of Global Brand Development for Chuango and smanos. “And the sleek-looking smanos W020 empowers homeowners to take home automation and security matters into their own hands, wirelessly. With easy WiFi setup on the smartphone app, users get to enjoy the comfort and convenience of a smart home within minutes upon opening the box.”
Chuango IP113 is equipped with a high-caliber OmniVision CMOS sensor, which produces fluid video footage and sharp still images, providing end users with HD-grade 720p video quality. “With one-click WiFi and voice command setup, ‘installation’ can be done in seconds, with no wires and no fuss,” said Lily Chen, Director of Product Management for Chuango and smanos. “Android and iOS apps are freely available for remote real-time alerts, monitoring and listening in. With the perfect combination of a 95° ultra-wide view and crystal clear audio, users won't miss a beat in their home. The IP113 also comes with 10 built-in IR LEDs to ensure phenomenal night vision.” When activated in low-light conditions, the IP3 ensures security and visual confirmation, and minimizes false alarms.
smanos W020 boasts one-click setup as well, and it picks up your daily routine automatically and pushes notifications to your phone to remind you to safeguard your property and loved ones, or to save on energy bills, Chen said. “Scaling up the system simply requires a few steps on the app to add sensors, without calling in an expensive installer.” You get to enjoy your smart home your way.
To ensure Chuango and smanos partners get the support, service and product updates that they deserve, the company currently allocates more resources to foster ICT/consumer electronics chains, home improvement/hardware DIY outlets and e-commerce sites, Li stressed. “Our DIY smart home systems sell themselves, and with our worldwide branch offices and design, logistics and service teams, we can better serve our channel partners and end customers, and react even faster to popular market demands.”
Companywide, Chuango has experienced triple-digit growth over the past 18 months, and the momentum is still picking up across the globe. The company is also slated to be publicly listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations (link in Chinese) in Beijing later on this year. What’s being demanded in the residential market these days is smart, simple, sleek, mobile yet compact and integrated ingenuity, and Chuango and smanos will continue providing just that, with even more smart home and remote management options. Stay tuned for more!

Press Contact
Hayden Hsu
hayden@chuango.com
About Chuango Security Technology Corporation
Established in 2001, Chuango specializes in wireless smart home technology, ranging from DIY security and home automation to energy and health management. The company, along with its new brand smanos, is rapidly expanding its global footprint and solution portfolio, with products and systems researched in Fuzhou, Taipei and Silicon Valley, designed in Shenzhen and Amsterdam, created and packaged in Dongguan, and brought to life worldwide. 

Smart Home Brand smanos Steals the IFA Berlin Show with New Products

(Sept 10th, 2014 – Taipei) Chuango Security Technology Corporation, an innovative developer of wireless home automation and DIY security systems, launched and added two exciting products to its already comprehensive smart home range, smanos, at IFA Berlin 2014. The new HD WiFi camera, IP3, has a wide field of view at 95° (equivalent to two regular home cameras combined) and a head-turning cooling mechanism, superior to its competition’s in comparison. And the sleek-looking W020 empowers homeowners to take home automation and security matters into their own hands, wirelessly. With easy WiFi setup on the smartphone app, users get to enjoy the comfort and convenience of a smart home within minutes upon opening the box.
smanos IP3 is equipped with a high-caliber OmniVision CMOS sensor, which produces fluid video footage and sharp still images, providing end users with HD-grade 720p video quality. With one-click WiFi and voice command setup, “installation” can be done in seconds, with no wires and no fuss! Android and iOS apps are freely available for remote real-time alerts, monitoring and listening in. With the perfect combination of a 95° ultra-wide view and crystal clear audio, users won't miss a beat in their home. The IP3 also comes with 10 built-in IR LEDs to ensure phenomenal night vision. When activated in low-light conditions, the IP3 ensures security and visual confirmation, and minimizes false alarms.
smanos W020 boasts one-click setup as well, and it picks up your daily routine automatically and pushes notifications to your phone to remind you to safeguard your property and loved ones, or to save on energy bills. Scaling up the system simply requires a few steps on the app to add sensors, without calling in an expensive installer. You get to enjoy your smart home you way.

The IP3, which can be used independently as a stand-alone security device, will soon be integrated with smanos smart home systems as well as the G5 Touch Alarm System, Product of the Year Award Winner of the 2013 IFSEC & FIREX Awards (Intruder Alarm or Exterior Deterrent Category). With such ease of use and visual capability in the smart home solution portfolio, Chuango, along with its own brand smanos, is now one of the few in the industry that can provide total protection and wireless simplicity in minimalistic designs and packages. Promotional videos are being filmed and edited at the moment for global distribution — stay tuned!

Press Contact
Hayden Hsu
hayden@smanos.com
About Chuango Security Technology Corporation
Established in 2001, Chuango specializes in wireless smart home technology, ranging from DIY security and home automation to energy and health management. The company, along with its new brand smanos, is rapidly expanding its global footprint and solution portfolio, with products and systems R&D'd in Fuzhou and Taipei, designed in Shenzhen and Amsterdam, created and packaged in Dongguan, and brought to life worldwide.

Home Security Systems Reviews Publishes New Section For Home Automation Systems

Home Security Systems Reviews has created a new section on their site to introduce the new trend in home automation systems offering a more comprehensive home security system than ever before.

Home security is serious business, and this is because homeowners take their safety seriously. Alarm systems can help to deter thieves, but deterrent alone is not always enough, and brazen raiders will continue unabated. That is why an arms race has begun to offer the best features, including monitoring and emergency service alerts, and more. Home Security Systems Reviews regularly reviews alarm systems for conscientious Canadians, and has recently added new sections to review the latest evolutions in home monitoring, which go far beyond security alone.

The new home automation security systems section will house reviews of home automation security systems, and already has a review of ADTs system, which aims not only to keep a home secure but also to optimize the running of the home, monitoring water and energy efficiency, lighting and thermostat controls while at the same time providing 24 hour monitoring.

This new section of the website is the latest to be added, after a Smart Home Monitoring section was added to review Rogers’ nickel and dime system offering scalable services for small monthly subscriptions, including smoke, fire, flood, carbon monoxide, light control and more, offering a futuristic control panel from which to monitor and control the whole house.

A spokesperson for Home Security System Reviews explained, “We are pleased to continue providing the best possible service to our clients by always being ready to expand with the evolution of the home security market. Smart monitoring and home automation are seen by many to be the future of home security systems, integrating them into a broader home monitoring context. Home security companies have been some of the first to try and get ahead early in this niche, though we have found mixed results from their attempts so far, this certainly looks like an exciting development for the future of home security.”

About Home Security Systems Reviews: Home Security Systems Reviews is a home security review site that specializes in reviewing Canadian alarm companies. Users can also find articles about the latest home automation systems and alarm monitoring services. The site is regularly updated with new and insightful articles as new products enter the market.

For more information, please visit http://www.homesecuritysystemsreviews.ca/

Chuango: Bringing Smart Home Tech to Ordinary Families

Founded in Fuzhou, China, Chuango Security Technology Corporation is a trendsetting innovator and dynamic developer of wireless smart home and DIYsecurity systems. The company, along with its new smart home brandsmanos, is rapidly expanding its global footprint and solution portfolio, with products and systems researched in Fuzhou, Taipei and Silicon Valley, designed in Shenzhen and Amsterdam, created and packaged in Dongguan, and brought to life worldwide. In keeping its promise of simple security, smart innovation and ultimate user experience, Chuango fuses technology and design into human-centric products to provide affordable, easy-to-use smart home solutions to residential and recreational property owners in all corners of the globe.

Established in 2001 by Ken Li and his late father Lee, Chuango Security Technology Corporation specializes in radio frequency technology and wireless smart home systems, ranging from DIY security and home automation to energy and health management. When Chuango began making radio signal antennae and security alarm systems, it operated mostly as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), supplying to distributors, resellers and alarm-monitoring companies in China, Japan and the U.S. Then came 2010, the company expanded its production lines from Fuzhou to Shenzhen, doubling its capacity to accommodate accelerated sales growth.

In 2013, Chuango achieved another milestone that catapulted the company to the road of branding: the G5 GSM/SMS RFID Touch Alarm System won the Product of the Year Award (Intruder Alarm or Exterior Deterrent Category) from IFSEC & FIREX Awards. “Winning this prestigious award certainly means a lot to us as it recognizes our commitment and continuous dedication to providing innovative solutions to our customers,” said Ken Li, founder and CEO of Chuango. “For the show’s 40-year history, the category award winner has never been an Asian brand, nada. I believe our young, energetic and creative team will continue to spice things up in the industry and markets worldwide.”

After stealing the show, the company swiftly shifted its business model and focus to introduce more private-label and branded products directly to distributors and retailers, etching another mark in its rapid transformation. “Developing consumer electronic-like DIY smart home systems requires a lot of investment in R&D and constant market studies and promotions, which cannot be sustained by the not-so-profitable OEM/ODM business. If we want to break free from the shackles of a stereotypical Asian OEM, we must grow with times to achieve something greater,” Li said. “Many manufacturers change products or marketing strategies passively. We lead by thinking differently, making adjustments proactively, and we always introduce fresh elements to everything that we do.”

Thanks to Chuango’s accelerated year-on-year revenue and personnel growth, the company has the resources and ammunitions to further build its research facilities, outside of Fuzhou and Shenzhen, in Taipei, Amsterdam and – in the near future – Silicon Valley to sustain its brand development of Chuango and smanos, as well as category development from burglar alarm (Chuango) to residential surveillance, health and energy management, and smart home(smanos).

How to Secure Your (Easily Hackable) Smart Home

As more devices and appliances with Internet capabilities enter the market, protecting those devices from hackers becomes critical. Unfortunately, many of these non-computer, non-smartphone devices — from toilets to refrigerators to alarm systems — weren’t built with security in mind.

So what can someone who’s already bought one of these devices do? When it comes to the so-called Internet of Things and the connected home, it’s best to proactively secure the home network. There is no antivirus software for a smart TV, but you can protect your Wi-Fi network so hacking the TV doesn’t become a backdoor into your home.

The risks of the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things is a catchphrase referring to commonplace devices and appliances — such as thermostats, automobiles and refrigerators — that are connected to the Internet. It also includes Internet-connected “wearable” devices, such as fitness bands or Google Glass. The market for Internet of Things devices will hit $7.1 trillion by 2020, according to estimates from analysis firm International Data Corp.

Connecting everyday devices to the Internet seems like a great idea, but users need to be mindful of the risks, warned JD Sherry, vice president of technology and solutions at Tokyo-based antivirus-software maker Trend Micro.

“No one is going to keep the door to their house unlocked,” Sherry said. “You need to think [the same way] about the appliances on your network.”

Smart Homes Draw Security Concerns

As homes get more connected to technology, security researchers are sounding the alarm on the vulnerabilities smart homes may pose.

The home automation market is expected to soar to $16.4 billion by 2019. But with that surging growth, researchers are asking for more attention to be drawn to the security of these devices to make sure they don’t reveal too much about home owners should they fall into the wrong hands.

Smart home devices run the gamut: a garage door that opens automatically as you approach the house; a thermostat automatically adjusting to fit your comfort level; even your oven adjusting its temperature based on the recipe you’re using.

Smart homes promise to offer home owners greater convenience, but security experts are concerned about devices that are able to remotely track you when you’re away from the house, monitor household activity through embedded cameras, and provide keyless entrance, Builder Online reports.

“Looking at the rate at which new products come to the market and the connectivity outside the home, all of a sudden there’s a lot of personal information being transmitted over the Internet,” Hagai Feiner, founder and CEO of Access Networks, told Builder Online. “The more intertwined those devices are into our lives, the more risk is present. It’s becoming a bigger issue as we have more and more devices that are looking at our patterns — and this is where technology is going. The more products we have that are learning and that transmit to the Internet, the more risk we have of those devices being hacked and information being held by rogue identities.”

HP Fortify on Demand created the IoT Top 10, an educational effort to explore the main security problems for internet-connected home devices.

In a recent study, the group tested 10 of the most popular smart-home devices and found that 70 percent of them presented serious vulnerabilities — with an average of 25 vulnerabilities per device — says Daniel Miessler of HP Fortify on Demand. Most of the devices that posed concerns collected personal information that included addresses, health information, and credit card numbers. The data is being transmitted — often unencrypted — over users’ networks and across mobile apps and cloud services, which could open up home owners to a potential data breach.

The study also found that 80 percent of the devices failed to use strong authentication measures and permitted weak passwords such as “1234.”

As researchers continue to raise the discussion of security in smart-home devices, they are urging home owners to also be smart about which products they choose. They encourage home owners to use products that have strong authentication measures and to choose better passwords in keeping their data safe.

DIY or Professional: Which Alarm System is Right for You?

Today, many products and services that were traditionally handled by experts are available in a do-it-yourself (DIY) format, and home security systems are no exception. To help homeowners find a reliable security system that can help protect their homes and loved ones, here are a few differences in DIY and professionally installed home security systems.

You better shop around.
Most homeowners opt for a professionally installed system because they want to be sure their families and belongings are protected and, let’s face it, most of us aren’t technically or mechanically savvy. A professionally installed system gives homeowners the peace of mind they seek. 

If you’re looking for a professionally installed system, it’s easy to find credible alarm companies that supply quality products. Simply click here and enter your zip code to get matched up with local companies that are members of theElectronic Security Association (ESA) . Once you select a company, a security professional will be sent to your home to perform a walk-through assessment and work with you to create a custom system that suits your lifestyle.

With a custom alarm system, you can add on professional alarm monitoring from a central station. A monitored alarm will ensure that your home is protected whenever the system is activated – it could be when it’s unoccupied or when your family is asleep. If danger arises, a central station operator will be able summon first responders to your home on your behalf. In addition to professional monitoring, many of today’s systems allow homeowners to control their alarms remotely and receive alerts via a smartphone or tablet.

There are several places to shop for a DIY system, including big box retailers, online marketplaces and even crowdfunding websites such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo. Many consumers turn to rating and review websites to help them navigate the sea of products. Once you’ve found a system, it’s up to you to decide how much equipment your home requires based on its size and layout. You may need to purchase additional units to ensure that your entire home is secure.

The installation situation.
Professional installation offers a hands-off approach for homeowners. After your home’s assessment, a trustworthy technician will install your new system, walk you through the steps to successfully operate the system, and answer any lingering questions. Security companies that are members of ESA employ highly-experienced technicians who install complex security systems every day, so you can be sure that your system will function properly.

Maintenance your peace of mind.
If you’ve chosen the DIY route, it’s time to open the box and get down to business. Setting up a DIY system isn’t rocket science, but getting the components of your system to communicate with one another may make you wish you had a degree in engineering. It’s imperative that you follow your system’s instructions closely, since a faulty installation can leave your home vulnerable to break-ins.

System repairs can be complicated and frustrating, but when professionals are involved, you won’t have to do any heavy lifting. Just pick up the phone and contact technical support. Skilled operators can troubleshoot the issue and set up a time for a technician to repair or replace your system if necessary. Many companies also offer support on their websites via live chat, email, how-to guides and instructional videos.

Whether it’s caused by human error or defective equipment, a malfunctioning DIY security system can be a headache – especially when you can’t get help. Depending on the length and terms (or existence) of your warranty, you may be able to call the manufacturer for support. However, be prepared to take notes or stay on the line for a while – you might responsible for making the repairs yourself.

With an abundance of products and features to choose from, selecting a security system for your family can be a challenging task. But, regardless of whether you take the DIY or professional route, pursuing the safety of your home and loved ones is always a step in the right direction.