Cell Phone-Based Home Security System Hits

Cell phones have become the Mother of All convergence devices, swallowing PDAs, digital cameras and MP3 players. Now phones are about to eat your home security system. A company called EYESthere is building a nationwide franchise of security firms that provide home security. Like other security companies, they put cameras in your house, along with motion detectors and other standard security sensors. But instead of sending camera video to a security service, EYESthere SENDS THE VIDEO TO YOUR PHONE (you can also watch on the web). The "smart cameras" used by EYESthere are better, too: They're high-def or nearly so, in color, with high-quality night-vision functionality. If you're on vacation and someone breaks into your house, you get an SMS, which links you to the live video feeds for each home camera. The service costs $1,100 a camera, including installation, which is far cheaper than conventional security systems.