VOCOlinc door sensors are a low cost way to add HomeKit automations

Door sensors are a central part of any security system. I’ve written about my experience with abode in the past, and I use its door sensors for my primary Homekit triggers with automations as well as security alerts for entry. Since abode is monitored, I know that if a door is opened while I am gone, I’ll get an alert. But what do you get if you only want a door sensor for HomeKit automations or want an unmonitored alarm for entry? The VOCOlinc door sensor will fit your needs nicely if that is what you’re looking for.VOCOlinc is one of my favorite HomeKit manufacturers. Their products are purpose-built for HomeKit. Their smart outlets are some of my favorite and most reliable HomeKit products in my home. Their door/window sensors are another purpose-built HomeKit product that can fit into any home. In my house, I have them in my garage. Since I already have my doors covered with abode door sensors, they are also exposed to HomeKit. My garage has multiple ground-level windows that I’ve always wanted to add an extra bit of security.To get more news about door and window sensors, you can visit securamsys.com official website.

The installation process for the VOCOlinc door sensors was painless even though I was putting it on a window. Once I put a battery in it, it powered on, and I was able to scan the HomeKit code to add it to the Home app. Once I chose a room for it, I was able to designate it as a window sensor.

VOCOlinc includes plenty of adhesives in case you need to remount the sensor in the future. All in all, it took maybe five minutes from unboxing to mounting on my window. VOCOlinc offers an app, but you only would need it for future firmware updates. Everything else is done inside the Home app.
I love HomeKit automations, and a window sensor is a perfect place to use them. Since I have a HomePod, it’s the ideal alert system. Since I never have a reason to open that window, if it’s opened, my HomePod will start playing Who Let the Dogs out on Apple Music. I will also receive a push notification in case I am not at home.

Wrap-up
Like I mentioned earlier, I am a big fan of VOCOlinc products for HomeKit. They work out of the box with HomeKit, and they are generally some of the lowest cost but most reliable products you’ll find. If you want to add the ability to use your doors to trigger HomeKit automations, but aren’t ready to build a full security system with abode, the VOCOlinc door sensor will be a perfect addition your Homekit powered home.

Some examples of the automations you could build are to trigger an outdoor light when a door opens at night or to turn lights on inside if a door is opened after 11:00 PM (catching kids coming in after curfew). The VOCOlinc door/window sensors can be purchased from Amazon.

Ranches of the future could be home to cows wearing smart-watch-style sensors powered

"On a ranch, monitoring environmental and health information of cattle can help prevent diseases and improve the efficiency of pasture breeding and management," says co-author Zutao Zhang, an energy researcher at Southwest Jiaotong University in China. "This information can include oxygen concentration, air temperature and humidity, amount of exercise, reproductive cycles, disease, and milk production."To get more news about home window sensors, you can visit securamsys.com official website.

The team's smart ranch design involves cows wearing small sensory devices around their ankles and necks that are powered by everything cows do as they go about their regular ranch activities. "There is a tremendous amount of kinetic energy that can be harvested in cattle's daily movements, such as walking, running, and even neck movement," says co-author Yajia Pan, also an energy researcher at Southwest Jiaotong University.Once captured, the energy is stored in a lithium battery and used to power the device.

"Our kinetic energy harvester specially harvests the kinetic energy of weak motion," says Zhang. The team's design is unique because it contains a motion enhancement mechanism that uses magnets and a pendulum to amplify small movements the cows make.

Zhang hopes that implementing smart technology in ranches will be part of a larger effort to improve the world's food systems. "With the development of 5G technology and the Internet of Things, the operation of the entire industrial chain of the food system is more intelligent and transparent," he says.

Zhang and his colleagues also tested the devices on humans and found that a light jog was enough to power temperature measurement in the device. The researchers see future applications in sports monitoring, healthcare, smart home, and the construction of human wireless sensor networks.

"Kinetic energy is everywhere in the environment -- leaves swaying in the wind, the movement of people and animals, the undulation of waves, the rotation of the earth -- these phenomena all contain a lot of kinetic energy," says Zhang, "We shouldn't let this energy go to waste."

This work was supported by the National Natural Foundation of China, Science and Technology Projects of Sichuan, and Science and Technology Projects of Chengdu