“Perhaps the bad guys should think twice when temptation strikes. The homeowner may have installed the HomeSitter from Telus or Bell Canada’s recently announced Home Monitoring System. For an initial cost of between $200 and $300, plus a monthly monitoring fee, your cellphone can let you know when somebody tries to break into your house.
You can get an automatic text message when the kids get home from school and punch in their PINs. Perhaps you’d prefer an SOS when a pipe breaks at the cottage. It’s all possible, for a fee.
These systems are also being promoted as an “aid to independent living” for the elderly, who can be required to check in periodically. Getting an e-mail that Grandma did not enter her PIN as scheduled at 10 a.m. might be a sign that she passed on in her sleep, or at least needs a visit.
Bell also offers an optional video camera that its website calls “sleek and inconspicuous,” conjuring up tantalizing possibilities for spying on the babysitter and her boyfriend. What you do with the system is up to you, Bell just sells it.
The telecom companies are clearly moving into a market long held by traditional alarm companies such as ADT and Alarmforce. These firms seem to be lagging a bit on the tech front, though ADT does allow you to update your alarm call-out list on a web portal.”