Security firm helps monitor elders

Boomertech
Alarm.com last week unveiled a wireless system that tells you if the older folks in your family are breaking their routine -- a sign that they may need help.

The Independent Living service uses a combination of contact and motion sensors, placed around the house, that are all connected to a wireless hub that relays data to the Alarm.com operations center.

Family members can look on the Web to see when the sensors were activated, and receive alerts on their cellphones and PDAs. That way, older relatives may be able to prolong the time they spend living at home.

Security systems are designed to alert homeowners and network operations centers anytime a sensor is tripped. But the Independent Living service sees inactive sensors as a cause for concern. Alarm.com calls this Up & About Inactivity Monitoring.

For example, if the motion sensor outside your mom's or dad's bathroom door has not detected anything by noontime, it could mean they are laid up in bed. If an elder is at risk for wandering, the system can let you know whether the front door has been opened late at night.

Many researchers say that elders are willing to sacrifice a bit of their privacy to avoid the nursing home. They may also accept something like the Independent Living system because it's easy to install. (A DIY option is available). And since it relies on GSM, there's no need to wire for broadband.

Mobile Phones

Antenna attachment promises to boost your phone's signal

I recently wriggled out of paying the early cancellation fee for my mobile phone, because I could not get a signal in my own home, and my carrier's map showed me to be living in a "fair" reception area. So I can't tell you whether the Freedom Antenna ( freedomantenna.com) would have helped me in that case. The device looks like something Corporal Radar O'Reilly cranked up to call I Corps in "MASH." It is not pretty, but the Freedom Antenna's manufacturer, ARC Wireless Solutions Inc., claims the thing will boost your reception -- and thus voice clarity -- substantially. The antenna (about $35) fits up to 200 phone models, and should be available soon at electronics retailers.

Futureshop

Arfid-equipped carts may be coming soon to a supermarket near you

RFID readers will soon track shoppers in some supermarkets in the Eastern United States, according to the makers of the MediaCart (see their website at mediacart.com).

Essentially, the cart is a marketing machine on wheels with an RFID tag, barcode scanner, and video panel that hits you with promotions, based on your cart's position in the store, and the items you scan into it.

MediaCart will allow the retailer to direct you to products in aisle two , even while you're still in aisle one. The promise is that you'll be able to navigate giant supermarkets efficiently and check out faster.

You can scan your loyalty card into the cart to qualify for coupons and other perks.

The cart is also capable of storing your shopping list for future visits. It can show you a map of the store, leading you to the items on your list (and, no doubt, a few the retailer would like to sell to you).

Media Cart Holdings Inc., which makes the cart, would not reveal the name of the retailer that will test its system in a few weeks.