Should we be scared of the listening devices in our living rooms?

More and more people are getting home listening devices in their homes such as Google nest and Amazon Alexa as they try to embrace new technology and make their lives easier in some ways. There has been however some debate about the wisdom of having a device in the home that could potentially be listening to conversations and tracking an individual’s internet searches and targeting marketing to these individuals as a result of this.

It is without doubt that we live in a world where our privacy is compromised continually as companies sell on our details to the highest bidder. Targeted advertising has become commonplace on our mobile devices so it would be very difficult to avoid this but the listening devices in our homes take this a step further as a recent development indicates that Alexa will be able to predict our next response from a question posed. For example, if we ask for the opening times of an attraction in a certain location the device will ask whether we want to kn...
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Retractable Security Grilles – a Good Idea for your Property?

Security grilles are used in windows to give additional security. They are designed to prevent someone from breaking and entering via the window. They are often used in commercial properties, though they could equally be used in domestic residences. This is more likely if the property is on the ground floor, as security grilles will give added protection when windows are open. One way to make security grilles more appealing is to install retractable grilles that are controlled by an electronic system. This will mean that they don't have to be in place all the time and can easily be controlled using a remote control. This is good in the residential sector, where aesthetics are important. Think about fitting security grilles to your commercial or residential building to give you further peace of mind. They have high success rates and by making them retractable, you will have the best of both worlds.
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Understanding how electric garage door operators work

You have probably seen electric garage door operators around. They help close and open the garage doors to eliminate the need for manual labour. Other than opening and closing doors, how does it work? All kinds and brands of door operators for your garage follow the same mechanism. Electric garage, counter to common belief, do not use electricity to give the doors' lifting power. Preferably the electricity comes into play when managing the garage door. The electric operator allows the owner to regulate how far the door opens and closes through the electric motor. This motor, which is applied to open and close the door, can command the distance the garage door opens and closes by restricting the power once it gets a signal to do so from the remote control. This is a useful characteristic as it allows for easy management of the door. (more…)
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Digital Multimeter 760-2 from Testo

The Testo 760-2 Digital Multimeter is an electrical current measurement tool with a low pass filter and a true root mean square measurement (TRMS). This offers  a greater current measurement range, ranging from CAT IV 600 V and CAT III 1000 V. The device has an improved interface panel with no dial and features a large LCD display, with a clear backlight which enables the screen to be seen more clearly than was possible on older devices with a smaller screen area. Unlike older models there is no dial on the digital multimeter, as there are function keys instead that allow the correct settings to be set and prevent incorrect settings from accidentally being entered manually, which would be normally be possible with a manual dial. To date it is the best digital multimeter on the market and is IP64 rated and complies with EN 61326-1 standards.
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Modern Electrical Wiring Solutions

Wiring a modern home is becoming an interesting process. With new wireless technologies being introduced, never has there been so many different wiring configurations available. One new wiring method is the hub wire. The hub wire consolidates all of the homes wiring. Instead of having many separate wires (for power, telephone, cable or satellite TV, computer) all daisy-chained through your walls. A network connects everything into a single, central hub. The hub wire then runs directly from this hub to each room, where modular outlets provide access to services. Though more expensive than traditional wiring, these conductors are better able to handle the demands of high-speed transmissions -- resulting in less interference and clearer reception. Newly introduced wireless networking products can connect computers, printers, or other devices, as can kits that use the existing electrical or telephone wiring in your house.
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