Sensaphone sticks with telephone in remote monitoring system

ASTON, Pa.--Sensaphone, a Pennsylvania company that manufactures products which monitor homes and buildings remotely, announced it has upgraded its product line with the addition of the Sensaphone 400. Vice president of sales Bob Douglass said, "A lot of security systems are on the marketplace today. What's different is that we're doing more than just security. Sensaphone protects the whole home." The new upgrade includes temperature and power-failure monitoring, with optional sensors for detecting water on the floor of the basement, as well as a microphone that can "hear" smoke detector alarms. In addition, customers can change temperature settings in their house by calling the sensaphone unit from their telephone. "With the Sensaphone 400, you can call your house before you arrive and raise the temperature," said Douglass. The Sensaphone 400, a self-install standalone remote monitor and alarm notification system, requires no monthly fees. In comparing his product to that of other companies who have recently joined the remote monitoring bandwagon, Douglass said, "With the AT&T systems as well as others, you can add on temperature sensors, but every time you add sensors, you add to your monthly fee. You can get up to $45 to $50 a month. If you don't mind paying, it's fine, but our customers don't want that." Unlike a traditional system, the Sensaphone does not call a central station. "You program the system, you record your own voice, and it calls you," said Douglass. The Sensaphone 400, which typically retails for $395, is sold through a variety of resellers, numbering upwards of 300 dealers.