Wi-Fi solar light connects to app, social media sites

Canada-based startup HomeSmartWaterDetector has put up again an innovative product, a “connected” backyard solar light, on Kickstarter. The outdoor lighting fixture’s funding campaign already met success with a few more days to go, just like how its makers’ previous smart water leak detector became popular.

While there are many Wi-Fi lights out in the market, many of these smart fixtures are designed for indoor use. The Home Smart (Wi-Fi) Solar Light (HSSL) sets itself apart from other smart models for it withstands outdoor conditions and combines motion and environment sensing. The HSSL connects to the user’s app or Facebook, Twitter and e-mail accounts wirelessly to send security, temperature and humidity alerts. This way, authorized people get notified even if their smartphones go low on power.

The unit’s motion sensor detects at a 3 to 6m range, and when triggered it will activate the light in SOS blinking mode. The built-in temperature/humidity sensor, meanwhile, reads -40 to 80 C in Celsius or Fahrenheit, and 0 to 100 percent RH. Accuracy is ±0.5 C and ±2% RH.

HSSL’s solar panel adopts MPPT technology that maximizes its efficiency at any weather. Working time on a full charge is up to eight hours.

The first batch of devices ships July 2017.