HomeGuard: home security and monitoring

HomeGuard is a home security system that started out as a project by Jamie Grant. It's now a Raspberry Pi kit being funded as an Indiegogo campaign.

"Some years ago my mother was ill with Leukemia," writes Jamie. "I was told by her doctor she could 'go at any time' – not nice. I developed Pi HomeGuard to help watch over her and it proved to be very useful."

Getting a Pi HomeGuard home security system

The Raspberry Pi Foundation blog covered Pi HomeGuard when it was a bundle of motion and door sensors. That story proved very popular. Many folk want to make sure elderly relatives are safe, or put it to use monitoring their own home when they're away. Now it's being turned into a Pi HomeGuard board with a power sensor clamp and transmitter. Monitoring your family, or your own property will be a lot easier with a kit project.

Ultimately, it's ideal for allowing elderly relatives to keep their independence, while allowing the family some peace of mind. It's a comprehensive system too, all in all Pi HomeGuard monitors the status of the home and alerts the family to any of the following:

• Intruders – get alerts if the home has unexpected visitors.
• Relatives – check if an elderly relative is up and about.
• Frost – get an early alert of low outside temperatures. 
• Flood – get an early warning of flooding before the property is damaged.
• High Power use – get alerts if the cooker or oven has been left on.
• Footfall analysis – find out what areas are busy at particular times.

"For a successful campaign and to make initial production viable I need sufficient funds to manufacture 500 Pi HomeGuard boards," says Jamie. "Many campaigns stall and fail by the initial high manufacture costs, but because all boards are ready to go and with sensors being sold in DIY format – this will not happen."

"The Raspberry Pi was built and sold to improve learning and education and Pi HomeGuard will continue with this theme," says Jamie. "All sensors will initially be self build following a set of simple instructions."

• Click here to view the Indiegogo campaign.