State (Columbia, SC)
Date: 18, March 2001

Seeing visitors outside your door.

By Alan J. Heavens

It's 3a.m., and you hear a noise near your front door. You climb out of bed, head downstairs and look through the peephole. It's dark, and you're afraid to turn on the front lights because the intruder will know where you are.

Then again, it could be neighbor's cat.

There's a reasonable, priced way to be sure who is outside, and that's the Video Entry System from VOS Systems, of Poway, Calif.

The system comes in two parts. Once combines an intercom-doorbell with an infrared television camera that mounts on front doors or exterior walls in the same way as a standard doorbell.

To gain entrance, visitors push a button and the chime sounds. The resident uses the second component - a telephone monitoring system with a four-inch black and white video screen, handset and speaker phone - to see and talk with visitors.

The system permits constant video and audio surveillance without visitors' knowing they can be observed.

You can add up to three monitoring stations. The units can sit on a desk or be mounted on a wall.

The camera can operate in total darkness. It has a sight range of up to 12 feet, with a 60-degree horizontal and 50-degree vertical view.

[Price: $399.95]

VOS also makes voice-activated and remote-controlled electronic switches and dimmers.

The IntelaVoice wall switch lets you control lights with "lights low," "lights on" and "lights off" voice commands when you enter a dark room and can't find the switch or have your hands full.

It looks like a computer mouse. You plug the IntelaVoice into a standard outlet and attach a lamp or small appliance up to 150 watts.

Price: $29.95

The remote-controlled light switch and dimmer uses an infrared signal to adjust lights.

Four remote channels can be set for each room, allowing users to control light in every one.

The dimmer has a capacity of 40 to 500 watts.

Price: $39.95