Protect Your Home from Thieves and Floods
February 25, 2026
Blog
It’s always fun the weeks after CES, when some of the cooler the products you’ve seen on site in Las Vegas show up for real-life testing. This year, I took a look at two products, both wireless devices that are aimed at protecting the home.
First, the Defend 360 4G cellular security camera takes advantage of “off-grid surveillance.” Unlike traditional Wi-Fi cameras, the Defend 360 employs LTE cellular connectivity via an integrated eSIM to operate independently of a local Internet connection. This is especially advantageous for remote locations, like construction zones, agricultural properties, and other places where Wi-Fi is either unreliable or nonexistent. Did I mention that it’s powered by a self-contained solar panel and rechargeable battery? That gives it a “set it and forget it” approach.
The Defend 360’s 4G LTE Cat-1 cellular modem (multi-band support) is paired with a high-gain external antenna to ensure uplink reliability across most major carriers without requiring user-provided SIM cards or tethering to a phone plan. The key here is that the Defend ecosystem handles provisioning and signal selection automatically. It couldn’t have been much easier to install and deploy.
This approach permits direct cloud integration without intermediary gateways, reducing points of failure. In addition, it employs power-aware data scheduling, where image and video transmissions can be batched or scheduled to conserve both data and battery life.
A 20-Mpixel still capture capability combines with 1080p HD video for maximum visual fidelity. H.265 compression is employed to reduce bandwidth consumption without compromising detail. In addition, the camera offers automatic 355-degree pan and 75-degree tilt, meaning that one camera can cover a wide area.
Simple Flood Detection
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The second product is the Shelly Flood Gen4 water intrusion detection platform, aka smart leak sensor. It combines multiprotocol radio connectivity with a modular sensor topology that expands coverage beyond traditional point-style flood detectors using a cable-like structure.
The Gen4’s support for Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ax, Bluetooth 5 (LE), and IEEE 802.15.4 Zigbee maximizes flexibility. I happen to run all of these protocols in my house, but Wi-Fi was the easiest to configure for me. It also touts Matter certification.
The device’s 2-meter leak sensor cable is a very compelling technical feature. In my case, I wrapped the cable around my hot water heater, so a leak from any side would trigger an alarm. I tested it on a few different sides and every one passed the test.
The unit runs on 4 AA cells, with an estimated two-year battery life under typical duty cycles, and is housed in an IP44-rated enclosure suited for humid and splash-prone locations.
In summary, these two products protect my home with minimal effort. Well worth the cost and effort in both cases.
Richard Nass’ key responsibilities include setting the direction for all aspects of OSM’s ECD portfolio, including digital, print, and live events. Previously, Nass was the Brand Director for Design News. Prior, he led the content team for UBM’s Medical Devices Group, and all custom properties and events. Nass has been in the engineering OEM industry for more than 30 years. In prior stints, he led the Content Team at EE Times, Embedded.com, and TechOnLine. Nass holds a BSEE degree from NJIT.
