Looking for Feedback on an AI-Powered Home Security Tool Idea

Seeking Advice
1

Hello everyone,

A few months ago, I shared my experience with a break-in and received great advice from this community. (Here’s the post for reference: Break-in experience). Since then, I’ve been brainstorming ways to improve home security using technology. As a machine learning engineer, I’ve been working on an idea for a tool that could add advanced features to popular home security cameras. Here’s the concept:

  1. AI-Enhanced Threat Detection: If an intruder breaks in, the camera would use AI to assess if there’s a real safety threat. If there is, it would automatically trigger an alarm to deter the intruder on the spot.

  2. On-Demand Live Agent Response: If a threat is confirmed, an alert could be sent to a live safety agent who could then sound the alarm or contact the police. Unlike typical subscriptions, this service would only charge when a threat is detected—no monthly fees, just a one-time fee if action is needed.

Having gone through a break-in, I’d personally find a tool like this valuable. But I’d love to get your honest feedback: does this sound helpful to you? What additional features or potential concerns do you think should be considered?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts!

2

How would the AI determine what’s a real threat? Are you thinking of using basic people detection or going for more complex behavioral analysis? People detection exists, but behavioral AI has been tried and often doesn’t work well.

3

@Solomon
Good question. I’d start with an LLM, then, as mentioned in my post, use human monitoring to confirm threats for better accuracy.

4

Dahua cameras have had person/vehicle detection and more advanced behavior analysis for a few years now. Their TiOC cameras even have light/siren features.

In the Home Assistant group, some people have used camera motion detection to send snapshots to Google Gemini or ChatGPT-4 to analyze what’s happening. This setup gives useful notification examples.

5

@Safezone
Thank you for the insights. I realize this isn’t brand-new, but I’m still unsure of the demand. Here’s what I’m thinking:

  1. Safety-Only Notifications: Alerts would only go off for specific safety-related activities, like package theft or a break-in attempt.

  2. Live Agent Intervention: A live agent could intervene before a crime happens, helping to deter the intruder.

Would features like these appeal to potential users?

6

@Steve4
Those features are popular with commercial clients.

If you’re interested in this market, consider developing AI detection plugins for commercial VMS (video management software) like Milestone xProtect, NX Witness, or Luxriot. This is a big industry, especially in the US where weapon detection is in demand.

For home use, many brands already offer package detection, like Ubiquiti and Eufy, which have cameras with additional views for that purpose. The home market is tricky because most users want easy-to-install wireless cameras like Eufy, Arlo, or Reolink. Integrating with these can be harder than with pro-grade VMS.