May 15, 2013

Hi! How are you? Missing you…

1) We uploaded about 10 new pics of the manufacturing line working on CubeOnes, and also uploaded a video of dozens of systems being tested! Watch the video, it’s a cacophony of sirens and beeps (all good, and gives me a warm feeling inside).

2) Remember – For anyone interested, either as a gift or because you forgot to order before the Indiegogo campaign ended, we’re offering a 10% Off discount on iSmartAlarm packages. Just use the code “iSmart10” (without the quotes), and you’ll get 10% off the price of the preferred or the premium package from our site. This will run from now until the end of May. Share the code, tweet it, Facebook it, post it to coupon sites, what have you.

3) Zac and Raymond will be attending the CTIA show next week in Las Vegas, and Zac will be on a panel in the iPhone Life iZone on the Future of Home Automation. If you’re in the area, let us know!

4) Writing terms and conditions for the App and iSmartAlarm Home Security System. Wow, this is fun :|

5) Shipping dates. Ah, I probably should have made this number one, right? We are STILL on pace for shipping at the end of May. We’re working long hours finalizing App changes/pages/edits so we can get that in the App store ASAP, too. Should have Apple approval and be available in the next 2 weeks, will let you know as soon as you can download (free) and monkey around with it.

Cheers,

Zac

May 8, 2013

Hi everyone! We posted new pics to the gallery, including the machinery we are using for stress testing the devices and CubeOnes at point of manufacturing (and packaging, and for shipping, etc). Temperature testing, salinity and humidity, drop and impact tests, vibration tests, etc – We’re really focused on making sure each and every iSmartAlarm is of the highest quality and well-tested!

I also included a pic of one of our “testing” stations we have here in our new office – Please don’t mind the mass of cords visible, we’re running multiple systems through the paces.

Zac

May 3, 2013

Hello Indiegogoers!

Well, it’s been a busy week! Raymond just got back from our Manufacturing plant in China (pictures posted to the gallery), and things look good! The remote tags, contact sensors, and motion detectors are all assembled and packaged. We’re working on the CubeOne and iCamera right now, and things are looking spot-on for our “end of May” shipping dates. The issue we had previously with the wireless range of the CubeOne appears to be fixed, and all the CubeOnes we’ve tested are averaging about 20-25% further range than we had expected.

I’ve attached a pic of CubeOnes in the process of being assembled, and early next week I’ll update to the Gallery the machinery we’re using for our tests (like humidity, vibration, impact tests, temperature, etc). They look like science fiction machines.

It’s Raymond’s birthday tomorrow, so we got him an ice cream cake (that’s in the Gallery too).

I’ve requested a video “tour” of the plant, so hopefully you’ll be able to see the CubeOne under assembly and I’ll post that to the Gallery and let you know when it’s ready.

One last thing – We’ve finally completed our move to new offices, so we’re settled into a great new space that will allow us to expand and focus all our energies. We’re getting our name on the door and everything! If you want, you can reach out to us by snail mail at the following address -

iSmart Alarm, Inc.
1290 Kifer Road, Suite 306
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Our old phone number forwards here as well, but here’s our new number too if you want to chat – 408.245.2551.

Cheers,

Zac

Hello Indiegogoers!

Thank you again for your continued support, patience, and kind words! I love being able to chat with you when you call and interact through email or here on Indiegogo. I figured it was time for some news, so without further ado….

1) Our devices and packages (not including the Indiegogo-exclusive packages, of course) are now available for purchase on our site. Indiegogo pre-orders get priority on shipping, but orders coming through the site will only be a few days behind. We’re still on pace for shipping at the end of May.

2) Coupons! For anyone interested, either as a gift or because you forgot to order before the Indiegogo campaign ended, we’re offering a 10% Off discount on iSmartAlarm packages. Just use the code “iSmart10” (without the quotes), and you’ll get 10% off the price of the preferred or the premium package from our site. This will run from now until the end of May. Share the code, tweet it, write it on a piece of paper and put it in a bottle and throw it into the ocean! Okay, forget that last one – littering is bad.

2a) I’ll be adding new discounts in the future as well, such as “buy 3 contact sensors, get 1 free” as an example. Stay tuned here for those as they become available.

3) I’ve attached to this update a new photo from the manufacturing plant of the remote tags being built and put in their little foam beds. I’ll add more pictures of the motion sensors and to the Images gallery shortly.

4) We’re currently moving into a new office, about 8 miles from our previous location. More centrally located, with our own warehouse, and we have bit more space. We started out with five people in two rooms, total of 200 square feet. It’s nice to have windows now ;)

5) I apologize for the typo in the last Update. I’ll try and do better.

6) I’ll be attending the CTIA show in May in Las Vegas, and will be on a panel in the iPhone Life iZone on Home Automation. If you’re in the area, let me know and maybe we can meet up and chat.

7) We hope we’ve been responsive and helpful during these last few weeks, and I’m sure some of you have heard from me or from Melanie to answer your questions. If you have any questions, concerns, or anything in between, please let us know!

Zac
zac.sutton@ismartalarm.com

Production and Shipping Updates, April 18

Hello Indigogoers!

Now that the campaign has ended, we’ve been hard at work on all aspects of the company – shipping materials/details, distributor conversations, ecommerce store setup, and all things “iSmart Alarm, Inc.” Just got back from the ISC West security show in Vegas, and got lots of good ideas there too.

Obviously, the most asked question is on shipping dates. We need to move shipping dates back 1 month, unfortunately, which means we will be shipping to all our Indiegogo supporters at the end of May. I know this is a disappointment, and believe me – We’re just as disappointed. The antenna in the CubeOne needed to be revamped to meet the transmission range requirement. There were inconsistencies in the supplier materials in terms of how far away sensors could be from the CubeOne, and that’s completely unacceptable with us. Basically, some of the units didn’t have an acceptable minimum range (how far away a sensor can be) of 200 feet. This is a blow to our goal of being the first “perfect” crowdfunding campaign, but even more importantly, we let you down, and we’re sorry for that.

The good news is, we have a new supplier for the components, with a great reputation and a trusted partner of companies we work with. The tests on the new pieces meet and exceed our original goals in terms of range. The quality control starts immediately on all components as they come in from the manufacturer, and as soon as they pass the tests, our plant gets underway to replace the components in the affected pieces. Our CEO Raymond is spending the next week in China overseeing the process, and we’re all working to speed up manufacturing.

We’re working very hard to have everything to you as soon as possible, and please forgive any delays in communication in the interim. You can always reach me at zac.sutton@ismartalarm.com, and I’ll do everything I can to help.

In the meantime, here’s a look at a group of the contact sensors after being assembled and ready for packaging.

More Notes: