There's a rather nifty crowd-funded project that aims to deliver a "roll-your-own" home security system this August. Using the Selfstarter code available on Github, the Scout Alarm project has so far pulled in almost 800 backers and over $211,000 in funding. The project is designed to "make the latest home security technology affordable for everyone with no required monthly fees."
The hardware starts with a US$80 base station complete with Wi-Fi, a 3G cellular chip, and a backup battery. At each door where homeowners want to be able to arm or disarm the system, there's an arm/disarm panel ($40) that uses RFID reader technology to avoid the need for keypads and codes. Windows and doors are equipped with $20 open/close sensor
