Shan and I visited the Andersen Window plant in Bayport, Minnesota. We learned a LOT about windows, including details about the Andersen VERILOCK system. Whereas the traditional approach to window security involves drilling into the frame to install some sort of device, the Andersen windows come already prepared to integrate with most home automation systems. This is important because if you drill a hole into a beautiful wood window, you can create some real problems, such as drilling into the wrong place and ruining it. Even if the window isn’t ruined, the warranty on the window is immediately invalidated. That means that should anything go wrong, the cost of replacement falls completely on you, the homeowner.
The reason window manufacturers place such restrictions around having framers and security technicians drill holes in their precision windows is due to the problems putting a hole in a window can cause – not just to the window but to the entire home! For instance, one hole drilled into a window could cause the water to drain right into the building envelope causing major problems, such as mold. Windows, especially Andersen windows, are engineered very precisely to channel water a certain way and drain a certain way. You can see, then, how drilling a hole can change all of that, causing the flow of water the change.
So, if you aren’t going to drill a hole into the window, how do you send a signal to a security system? Well, wireless of course! Thus was born the VERILOCK system. We were honored to have one of the minds behind this great technology at our last Luxury Home Show, Sachin Gore. Although the system is fairly new on the market, already the opportunities for technological advancement are vast! For instance, using this technology, you could:
1. Have a smart phone notify you if a window is unlocked. (No more sleepless nights for mothers of teenagers!)
2. Have the smart phone lock the window.
3. Design a system of opening certain windows at a certain times during the day to allow fresh air into the home.
