Abstract: This invention provides the framework of a security system that is property specific as well as area specific. The invention includes a distributed software controlled security system that monitors and assesses the status of individual property items and conventional area security devices within a secured area. The activation of an alarm and the action taken in response to the alarm are determined by the state of the secured area, the state of the individual property item, and rules associated with each state or combination of states. Depending upon the capabilities of the individual property items, or appliances, and the area security devices, the security capabilities of this invention are distributed amongst a variety of appliances. In a preferred embodiment, the communication of messages and signals among the components of the system is in accordance with existing or proposed standards, such as HAVi and Home API, thereby allowing interoperability among components of varying vendors.

Abstract: This invention provides a method and system for increasing the bandwidth and distance of communication links by enabling noise from unwanted background radiation to be effectively eliminated. This is achieved by taking advantage of the fact that background radiation has much broader frequency spectrum than information signal carriers. Spectrum of interest is divided into multiple partitions. Reference signals are constructed over the spectral partitions according to defined selection criteria so that these reference signals can be used to reduce in-band noise of desired information signal through common mode noise elimination. Using differential signaling schemes further reduces noise from non-background radiation sources in addition to noise from background radiation sources. This method is applicable to both analog and digital systems.