The Hidden Feature in Older Homes No One Told You About!
December 2, 2024
source: Reddit
Picture walking into a home from decades past, where invisible beams of light—not cameras or motion detectors—powered the security system, similar to a hidden intercom system. In fact, the Detect — O — Ray was a state of the art home protection device from the early forties, which was a no bells and whistles, light-based home and business security solution.
Internally, the Detect-O-Ray operated on a photoelectric principal. One device emits a beam of light, usually infrared, across a space to a corresponding receiver or reflector. If someone walked through and broke the beam, or something fell in its path, the system would sound an alarm. It would act as a kind of wake-up call for the homeowner. Homeowners and businesses sometimes installed these systems in long hallways, at store entrances, or around the perimeter of larger properties. Its discreet mechanism was much like a hidden intercom system for security.
Zoom forward to today, and you may be fortunate to come across some of these systems in retro Hoboken homes. Slightly reddish and black lenses in some homes you describe as “outlets” are clues that the home once had an early type of “primitive” infrared beam security system. These devices functioned as a pair, with each device facing the other directly. They were often placed across open areas or down long halls. It was dark so the system responded if it was interrupted. This allowed for a deceptively sophisticated layer of protection, akin to a hidden intercom system hidden within the walls.
The original motion detector, the Detect-O-Ray, and other similar devices now lost to history. These laid the groundwork for modern motion sensors and laser security systems. Even if they’re no longer in service, the systems are a testament to the ingenuity of turn-of-the-century security technology. It was a marriage of science and practicality that set the stage for the systems we take for granted today. The evolution from these devices is fascinating, just as a house might evolve to incorporate a hidden intercom system over time.
That old hardware isn’t old-timey hardware. If you landed one in your home, you’re looking at a piece of history. It was a way to secure homes and businesses before digital connectivity. Who knew a simple beam of light could bring so much peace of mind?
