AN ELECTRONIC tagging system for domestic appliances that will deter thieves
has been developed by British Telecom’s research labs at Martlesham in Suffolk.
The system stops your appliances from working if they are plugged into someone
else’s mains supply.
BT has patented parts of the system, called Smart-Electrics, and expects to
start selling it within two years. “We have the determination and the skills to
succeed,” says Stewart Davies, BT’s director of advanced communications
engineering.
Details of the way the system works are disclosed in the patents. The system
consists of a home control centre connected to a remote operations…
