Monitoring apparatus and system

An individual signal unit, said individual signal unit comprising:

• (a) a transceiver module,
• (b) a power supply and power control module,
• (c) a logic circuit, and
• (d) at least one internal sensor;
• (e) logic to register said individual signal unit with one or more remote servers accessible via a Wide Area Network to utilize functions provided by one or more third party output devices or external event sensors, said third party output devices or external event sensors selectable from a plurality of third party output devices or external event sensors;
• registration of said individual signal unit including configuration of a set of protocols for such utilization, and said registration effected, at least in part, through user data entry into a web-based interface to said one or more remote servers;
• wherein said third party output devices or external event sensors are one of:
• directly connected to said individual signal unit;
• operating on the same Local Area Network as said individual signal unit;
• or connected to another device directly connected to, or operating on the same Local Area Network as said individual signal unit;
• and wherein said individual signal unit is configured to:
• detect an event from said internal or external event sensors;
• and
• send a signal to said one or more remote servers to cause said one or more remote servers to execute a number of predefined steps in response to said signal, wherein said predefined steps include communicating instructions to said one or more third party output devices, and wherein other providers configure said individual signal unit using appropriate ones of the set of protocols to provide their own products and services in response to events sensed by any one of said internal or external event sensors thereby allowing centralized global access to the consumer by way of the one or more remote sensors and the individual signal unit.

A method of controlling third party output devices, said method comprising:

• registering, by an individual signal unit comprising a transceiver module and at least one internal sensor, with one or more remote servers over a Wide Area Network, registration of said individual signal unit including configuration of a set of protocols for utilization of functions, and said registration effected, at least in part, through user data entry into a web-based interface to said one or more remote servers;
• connecting, by said individual signal unit, to one or more third party output devices or external event sensors, said third party output devices or external event sensors selectable from a plurality of third party output devices or external event sensors, or to a Local Area Network to which are also connected one or more third party output devices or external event sensors, said third party output devices or external event sensors selectable from a plurality of third party output devices or external event sensors;
• detecting, by said individual signal unit, an event from said internal sensor or said external event sensors;
• transmitting, by said individual signal unit, a signal to said one or more remote servers to cause said one or more remote servers to execute a number of predefined steps executable in response to said signal, said predefined steps configured, at least in part, through user data entry into a web-based interface maintained by said central control facility, and wherein said predefined steps include communicating instructions to said one or more third party output devices;
• and
• enabling other providers to configure said individual signal unit using appropriate ones of the set of protocols to provide their own products and services in response to events sensed by any one of said internal or external event sensors thereby allowing centralized global access to the consumer by way of the one or more remote sensors and the individual signal unit.