Japanese electronics makers and mobile phone companies are employing their technology to enhance home security, especially for people living alone or families with small children.

"When I went to buy a replacement fax machine, I was also looking for some simple security device, and I found just what I wanted," said Yumiko Takagi, a 32-year-old housewife from Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The device she installed in her detached home, a new product by Panasonic Corp., combines a fax machine/phone with 13-cm-long sensors attached to the inside of windows that alert homeowners to break-ins.