We all need security, whether for keeping an eye on your house when you’re gone, making sure nobody rifles through your files or opens up your laptop after you leave work, or just seeing if your 8-year-old is digging into the snack drawer when you’re not looking. There’s one little device that covers all these things and more.

The Sensor-1 is a movement-detecting security device about the size of a quarter. It sticks to surfaces with a 3M Command Strip and can light up and sound an alarm if moved, alert you if you’ve left it behind, or stealthily track how and when it’s moved.

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The Sensor-1 by MetaSensor just released on Indiegogo at $79 per device and is estimated to ship around September.

How it works

“[Sensor-1] scans the environment and then it stores a measurement,” CEO and founder Nick Warren told Mashable. “If that measurement changes beyond a certain amount, then it alarms.”

After setting the alarm on the Sensor-1, it uses a combination of a gyroscope, an accelerometer and a magnetometer to judge exactly where and how much it moves. You can connect it to your phone or other devices via Bluetooth up to 300 feet, and it can then connect to the Internet and give you live updates on its status no matter where you are. If it isn’t connected, it stores 24 hours of movement data for when you come back within range.

There are other small, motion-detecting security devices like the Doberman, but they don't offer nearly as much customization and don't alert the user through Bluetooth on its movement.

The Sensor-1's adhesive back allows you to stick it to a bunch of different surfaces, and its LEDs light up blue when the alarm is set.

It’s up to you how the device will react. The settings are controlled with the Aletha app, where you can change how the Sensor-1 lights up its three RGB LEDs, how loud it will sound its alarm (from silent up to 85 decibels), and even how much movement is required to trigger the alarm. The app will be available for iOS at launch, and the Android app is slated for late 2016.

There are also presets for specific objects like doors, bags or bikes. For the “bags, briefcases and luggage” preset, the alarm won’t be triggered unless it moves more than four inches, which allows you to adjust your bag a normal amount without it sounding off. Don’t worry about constantly fiddling with the app. You can set a proximity between you and your device so it won’t set off the alarm if you’re within a certain distance, otherwise you might be accidentally setting it off all the time.

The Aletha mobile app allows you to set how and when the Sensor-1's alarm goes off, which includes preset settings for specific objects.

In stealth mode — no lights or alarm — the device can run for up to a year on its easily replaceable coin cell battery, and its life will shorten depending on how much you want it to do.

There is also the “left behind” feature, where you will be notified if you and the device are separated by more than a certain amount of space. If you get up from a restaurant and leave your purse on the floor with a Sensor-1 inside, it could notify you before you walk out the door.

The Sensor-1 is about the size of a quarter, with a battery that lasts up to a year in stealth mode.

Sensor-1’s inspiration

The Sensor-1 has spent six years in research and development, and was inspired by events in Warren’s life where he would’ve benefitted from having something like the Sensor-1.

“In 2009, I was building a security system for my family because I was worried that their home might be robbed or something,” Warren said. “A week before I gave them the device that I built them, their home was invaded and they were burglarized.”

Warren said his father was sleeping with a CPAP machine so he didn’t hear anything, including the downstairs windows breaking.

Six months later, Warren was working at a foundation and someone who was well-dressed walked right in and left with one of their laptops.

“It had research data on it and financial information, and it hadn’t been backed up, so it was a significant event,” Warren said. “That was like the catalyst for this device [the Sensor-1]. We wanted something to stick on laptops and doors and office buildings.”

So that’s what MetaSensor made — a versatile, small security device that gives you multiple avenues to make sure whatever you want safe is safe.