**UPDATE 3/8/2016***
I've been using the Canary for 4 months now and at first I was very excited and satisfied with it. However, now it's becoming a nuisance and I'm very disappointed that after 4 months, it hasn't learned ANYTHING. Every morning I'll get 10-20 notifications for Sunlight activity, Pet movement, Roomba activity (I created a tag for this) and Living Room Lights (I also created a tag for this).
This is incredibly frustrating that Canary relies completely on a camera sensor that doesn't know the difference between sunlight, pet, tv screen, and lamps. Now I wish I simply had a sensor on my door to alert me instead of camera that alerts me for every little change.
This defeats the whole purpose of a "smart" learning device when it doesn't actually learn anything. Are my tags actually helping the device learn anything? I have a suspicion this is just a gimmicky claim but Canary but the device doesn't actually have the capability to learn ANYTHING. I get the same damn notifications, every, single day.
And no, I will not LOWER my motion sensitivity notifications because the whole point of having a home security system is to keep it secure. If my "camera" senses activity, why would I take the off chance of not checking it just in case?
Also, lowering the motion sensitivity notifications doesn't actually prevent the device from recording those movements and posting them to my timeline.
Overall, I'm very unsatisfied with this product now because it wastes my time at work every day with "false alarms" and has FAILED to learned my very predictable, routine habits of when I come home, my roomba in the mornings, etc.
There are other competitors out there that offer extended sensors, smarter cameras, 2-way audio,etc. that Canary cannot compete with.They keep talking about all these new update and features they're going to add but I'm very skeptical and doubtful.
OVERALL //
I'm pretty satisfied with the product. It served its need when I was on vacation for two weeks and needed to monitor my apartment (my unit is particularly vulnerable to burglaries since its street-facing and ground level). I had Philips HUE lights set up in my apartment and I could check to see if those lights turned on/off remotely from my phone. The Canary product gave me the EASE OF MIND I needed, because I was able to periodically check into my apartment and rest assured that I would be notified if there was any movement activity while I was gone.
QUICK REVIEW //
The camera is HD, the physical design of the device is elegant, high-tech and blends in well my other gadgets. Most guests wouldn't notice that it's a security camera, nor does it look like a dopey web cam device like the Nest Cam.
The app is intuitive to use and modern. It's a bit over-simplified and lacks many features. The "Watch Live Video" feature has a 3-5 second delay and only works well if you have really good wifi or cellular connection. The camera doesn't move but you can zoom in.
I appreciate how easy it was to set up this device. This product is dependent on the Canary server and the "FREE" features are pretty limited. For more features, you have to choose a paid, monthly subscription option that I personally do not believe is worth it at the time.
I've had this product for almost a month and here are some features that would be nice to have:
NICE TO HAVE FEATURES //
1. 2-way audio would be a great addition. I often monitor my dog when I'm away and it'd be a great feature if I could somehow "talk" to her while monitoring her. It seems like 2-way baby monitors are the norm but I'm not sure why this security camera doesn't allow for it.
2. Auto-arm and auto-disarm feature based on IFTTT when I wake up and sleep. I wear Jawbone's Up2 activity tracker. It automatically detects when I fall asleep and when I wake up. It would be amazing if I could set up a IFTTT formula in which my Canary would arm itself when I fall asleep and then disarm itself when I wake up. I try to arm my apartment before I sleep every night, because I don't want someone breaking in when I'm asleep. However, I prefer the default setting of "Privacy Mode" when I'm at home.
Sometimes I forget to arm the Canary before I sleep, and sometimes I forget to disarm it when I wake up. It would be a huge convenience if Canary would integrate IFTTT capability or have a similar arm/disarm feature based on when you sleep and wake up. It's one less thing I have to remember to do manually.
3. Better geo-fencing. Sometimes when I come home, my Canary doesn't realize it fast enough because of wifi/connectivity issues and I will accidentally set off the alert, even though it should automatically set to Privacy mode. Some of these things make the Canary system a bit slow and buggy and disappointing.
4. Custom geo-fencing settings for mobile devices that don't travel with me (eg. iPad). I want to use the Canary app from my mini iPad, however, I usually don't take this iPad with me when I go to work. If I sign onto the Canary app from my iPad and leave my iPad at home, then my Canary system will not auto-arm because it thinks I'm still in the house... It would be a convenient feature if I could indicate to Canary that my iPad doesn't need the "geofencing" feature, it simply wants to have access to the controls.
5. Better smart-learning of pet movements, etc. Though the app "claims" to be self-learning, I am constantly tagging my pet movements in my house. My dog is 25 lbs and very small. There should be no reason that my Canary keeps thinking that the little movements at the bottom of the screen are confused as an intruder in my house. My Canary faces the back entrance door of my house, I'm surprised when it detects other very obvious pet-activity and alerts me ....
6. Night-mode is sometimes buggy. Even though there is clearly enough light in my house (day time or lamps on), my Canary will think it's dark and the "live mode" will be in night-mode. It's very difficult to monitor anything in Night-mode, especially if this happens during the day. This defeats the purpose of having a HD security camera if the burglar's face will black and white and difficult to see. This seems to be a firmware issue that can be easily upgraded and smarter.
7. Online streaming option for live video. I'd love to be able to monitor my place straight from my desktop computer, over the internet. Or better yet, allow my friends/family to check for me using a share-able link.
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From the manufacturer
Get discounts on your renters or homeowners insurance.
Smart Home Security for Everyone
We believe anyone should be able to go anywhere, do anything, and still know what’s happening at home. The problem is, traditional security systems are hard to install and harder to use. And what if you rent? It’s nearly impossible to take conventional systems with you when you move.
That’s why we designed Canary, a complete security system packed into a single device you control from your smartphone. Canary is a modern approach to home security, and since it doesn’t need additional sensors, setup takes minutes, not days. Download the app, set Canary on a flat surface, plug it in, connect it to the internet, and you’re ready to go.
With no contracts or required monthly fees and free cloud storage of recent events, Canary works right out of the box to protect the people and places you care about most. And since Canary’s intelligent notifications only alert you when something unusual happens, you’ll make smart decisions when something’s wrong and feel connected when everything’s right.
No installation. Set up in seconds.
Not only is Canary the smartest home security solution on the market, it’s also the simplest. Just set Canary on a shelf or table, plug it in, and connect it to the internet using the free iPhone or Android app. That’s it.
Generally, we recommend one Canary per entryway and one per floor. It's easy to start with one and add more as needed.
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Auto-Arm/DisarmNo need to mess with a keypad or even pull out your phone. Canary senses when you come and go, and automatically changes modes. |
Personalized Safety NetIf you think you might miss notifications due to travel, meetings, or any other reason, set up some other users so that a minor issue doesn’t become a major problem. |
Trusted UsersCanary makes it easy for families, friends, and loved ones to look out for and protect each other. Simply share access using the free canary app with anyone in your household. |
Multiple Devices/LocationsCanary's system can monitor multiple locations, so you can have devices in your apartment, your vacation home, and anywhere else you want to secure, and control them all from the same app. |
Data Protection
Securing video and data is our top priority. We built the Canary system to be simple to use without sacrificing any of the safeguards that customers expect when streaming and storing video. All parts of our system—from the device to the cloud to the app—employ extensive security measures to protect private data, such as AES 256-bit symmetric-key encryption, Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), secure HTTP access (HTTPS) using TLS/SSL, and more.
What's in the Box
One Canary device, AC power adapter, micro-USB cable, secure setup cable, and Quick Start guide.
Requirements
- Broadband internet connection (1 Mbps upload recommended)
- Wi-Fi or Ethernet
- Available power outlet
- iPhone 4s or newer
- Android 4.0 or newer
Videos
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Canary Pro - Product Features
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Protect Your Home with Canary Pro
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Reviews with images
Was Great, now useless.
I did my research And picked Canary because there was no subscription fee. And I loved the camera. THEN CAME OCTOBER. this is when canary decided to change the free membership from 12 hours of video access to the “we will make the free membership so useless that you will be forced to give us more money to use the camera you paid $200” membership. They removed everything, I purchased my camera over a year ago, am I grandfathered in.. well I guess they have unresolved family issues because grandpa is out of luck. Nite mode, gone. View detected activities Yes! 15 seconds only, Useless unless you are burgled by the Flash.From the product descriptionNo Installation/Contracts/Monthly Fees Required: Plug in Canary, connect to the Internet and you're ready to go. Free secure cloud storage included.... Um No.
