See this little tower?
It's not just for show.
Inside is a 1080P camera, motion sensor,
light sensor, microphone, speaker, and siren.
All in a device smaller than a water bottle.
This is the Abode Iota.
An all-in-one smart home, home security solution,
for anyone living in a space under 900 square feet.
It's small, powerful, and smart.
But during my tests I found a few quirks
that made it a little less fun.
That said, if you're looking for something
to guard your apartment or small home
and make your smart home devices get along,
the Abode Iota might be a worthy solution.
Join me as I show you some of the quirks, perks,
and some of the test footage from my time
with the Abode Iota.
And if you finish this video
and still want to learn more about Abode,
we've got a ton of links in the description.
Let's get into it.
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The Abode Iota costs around $330 for the whole kit.
In the box, you won't find a ton of gear,
but that's because most of the stuff you'd unpack
in a normal DIY security system is all in this little tower.
With Abode, you can self-monitor for $6 a month
or opt for professional monitoring for $20 a month.
For our tests, we went with the self-monitoring route,
which gave us the option to call for help
when the alarm went off, which it did.
But the pro plan adds perks like 24/7 pro monitoring,
cellular backup, premium support, unlimited device warranty,
and perks like faster shipping
and deals on more Abode stuff.
Abode is also known for playing well
with a ton of other platforms.
Working with just Amazon and Google
wasn't enough for Abode, oh no.
This system also works with IFTTT, ZigBee, Z-Wave,
and for you Apple fans out there: HomeKit.
And it's an internationally compatible system
that also works in the UK. Wicked!
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Installing Abode Iota only took a few minutes
and followed a lot of the standard steps we see
in other DIY home setups.
You'll log into the Abode app with your account info
and follow the instructions from there
to set up the rest of the system.
But where it differed was how it connected
with the Wi-Fi network.
The Iota comes with an ethernet cable
that goes directly into the router when it's first set up.
After it was up and running, I was able to connect it
to my home network and move it away from the router.
There's a lot to break down when reviewing the Iota.
There's just so much packed into one little hub.
But I'll start from the top: the camera.
Here's some footage that I got
with the 1080P camera built into the Iota.
I filmed these clips with the Iota set up to 1080P
and with the high-quality setting.
But if your internet disagrees with you or the picture lags,
you can always adjust the settings or
plug the Iota back into the router with the ethernet cable.
For the most part, the Iota's camera was decent
and was able to pick up motion
from me coming into and out of the room.
But the personal alerts and the live stream
weren't as consistent.
Something I always test in security cameras
is the live recording feature. This allows you to save video
of anything you're seeing at that moment.
But I ran into some trouble with the Iota while trying this.
When you live record, the Abode app features a spinning icon
instead of that famous red dot we all know in love.
With that, it's hard to know when the recording stops
and starts and in my case, whether it caught footage or not.
Most security cameras and systems let you live record,
including the Abode Iota.
But despite resetting, re-initializing
and exchanging some harsh words,
catching live footage was consistently tricky.
This could be due to a couple things.
One: simple user error.
Nobody's immune to it, even us professional testers.
Or two: we've tested this particular unit
in too many different locations and different networks
enough to jam something in the Abode.
I'm guessing the latter.
But even for folks who don't test these things like we do,
it could be a problem after moving homes
or exchanging network settings too much.
Either way, it was a quirk I could do without.
The Iota isn't all bad though.
It has something that we've seen from Ring
as a premium feature
but comes standard in the Iota: pre-roll.
See that little purple mark?
That's when the camera starts recording.
Pre-roll gives a little more context
to what you're seeing in the clips,
so you get to watch before the camera does.
From the clips we gathered,
that pre-roll started at different times
and it was kind of hard to tell exactly
when it was triggered.
Speaking of triggers, this is what the siren sounds like.
(Abode siren wailing)
Apologies to my neighbor's dog while I was testing this.
The alarm on the sucker is loud.
During my test, I set the Abode to Home, Away,
and Standby modes and managed to trigger the alarm
even while on that first setting.
I'm guessing Home is best used
while everyone's home and asleep,
because it will go off if it catches you walking by.
And turning off the siren can be kind of stressful.
Where Abode really shines is smart home compatibility
and automations.
It's compatible with a ton of third-party stuff
like smart locks, lights,
and like we mentioned before, smart speakers.
If you want a full list of compatible devices,
we've dropped a link in the description.
So, if you want to connect your smart lock
to your security systems
so your home locks itself when you leave, Abode can do that.
Want to turn on the lights or thermostat
before you get home?
No problem. And if that's not cool enough,
Abode's CUE automation system lets you group devices
and create automations
that go with your home security system.
You can do this on the app,
but I really enjoyed using the desktop portal.
Having that extra screen room comes in handy
for stuff like this.
Just to give you a taste, I connected my Iota
to my Google Home Mini.
Set Abode to Home mode.
[Google Assistant] Got it. You have 10 seconds to exit.
We've also gotten word that Abode is coming out
with a new doorbell camera and colored light bulbs.
So, subscribe to catch us when we test those out.
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All right. I just threw a lot of information at you.
So, here's a quick recap of the pros and the cons
from my experience with the Abode Iota.
The Iota has a lot packed into a small package,
making it a good fit for studio spaces,
dorms, and apartments.
You won't have to worry about setting up any extras
beyond the Iota hub, entry sensor, and the key fob.
And the Iota is a wiz in general
with smart home and automation.
Iota can connect up to 160 devices
throughout your home, group them all,
and you can have the ability to automate them.
It's a great example of connecting home security
with smart home.
And bonus: it's the only security system we've come across
that works with HomeKit.
Cons: I ran into quite a few quirks
with the iota during my testing period.
Again, that could have been
because other SafeWise staff members
had tested it in their homes before,
but whatever the case,
I wasn't able to solve those problems.
For one, the alarm triggered the siren
while the system was in home mode.
I'm assuming that's a design made on purpose.
But unless you're safely tucked in bed
and nobody's moving around the house,
that home feature feels like a good way
to just set off the alarm.
I also had issues recording live video.
I was able to get footage, but it wasn't reliable.
Many times it didn't work, and the times that it did,
I couldn't tell that it worked until the clip was finished.
Long story short, capturing live video
from the Iota was kind of a headache.
And finally, the video and audio quality
from the Iota wasn't great.
To compare, I also set up with the Abode Cam 2,
which had a much crisper audio and video.
So subscribe to see our review on that one, coming out soon.
Our verdict: I can't say wholeheartedly
that I recommend the Abode Iota after my experience,
but it's not without its merits.
The Iota is a cheap solution for apartment
or small home security.
And if you love smart home gadgets
or have just a grab bag of products
you want under one digital umbrella,
Abode is a great place to start.
It's monitoring option is also super affordable
and reliable, as I saw when the alarm went off.
The Abode Iota isn't a great fit for everyone,
but if you're in a small space, love smart home gadgets,
or you want to watch your home without paying the pros,
it's a good option.
Plus, it's fun to say Abode Iota, Abode Iota, Abode Iota.
That's it for me. Thanks for watching.
We've got a ton of resources in the description,
if you want to learn more about this system
and Abode's other products.
Like and subscribe to join me,
when I reviewed the Abode Cam 2 and more security gear.
Thanks for watching and Abode iota.
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