Gabe Turner: Hi, folks.
This is Gabe of Security Baron.
Honestly, I'm a little sad because this is the last Canary camera for me to review, the
Canary View.
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Gabe: Today, we're going to get a well-rounded perspective on the Canary View.
Checking out its 1080p High Definition video, artificial intelligence capabilities, before
putting it to the Security Baron Necessary Features test, and finally, delving into its
mobile application to make sure you have all the information you need to make the right
decision.
If you'd like to see a list of our favorite home security cameras google, "Security Baron
Best Home Security Cameras."
If you've a question about today's review, leave us a comment and I'll get back to you.
Let's put the Canary View to the Security Baron Necessary Features test.
Here at Security Baron, we think that every home security camera should have stellar video
quality, two-way audio, night vision, local and cloud storage, smart platform integration,
artificial intelligence, convenience, and value.
Stellar video quality is a Security Baron Necessary Feature.
Now, what does that mean?
Well, it means we expect to see at least 1080p High Definition video.
Fortunately for us, the Canary View comes through.
It's crisp clear.
You can see everything that's going on.
On top of that, we'd like to see at least 120 degree field of view.
Here again, the Canary View exceeds what we expect.
It has 147 degree field of views, so it's really going to capture everything taking
place in your room or wherever you decide to place it.
Finally, it does well with this digital zoom, allow it to zoom up to three times.
If you capture something that you really want to see during a live stream or recording,
you can just pinch your fingers and really zoom in on that particular area that you want
to see.
When it comes to stellar video quality for the Canary View, we're giving it full marks.
Two-way audio is a Security Baron Necessary Feature.
Fortunately, the Canary View does have the capacity for two-way audio.
You'll be able to listen to what's taking place in the room and talk to whoever is in
that same room.
Now, one thing you want to note is that this is a premium feature for the Canary view,
so you will be paying for it.
That being said, we still give it full marks for two-way audio.
Night vision is a Security Baron Necessary Feature because you know what we say in Security
Baron with no regard to science whatsoever, half of every day is night.
It's important that your shot in the dark is actually successful.
Now, with the Canary View that is the case because it has 12 infrared LED lights that
allow you to capture with that 1080p High Definition video, crisp clear images, and
video of what is taking place even in the dark.
We're big fans of the 12 infrared LEDs on the Canary View.
We give its night vision full marks.
A Security Baron Necessary Feature is local and cloud storage.
We'd like for you to be able to hold onto all your information right here in the device
itself along with throwing it up into the cloud.
Now, with the Canary View, you do not get any local storage option, no micro SD card,
no place to plug in a hard drive, but you do get one free day on cloud storage and you
can get 30 days for $9.99.
When it comes to local and cloud storage on the Canary View, we give it half marks.
Smart platform integration is one of the more fun Security Baron Necessary Features.
With smart platform integration like Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa,
you can use your voice or your mobile device to control elements of your home security
camera.
Fortunately, with the Canary View, you can use Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa to control
the device.
When it comes to Security Baron Necessary Feature of smart platform integration, we
give the Canary View full marks.
Artificial intelligence is a Security Baron Necessary Feature.
Now, artificial intelligence is useful in cases like person detection where a camera
can actually distinguish between a person and a dog.
Fortunately, the Canary View does have person detection.
It'll make sure that it only notifies you if it detects an actual person inside of your
home.
Rover won't be able to actually set off this camera and won't send you a million notifications
with this running around all day.
Artificial intelligence in the Security Baron Necessary Features tests lets us give Canary
View full marks.
Convenience is a Security Baron Necessary Feature.
Convenience refers not only to the installation process, but the everyday usage of the device
itself.
Fortunately, the Canary View is pretty convenient.
You'll begin by taking out of the box, plugging it in, and making sure you have that mobile
application downloaded.
Now, once you have the mobile application, you want to add device and you'll put two
fingers on the top of the Canary View.
Then, you'll have a blue light start to flash here and it's ready to sync.
Once you begin that syncing process, it'll walk you through each element and you will
basically be ready to go.
Now, one thing to note that at the very beginning, you're going to have to upgrade the software
and the firmware and that can take a few moments and you want to make sure you stay on the
app page during this process.
I was impatient and moved away and basically, it quit the download process and I had to
remove the device and do it again.
Overall, it still took me fewer than 20 minutes to have the entire thing set up, but I just
wanted to mention that.
On top of that, once you begin using it, it's super intuitive on the mobile application.
You immediately know what to do and how to do it.
Of course, easier for me maybe because I am familiar with the Canary app, but I even feel
that a newbie, a beginner, can jump in and know exactly how to get the most out of their
Canary View.
When it comes to the Security Baron Necessary Features tests in convenience, I'm giving
the Canary View full marks.
Value is a Security Baron Necessary Feature.
The Canary View comes in at under $100.
While it's on the lower end when it comes to prices, it's on the higher end when it
comes to features.
We're talking 147 degree field of view, person detection, and that classic New York style.
It is metal around here and it's just a really nice design and it feels harder than many
of the other cameras at this same price point.
Now, it comes with all these features, but I will note one thing.
If you want something as common as two-way audio, you're going to have to pay for that
Canary membership.
Now, the Canary membership is $99 a year or $9.99 a month.
Now with that, you get that two-way audio.
You also get 30 days cloud storage for up to five devices.
You're definitely getting a lot out of the deal, but it is another thing to pay for.
If you want a full breakdown of the details on the Canary membership, check out our written
review at securitybaron.com.
However, despite that element of having to pay a monthly fee to unlock everything, we
still feel that right out of the box the Canary View has a really solid feature set.
For that, we give it full marks for value.
All right, hold on.
Quick break.
I hope you're enjoying today's review of the Canary View home security camera.
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Let's get back to the video.
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Gabe: Now, that we've put the Canary View to the rigors of the Security Baron Necessary
Features' test.
Let's check out its mobile application.
Now, you want your mobile application experience to be smooth, intuitive, and consistent.
Unfortunately, that's how people feel about the Canary View mobile application.
In fact, the Canary only has a 2.5 out of 5 stars in the Apple App Store and a 2.8 out
of 5 stars for the Google Play store.
These are pretty terrible scores to be honest with you.
The reviews that we've read have people saying that the app is somewhat difficult to use
and it wasn't clear what they had to pay for with the Canary membership and what they could
do for free.
That seems to have created a lot of ire when it comes to app ratings.
Let's go ahead and check it out on my iPhone 10.
Here I am checking out the Canary View on my iPhone 10.
If you know right from the beginning you've got that watch live option.
On the bottom left, you have siren.
In the middle, you have talk for that two-way audio.
On the right, you have emergency call.
Now, one thing I want to note is that if I were to swipe if you look at the very top,
you have three options.
That's because I have the Canary All-in-One, the Canary Flex, and the Canary View, all
here.
If I swipe back and forth, I can go in between those views.
Now, let's get out of here for a second.
If you look at the bottom, we've view timeline.
If I click that, we've got Baron Lab is back online.
That's the name of my Canary Flex.
This is when you can tell when I arrived.
It says, Gabe arrived at Security Barron.
It knows when I'm in and out.
Person spotted in away mode, so whenever people come in and out, I'll note it.
If I wanted to review that, I could see it here.
Person spotted and now you see what's going on.
Who was that?
Who is here?
Then you can of course bookmark various events.
It's pretty much how it works when you're looking at the Baron View.
You can set things up so that you're in away mode or night mode by clicking on the bottom
left or that home is.
You can dispatch emergency services at the touch of the safety button powered by green
light.
Generally, that's it.
It's a pretty straightforward app.
You do need to know of course what you need to pay for and what you don't.
For example, that two-way audio is something that you're going to pay for separately, if
you want to use that talk.
If you want to have cloud storage options, you also get to pay for that.
You can see from our timeline, we have paid for those custom options.
Those are the things to keep in mind when you're looking at the Canary View.
That's my look at the Canary View's mobile application.
Here I am checking out the 1080p, 147 degree field of view on the Canary View, pretty great
daytime video quality.
You'll note I can pinch zoom, I can do a little globe test.
Of course, this all it's pretty crisp partially because I'm pretty close at five to six feet
away, but just generally speaking we do like the vision on the Canary.
You can see everything pretty well.
You can see the contrast.
Has a very wide view.
It's going to capture anything taking place in this room.
Overall, the Canary View has a really solid daytime vision.
This is what you get with 12 infrared LEDs on the Canary View.
You note I'm about five or six feet away and you get a pretty good look at what's happening
in this room.
Now, if I were to go ahead and do a little night vision globe test, you'd see that it
picks up pretty well.
You got South America there.
You can see my face pretty well, just pinching in and out with that digital zoom.
Here you are, you'll see that you can get some contrast here with the cameras being
white behind me and a white background and you could still see what's happening there.
Ultimately, the Canary View has a pretty solid night vision with this 12 infrared LEDs.
Let's recap how the Canary View performed on the Security Baron Necessary Features tests.
Stellar video quality, full marks.
The Canary View has 1080p High Definition video, and 147 degree field of view.
Two-way audio, full marks.
The Canary View allows you to speak and listen to anyone in a room.
Night vision, full marks.
The Canary View has 12 infrared LED lights.
You're going to capture anything going on in the room in crisp clear vision.
Local and cloud storage, half marks.
While the Canary View does include cloud storage, it doesn't have the capacity for local storage.
Smart platform integration, full marks.
The Canary View integrates with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Artificial intelligence, full marks.
The Canary View has person detection to help you cut down the number of notifications you
receive each day.
Convenience, full marks.
The Canary View is both easy to setup and easy to use.
Value, full marks.
The Canary View comes in at under $100, but as a host of impressive features.
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Gabe: We've reached the end of our review and you want my outlook on the Canary View.
I'll say this, if you're looking for a camera under $100 that has fantastic video quality,
AI capabilities like person detection, and smart platform integrations, then look no
further because the Canary View is right for you.
If you're someone who doesn't want to pay a recurrent monthly or annual payment just
to have something as simple as two-way audio or 30 days of cloud storage, then you're going
to want to check out a different camera.
Personally, in my opinion, I'm actually a fan of the Canary View.
I think it's a solid choice for home security camera.
That concludes our review of the Canary View home security camera.
If you appreciate today's video, give us a like and hit that "Subscribe" button.
As always, this is Gabe of Security Baron.
Be secure.
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