Home 2017 November

WyzeCam security camera review

Would you believe me if I told you that you can have a home security camera that is priced at only $19.99 per camera AND there are no monthly subscription or cloud storage fees required? Yes, I’m serious. Let’s check out WyzeCam.

What is it?

WyzeCam is a small 1080p home security camera that’s crazy inexpensive but still has all the features of the big guys like Nest and even some features they don’t have, all for only $20 per camera.

What’s in the box?

WyzeCam
Steel disk w/3M adhesive
USB cable (5.5-foot in length)
AC adapter

Hardware specs

2.8mm focal length
110 degrees wide angle lens
1920 x 1080 resolution
8x digital zoom
10fps recording
Night vision
2-way audio

Design and features

The WyzeCam is a small 2-inch white plastic cube with a grey base and a camera lens and IR sensor on the front.

On the back of the camera is a speaker, a Type A USB connector, and a micro USB connector.

In a standard setup, you would connect the included micro USB cable into the micro USB port on the camera and then connect the other end into the included AC adapter.  The Type A USB connector allows you to daisy chain the cameras so that they can share one power connection. To do this, you would connect one WyzeCam the standard way and then connect the included USB cable with a 2nd WyzeCam into the back of the first WyzeCam.

The base of the WyzeCam has a QR code that is used during setup.

The base unfolds so that you can customize the viewing angle of the camera.

The base of the WyzeCam is magnetic, so you can attach the camera to any steel surface or you can use the included disk to mount the WyzeCam on a wall.

When you unfold the base, it also reveals the micro SD card slot that you’ll use if you want the camera to capture video 24/7. Note that you have to supply your own micro SD card. There’s also a button on the bottom of the camera that is used during the setup procedure.

Setup

The Wyze camera is one of the easiest security cameras that I’ve ever installed. All you do is install the mobile app, add a camera, power up the camera, and follow the screen and voice prompts. I had the first camera up and running within 2 minutes which I think is a record. Adding additional cameras is just as easy.



The WyzeCam app is similar to most other security camera apps. It gives you the ability to see a live view of the camera and customize settings.

The WyzeCam can notify you via your phone when it detects motion, sound, and even a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm in your home.

This camera can also record motion detection clips locally on a micro SD card (not included), or you can set it to continuously record to the card.

When motion is detected, the camera will save a short clip to the cloud which you can view through the app from anywhere in the world. These clips are saved for 14 days on the WzyCam servers and you’re not charged anything for that service.


The camera’s image quality is very good, as is the viewing angle.

You can record action manually or snap an image by clicking the onscreen buttons in the live view window. You can also listen in on what is happening and have a two-way conversation using the built-in microphone and speaker.

However, night vision is a little fuzzy compared to other security cameras that I’ve tested. but it’s not bad enough to be a deal breaker.


In addition to watching a live stream from the cameras from a remote location, you can also watch past events if you insert a micro SD card into the camera. The WyzeCam even has a time-lapse feature that you can use to condense an entire day down to a few minutes. This is a feature that you have to schedule and you can only view the time lapse when you’re on the same network as the camera.

Time-lapse video example




What I like

There’s not much that I don’t like about this camera. It’s small, the price is affordable for anyone, it has good image quality, alerts you when it detects motion, sound, smoke alarms, CO alarms, provides two-way conversation feature, and is simple to set up.

What needs improvement

There are only two main things that stand out for me that Wyze needs to improve. One is that the application is a little flakey. When I launch the app, 7 times out of 10, it will freeze or not connect to the camera until I kill the app and restart it.

The other improvement that I’d like to see is with motion detection. Sensitivity even when set to the lowest setting is pretty high resulting in motion alerts for things like tree limbs moving or shadows from the sun. I would also like to see a motion trigger zone feature.

And one more that really isn’t an improvement as much as it’s a wish… It would be great if they come out with a water and weather-resistant camera for outdoor use.

Final thoughts

WyzeCam security cameras are an inexpensive way to outfit your home with live streaming cameras that will alert you to motion, sound, smoke, and CO alarms. For only $20 a camera, it’s an obvious choice to go with WyzeCam over other security camera brands that cost 10x as much and lock you into a monthly fee to use their cloud services.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by Wyze. Please visit their site for more info. Amazon also sells them, but for some reason, they are more expensive than buying them right through Wyze.

 

Product Information

Price: $19.99
Manufacturer: Wyze
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Very easy to setup
  • $20 per camera and no monthly fees
  • Good image
  • 24/7 image capture option with microSD card
Cons:
  • Can't customize motion trigger areas
  • App is a little flakey

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

WyzeCam security camera review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2017 at 2:43 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Philips adds a motion sensor to the Hue lighting system

There are many ways to control your Hue WiFi-connected lighting system – smart Hue Switches, apps for mobile devices or computers, Alexa voice commands, IFTTT – but those are limited in various ways.  Perhaps there are some areas, like a dark hallway or stairs, where you would like a hands-free way of turning on the lights.  Philips has introduced a battery-powered motion sensor, so you don’t need a nearby power outlet to use it.  You will need a Hue Bridge to connect it to your system, and you’ll program it using the Hue app.  Once connected, it turns on the programmed lights when it senses motion and turns them back off after a period of no motion.  It comes with its first set of AAA alkaline batteries and a magnet or screws for mounting.  The Philips Hue Motion Sensor is available at Best Buy for $39.99.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Philips adds a motion sensor to the Hue lighting system originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2017 at 1:31 pm.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

DBPOWER T21 LED projector review

It seems that inexpensive projectors are everywhere. Today we’re going to look at an LED-based projector in the $100 range, the DBPOWER T21 1800 lumen LED projector.

  • Imaging technology: TFT LCD, Brightness: 1800 lumens
  • Contrast: 1000:1
  • Aspect ratio: 16:10
  • Projection ratio: 1.4:1
  • Native resolution: 800×480 pixels
  • Supported resolution: 1920×1080 pixels
  • Keystone: Manual correction 15°
  • Throw distance: 1.5-5M
  • Screen size: 32-176 inches

The kit came with an HDMI cable, composite video cable, power cord, height screw, remote and manual. A lens cap was already attached to the projector.


The top side has the focus and keystone correction dials, as well as 9 push buttons if you can’t find the remote.

Note the power plug on the side.  The AC cord goes directly here. No external power “brick”.

From left to right: Headphone output, composite video input, SD card slot, USB port, USB charging port, and HDMI port.

The bottom, with the height-adjustment screw in place.

The handheld remote duplicates the functions of the control panel.  Batteries not included.

We just finished repairing our floors in our downstairs room (note the tape on the walls), so I had a clear space to set up the projector.  As you can see, the image is easily washed out from the ceiling lights.  Turn the lights off, and the image becomes much clearer.

This table should give you a pretty good idea on the scaling.  I found the keystone correction dial to be quick and easy to use since it’s a physical adjustment, not pixel tweaking.

Since the native resolution of the projector is only 800×480, expect some strange scaling artifacts to happen. Here I’ve connected my laptop to the projector via HDMI, and you can see the “jagged” effects of scaling.

The projector also accepts SD card and USB to playback images and video.  Since you’re not reading text, the results are much more pleasant.

I would probably not use the DBPOWER T21 projector for projecting web page text or Powerpoint presentations from a laptop since the native resolution of the projector is only 800×480. In fact, the Amazon page “reminders” even indicates “Not recommended for PPT, word, excel or business presentations.”  I have no way to verify if the projector puts out 1800 lumens, so you need to be able to dim the room completely for best results.  If you can control your ambient lighting and you just need simple video, the DBPOWER T21 is an inexpensive, simple to use projector.

Source: The sample for this review was provided by DBPOWER. Please visit their site for more info and Amazon to order one and read other reviews.

 

Product Information

Price: $101.99
Manufacturer: DBPOWER
Retailer: Amazon
Pros:
  • Lightweight, no external power brick, simple manual focus and keystone controls
Cons:
  • Native resolution is only 800×480 pixels (supports up to 1920×1080 with scaling). Ambient light washes the image out pretty fast.

Filed in categories: Reviews

Tagged:

DBPOWER T21 LED projector review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2017 at 11:30 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Add a decorative “nest” for your Nest thermostat

If you’re replacing a big, clunky thermostat with a Nest, you may find yourself with a patch of unpainted or un-wallpapered wall that the Nest isn’t going to cover.  If you aren’t aware that Nest comes with a rectangular white plate to cover up such things ( ahem…) or you want a different look, perhaps the wooden Nest Thermostat Wall Plate will be what you’re looking for.  When we had our HVAC system replaced this summer, we had a Nest installed with it.  And because I wasn’t aware of the plastic plate (ahem…), I ordered the Wall Plate in golden oak.  It looks great on the wall, and it covered up the unpainted area left after the big, old, clunky rectangular thermostat was removed.  The surrounds are made of European beech wood, and they are available in painted white or golden oak stained finish for $20.00,  or unfinished so you can choose your own stain for $15.00.  I found mine at Amazon.

Filed in categories: News

Tagged:

Add a decorative “nest” for your Nest thermostat originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2017 at 10:29 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.

Tinitell is a wearable phone for kids that gives peace of mind to parents

Keeping track of kids isn’t always easy and when children are too young to be responsible for a phone or parents would rather not have them distracted with all sorts of features and games, Tinitell may be the answer. It is a simple wrist wearable that allows the child to call up to 12 contacts that have been preprogrammed into the phone by the admin app on the parent’s smartphone, and it allows the parent to track the child via GPS plus make calls to them as well. It comes in charcoal, indigo, aqua, and coral and is dirt and water resistant so children can explore their world with some freedom and parents can breathe easy knowing exactly where their kids are at all times. It is available at the Tinitell website for $126.00, but if you’d like to get a pre-Black Friday deal, you can get the charcoal colored phone for only $109.00 right now!

Filed in categories: News

Tagged: ,

Tinitell is a wearable phone for kids that gives peace of mind to parents originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 20, 2017 at 8:41 am.

Note: If you are subscribed to this feed through FeedBurner, please switch to our native feed URL http://the-gadgeteer.com/feed/ in order to ensure continuous delivery.