Outdoor security cameras like Arlo and Eufy are nice, but you need to remember to keep them charged. This usually involves getting out a ladder to retrieve the cameras every month or two and putting the cameras on the charger, then a few hours later getting back on the ladder to mount them again.

Panasonic has taken a different approach with the HomeHawk Window camera. While it’s considered an “outdoor” camera, it actually stays inside your house and “sticks” to your window via a suction cup. Since it’s right up against the glass, this prevents most “light leaks” and glare from indoors lights.

This also means that there is no battery to recharge as the camera connects directly to your AC outlet, and you don’t need to worry about the weather or someone walking by and grabbing the camera since it remains inside your home.

Performance

Most outdoor cameras rely on infrared sensors for motion detection, which doesn’t work through glass. The HomeHawk Window instead relies on on-device motion processing of the video feed to detect motion.

This can lead to false alarms, but thankfully Panasonic gives you two options that help increase the accuracy of the notifications:

1. First, you can specify a specific area of the camera’s view to watch for motion. This allows you to focus the camera’s attention on the ground and not on the rustling leaves of the tree, for example.
2. Second, the device can be set to alert you when it thinks it sees a person. I found this setting to be very accurate. I reached out to Panasonic to see if this “magic” happens on device or from “cloud processing” and was pleased to learn that all motion processing (including person detection) is done locally, on device.

Overall, I’ve been very happy with the motion detection system on the Panasonic HomeHawk Window camera. Even when setting a smaller detection area, I did receive some false alarms from the moving shadows on the ground from nearby trees, but the Person Detection feature has virtually eliminated these false alarms and has been very effective at detecting people.

Features

• No monthly fees: You can’t upgrade to cloud storage even if you wanted to. Your only additional cost associated with this camera is for a Micro SD card (not included) to store the motion events. The storage size will determine approximately how much footage can be saved. The camera can be set to overwrite the oldest events once the card becomes full. The app allows you to save selected recordings to your phone’s photo library.
  • 4 GB card: 4 hours
  • 8 GB card: 9 hours
  • 16 GB card: 18 hours
  • 32 GB card: 36 hours
  • 64 GB card: 72 hours

• Night Vision: Infrared LEDs do not work through glass, which most outdoor cameras would use to provide the B&W night vision. However, the Panasonic HomeHawk camera uses a high-sensitivity camera that can “see” as long as there is at least 0.2 lux of light available (which, Panasonic states is slightly above total darkness). It does work surprisingly well: below is a comparison photo between my iPhone X’s camera and the HomeHawk Window camera.

• Rapid Playback: This reminds me of the Logi Ciricle 2’s “Day Brief” feature. The camera can play a “rapid” playback of all the video clips of the day so you can see quick summary of what your camera detected.
• Local Processing: As mentioned earlier, all motion and person detection happens on the device, meaning that your video clips are not uploaded to a cloud server for processing. However, since push notifications contain a preview image, the screenshot would go through Apple or Google’s server to deliver the screenshot to your phone. And if you use the Alexa or Google Home feature to watch your camera, this would relay the camera’s video feed through Amazon or Google.
• No batteries to charge: Since the camera remains indoor and connected to an AC outlet, there’s no need to remember to charge a battery for the camera.
• Wide-angle view: The camera has a 150 degree view, enough to cover my entire back yard.
• 2-second pre-recording: The camera has a 2 second buffer to record what happens before the motion traction is triggered. This allows you to see the person’s approach to the area monitored by the camera.

Limitations

There are some limitation to the camera that are important to note:

• No cloud storage: For some people, this is actually a benefit. However, theoretically, someone could smash your window and take the camera unit with your memory card. You would then have no access to the recordings.
• Night vision: While the night-time performance is very good, it may not pick up all motion events if the area is totally dark due to the lack of infrared lighting and infrared motion sensor. It would be better if there was a motion light nearby that would both (1) trigger the motion event and (2) provide lighting for the camera.

Video Review

Panasonic HomeHawk Window Home Monitoring Camera for Outdoor Monitoring, Mounts to Inside Window,...

Panasonic HomeHawk Window Home Monitoring Camera for Outdoor Monitoring, Mounts to Inside Window,...

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Design

The Arlo camera system saves you the headache of needing to run wires through your home in order to install a security camera system. These cameras are completely wireless thanks to a built-in battery.

The unit consists of the cameras and a base station that plugs into your router. The base station can store the recordings locally by plugging an external USB storage device into it. Unfortunately, the base station doesn’t have any built-in storage of its own, but you do get 7 days of motion recordings to the cloud for free. The base station also has a loud 100 decibel siren, that you can control with the app when you see something suspicious going on or you can have it automatically go off based on motion or sound detection.

Being totally wireless, I have had one camera go offline inexplicably.  Pulling the battery out and placing it back in seems to have corrected it for the time being, but I hope it does not become a regular occurrence.

Features

The main allure of the Arlo system is that the cameras are completely wireless and can even be mounted outside without a power cable. Depending on how often motion passes in front of them, they can last 1 to 3 months on a single charge.

However, when plugged into power, the Pro 2 cameras offer some additional functionality. For example, when plugged into power, the recording will automatically include 3 seconds prior to the actual motion event. And you can also specify motion detection zones in the image when plugged into power

If you’re familiar with the previous generations of the Arlo cameras, you’re probably wondering what’s new in Pro 2 version. Well, this is just a minor update: the new model supports 1080p video capture (instead of 720p). Also, the motion zones feature is new for the Pro 2. That’s about it.

The Arlo Pro 2 cameras play nice with other services, such as SmartThings, Alexa and IFTTT. The app also allows you to schedule times when you want to be alerted and then automatically disable the alerts when you come home by using the location services on your phone.

If you want to save some money, the system also works with refurbished 1st generation cameras that you can pick up on Amazon for $100 or less.

Picture Quality

As noted earlier, the picture quality of the Pro 2 cameras is increased to 1080p. You can find some sample recordings in my review video.

The picture quality looks really good, but some users have noted that night vision is not quite as good as the 1st version of the Pro cameras. But you can still see if someone comes close to the camera at night.

Value

• With the free cloud plan, you get 7 days of motion recordings and support up to 5 cameras.
• The next step up is $100 a year for 30 days of motion recordings and support for up to 10 cameras.
• And last, you can pay $150 a year for 60 days of motion recordings and up to 15 cameras.

Pricing seems better than the Logitech Circle camera I reviewed earlier this year, plus the ability to have local storage with the Arlo is definitely a plus. The 5 camera limit on the free plan can be problematic if you have a large home you want to cover. Given the high price of the individual cameras, one would assume you could add as many as you want.

The post Arlo Pro 2 Security Camera Review appeared first on Technically Well.

Design / Ease of Use

The WyzeCam has a unique cube design. The flexible base also allows you to aim it where you want, but please note that the camera does not have pan and tilt motors. The base is magnetic, which gives you some flexibility when it comes to mounting it.

Configuring the camera is easy.  The app will walk you through the process, then display a QR code that you show to the camera.  The camera then pulls your Wifi information from that code and configures itself for your network.  Wyze’s cloud services take care of connecting you to a live stream of your camera when you’re away from home, so you don’t need to worry about port forwarding or messing with your router.

Picture Quality

The camera can record in 1080p with a night vision infrared LED. The picture quality looks great — it’s not as quite as good as the Logitech Circle 2 that I recently reviewed, but it’s clear enough to see people approaching the camera. Remember that the infrared night vision LED will not work through glass, so you won’t be able to see or record motion outside at night through a window.

Features

The Wyze Cam will send you a push alert whenever the camera detects motion. Similar to the Logitech Circle 2 camera, you can create a time lapse recording of the day, but you must schedule it in advance and it only records at regular intervals — not just when it detects motion.

The camera also feature 2-way audio, allowing you to use the app to talk to a person near the camera.

While the WyzeCam packs a lot of functionality, it is missing a few features. As I mentioned earlier, you cannot move the camera while you’re away… it is stationary. You also cannot specify specific zones of the image for motion alerting, just the sensitivity (Update: The April 2018 firmware update adds motion detection zones). Also, there is no Apple HomeKit or IFTTT support at this time (Update: The May 2018 firmware update adds IFTTT support).

Audio will always be included when recording to the Micro SD card or when a motion clip is saved to the cloud. You may want to keep that in mind if you plan to keep it running all the time inside your house (Update: The April 2018 firmware update adds the ability to disable the mic). If you don’t want to save any anything to the cloud, be sure to disable the motion and sound alerting options.

Value

Unlike the Circle 2 camera, which only gives you 1 day of cloud storage, the Wyze camera gives you a full two weeks of motion storage in the cloud. You also have the option of using a Micro SD card — up to 32 GB — to record 24/7 locally. So even if your internet connection goes down, you still have a copy of your recordings. That’s another big advantage over the Logitech Circle 2 camera, which has no local storage option at this time.  So while the Logitech Circle 2 constantly pushes you to their higher tier cloud storage options, the Wyze Cam functions are completely free (at launch, there is not even an option to upgrade yet).

Additional Details

• When enabling motion or sound detection, a 12-second clip will be saved to “the cloud” whenever an event occurs.  The clips are stored for 14 days.  If you reach 5 minutes of recordings in the cloud, older clips may be deleted (prior to 14 days).
• If you don’t want to save anything to the cloud, you will need to disable all motion and sound detection options.
• Audio is always recorded to both the cloud (if motion/sound detection is on) and the Micro SD card (if you choose to record locally). (Update: The April 2018 firmware update adds the ability to disable the mic)
• When saving to the Micro SD card, the folders are organized by Date > Hour > Minute. Each minute is saved as a separate MP4 video file.

Updates

• February 2018: WyzeCam v2 has been released, which adds motion detection highlighting (so you can more easily see what triggered a motion alert) and a new CMOS sensor. The WyzeCam team states they will continue to support v1 with firmware updates.
• April 2018: WyzeCam now support motion detection zones and the ability to disable sound recording.
• May 2018: WyzeCam now supports IFTTT! The biggest benefit is that you can now enable/disable motion detection alerts based on your phone’s location.
• June 2018: A pan/tilt version of the WyzeCam is now available.
• July 2018: You can now view your WyzeCam v2 and WyzeCam Pan on Alexa devices with a display. Unfortunately, WyzeCam v1 is not supported at this time.

Wyze Cam 1080p HD Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera with Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, White

Wyze Cam 1080p HD Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera with Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, White

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First: what’s the difference between a “freeze” and a “lock”?

Both will protect your credit report from new account openings, but the method of verification is different.

• Security freezes (also known as credit freezes) allow you to place, lift, or remove a freeze using a randomized PIN for identity verification (don’t lose this PIN!). Placing, lifting, or removing a security freeze can be done online, by phone, or by mail. Freezing and unfreezing your credit report usually requires a fee (varies by state).
• Credit report locks allow you to lock and unlock your credit file using identity verification techniques such as usernames and passwords. There is typically no fee to lock or unlock your credit report.

TL:DR – Freezes require you to remember a PIN, locks require you to remember a username and password.  Not sure which to pick?  Go with the freeze and make sure not to lose the PIN!

Equifax

Remember: choose 1 option (you do not need to both).

• Freeze: You can place a freeze at Equifax’s website.
• Lock: Alternatively, you can sign-up for Equifax’s new Lock & Alert service that allows you to easily lock and unlock your credit report whenever you want.

TransUnion

Remember: choose 1 option (you do not need to both).

• Freeze: You can place a freeze at TransUnion’s website.
• Lock: Alternatively, you can sign up for their TrueIdentity service which lets you place a lock on your TransUnion credit report.

Experian

Remember: choose 1 option (you do not need to both).

• Freeze: You can place a freeze at Experian for free at Experian’s Freeze Center.
• Lock: I’m not aware of a lock service that is free through Experian (although, they do have paid services).

Some things to keep in mind

• If you want to apply for credit (new credit card, refinance your home, etc), you must “unfreeze” your credit report. Ask the lender which bureau they use (Equifax, TransUnion or Experian) and then only unfreeze that one bureau.
• If you already use a credit score monitoring service (like Credit Karma), freezing your credit report will still allow it to update.  However, you may have difficulties registering for a new credit score service while your reports are frozen.
• Freezing your credit report still allows your banks to report your payment history, so you will still maintain a credit history and credit score.

The post Place a Freeze on Your Credit Reports for Free appeared first on Technically Well.

Picture Quality

One of the most important features of a security camera is the picture quality, and the Circle 2 definitely has that covered.  The 1080p picture is very clear, even in low light without the night vision LEDs.  This allows you to see the details of what is happening and a clear view of the face of the person.  The camera is set at 720p by default and you will need to use either the app or the website to increase it to 1080p.

Another notable feature is the wide field of vision, providing a 180 degree view of the area it is covering.  This covers my entire backyard.  In fact, I had to move it to the center of the window, otherwise the window frame would block a portion of the shot.

Features

One of my favorite features of the Logitech Circle 2 camera is the “Day Brief”.  This summarizes all of the events of the day into a 30-second video clip.  It’s a great way to check out what’s been going on around your home while you were gone.

The Logitech Circle 2 camera does a great job analyzing motion events, detecting people and providing accurate notifications, if you pay for the $9.99/month cloud plan.  Otherwise, you’ll only receive basic motion notifications (low motion and high motion).

The wire-free Logitech Circle 2 option includes a battery pack that allows the camera to operate for up to 3 months on a single charge, figured with an average of 5 minutes of recorded footage a day.  It uses a separate, low power motion sensor so that it does not need to be “awake” to constantly analyze the footage.  It’s important to note that the low power motion sensor does not work through glass.  If you leave the camera plugged into a power source, you can configured the camera to be “always on” and analyze motion using the video feed.

Other “mounts” are available for the Circle 2, allowing you to take either the wired or wire-free version and mount it to a window or plug it into an outlet.  However, these are at an additional cost and not included in the package.

Support for Apple Homekit is said to be coming soon, but wasn’t available at launch.  Homekit support will not be available for the wire-free (battery) mounting option.

Ease of Use

I’m surprised how many cameras on the market still require a plug-in — or even worse, an Internet Explorer Active X control — in order to setup and operate.  Thankfully, the Logitech Circle 2 works with all modern browsers without any additional software, not even Flash!  I was able to use it on my Mac and my Chromebook without an issue.

The smartphone app allows you to configure most the camera’s settings: resolution, alerting and power management.  One feature you cannot configure in the app is marking the zones for motion detection.  For this, you must login to the website (https://circle.logi.com).

Events that have occurred during the day are shown as “bubbles” along the right-side of the screen.  Grey bubble indicate low motion events (bird flying by, trees swaying in the breeze, etc) while the blue bubble indicate high motion events (such as a person walking close to the camera).  The bubbles make it very easy to navigate between different events and the camera seems to do an accurate job of only placing important events in the blue bubbles.  You can also filter the events if you want to remove the grey bubbles, for example.

Value

The Logitech Circle 2 has a lot of smart features, such as detecting people and making determination between what is normal motion (leaves rustling in the wind) and what is not normal (such as a person walking up to the camera).  However, a lot of this functionality is dependent on the cloud, or more specifically, Logitech’s servers.

On the Circle’s free plan, you get 1 day of cloud storage, unlimited streaming and downloads, alerts and day brief. In order to have person detection and motion zone alerts, you must pay $9.99 per month per camera for 31 days of storage, which — in my opinion — is a tad excessive for a camera that costs almost $200 in the first place.

There is no local storage on the device itself.  If your internet connection goes out, you will not be alerted of motion events (although, you will be alerted that the camera is offline if you enable that specific alert).  If Logitech’s servers ever go down, or — worse yet — they decide to abandon the Circle camera service, you’ll end up with an expensive, round paperweight.  For those reasons, I still prefer an IP camera that has local Micro SD card storage so that the camera is not dependent on a third-party.

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