Meet the Canary, an all-in-one smart home security solution.
At CES 2015, smart home security was a major topic, with large manufacturers and startups offering different ways for people to monitor what's happening at their residence while they're away. You could opt to purchase sensors for doors and windows to see if they've been opened; you could install cameras to check in and make sure your cat isn't clawing away at your sofa; you could get a weather station to monitor humidity and air quality. Or you could get a single, non-obtrusive device to do all of that instead: the Canary.
Developed by a New York-based tech startup of the same name, the Canary features an HD camera; temperature, humidity, and air-quality sensors; accelerometer; and microphone and siren housed within a compact aluminum shell. Instead of focusing on the perimeter of your home, like most security sensors, the device gives you information about what's happening inside.
The company designed the product with renters and apartment dwellers in mind, a segment of the population that's typically left with few options for home security. Traditional providers, like ADT, won't sell to renters and security systems often require extensive wiring and installation, which doesn't really pan out for people who move around a lot. Plus there's the issue of false alarms.
The system, which connects directly to your WiFi network, learns typical behaviors in your home and sends alerts to your phone when things seems awry. For example, rapid movement in the house might mean an intruder is in the house, higher humidity levels might mean there's a water leak, and a change in temperature might mean there's a window open. You can then activate the camera remotely in real-time to check in. If everything is ok, you can disregard the notification; if there's a break-in, you can sound an alarm or call the appropriate authorites directly through the app.
Pre-order the Canary for $249 from store.canary.is.
