Why Every Flyer Needs a Canary At Home

For many frequent flyers, one of the biggest concerns is maintaining home safety while abroad. When traveling thousands of miles away, travelers can feel insecure about protecting their valuables from a break-in or fire. More importantly, those same travelers have every right to be concerned: according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a burglary took place every 18.2 seconds across the United States in 2014, totaling nearly 1.73 million incidents. In over half of those, burglars used force to enter buildings.

One of the most common methods to curb concerns about home safety involves utilizing a home protection system. As technology has evolved, so have the common alarm system. Gone are the days where homeowners must have expensive security systems installed with passcodes and false alarms. With a simple box plugged in and a smartphone app, flyers can monitor their home wherever they may roam.

To evaluate the effectiveness of a home monitoring device, the creators of Canary provided FlyerTalk with a complimentary unit to test. After running it through multiple tests over a single weekend, we were highly impressed by the level of access this home monitoring system provided.

Unboxing the Canary

When receiving the Canary in the mail, we were expecting a box three-times the size of the unit with complex sensors, a minor installation process and hours of calibration. However, the unit was simple-to-understand, with a wide-angle camera, air monitoring sensors and microphone all built into a single unit.

Setting up the Canary was guided through the free smartphone app. After registration, we were prompted to use the included audio cord to connect securely to the unit for activation. Although the Canary came with a data-port on-board, we quickly discovered it could connect to a Wi-Fi network. This allowed the unit to be placed anywhere in a home.

Testing the Canary

Although it takes one complete day to calibrate the air quality data, the camera was immediately available to monitor the events in a home. Through the 147-degree wide-angle lens, we could see anyone going in and out of the front door in full 1080 high definition. Through the app and with push notifications to a phone and watch, we were easily able to view whatever was going on inside the home at any given moment. Even at the most sensitive notification settings, the Canary was able to discern actual activity between pet movements. With unlimited social media sharing, you can share all these moments.

With every alert sent to a phone, we were given the option to call emergency services, or sound a 90-decibel alarm. During registration, Canary automatically populated the local emergency numbers based on location.

At night, the Canary automatically switched to an infrared mode, using an array of 12 sensors to capture video even in low-light conditions. When a soft light and a cell phone light were shined directly to the camera, the infrared did not turn off until the light was within six feet of the camera. Even at night, we felt confident in the Canary’s abilities to determine appropriate light levels for recordings.

Equally impressive were the home health measurements the Canary regularly monitored. After one day of operation, the app was able to tell not only the regular temperature and home humidity, but also the quality of air at home. The Canary regularly monitors for multiple pollutants, including methane, carbon monoxide and even noxious cooking odors.

Pricing Plans

Unlike other competitive products, the Canary comes with a free subscription option, along with monthly and annual plans. At no additional charge, Canary will store 12 hours of HD video and audio recordings, three video downloads, and five video bookmarks per month. Once downloaded, you can permanently keep the video for your records, or even share the images with law enforcement agencies in case of an emergency. Paid plans start at $4.99 per month, which come with two days’ of video storage history and unlimited downloads.

Overall

As an overall product, Canary stands head-and-shoulders above competitive products, with features that rivals can only dream about. Between the live video notifications and home health monitoring, the Canary is a full-service solution that only requires a wireless internet connection and a power outlet. With the ability to tie multiple Canary units together, every room in a home can be kept safe and secure, no matter where you go.

The Canary base unit costs $199 for one, or $399 for two. However, those who purchase before June 19 in time for Father’s Day, can get their Canary for $179, or a two-pack for $349. The Canary is available to purchase online at canary.is.