Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs 3 Plus vs 2 vs Pro vs Eufy Doorbell – What has Ring improved? Which is the best alternative?
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Ring Video Doorbell 3 vs 3 Plus vs 2 vs Pro vs Eufy Doorbell – What has Ring improved? Which is the best alternative?

ByJames Smythe

There is no getting away from the awful PR Ring has had recently, it has been revealed that the company has some serious issues with privacy as well as agreements with law enforcement to share your data. They are trying to improve though; they claim to have locked down the privacy concerns enforcing mandatory 2FA…

Aranet4 HOME Wireless Indoor Air Quality Monitor measuring CO2, Temperature, Relative Humidity and more
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Aranet4 HOME Wireless Indoor Air Quality Monitor measuring CO2, Temperature, Relative Humidity and more

ByJames Smythe

IoT devices that measure air quality are becoming increasingly common. I reviewed the Foobot back in 2017, then the Airthings Wave Plus in 2019. Recently I have been testing the Aranet4 HOME from the Latvian company SAF Tehnika. While the effects of high levels of CO2 were long thought to be benign, research has found that concentrations…

The best Z-Wave & Smart Home Switches & Buttons – Wireless & wired switches for lights and automation
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The best Z-Wave & Smart Home Switches & Buttons – Wireless & wired switches for lights and automation

ByJames Smythe

Buttons and switches are a superb addition to any smart home system allowing you to carry commands without reaching for your phone or shouting at Alexa. When I started this post, I knew there were a lot of options, but it turns out there are way more products that I realised. I have been looking…

GeoSmartPro AirGo Smart Fan Review – App controlled fan awarded a quiet mark rating that isn’t very quiet.
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GeoSmartPro AirGo Smart Fan Review – App controlled fan awarded a quiet mark rating that isn’t very quiet.

ByJames Smythe

You can get pretty much anything app-controlled nowadays; there is even an Alexa controlled microwave.  So it is no surprise there is an app-controlled pedestal fan if anything I was surprised at the lack of competing options. I specifically bought this fan to be able to use it when I go to sleep. I am…

Imou Ranger IQ Review – A PTZ human detecting camera compatible with NVRs
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Imou Ranger IQ Review – A PTZ human detecting camera compatible with NVRs

ByJames Smythe

While I am not a huge fan of indoor cameras for my personal usage, I was quite excited to be offered to review the Imou Ranger Pro, which provides a wide range of impressive features including: PTZ with 355 degree pan and 90 degree tilt Human detection – which can then smart track with PTZ…

Setting up Anker Eufycam 2C with a NAS Surveillance Station or BlueIris NVR

Setting up Anker Eufycam 2C with a NAS Surveillance Station or BlueIris NVR

ByJames Smythe

The Anker Eufycam 2C is my current favourite wire-free security camera, it is affordable, has a built-in spotlight, offers colour night vision and best of all has human detection to reduce all the annoying false alerts. On top of all this, Eufy cameras also have an RTSP option which allows you to integrate it with…

Ezviz C4W review – Outdoor Wi-Fi CCTV with strobe and siren
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Ezviz C4W review – Outdoor Wi-Fi CCTV with strobe and siren

ByJames Smythe

The C4W is the latest camera in the ever-growing range of Ezviz security cameras which is now available from Argos for £99.99. Features Sensor: 1/2.7″ Progressive Scan CMOS Lens: 2.8mm, view angle: 103° horizontal, 118° diagonal 4mm, view angle: 87° horizontal, 104° diagonal Day & Night: IR-cut filter with auto-switching DNR: 3D DNR WDR: Digital…

TP-Link Tapo C100 Home Security Wi-Fi Camera – Kasa vs Tapo what’s the difference?
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TP-Link Tapo C100 Home Security Wi-Fi Camera – Kasa vs Tapo what’s the difference?

ByJames Smythe

The TP-Link Tapo C100 is the latest affordable smart home device from the new Tapo product range. Currently, it is just £19.99 on Amazon but has an RRP of £29.99, this makes it the cheapest branded indoor camera I am aware of. Kasa vs Tapo what’s the difference? Tapo is the latest product range from…

WD Purple vs Seagate SkyHawk Network Video Recorder Surveillance Hard Drive Comparison? And are Surveillance Drives Needed?
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WD Purple vs Seagate SkyHawk Network Video Recorder Surveillance Hard Drive Comparison? And are Surveillance Drives Needed?

ByJames Smythe

Over the past few months, I have upgraded my home surveillance, moving from cameras that recording motion only to microSD cards, to cheap Ezviz NVR and finally a BlueIris NVR with Sentry AI human detection. I have done everything as cheap as possible, and that includes re-using old desktop hard-drives. I had one of them…

eufyCam vs Arlo – Which is best & is the Arlo Ultra or Pro3 worth it over the eufyCam 2 & 2C?
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eufyCam vs Arlo – Which is best & is the Arlo Ultra or Pro3 worth it over the eufyCam 2 & 2C?

ByJames Smythe

Arlo, formerly owned by Netgear has long been the dominant company for wire-free security cameras, I would argue that they are the company responsible for the popularisation of the battery-powered wire-free outdoor surveillance camera. Since the launch of Arlo, many companies have come along replicating their features, many of them are inferior, plenty of them…

BlueIris with Sentry AI Human Detection Review – How accurate is the AI for recognising people?
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BlueIris with Sentry AI Human Detection Review – How accurate is the AI for recognising people?

ByJames Smythe

BlueIris is an extremely popular piece of camera recording software allowing you to turn a Windows PC into powerful NVR that offer vastly superior features to most affordable network video recorders. I recently replaced my Ezviz NVR with a self-built system based on the Ryzen AMD Ryzen 3 2200G, it is not the most powerful…

Den Automation phoenixes to Den Switch giving hope to existing customers, but would new customers ever trust them?
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Den Automation phoenixes to Den Switch giving hope to existing customers, but would new customers ever trust them?

ByJames Smythe

Den Automation had a tumultuous 2019, the new contender in the smart home market had an innovative approach to smart light switches and plug sockets with physical switches in traditional white colours. When I reviewed the system, I found the hardware to be much more appealing than the digital switches you find on LightwaveRF or the…

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