I provide honest ratings and reviews on tech, toys, and consumer home goods that I've purchased and used. Reviews are based on hands-on testing and personal observations. All opinions and comments are my own.
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Takeaway: Compact, clear HD video and audio, wide angle view; easy to set up and download footage w/ plenty of basic dashcam features.EXCLUSIVE 40% off code below!
Takeaway: Records video and alerts you with it detects unusual activity, able to monitor remotely, free cloud backup sync. You'll receive the sensor tower, a power adapter, 5' USB power cable, and an instruction manual. The Sens8 unit measures about 2.75" square and 7.25" tall. It has a futuristic geometric hourglass shape and metalized powder aluminum finish. On top is a loudspeaker, thermometer, and light and humidity sensors. On the front is a 1080p camera lens with night vision infrared lights, and below that you have the motion detector sensor. On the back is the power button just below the logo, and on the bottom is the power port, microphone, and reset button.
The unit is really simple to setup and only takes a few minutes. After downloading the Sens8 app to a mobile device, register your e-mail and then go to the ‘Me' menu to add the Sens8 to your profile. Simply follow the on-screen instructions which only takes a minutes. After the unit is added to your profile, you can start using your Sens8 for remote monitoring from anywhere you have an internet connection. However, you may need to update the firmware in the app in order to get the latest features and bug fixes. The Sens8 has a couple of different ways it can monitor your home and send you alerts about important events. The first is the camera, which can be viewed live at any time via the app. During live view you can take still photos, listen to the audio from the video feed, or transmit audio to the Sens8 using the microphone on your mobile device. You cannot, however, trigger remote video recording. In order for the camera to record video, you have to "arm" the Sens8 either manually or by setting a schedule. The scheduler lets you add any number of blocks of time when you want the unit armed with the option to repeat that schedule on any day of the week. You can also have the Sens8 detect the location of your smartphone and auto-arm when you are not home, provided you take your phone with you.
When armed, the unit record events when the motion detector is triggered. Each recording lasts 90 seconds and will backtrack 5 seconds prior to the motion event. If motion continues past 90 seconds, a new file will be created for that clip. There's no option to record a different length clip or continue the video file if there are back to back motion events, so one of the things that isn't super convenient is that you end up with a series of short clips rather than one longer video file. The video quality of the recorded footage is pretty good though with 1080p HD resolution that provides plenty of detail, even in pitch black conditions using the night vision mode. However the audio can sometimes sound a bit muffled and transmitted audio is boxy/staticky and at times, garbled.
The video files are saved locally to the Sens8 device which has 8 GB of internal storage, or enough for about 800 video clips (90 seconds each). The unit will automatically record over the oldest video files when the storage is full. You can link the Sens8 to your DropBox or Google Drive account for free cloud storage and automatic backing up of the video clips and it will upload them automatically in real time. This feature is great because it allows you to use a cloud storage solution that you may already have and you don't need to pay for yet another subscription for this service, unlike other security systems; free if you're already using DropBox or Google Drive. If you don't have a DropBox account, sign up for a free one using this referral link and you'll get a bonus 500 MB of storage when you sign up!
In addition to recording video and sending alerts to your mobile device, you can also have the Sens8 trigger a loud audible alarm/siren when it detects motion, a loud noise, or changes in temperature and humidity beyond a chosen threshold. These alerts are also useful if you want to use them to let you know when you may want to trigger other remote smart home devices like an air conditioner if the room gets too hot or dehumidifier if the humidity is too high. You can also turn the alarm on manually during live view to scare away intruders or speak to someone in the room using the talk feature. There are three alarm sounds to select from which sound off at a loud 95 decibels. The Sens8 includes a built-in backup battery (non-replaceable) which will keep the unit running for 90 minutes in case of a power outage as well you you'll be protected for a while even if the power goes out or the breaker is tripped.
You can also add multiple Sens8 units to your profiles to monitor multiple rooms and locations and share these devices with family members, so they can keep a lookout for you too. Overall, the Sens8 gives you a lot of ways for you to monitor your home while you're away from home for a bit of peace of mind.
Takeaway: Decent audio for bone conduction headphones, good battery life, comfort is so-so. You'll receive the headphones, a microUSB charging cable, a set of foam earplugs, and a brief instruction manual. The headphones are made of a lightweight plastic and consist of a single wrap around headband and two sound emitters. On the bottom of the right sound emitter is a small microphone so you can make hands free calls. There also a play pause button on the outside face of it. The two sound emitters are simple rubber pads that rest just in front of the opening of your ears. What they'll do is send sound waves through your skin into the bone beneath so you can hear the sound directly at your ear drum. This leaves your ears open and free to hear ambient sounds and be generally aware of your surroundings, for example, if you're on your bike and need to be able to hear traffic around you. It's also great for the airport so you can hear announcements for your flights while listening to your music.
On the bottom of the right arm is a status LED light, the charging port, under this rubber door, and plus and minus keys for volume. The plus key also serves as the power and pairing button. To turn the unit on and enter pairing mode, press and hold the plus button. The LED will flash blue then red several times, but continue to hold the plus button until the unit says "pairing" and the red and blue lights flash alternately. Then you can go into your Bluetooth menu on your phone and select the BC headphones device to connect with it. In terms of comfort, the plastic of the headband is flexible enough to stretch and accommodate a range of head sizes, but the band isn't padded at all. There's also no way to adjust the amount of tension on the sides of your head, so some folks may not like the sensation of having the area in front of their ears pinched, especially for long-term listening. While I didn't experience ear fatigue, I did experience a bit of head fatigue from the pressure put on the sides of my face after about an hour. The sound experience is decent for headphones that aren't pumping sound into your ears. It's not going to produce as good of a sound as music travel over the air and in general you lose details in the upper ranges and produces a fairly weak bass. Also, with the volume up pretty high, the stronger vibrations makes a sort of buzzing feeling against your face which may be uncomfortable for some. That said, the volume can't get quite as high as normal earphones, which the unintentional benefit of protecting your hearing somewhat. As for sound leakage, it's minimal unless you have the volume way up, then maybe folks around you might start to hear a bit of what you're listening to.
Overall, these may not be the most comfortable nor have the best sound, but if you're looking for a decent set of lightweight wireless earphones that let you stay on top of your surroundings, these bone conduction headphones have decent battery life at 6 hours on a 2 hour charge and functional easy-to-use playback controls.
Takeaway: All-around protection, doubles battery life, easy to use, wireless charging. The battery case comes with a tempered glass screen protector and a brief instruction sheet. The glass protector is simple to install though, a little tricky because you don't get any guide stickers to help you. However, once installed the glass is clear, durable, and scratch resistant. The case is a slide-in style shell case with a thick backside that houses the 4000 mAh battery (the iPhone X comes with a 2716 mAh internal battery). It just about doubles the thickness, weight, and battery life of the iPhone X. The back has a brushed nylon textured feel which is less slippery than the native glass back of the iPhone X. There's also a cutout for the camera and a power button in the left hand corner. Short pressing the button briefly displays the battery life of the case using 4 LEDs in the bottom right corner. Inside the case is a plain matte surface that is not padded. At the bottom of the inside is a flexible Lightning connector that plugs into your phone. This type of connector should be less susceptible to damage than a rigid connector which tends to bend, loosen, or snap over time. The case itself uses Apple's Lightning connector for charging but does not come with a charging cable; you'll need to use the one that came with your phone.
Alternately, the case also supports wireless Qi charging and if you have a compatible wireless charging pad, the case will charge when you set it down on the charging surface. Installing the phone in the case takes only a few seconds and the flexible connector makes it easy to line it up with the phone's Lightning port. The case fits the iPhone X snugly and the ridged sides give your hands a bit of extra grip on the phone. To charge your phone using the external battery, just long press the button on the back of the case. The cutout for the camera does not obstruct the lens and the rubberized buttons are fairly easy to press to use the volume and sleep keys. Overall, the case works well. When used with the screen protector, it provides side, front, and back protection against drops, scratches, and drops and the battery delivers at least 1 full charge for your phone on the go. It is easy to use and charges fine wirelessly. It does adds a bit of bulk and extra weight but not a ton.
Takeaway: Easy to install and use, accurate readings, durable w/changeable batteries. You'll receive the LCD display, four tire valve sensors, a windshield mount with ball joint, a 13' charging cable cigarette lighter adapter, a ball joint cigarette lighter adapter, two plastic gear wrenches, a metal nut wrench, 5 retaining nuts, and an instruction manual.
The sensors have a brass threaded side for screwing onto your car's tires. The LCD display panel shows you information about your tires like current pressure, temperature, and sensor battery life. The visible screen diagonal is 2" and the unit measurements overall are 1.75" x 2.5" x 0.5". On the right hand side are two USB ports (1A output) for charging your devices. There's a short barrel style plug that comes off the back for attaching to either power adapter. If you'll be using the ball joint adapter, the display will sit right above the cigarette lighter, but if you use the windshield mount ball joint, it adheres via a Velcro sticky pad to your windshield and you need to run the long power cable to your cigarette lighter; it's long enough for you to hide the wire underneath the trim in your car.
The plastic gear nuts are for disassembling the sensors so you can change their batteries. Unlike the TPMS sensors that came with my car, these sensors don't have to be replaced when the batteries run out and you don't need a tech to do it for you. The batteries used are CR1225 coin cells, and I'll update this review when one runs out so you have an idea of how long they last..
Installing the sensors took only a couple minutes. When I started up my car, the sensors took a few minutes to pair with the LCD display. I had to take off and reinstall two sensors before they would show an accurate tire pressure reading, but all the measures from temp to PSI appeared to be accurate when checked with a gauge and thermometer. Pay attention to the letters on the sensors when installing as they tell you which tire they go on e.g. RF = right, front (passenger side) and LR = left, rear (driver's side) etc. The sensors don't screw in all the way, so when finger tight, loosen the retaining nut back up to the sensor and then tighten with the metal nut wrench until the sensor is secured.
The display beeps and flashes when trigger thresholds are passed for high temperature and low/high pressure. You can change the settings be pressing and holding the 'Menu' button below the LCD and using the left/right arrow keys to navigate and modify values. You can also use the arrow keys to change the brightness of the display: low/medium/high. The only drawback to using this external system is that I need to use the wrench tool to loosen the retaining nut and remove the sensor in order to inflate my tires. However, it's pretty quick and the convenience of having the tire data live is worth the extra 5 seconds it takes to do this. When I take my car in for a tune up, I remove the sensors and put the regular valve caps back on.
Overall, the TPMS is able to show me important data related to my tires, so I can keep them well maintained and operating safely, for example, if I have a leak in one. It also shows the voltage level of the car battery as a bonus, and the sensor batteries can be easily replaced. It's easy to install and simple to use.
Takeaway: Quick and simple to install, allows full view of blind spots at a glance You'll receive 2 glass convex mirror rounds and 2 optional plastic mounting arms. The mounting arms sit on small ball joints so you can adjust and swivel the mirrors after they are installed. These 2" diameter mirrors have double-sided foam tape on the back to attac them to your side view mirrors. I installed the mirrors with the mounting arms because you can adjust them if you have multiple drivers for the car. The only caveat is that you see a reflection of the rear side of the mirror because it sits about 3/4" away from the side mirror surface. The typical placement for the mirror is on the far outside corner of the side view mirror. Now when I look in the small mirrors I can see what is in the blind spot whereas that field of view was not visible in the side view mirror alone. Overall, these mirrors were a breeze to install and took less than a minute. They let me see clearly what's in my blind spot without having to look over my shoulder or turn my head. I simply have to glance at the side view mirrors and I can see any oncming traffic in the blindspot in the smaller mirrors.
Takeaway: Keeps your stuff dry w/o any leaking. Floats for easy retrieval. The 10L dry bag comes with a smaller smartphone dry bag and a 40" adjustable shoulder strap. The cylindrical shpaed dry bag measures 18.5" tall and has a 12" diameter. It is made from a thick waterproof vinyl and has a clear window so you can see its contents. The should strap attaches diagonally so the bag can be worn cross-shoulder like a knapsack or duffel bag. Using the drybag is easy. Once you place the items you want to keep dry inside, close the opening and roll it down 3 or 4 times before snapping the clasp together. This creates a water and airtight seal. The capacity of the bag is about 10L and if you leave some amount of air in the bag, it should float when placed in water. The waterproof cellphone bag works in a similar way. It's got 3 press seals like a ziptop bag and after you seal them, roll them down the opening three times and clip the bag shut with two snap buttons. The cellphone bag is clear on both sides so you can see the phone's screen. You can even use the touchscreen through the clear window. It also floats if you leave some air in the bag and it has a 21" adjustable neckstrap. The cellphone bag measures 9" x 6.5" which is large enough for any cell phone and could even fit a small tablet. Overall, both the dry bag and the cellphone bag worked well for keeping their contents dry, and I didn't experience any leaks with the bags being left in water for 10 minutes nor being splash/sprayed directly with water at close range.
Takeaway: A bit brighter than expected, but works well for under bed lighting at night. You'll receive the strip light in a roll, motion detector, double sided sticky round, 4 cable clips and 6 mounting screws, a large wire clip, A/C adapter, and USB power cable. The motion detector is the control unit for this strip light and there is no separate on/off switch. The light is not dimmable using the motion detector controller.
The dome on top senses motion in a 120 arc from up to 12-15 ft away and is only triggered when the room is quite dark. A moderate amount of ambient light is sufficient so that the motion detector won't go off. Once activated, you can set the light to stay on for 30 seconds to 10 minutes (timer starts counting down once motion is no longer detected). The time is an analog dial though, so you have to test the light to figure out how long it'll stay on if you set it between 30 second and 10 minutes. The light strip measures about 5 ft long and has double sided sticky tape on the back to mount to a wall, cabinet, or furniture. It was a little bit long for my full mattress frame so wrapped it around the corner partway under the foot side of the frame, but the strip can also be cut to length. The LEDs are spaced about every 1.5 inches and I have the lights pointed "down" towards the floor. The lights were a bit brighter than I had expected. It's not so bright that it'll shock you awake if you get up in the middle of the night, but I would have preferred a more gentle glow. This effect may be achievable if you face the LEDs in towards the underside of the bed instead of down at the floor, but I didn't want to mess with the tape since it's stuck on pretty good. So far the tape seems to be holding up and the lights are working fine (been a couple weeks).
Takeaway: Good quality hi-res video, mobile app for remote viewing and image/video capture. You'll receive the NVR unit, 2 each of the bullet cameras, mounting hardware packs, video and power cable, and A/C adapters, a 4 to 1 power cable adapter, a USB mouse, a software CD, a RS-485 PTZ jumper, and a pair of quick setup guides. The NVR unit has a 1 TB 3.5" SATA Toshiba hard drive pre-installed inside (I opened it to verify). On the back of the unit are 4 coaxial inputs for up to 4 cameras (the unit only comes with 2), an RCA audio out, HDMI out , VGA out port, 4 audio RCA inputs for cameras that support audio, Ethernet port, 2 USB ports, RS-485 port for PTZ (w/compatible cameras), and DC power port. On the front are the menu selection keys, menu button, escape button, status LEDs, and IR receiver for a remote control, though one is not included.
The bodies of the cameras are body made of powder coated metal and durable for weather-resistance for outdoor installations. Each camera has 36 infrared LEDs surrounding the lens for night vision. Coming off the back are two cables for the power and video feed. These will connect to the 50 ft cables so you can run the wires across rooms, through walls and to different floors of your home if necessary. The camera can pivot 180 degrees on a single joint and rotate 360 for positioning and orientation, but you'll need the small Allen wrench in the hardware pack to set the angle. Make sure you loosen the joints fully before modifying the position because the teeth on the gears seem very shallow and may strip with excessive grinding.
Setup is basically plug and play. You plug the cameras into the cables, hooks them up to the NVR (cables are clearly marked which end goes where) then supply power to the NVR and the cameras. The camera power cables go into the 4 to 1 adapter and uses a single A/C adapter for all of them. Once plugged in the cameras are all swithed on. There is no power switch on them. One thing to note is that when watching the feeds on a TV, even at 1080p resolution that what you see on the screen is slightly degraded quality than the actual video file if you were to pull them off the NVR and watch them on a computer. The included cameras' native output resolution is HD at 720p although the system is capable of handling up to 1080p output. Because the resolution is 720p and not higher, the images can still be somewhat blurry and you may not be able to make out fine details when something is moving. The colors are somewhat washed out and the contrast is a bit too harsh. You can play with these settings on the NVR but I didn't find that the overall quality changes much. The infrared lights allow you to see everything in the dark as if it were daytime, even in pitch black conditions, however, everything will be in black and white. Outdoor color reproduction isn't that great, with blown out areas in bright sun, strong contrast, and faded colors. However, when used indoors with indirect daytime lighting, the color accuracy seemed pretty good and the contrast looks normal. With 2 cameras 30 mins for recorded footage takes up about 1 GB (based on backup file sizes) so the hard drive can save about 21 days worth of footage before overwriting the oldest files. With 4 cameras you'll be able to save about 10 days worth of video.
If your system is connected to your home network, you can also download the Android or iOS app, XMEye, for remote viewing on a mobile device. The app requires you to sign up for an account if you want to use it remotely from anywhere with an internet connection, but this is not required for local network viewing. After adding the NVR to the list of devices, you'll be able to see the live camera feeds on your phone. You can view one camera at a time and save the footage and capture images in real-time or view all the cameras at once.
Overall, the security camera system is simple to set up and use. Checking on the cameras from the main unit and mobile app is easy to do, as is retrieving saved video files and backing them up to a USB thumb drive or hard drive. Just note that the video files are encoded with a *.h264 extension and you'll need an appropriate viewer to watch the files. I used AVC to convert the videos the MP4s and that quadrupled the file size.
Takeaway: Fairly easy and quick setup, clear HD video (no audio), handy mobile app, instructions could be better. The NVR unit comes with a quick installation guide, a pack of 4 hard drive screws (for 3.5" HDD), a remote control, an A/C adapter for the main unit, a USB mouse, a 3 ft CAT5 Ethernet cable, and 4 individually packed wireless cameras with A/C adapters. The only thing you'll need to provide is a SATA hard drive up to 6GB for recording the video footage. I used a Western Digital 500 GB 2.5" HDD, but because it's smaller I had to use different screws than the ones that were included to mount it to the NVR housing. On the back of the NVR are two 7 inch wireless antennae and along the bottom is the VGA outout, HDMI output, WAN port, USB port, and power port. In front, you have some on-board playback controls and menu selection keys as well as various indicator LEDs. This model does not have a front USB port so only one USB device can be used at a time e.g. mouse, USB thumb drive.
Each camera comes with a 7" antenna, waterproof housing for the Ethernet connection, a pack of wall mounting hardware, and A/C adapter. On the front under the lens is a light sensor so that the camera can detect when there is low light to activate infrared night vision. The camera can pivot 90 degrees and to set the angle at the joint use the small Allen wrench in the hardware package to loosen the adjustment screw. Rotation can only be set at the point of installation when you drill the holes to mount the camera. The camera body is made of metal and very durable for weather-resistance. Setup is basically plug and play. The power cable connects to the barrel port on the extending cable. The other connector is for an optional LAN connection but does not need to be used (no cap is included to cover the unused port). Once plugged in and powered on, the camera will be transmitting a live feed, so all you need to do is turn on the NVR unit.
When connecting the NVR to my TV via HDMI for monitoring the output resolution is HD at 1080p; each camera when viewed indivually also supports 1920x1080 resolution. Once booted up, the NVR will search for the 4 cameras and connect to them automatically which takes a few minutes. You do have to format the hard drive before it can record to it, and I found it easiest to navigate the menus using the USB mouse since the cursor is tricky to maneuver with the arrow keys on the remote. The remote control which requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. In the settings you can change the network settings, schedules, and triggers for the camera for recording. You can also monitor the cameras using your smart phone by downloading the CamView Cloud app from the Google Play or Apple store. The app requires you to sign up for an account to use it. The instructions don't tell you how to add the NVR to the list of device in the app, but in the app, tap the '+' icon in the upper right and select "Add device by ID." Then use the "Cloud ID" found in the bottom right corner of the monitor screen (hook up NVR to TV) and provide the default login of 'Admin' and a blank password.
After adding the NVR to the list of devices, you'll be able to see the four camera feeds live on your phone. Tapping one screen will zoom in on it. The infrared lights allows you to see everything in total darkness as if it were daytime, but in black and white. On the phone, the video image appears slightly washed out, but the color representation and resolution are actually decent on a TV/computer monitor. In the app, you can playback and save previously recorded video and capture still images. You can also download videos directly to a thumb drive on the NVR with a USB thumb drive, though you won't be able to use the mouse the navigate the menus while the thumb drive is plugged in.
Overall, the security camera system is pretty quick the setup, and it's easy to use. The instructions could be clearer on how to add the NVR to the mobile app and it doesn't tell you the default login for the menu is 'admin' with a blank password. However, once you're up and running it's dead simple to check on the cameras and review or save recorded video.
Takeaway: HD front video res, rear camera doesn't record but works great at night, easy setup/use. UPDATE: There's a firmware update to enable rear recording, but you have to request it from the manufacturer here: http://www.auto-vox.com/index.php/Contact/index.html
The Autovox M6 rearview mirror camera comes with an instruction manual, microfiber cleaning cloth, cigarette lighter power adapter w/11' cord, two sets of mirror attachment bands (one normal, and one extra strength for thicker mirrors), a backup camera with license plate mount, and 30' rear video input cable. Note that a microSD card is required for operation but not included, which for the price you pay is disappointing.
The mirror measures 12"x 3". The LCD screen on the left hand side has a 4-3/8" diagonal and has a dark silver tint to it. The front camera is on the windshield side and sits on a ball joint which allows you to orient the camera. There's an external speaker for listening to audio during video playback.
Installing the mirror unit only took a minute, though installing the rear camera to the license plate and hooking it into the reverse light took about 15 minutes.
Because my outlets are off when the car is off, when I start the car the camera comes on automatically. I found the touchscreen controls to be fairly intuitive and easy to use but you do end up with a lot of fingerprints on the mirror. When I put the car in reverse, it automatically switches the LCD display to show the back camera and puts up the reverse guides. The guides are pretty straight on and help with parallel parking and give me 6-8" of clearance when the line overlaps the curb.
Note that this unit only records footage from the front facing camera. The three resolution modes are all HD from 720p to 1296p at 30 fps. In general, the video is clear and detailed with natural looking colors, good saturation, and decent white balance that doesn't change abruptly too often. The audio captured isn't great though and is sort of muffled with plenty of road noise. However, it's clear enough to make out conversation if there's not loud radio blasting. At night, everything is pretty dark but still clear and detailed. You don't exactly get night vision, but lights are bright and you can even read the license plate of the car in front of you.
Overall, the video quality is good for a relatively inexpensive dashboard camera though the audio could be improved.
Takeaway: Clear and crisp HD video, wide angle, decent features, okay night footage. The dashboard camera comes with a suction cup mount with integrated GPS, cigarette lighter adapter w/12 ft cable, 40" USB cable, CPL filter, 32GB microSD card, and a user manual. The camera is compact measuring 3.75"W x 1.75"L x 1.25"D including the lens. It is powered via miniUSB and has mini HDMI output. The screen on the back has a 2.5" diagonal. The CPL filter is optional and can be installed on the lens to help reduce glare, darken bright skies, and cut down on reflections.
The camera setup is simple and straightforward. There are plenty of settings and options in the menus that aren't explained too fully in the manual but could be useful if you play with them a bit. I particularly like the time lapse parking mode and different HD resolution sizes. On the back of the suction cup is the GPS receiver which is integrated and cannot be removed. The GPS will still be on if the cable is plugged directly into the camera body, so if you don't want to use the GPS features like location and speed tracking, turn it off in the settings.
The camera has a number of different resolutions and all of them are HD. The highest resolution is 2560x1080P which is super wide angle at 170 degrees. The lower resolutions have tighter fields of view. I like the 60 fps 1080p resolution because for me the video looks smoother and clearer. During the day the video quality is high def and captures a lot of detail; you can read license plates off the car in front and in adjacent lanes within 1-2 car lengths. At night the video is a bit harder to see, perhaps even somewhat blurry depending how much ambient light there is. But the quality is not bad, and you can see enough detail that the footage could be helpful in the event of an accident.
The player downloaded from Seydi's website shows a map of the trip (per clip), speed, and direction of travel when using the GPS. It'll also show you G-sensor info. Overall, the camera is easy to install and use. It has some of the highest video quality that I've seen for a unit this size in this price range and has a decent feature set.
