Review: Canary wireless security system for apartments and homes

By Gadjo C. Sevilla

Canary’s system comes with everything you need to set it up. Once you download the iOS app and plug in the device, you pair it to your phone via a yellow wire (which you only need to use once). Hook up Canary to your home WiFi or wired router and it is locked, loaded and ready to go. 

Easy to use IP based security cameras have been around for some time now but what makes Canary’s solution so impressive is that it integrates a great camera, motion sensor, humidity and temperature sensors into one tiny device while integrating all of this in one great and easy to use mobile app. 

I live in an apartment and there are many instances when I am not home and various people need to access our unit to repair or check something out for the building’s management. There are also various instances when I am travelling and would like to check in to see how things are going at home, specially since I have two cats and want to make sure the cat sitter is looking after them regularly.

Canary’s system comes with everything you need to set it up. The unit itself is no larger than a large coffee tumbler and it easily blends into the background of any desk, bookshelf or tablet.

Once you download the iOS app and plug in the device, you pair it to your phone via a yellow wire (which you only need to use once). Hook up Canary to your home WiFi or wired router and it is locked, loaded and ready to go. 

From the app, you can arm, disarm or turn off the system. When armed, you can watch what’s going on at home live (well, with a two second delay), you also get accurate reading of air quality and temperature. When watching live, not only do you get panoramic video, you also get audio so you can hear what is going on.

Canary’s algorithm-based motion detection learns over time to send you smarter notifications. The longer you have it, the more effective it becomes. This means it will learn that you have cats or dogs and that their movement may not be enough to trigger an alert in the future.

What I like about this is that it can automatically sense when you or your spouse are home an disarm itself and once it senses that you have left the house (or at least the viewable area of the motion sensor, it will automatically turn itself on). This is smart and effective, for an apartment or smaller home, one Canary can be used to protect one floor or area.

An armed Canary will sense motion and capture a short video, which it will send you via an alert. Not only do you get an alert on your iPhone or Android device, if you have an Apple Watch, the Canary logo will appear informing you of the alert.

You can see the video of what triggered the alert. Erase the video or sound an alarm if it is merited.  I liked that you can have the Canary send alerts to multiple assigned users and that all the users get the alert simultaneously.

In my case, my wife got an alert when repairmen came to our apartment while she was at work and while I was travelling.

The camera quality is very good and you can get HD recordings at 1080p HD Camera, a 147° Wide-angle lens, automatic night vision and motion detection works as advertised and has been accurate.

It is quite empowering to step out of the subway, flick open the app and quickly check to see what's been going on at home, specially if something triggered the motion sensor. Having the ability to sound an alarm, call a neighbour or even call the authorities is smart, efficient and forward thinking.

Canary really changes the game for apartment an home security. It's an incredibly complex and intelligent solution that is easy to use and best of all it doesn't require monitoring or a subscription to work effectively. I would say that security focused people should even consider it even if they currently have a home security alarm solution in the works as it adds another layer of visual and aural access.

As vapid and widespread as the Internet of Things segment is, it is products like the Canary wireless security system that offer a cohesive and effective example of a connected, smart, cloud-powered and app-controllable security option that is well within the budget of most home or apartment dwellers.

It is highly recommended and so worth it for the peace of mind and convenience it brings. Canary is available in Canada through Best Buy.

Rating: 5 out of 5