My current favorite is the Schlage Connect. It’s a reasonably priced, reliable, power-sipping model that comes in multiple styles and finishes. Plus, it comes with a 3-year warranty on electronics.

Deciding Factors

Like any class of products, the main models have a lot of features in common. This is especially true with Z Wave devices since most of the control is relinquished to your Z Wave hub. However, the features that help you decide which is best for you are usually the features they don’t have in common.

Built in alarm

The Schlage Connect has a built-in alarm that sounds when a potential break-in is detected. It is the only lock on this list with this feature.

Key or no key?

The Yale Assure lock has the option to purchase a keyless model. The lack of a keyhole eliminates the opportunity for an intruder to pick the lock.

The Ultraloq Pro has a fingerprint reader for yet another quick way to gain access. It still has a keyhole, but it’s hidden behind fingerprint reader.

Deadbolt replacement or retrofit?

The deadbolt replacement locks completely replace your existing deadbolt inside and out.

The August and Danalock are retrofit smart locks and install on the inside of an existing deadbolt. From the outside, the lock looks and functions the same, so a passerby would not know that you have a smart lock installed.

The Haven lock doesn’t fit into either category. It is a completely different way to think about door locks and offers extreme security against a potential break-in.

Optional app

While all these models can be completely controlled with your Z Wave hub, the Yale, August, Danalock, and Ultraloq come with BlueTooth capability or a WiFi bridge to allow for additional control using a manufacturer supplied app.

Battery Life

All of these models use very low-power communication protocols, so the bulk of the battery usage is going to come from locking/unlocking. Therefore, the life of the batteries will depend on how frequently you lock/unlock the lock.

As an example, I have a Schlage Connect installed on my front door, but my front door rarely gets used. I would say on average, the lock electronically opens/closes 2 or 3 times per week. Under that light usage for about six months, the lock is still reporting 96% battery life.

As another example, the Ultraloq lists their battery life at 8000 open/closes. That gives it a battery life of about 1 year if you have 20 daily open/closes.

I suspect that models that have the additional BlueTooth connectivity will require more power (and more frequent battery replacement) than the Z Wave only models.

The Big List of Z Wave Smart Locks

Rather than just dump a big list on the page for you to fumble through, I figured it would be more helpful to break these locks down into a few categories:

Deadbolt Replacement Smart Locks

These locks are complete deadbolts. They come with all necessary trim for inside and outside. If you have an existing deadbolt, you will need to remove it before installing the new smart lock.

NOTE: Many of the following models come in a variety of trims (styles) and finishes (colors). I’ve noticed that the different trims and finishes vary in price even though the “guts” are basically all the same. So if you’re interested in deal shopping, and you’re not 100% set on a certain look, it’s worth it to click through all the different available combinations to maybe find a big discount.

Schlage Connect Z Wave

The Schlage Connect Z Wave smart lock is the lock that I have on my front door. Schlage is a well-respected name in the lock industry and their connected models have been around for many years.

It comes in a variety of trims and each trim comes in multiple finishes. I chose the Camelot trim with a bright chrome finish.

It also comes with a limited lifetime mechanical/finish warranty AND a 3-year electronics warranty.

You can open the lock 3 ways: a traditional key (comes with two), enter an access code on the touchpad (program up to 30 codes), or remotely using your Z Wave hub.

One unique feature of the Schlage Connect lock is an integrated alarm. The alarm has 3 different modes and each can be individually enabled or disabled.

You can also enable an auto-lock feature that engages the lock 30 seconds after the lock is unlocked. When I first got the lock, I enabled this. But, I found it more annoying than anything so it didn’t take long for me to disable it again. There were too many times when I stepped outside for a bit and by the time I went back in, the door was locked on me. I wasn’t locked out, but I had to enter the code to get back in which was annoying. If I know I want the door locked, I prefer to just hit the “Schlage” button to lock the door.

Of course, the coolest way to manage locking and unlocking is to have it happen automatically through your home automation hub.

Check Price: Schlage Connect Smart Deadbolt

Ultraloq U-Bolt Z Wave Smart Lock

The Ultraloq U-Bolt has an ANSI Grade 1 rating. That means the components are rated for a commercial setting. They are built stronger to last longer.

The Ultraloq U-Bolt also comes in a Pro version. The Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro has the addition of a fingerprint reader. The Pro version still has a keyhole, but it’s hidden behind the fingerprint panel which folds down.

As far as looks, the Ultraloq is limited to one style that comes in two colors: Satin Nickel or Black.

It comes with a door sensor so that the lock knows when the door is open or closed. The lock will not engage the auto-lock feature if it senses that the door is open.

In addition to Z Wave, the Ultraloq also has BlueTooth which allows you to connect to your lock and manage it using the Ultraloq app when you are within BlueTooth range. You can also purchase the optional WiFi bridge so that you can use the Ultraloq app to manage the lock from anywhere.

Check Price on Amazon: Ultraloq U-Bolt Z-Wave | Ultraloq U-Bolt Pro Z-Wave

Or buy directly from Ultraloq: Get 10% OFF your U-Bolt with code WELCOME-ABOARD

Yale Assure Z Wave Enabled Keypad Deadbolt

Just like the Schlage lock above, the Yale Assure Z-Wave models have the option to use one touch lock, enable a timed auto-lock, and customize your access codes.

The Yale Assure lock doesn’t have as many style options as the other brands. It’s only available in one trim and three finishes.

However, it does have the additional option of being purchased either with the keyhole or without.

By eliminating the keyhole, it eliminates the chance that an intruder can pick the lock. It also eliminates the ability to unlock it with a key if the batteries die. If the batteries do die or become too weak to unlock the bolt, the key-free version comes with a slot that allows it to be charged with a 9V battery so that an access code can be used to gain entry.

The Yale Assure line also has a lever lock model for installations without a deadbolt.

Check Price: Yale Assure Lock SL with Z-Wave

Baldwin Touchscreen Z Wave Deadbolt

I am not an expert on the inner workings of locks, so I can’t say for sure that the higher price of Baldwin buys you a better lock. But the exterior finish on a Baldwin is meant to look great on day one and stay that way for a lifetime, which makes it a great choice for the front door.

Baldwin’s touchscreen with Z Wave models come in two styles (Minneapolis and Boulder) and 17 high-quality finishes, so there’s something for everyone, right?

Just like the others, it comes with a 30 second auto-lock option, one touch locking, and up to 30 programmable access codes.

Unlike the others, the Baldwin locks use Kwikset’s SecureScreen technology to help avoid the threat of an intruder guessing the code by seeing what numbers have the most fingerprint residue. It does this by requiring you first press two random digits before entering your code. I personally think this sounds kind of annoying. And on top of that, I don’t think an intruder that is sophisticated enough to attempt an attack like that would suddenly be foiled by the extra numbers.

Check Price: Baldwin Minneapolis Z-Wave Deadbolt

Retrofit Smart Locks – Best for Apartments

A retrofit smart lock replaces the inside part of the deadbolt, but leaves everything on the outside the same. You can still lock/unlock your door with a key and there’s no need to change keys either.

I think these types of smart locks make a lot of sense if you live in an apartment. If necessary, the landlord can still access the apartment because the outside key still works.

August Smart Lock Pro

The August Smart Lock Pro DOES work with Z Wave (Here’s proof on the August website). However, for some reason, most of the product listings for it seem to avoid mentioning it.

The August Smart Lock Pro has Z Wave, BlueTooth, connects to HomeKit, and connects to WiFi to access the August app via the August Connect hub. It also includes Door Sense which is an open/close sensor that mounts on the door. And, it integrates with a whole bunch of smart home heavyweights: see the list

I suspect most people that specifically want a Z Wave smart lock don’t need all the extra features (and potential problems?) that come with the August. In my experience, “Z Wave people” prefer to get in the weeds and do the automation stuff themselves.

That said, when all its features work as intended, the August Smart Lock Pro is one of the best available smart locks, and it does have Z Wave so I guess it belongs on this list.

The August Gen 2 was actually my first smart lock. I used it back when I had an apartment and was not allowed to replace the outside half of the lock. I was generally happy with it (my review), but ultimately I retired it because I got sick of replacing the batteries every couple months.

However, reviews are all over the place with this one (Gen 3). Some people love it…and others hate it. Most complaints are about cheap plastic construction, unreliable auto-unlock, and poor customer service. Unfortunately, there’s enough hate out there to give me pause before buying another August. But, just in case any August reps are reading, I’d happily test and review another one if a free sample happens to show up on my doorstep, wink-wink.

Check Price: August Smart Lock Pro

Danalock v3 Bluetooth & Z Wave Smart Lock

Like the August lock, the Danalock is another retrofit smart lock. It replaces the inside half of your deadbolt. It is a Z Wave lock, but it also comes with Bluetooth connectivity.

This means you still get the same ability to control your lock via your Z Wave hub.

But in addition, the Bluetooth allows for custom control that works via the Danalock app when you are within Bluetooth range. So instead of relying on your Z Wave hub/app for configuring features like auto-lock/unlock, you can rely on the Danalock app.

The most pointless feature award goes to Danalock…

How many times have you been right in the middle of turning your deadbolt and thought to yourself “Gee, my hand is tired from all this twisting. It sure would be great if a machine could take over and finish this task”?

I’m sure the answer to that is almost certainly zero times. Nevertheless, Danalock has the perfect solution to this non-problem:

They call it “Twist Assist”. If you happen to be turning the lock knob to either lock or unlock, the lock motor will take over and complete the locking or unlocking for you. Hallelujah!

Check Price: Danalock v3 Bluetooth & Z-Wave Smart Lock

Most Secure – Haven Connect Z

The Haven lock is NOT a typical door lock. Basically, it’s a big door stop that screws to your floor. When it’s installed properly, it has a history of making would-be intruders look foolish. Burglars that are used to kicking in doors by busting out the deadbolt are in for a nasty little treat if they run into a Haven lock.

The regular (not connected) Haven lock is a security beast, but it can only be locked and unlocked from inside the home. Of course, you’re probably most concerned about intruders when you or your family are inside the home. Nevertheless, the addition of remote control via Z-Wave lets you benefit from the Haven lock’s added security when you are away from home as well.

Like every good smart home product, the lock can also be operated manually (with your foot). If the locking gate is down, step on the gate and it pops up. When the gate is up (the locked position), step on it to push it down and it sticks in the retracted position.

The Haven lock is also versatile enough to be used as one of the only smart locks available for sliding glass doors. To convert the Haven lock for use with a sliding glass door, just add the sliding glass door accessory kit.

The last thing that I really like about Haven is that it’s a veteran owned, American company. See their story

Check Price: Haven Connect Z-Wave

Final Thoughts

Z-Wave makes a lot of sense for a smart lock. It uses very little power, has proven security, and is as reliable as you can get for the smart home. Plus, it even integrates with some home security systems. Because of the Z-Wave certification process, you really can’t go wrong with the Z-Wave part of the lock. That means the only part of the lock you need to worry about is everything else.

I purchased the Schlage Connect for my front door because it’s been around for a long time and has been proven to be reliable. Plus, Schlage has been around for awhile and has a long history of building quality locks.

The same could be said for Yale and Baldwin, but I prefer the look of the Schlage over the Yale, and the price of the Schlage over the Baldwin.

The one lock in the deadbolt replacement category that I really need to try is the Ultraloq. They make a solid lock with lots of smart features and have sold a ton of locks.

As for the retrofit locks like August and Danalock, they have their place. I think they make the most sense if you don’t want to (or aren’t allowed to) replace the outside of your lock. Considering the fact that they only replace half the lock, you’d think the cost would be a little lower…

Lastly, if you’re looking for serious security against a break-in, the Haven lock is your best bet. It’s quite unconventional, but this thing literally embarrasses would-be intruders.

Thanks for reading, and if this article helped you out, feel free to leave me a comment below!

The post Best Z Wave Smart Locks appeared first on The Smart Cave.

The obvious first step is to go to the LED strip’s product page and look up the energy usage for the LED strip. It’s usually listed as W/m (Watts per meter).

From there, it seems like it should be an easy calculation. Just multiply the power consumption per meter by the length required for your project, right?

Well, not exactly.

Color strips usually use less than you think

For single-channel (one color) LED strips, the calculated maximum should be about right.

However, for multi-channel LED strips, you will have a controller that adjusts the power to each channel to create the color you want. Many controllers will never simultaneously run all channels at maximum power. Therefore, the actual “in use” power consumption is typically much less than the stated “maximum” power consumption.

For example, I recently added a strip of LEDs above the crown molding in my dining room. I ordered some RGBCCT strips (5 channels) from AliExpress. The product listing showed the max power usage at 12W/meter. The perimeter of my dining room measures about 42 feet which converts to about 14 meters. Therefore, I can expect my max power usage to be roughly:

12W/m * 14m = 168W

However, once installed, I used my trusty Kill A Watt to see that my lights were only drawing at most 50W. That’s quite a bit less than 168W!

What gives?

Not all channels are used simultaneously

Well, I have an LED controller in between the power supply and the lights. And ultimately, the controller decides how much power goes to each channel.

For my controller, I used one of these Gledopto Pro Zigbee models connected to the Philips Hue app. Within the Philips Hue app, you can choose between using the color spectrum or the white spectrum. When using the color spectrum, the controller only uses the RGB channels (the WW, CW channels are unlit). Conversely, when using the white spectrum, only the WW and CW channels are used (the RGB channels are unlit).

From this alone, we can see that at any given time, a maximum of 3 channels will be used. So, if only 3 channels out of 5 are running at maximum power, the new maximum usage should be:

(3/5) * 168W ≈ 100W

This is already a big reduction. But wait, there’s more…

Consistent brightness between colors

The controller makes some additional adjustments so that you get consistent brightness as you change colors.

For example, if you transitioned from pure red to the color in the center of the wheel, you would be transitioning from one channel at 100% to three channels at 100%. The difference in brightness between the two color settings would be quite significant. To account for this, the controller throttles down the power of each channel as more channels are mixed in.

The result is a relatively even brightness regardless of the color you choose. It also results in another significant drop in maximum power usage.

To further illustrate this point, here is the same example using real numbers from my dining room setup:

If I set the color to pure red, then only the red channel will be running at 100%. The other channels will be off. Here, the Kill A Watt reads 39.0W.

Next, I will set the color right in the center of the color wheel.

To create this color, it needs an equal mix of the three RGB channels. You might think that the controller would simply run all three RGB channels at 100%, but it doesn’t.

If it was running 3 channels at 100%, I would expect the power usage to be about 3 times that of the power usage when it was pure red. What I actually get is 41.4W.

What if I want to use my LED strips at full power?

Of course, the downside to controllers doing all this automatic throttling is that you can’t make full use of the LED strip’s maximum brightness. Is there a way around these built-in limitations?

If you really want full control, I know there has to be controllers that give you full access to manually control each channel. Unfortunately, I can’t help you there because I don’t know of any. If you do know of a way to do this, please share!

Here is what I do know:

For my demonstration, I was using a Gledopto Pro 1ID controller. The 1ID controller treats the LED strip as a single device. This simplifies using the device, but also creates the situation where the RGB and CCT LEDs can’t be turned on simultaneously.

Gledopto also sells a 2ID model (see on Amazon) which treats the RGB LEDs and the CCT LEDs as separate devices. This allows you to turn on both the RGB and the CCT at the same time. However, it still does the automatic throttling for consistent brightness.

Obviously, there are other controllers that will behave slightly different. But, the ones I’ve seen all work similarly.

Final Thoughts

The main takeaway here is that if you are using an RGBCCT LED strip with a commonly available controller, the actual maximum power usage will be significantly less than the LED strip’s maximum (about 1/3 in my case). This can allow you to get by with a much smaller power supply than you may have originally planned for. That can reduce the cost and complexity of your project.

See my Giant Guide to LED Strip Lights for lots more information about LED strips.

The post How much power do LED strips really need? (maybe less than you think) appeared first on The Smart Cave.

I’ll give it a thorough test over the coming weeks and months and report back with a full review. Here’s what I know so far:

Other robot vacs with a mopping function look like robot vacuums that have a mopping attachment forced into it by desperate engineers. Essentially, they are robot vacuums that also do a little mopping.

However, the T10’s mopping feature is more than “just an attachment”. In fact, the T10 looks like it was designed from the ground up with mopping in mind. I think it’s fair to say that the T10 is a robot mop that also does a little vacuuming.

It has these dual rotating scrubbers that act as the main mopping scrub brushes. These brushes look like they can really give a floor a good scrubbing, especially when compared to the wet cloths that other robovacs drag across the floor.

It also comes with this big docking tower. At first glance, I assumed the T10’s docking tower was just another automatic dustbin emptier. But, the docking tower is actually a mop brush cleaning station. When the T10 senses that its mops are dirty, it will go back to the tower for a cleaning. Water from the clean bin flushes the dirt from the dirty mop pads. Then, the resulting dirty water is collected in the dirty water bin. Once the mops are clean, the T10 resumes cleaning where it left off.

My current robovac is a Roborock S6 Pure. It does a great job as a vacuum (my review). However, the mop feature is basically useless. It just drags a wet cloth pad across the floor. The cloth pad does pick up a little of the fine dirt/dust that the vacuum misses, but it has no chance of removing any stain that is stuck on the floor even a little bit.

Ever since we got the robovac (we call her Helen), we almost never have to do any floor cleaning. It constant sweeps the floor and keeps it clean enough that we rarely feel the need to get out the mop and do a deep clean. Therefore, our floors tend to be clean enough, but never super sparkly clean. I’m looking forward to seeing what the Narwal can do to change that.

The post Got My New Narwal Robot Vac/Mop! – First Look appeared first on The Smart Cave.

The TH1123WF is a WiFi smart thermostat for line voltage devices (see more like this). I’ve been using it for the past 4 months (as of Jan ’22) and have zero complaints.

This thermostat took the place of my old Mysa thermostat(1st gen), which I really liked. So far, the Sinope performs just as well. It’s just as reliable and includes basically all the same smart features. Plus, I prefer the look and the smaller footprint of the Sinope.

This thermostat is a clean, compact unit that looks right at home on the wall of a modern home. It has an informative display that keeps you up to date on the current temperature inside and outside.

It uses TRIAC control so that it runs your electric heater quietly (no on/off clicking noises) and efficiently.

It can connect it to all 3 major voice assistants for quick, hands-free control. Also, you can connect it to SmartThings for more advanced home automation.

Sinopé Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat for Electric Heating TH1124WF 4000 W / 240 V

Buy on Amazon

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

Compact, Clean Looking Thermostat

Most people that need a line voltage thermostat are going to need a few of them throughout their home. Therefore, if one of these thermostats is hanging on the wall in every room, you want it to look nice.

The Sinopé thermostat has a clean, compact look. When I installed the Sinopé, it replaced a Mysa thermostat. I was surprised with how much smaller the Sinopé was, and I also feel it has a more “professional” look to it (my Mysa is a version 1 but they have since released a version 2 which is similar in size to the Sinopé).

It seems to be built pretty well, too. It has a sturdy plastic housing and a hard plastic cover to protect the display (not a touchscreen).

The display has crisp, white letters on a dark background which makes them easy to read.

The Sinopé’s display is filled with information including:

• Inside temperature
• Outside temperature
• Time

However, the screen is fairly small which makes it difficult to see beyond a few feet. I am used to the Mysa which has less information, but constantly displays the current temperature large enough to see from across a room.

Quiet, efficient operation

Have you ever been around a thermostat that “clicks” every time the heat turns on or off? That click is caused by a device called a relay inside the thermostat.

This Sinopé thermostat doesn’t have a relay. Instead, it has a device called a TRIAC. What that means for you is that you will never hear the click noise when the heat turns on or off. The thermostat operates in silence.

Additionally, the TRIAC allows the switch to be turned on/off really quickly. The rapid switching capability allows your heater to operate at levels less than 100%.

That means with the Sinopé thermostat in control, you can get a more efficient, even heat. This is especially true with radiant type heaters. In my opinion, TRIAC control is a must have feature if you have a radiant heater.

Reliable WiFi

I know many people use these thermostats in cabins or other remote locations. For that application, you need a reliable WiFi connection. The last thing you want is to be miles away and suddenly your smart thermostat stops responding.

The WiFi connection for the Sinopé thermostat has been rock solid. I had a brief issue when I was initially setting it up, but since then I have had zero issues. It reliably maintains a constant connection and consistently recovers its connection after a power outage.

I’ve been reviewing smart home products for over 5 years now, and it blows my mind that there’s still companies that release products which can’t maintain a reliable WiFi connection. Fortunately, the Sinopé WiFi thermostat has no problems in this department.

What systems does it work with?

This smart thermostat is for line voltage systems, which usually means some sort of electric resistance heater.
It works with:

• Baseboard heaters
• Convectors (short cycle)
• Fan-forced convectors (long cycle)
• Radiant ceiling heaters.

Additionally, it can work with either 2-wire or 4-wire installations.

It will NOT work for central heating systems, which typically require a low voltage (24V) thermostat such as Nest or ecobee.

It is NOT designed to work with electric floor heat. However, Sinopé does sell this thermostat which IS designed to work with electric floor heat. Here’s a few others that work for electric floor heat as well.

Neviweb app is packed with features

The Neviweb app for the Sinopé thermostat works smoothly and reliably, and also includes a surprising amount of features.

It’s more than just an app for the Sinopé thermostat. In addition to thermostats, Sinopé also makes switches, outlets, and water damage protection products.They all can be connected using the Sinopé GT130 Gateway and subsequently controlled using the Neviweb app.

The app is required to link your thermostat to a voice assistant. Neviweb supports all three major voice assistants (Alexa, Homekit, and Google) and also integrates with SmartThings.

The Neviweb app also includes a native geofencing feature. This allows you to use your phone’s location to determine whether you are home or not.

In order to use the geofencing, you use the app to define a radius around your home. When you leave that zone, your Sinopé device will be set to “Away” mode. When you enter the zone, it will return to the “Home” settings.

As someone who has been using a smart thermostat for over 5 years, I’ve found that the geofencing feature (for any smart thermostat) has been the most useful feature for saving energy.

The last feature I wanted to point out is the energy usage statistics. The Neviweb app shows a graph of your energy usage. It can be broken down into monthly, daily, and hourly time periods.

Most other smart thermostat apps have a very similar feature. However, the Neviweb app takes it a step further by including all the other Sinopé devices that can be connected to it. Therefore, if you also have some of the Sinopé switches or outlets, the additional power used by those devices will be accounted for as well.

Which model should you choose?

Currently, Sinopé sells four different variations of this line voltage thermostat. They differ by wireless protocol (either Zigbee or WiFi) and maximum load as follows:

The WiFi versions will connect directly to your router. Therefore, they don’t need any additional hub.

However, the Zigbee versions require a Zigbee hub. You can use either the Sinopé GT130 Gateway, or any other Zigbee hub. If you want to use the Neviweb app and the features it provides, you need to connect using the GT130.

Whether to get the 3000W version or 4000W version depends on the maximum load of your heater. The 4000W versions are a little more expensive, so if you don’t need the extra wattage, you can save a little money by going with the 3000W versions. However, the cost difference isn’t much, so if there’s any chance in the future you might need the extra wattage, you might as well do a little future-proofing and go with the 4000W capacity now.

Troubleshooting

If I encounter any problems while using this device, I’ll make a little entry here. So far, I only had one minor issue.

• Device won’t connect to WiFi
  
  When I initially installed the thermostat, I had a slight difficulty connecting it to my WiFi. Using the Neviweb app, I could find the thermostat and my WiFi network, but when I put in the WiFi password, it failed to connect the two together. I suspect it had to do with dual band WiFi on my router.
  
  The solution was relatively simple. I put my phone into airplane mode, but made sure that the phone was still connected to WiFi. Then, I repeated the connection process and it worked. Here is the Sinopé support page that helped me.

Final Thoughts

In my opinion, the Sinopé performs similarly to the Mysa thermostat which I had before this one. They’re both good products. But all else equal, I prefer the look of the Sinopé. To me, it looks more professional, whereas the Mysa looks kind of like a toy. Additionally, I like the extra information on the display. I use the weather info all the time. My thermostat is right next to the outside door, so a quick glance let’s me know if I’m dressed appropriately.

The Sinopé thermostat is a good smart product. I almost never have to think about it. It does its job, working quietly and reliably behind the scenes with minimal input from me.

Sinopé Smart Wi-Fi Thermostat for Electric Heating TH1124WF 4000 W / 240 V

Buy on Amazon

Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.

The post Sinopé Smart Thermostat (for line voltage) Review: Compact, Quiet, and Efficient appeared first on The Smart Cave.

I’ve been using Camect for a couple months and love the accuracy of the object detection. It makes missed alerts or false alarms extremely rare. The system runs quietly and reliably in the background when it isn’t needed, but dutifully sends its alerts when it is needed.

NOTE: Camect sent me this unit free of charge, under no obligation. All opinions are my own. In other words, if it sucks I’ll let you know. Spoiler Alert: it doesn’t suck.

Click Here to Visit Camect Store

When we moved into our current house, I promised my wife I would install a security camera system. That was three years ago…

Up until a couple months ago, I still hadn’t done it.

Therefore, when Camect contacted me and offered to send me one of their NVR units, it was the perfect opportunity to finally build the security system I promised.

You don’t need to be a tech whiz to use Camect

I had never set up an NVR before, and therefore, I was expecting a fair amount of reading along with some potential difficulties. However, setting up Camect was easy.

In order to get from unboxing to the point where you can view your cameras takes very little effort. Basically, you just register for an account, plug it in, and it works.

For my setup, I currently have 3 Reolink 5MP cameras connected via POE. I purchased an 8-port POE switch (Netgear GS308P) to complete the setup. All I had to do was plug my main router, 3 cameras, and the Camect into to the switch and everything just worked.

Once working, I could easily view my cameras from a web browser on my desktop, or using the Camect app on my Android phone.

Of course, simply viewing your live camera feed is only the beginning. The next step is setting up the customized alerts. For me, setting up the alerts and figuring out the playback features took a little more time. The user interface is not something I’m used to. Therefore, I frequently found myself fumbling around clicking different buttons to see what they do.

After a little bit of experimenting, I did manage to get my notifications working to my satisfaction without too much difficulty. In order to fine tune your alerts, you create rules for each camera. The options for rules include areas to include or exclude, objects to include or exclude, time of day, and days of the week.

My front door camera alerts me when people walk up to the door, but ignores when people walk by on the sidewalk (see images below).

I have a shared driveway that desperately needs replacing. My driveway camera alerts me if a car drives up on my side of the driveway or if a person wanders back there. It ignores the neighbor vehicles that are constantly coming and going on the right side (see below).

My back door camera alerts me if a vehicle arrives or a person is wandering around back there, but ignores the squirrels and rabbits. Incidentally, the camera has been very accurate with image detection even with the cable that runs right in front of the camera.

Ultimately, you don’t have to be a networking whiz or have any programming skills to use Camect. It does take a little tinkering to get your notifications fine-tuned, but the end result is worth it (keep reading below).

Why do I want AI image detection?

The reason to have a good image detection AI is so that you receive alerts if and only if something interesting happens.

No one wants a security system that constantly sends false alerts. Otherwise you end up getting so sick of the false alerts that you quit bothering to even check your alerts. Of course, the opposite is a big problem too. If you don’t get alerts when you should, you can’t trust your system. Therefore, any peace of mind you get from knowing your surveillance system is running disappears.

In order to get the alerts you want and ignore the events you don’t want to see, you need two things:

1. Accurate object detection
2. A versatile system for customizing the alerts you want to receive.

Camect has both.

First, Camect’s AI object detection is really good at detecting humans and vehicles. In my 3 months of testing, my cameras have recorded hundreds of instances of people and vehicles. I have yet to see the Camect misidentify a person on any of those instances. I have seen it call a car a truck, but that’s the only mistake I’ve seen.

Secondly, Camect allows you to get super-specific with the alerts you receive. For each camera, you can create rules that determine areas to include, areas to exclude, time of day, and objects to include or exclude. You can create as many rules as you need to perfectly fine tune the alerts you receive (or don’t receive).

The end result is a security camera system with alerts that you can trust. You only get the alerts you want to see and you don’t have to worry that something was missed.

Camect works with your voice assistants

Voice alerts can automatically be sent to your Google cast devices. My home is mostly Alexa, but I do have one Google Home device. I must have used my Google account when I created my Camect account because shortly after I configured my Camect notifications, I started getting announcements on my Google Home:

“Front Door just saw a person.”

“Driveway just saw a vehicle.”

It was quite a surprise when it first happened since I didn’t need to do anything extra to set it up. I just created the Camect notification rules with the option to “play voice alerts” enabled.

I would love to be able to get these alerts on my Alexa devices, but due to a limitation of how Alexa works, this is not currently possible.

However, there is an Alexa skill for Camect. The skill allows you to view your cameras and alerts on Alexa devices with a screen. Unfortunately, due to the same limitation, it does not allow alerts to automatically be broadcast (video or audio) to your Alexa devices when they happen.

Beyond Voice Alerts (Real Automation)

Voice alerts are cool, but you can’t really use them to do anything from a home automation standpoint. For example, if a car is detected in the driveway, you might want to turn on the driveway light when it’s dark.

This sort of automation is possible with Camect. I haven’t done it yet, but other users have integrated Camect with Home Assistant. This would potentially unlock all kinds of automation possibilities triggered by Camect’s alerts.

The code to integrate with Home Assistant is located here.

Camect is compatible with most security cameras

Camect works with any IP camera. It even works with a few cloud cameras from popular brands. There’s a mile long list of cameras that are compatible with Camect on their website here.

This is one of the major advantages Camect has over some other NVR’s with image detection.

Other NVR’s I’ve found require you to use their own cameras with the NVR. For example, if you buy the Reolink NVR, it will only work with certain Reolink cameras.

The reason is that in those systems, the cameras themselves are programmed to do some pre-processing of the footage. This significantly reduces the burden on the NVR hardware.

Since Camect takes the raw footage and does all the AI processing on its own, it doesn’t need the pre-processing. Therefore, it can work with any camera that sends it a video feed.

How many cameras can you connect to Camect?

Camect has the capacity to record up to 24MP of footage simultaneously. That equates to about 12 1080p cameras, 6 4MP cameras, or 3 4K cameras. If you reach the capacity of your one Camect, you can simply buy another and add it to your network.

The 24MP limit is only a recommended limit. The amount the system can handle will depend a lot on how much motion is present in the recorded video.

I currently have three 5MP Reolink cameras connected to my Camect. That makes a total of 15 Mp – a little over 60% the stated capacity. That means I have room for one more before exceeding the recommended limit.

Footage stored and accessed locally

All video is recorded, processed, and accessed locally. You can make full use of Camect without ever uploading your video to the cloud. It will even continue to work if your internet connection is down.

If you want to access footage when you’re away from your home network, you can do it easily and securely with the Camect app if you have a subscription to the Camect Go service.

The Camect comes with a 1TB internal HDD for storing your footage. I currently have three 5MP cameras recording 24/7 and this gives me enough space to store about 2 weeks of footage. If you want to add more storage, the Camect has 2 USB 3.0 ports to which you can connect an external hard drive. You can also configure Camect to store footage to an existing NAS device.

What objects does Camect detect?

I’ve found Camect to be really good at detecting vehicles and people. That’s perfect for typical security purposes as those are going to be the most useful.

However, it also has a number of other built-in objects that it can detect. The list includes delivery vehicles and delivery persons from all the major carriers, and animals such as dogs, cats, and squirrels.

In my experience, the delivery vehicle detection works pretty well, but the delivery person detection is much less likely to be picked up. It will always detect the delivery person as a “person”, but only occasionally get a good enough shot to identify them specifically as a delivery person.

Can it do facial recognition or read license plates?

The image recognition software for Camect is “trained” and supplied by the programmers at Camect. They will update it and improve it as necessary. But you, as a user, cannot change it.

Therefore, you can’t personally train it to recognize specific people or vehicles or other objects. However, if you happen to catch Camect failing to identify or misidentifying an object, you can submit the clip to Camect so they can use it to improve the AI.

If you really want to do custom image recognition, Camect is not really what you’re looking for. Instead, you might want to go “full geek” and dive into the Deepstack setup I mentioned in the next section.

How does Camect compare to other NVR’s

The Camect is the first NVR I’ve used, so I don’t have any real world experience with competing products to compare it to. That said, I’ve done a little research into competing products and I found 3 significant (there may be more, but this is what I noticed) things that make it stand out against the competition:

1. Ubiquiti, Amcrest, and Reolink NVR’s all require you to use the same brand of camera as the NVR unit. The Ubiquiti unit also comes with the limitation of being insanely expensive. Conversely, Camect allows you to use any brand of camera you like.
2. Camect offers a very powerful AI that’s easy to setup and use. It recognizes a wide variety of objects with great accuracy (especially for important things like people and vehicles) using any camera.
   The only way to get better AI is to go with a much more custom solution such as Blue Iris camera software with Deepstack AI image detection. (TheHookup on Youtube does a great tutorial on how to set this up). It’s very powerful and offers the most ability for customization. However, getting it setup is quite a process. It’s way more technically challenging than using Camect.
3. Camect puts a serious emphasis on keeping your data secure. Everything is stored and accessed locally. Even if you use the Camect app to access your video feed remotely, your data is not uploaded to the cloud. Instead, the app opens a secure tunnel between your remote device and the Camect unit. The data is then transferred securely between the two devices.

How much does Camect cost?

The Camect itself retails for $399 (check price at Camect store). However, you may want/need to add a few extras to get the best experience.

• In order to get notifications sent to your phone or announced on your voice assistants, you need to subscribe to the Camect Go service. You get 2 months free with Camect, but it costs $10/month after that. Or, you can buy a longer subscription and get a lower per month cost. You can purchase a lifetime subscription to Camect Go for an additional $400 (total of $799) when you purchase the Camect.
• If Camect’s 1 TB internal HDD isn’t enough for you, you may want to buy an external HDD. These days you can usually pick up an additional 4 TB for under $100.
• Some NVR’s come with ports to connect your cameras directly to the NVR. The Camect does not. It only has one ethernet port. Therefore, if you are using ethernet to connect your cameras (which I recommend), you will need a POE ethernet switch. Depending on how many cameras you have, a switch will cost between $50-$100.

Final Thoughts

Generally, the more power a system has, the more difficult it is to setup and use. However, I quickly realized that the best and most important features of Camect are pretty simple to use.

Camect manages to offer powerful and accurate image detection, coupled with highly customizable alerts and the flexibility to use just about any camera you want, while still maintaining a relatively simple to setup and easy to use system.

I know that last sentence was a mouthful. But, basically what I’m saying is that Camect has a very high “power-to-ease-of-use-ratio”.

How good is Camect? Well, my initial plan was to use Camect for awhile, then switch to a more powerful DIY solution (e.g. Blue Iris + Deepstack) so that I could compare the two. But, after using Camect, I’ve found it can already do everything I want.

Therefore, I don’t really have a need to go through the extra effort of configuring another system that will undoubtedly be way more complex. So instead of constantly troubleshooting and tweaking a DIY system, I am going to just relax and enjoy my Camect surveillance system that actually works.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer.

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