Canary Flex – A Pill-shaped, Weatherproof Security Camera
Canary just launched its second product last month, called Flex. Flex is a smart security camera which is pretty much the same as Canary, but with a better design and mounting options. Flex is half the size and weight of the original Canary launched in 2013. The new Canary Flex is meant to be used at any place be it- inside your house or in the surroundings.
What is Flex?
Flex is basically a security camera which includes air quality sensors. Flex starts recording as soon as it sees some movement, and if it thinks it is seeing something atypical, it sends an alert so the owner can see it through the mobile app. With the help of Flex, Canary aims at sending meaningful information and letting people act on that. Canary’s new camera runs on a built-in, rechargeable battery, that can go on for months. One more interesting thing about Flex is that it is waterproof and portable, so it can be moved around- indoor or outdoor and can be mounted anywhere.
Weatherproof Design
The size of Flex is compact, and it fits in your hand comfortably. It has also got a magnetic base that lets it rotate 360 degrees. It is just 4.5 inches long and weighs half a pound. This oval device with a camera on one end has a weatherproof design which makes it outdoor-ready.
Improved Features of Canary Flex
- HD Camera with Night vision: Flex has a weatherproof HD camera that can record HD video and audio with automatic night vision, a wide-angle lens, and motion detection. It ensures that the area you are watching at is entirely visible with bright clarity. The high-quality microphone makes sure that the audio recording is crystal clear.
- Weatherproof: The Flex is IP65 level water resistant which can tolerate jets of water. It can operate in temperature between 14 and 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Battery: Flex can go wireless on a single charge with the help of built-in lithium-ion batteries. Or you can power Flex with the included AC power adapter and 8-foot cable.
- Connectivity: Canary Flex works using a Wi-Fi. Its dual-band Wi-Fi technology gives a robust signal for good performance.
- App: All Canary devices can be integrated into the Canary app.
Canary also announced its consolidated subscription plans. The free plan used to give you 12 hours of video history, three downloads, and five bookmarks per month. Now the free users will get 24 hours of video history and unlimited downloads. Canary has made only one option available now, instead of the 3-tier option i.e. $10 per month for 30 days video history with unlimited downloads and no data caps, and a two-year extended warranty for your device. Canary claims that if your home gets broken into or the device records an incident, you can get deductible reimbursement up to $1000.
Price & Availability
Canary Flex is priced at $199 and is teamed up with the $30 secure mount and $20 stake and twist mounts. Canary’s new membership plans start in the month of October. Flex is available for pre-order now on Canary’s site, Best Buy, Verizon, and Home Depot, and is said to be shipped by the end of this year.
Verdict
Canary’s first product offering features like temperature and air quality monitoring, and a powerful alarm, which is not present in the new Flex. The advantages of having Flex over Canary’s original product is that it has a built-in rechargeable battery that can go on for months, and it is weatherproof and portable, so it can be mounted anywhere inside or outside your home, refined object, animal, and people recognition. The new Canary Flex has got its own advantages.
Keval Padia is the founder & CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing mobile app development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.