Smart home security cameras are very much in vogue these days. From Amazon's Cloud Cam to Nest's assorted cameras, it's a popular and growing market. Canary might not be quite so big as its competitors, but it offers affordable alternatives in the wake of its crowdfunding campaign back in 2013. The newest home security camera in the Canary lineup is the $99 Canary View. In addition to this new hardware, Canary has also announced an AI-based Package Detection feature and skill integration with Amazon's Alexa.
The new Canary View looks more than a bit like the old original Canary, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even if the monolith look isn't quite your thing, it's tough to complain at just $99. This new Canary View has the same embedded "AI technology" as its forebear, with a 147-degree wide-angle lens and 1080p video. Like the other Canary cameras, it works with Google Assistant and Wink, too.
The price difference between the $169 Canary and the new Canary View likely comes from the lack of sensors in the latter. Although a precise spec list wasn't released, the OG Canary has extra "HomeHealth Technology" sensors including temperature and humidity, as well as other technologies including a 3-axis accelerometer, siren, built-in speaker, and two-way talk. So far, none of those features have been associated with the Canary View.
UPDATE: 2018/01/15 2:29am PST BY
Canary has reached out to let us know that the built-in speaker and two-way talk do work on the View, but the features require a Canary Membership as on all other cameras from the company.
The new Package Detection feature is an expansion of the company's previous Person Detection, which is able to determine via the modern magic of machine learning if there's a person in the frame. Now Canary is applying that same tech to notifying you when a package has been delivered. It might not open your door for you like Amazon's Cloud Cam and Key system, but it will make sure you don't miss your next delivery.
Obviously, Package Detection is the sort of thing that works best outdoors, so this new feature is only available on the outdoor weatherproof Canary Flex, and you'll also need a paid Canary Membership to take advantage of it. (Canary famously ruined its free service by stripping out basic features and relegating them to the paid membership, though the company did later make a half-hearted attempt to "fix" things.)
The Alexa integration comes in the form of a new Canary skill that works with the Echo Spot, Echo Show, and Fire TV devices to show you live feeds from your Canary devices. This new feature will be rolling out in the coming months, and unlike Package Detection, it should work for all Canary customers and devices.
The new Canary View is available now at Canary's site, and it should be available at Canary's retail partners later this month. For more details you can read up the full press release just below.
PRESS RELEASE
Canary Expands Reach and Impact of True Smart Home Security and Advanced Intelligence - Unveils $99 Canary View, Announces Package Detection and Skill for Amazon Alexa
Launches Canary View, the Best Value for Premium Smart Home Security, at CES Pepcom & ShowStoppers Events
Continues Release of New AI Features: Follows up Person Detection with Package Detection
Ask Alexa to Stream Live Camera Video to Echo Spot, Echo Show, and Fire TV
LAS VEGAS—January 8, 2018—Canary, the NYC-based pioneer in smart home security and intelligent video systems, today released several announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show 2018 that underscores its commitment to making advanced intelligence and security accessible to everyone.
Included in today’s announcements: Canary View—a $99 indoor HD security camera that extends the award-winning design of its flagship Canary all-in-one product; Package Detection—a new AI-powered targeted activity detection feature that builds on the company’s recent debut of Person Detection; and a new Canary skill for Amazon Alexa that will enable customers to stream live video from their Canary device straight to their Echo Spot or Echo Show, as well as televisions connected to a Fire TV or Fire TV Stick.
“Truly intelligent video and security solves a broad range of needs: it enables you to know that your home is safe while traveling, that your kids are home when they are supposed to be, and most importantly, it ensures that you’re instantly aware and equipped to take action if there’s an incident,” said Adam Sager, CEO and co-founder of Canary. “Canary View and our new AI-powered detection features make best-in-class security technology and intelligence even more accessible to new Canary users and those who already own Canary products. And, by adding support for Amazon Alexa, we’re expanded the reach of our products to one of the most popular smart home technology platforms.”
Beautifully-designed and robust in capabilities, Canary View provides the same trademark smart security the company is known for at a more accessible price point. Designed to seamlessly integrate into your environment, Canary View maintains the same embedded AI technology as its multi-sensor predecessor, at just $99. Canary View has a 147-degree wide-angle lens that allows users to watch in sharp 1080p HD what’s going on in their home, both day and night, across multiple platforms. With intelligent alerts, one-touch access to local authorities, automatic arming and disarming and end-to-end encryption, Canary View provides users with the tools they need to ensure the people and places they love, as well as their private data, are safe.
Retailing at $99, Canary View unites best-in-class affordability with a fully-integrated, thoughtfully-designed security solution. Available today on Canary’s website, Canary View will be rolled out to Canary’s other retail partners later this month.
Following December’s introduction of Person Detection, Canary introduced an additional AI-powered feature for its intelligence suite of services: Package Detection. Using the same AI and machine learning technologies underlying Person Detection, Package Detection delivers additional intelligent and actionable alerts to users, providing custom notifications to users as soon as their device has detected a package delivery.
Available on Canary Flex, the world’s most versatile indoor/outdoor HD security camera, Package Detection will enable peace-of-mind to users awaiting the arrival of home deliveries or concerned about package theft. Users will have full insight on when their deliveries arrive and everything that happens until retrieval.
No new hardware purchases will be required to access Package Detection. The feature will be rolled out to Canary Flex devices in the first half of 2018 for all Membership customers.
Integration with Amazon’s Alexa
Canary is simultaneously expanding its footprint into the smart home with more third-party product integrations. Today the company announced customers will soon be able to use the new Canary skill for Amazon Alexa on the Echo Spot, Echo Show, and compatible Fire TV devices to stream live video from current and new Canary cameras. Once available and enabled, customers can just ask “Alexa, show me the Living Room.”
The Canary skill for Amazon Alexa will be rolled out to customers in the coming months, available on all Canary devices and to all Canary users. The integration with Amazon builds on Canary’s third-party integrations with both Google Assistant and Wink.
Canary empowers people to live fearless lives, providing smart, actionable intelligence about the home and the people you love. We seamlessly integrate state-of-the-art hardware with sophisticated software to create simple, effective products that solve real problems and empower people to live fearless lives. By harnessing powerful computer vision and machine learning algorithms to interpret an extensive array of sensor data, we identify meaningful information about what happens at home—creating a richer and more immediate connection to the people and places that matter most. A daily habit for customers, who check into the app more than three times a day, Canary was fully distributed in 15 countries in just 15 months and is available in over 10,000 retail stores across North America and Europe. Smarter Technology. Superior Design. Real Security.