Canary Pro Camera Review

Video Review

First Impressions

My first thought in looking at the camera is the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. The Canary Pro definitely doesn’t look like your typical camera, which is great news if you don’t want intruders to spot it. I love the black matte combined with the glossy finish of the base, lens, and camera. I can also see an indicator light and microphone, speakers, and an LED light, cables for ethernet, micro-USB, and audio, along with vents at the top for measuring the home environment. Very cool so far, but let’s see if these features are up to snuff.

Necessary Features

You know I’m not just going to trust what Canary’s website says about the All-In-One! Like every other camera, I’m going to put it through the necessary features test, starting…now!

Video

I was impressed with the night vision, which is no surprise considering the camera has 12 infrared LED lights! I much prefer infrared lights to bright white lights for my night vision because the person being recorded will be completely unaware of the camera. Infrared lights are not visible at night, unlike bright white lights which make it very clear that you are being recorded. I’ll take the inconspicuous option for my security camera’s night vision, thank you very much.

Night Vision

I was impressed with the night vision, which is no surprise considering the camera has 12 infrared LED lights! I much prefer infrared lights to bright white lights for my night vision because the person being recorded will be completely unaware of the camera. Infrared lights are not visible at night, unlike bright white lights which make it very clear that you are being recorded. I’ll take the inconspicuous option for my security camera’s night vision, thank you very much.

Audio Quality

The good news? The Canary Pro offers two-way audio. That means you can treat your camera like an intercom: people talk to the microphone, you respond via smartphone.

Sound familiar? That’s because other top indoor cameras also support two-way audio. Blink cameras are one great example.

Storage

Frankly, the Canary Pro isn’t much without a subscription. If you don’t pay that monthly fee, you’ll miss out on cloud storage. You will be able to stream footage from your phone, but you won’t be able to review it later. Like, at all.

The Canary Pro also lacks local storage. There is no microSD card slot, and it doesn’t connect to any DVR or NVR systems. Because of that, we highly suggest buying the camera only if you’re willing to pay the $12.99 per month Canary subscription or if you can make livestreaming work.

Smart Platform Integration

I’m pleased to say that the Canary Pro integrates with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. That means that you can tell Alexa to start recording, watch your footage through Chromecast, and a lot more awesome features.

Artificial Intelligence

Currently, the only artificial intelligence that the Pro has is person detection, meaning it can differentiate between people and other moving objects. This feature is included with the Premium subscription.

Convenience

As Canary is one of the more modern camera companies around, it’s no surprise that the setup was so easy. Since I already had the Canary app downloaded from my Canary Flex review, all I had to do was follow the app’s step-by-step instructions to get the All-In-One up and running. The entire process, from taking the camera out of the box to viewing a livestream, only took about 15 minutes.

Value

I think the camera is definitely worth its price, although it becomes a lot more valuable with the monthly subscription. I know, I know — I’ve been referencing this mysterious “monthly subscription” throughout this entire review, so next, I’m going to talk about what it entails.

Extras

A membership with Canary will cost you $12.99 a month or $129.99 per year for the first device. Each additional camera will cost you $2.99 per month or $29.99 per year. With the membership, you’ll receive:

• 30 days of cloud storage
• Safety button that will let you contact the police from your Canary app
• Unlimited video downloads
• Desktop streaming
• Activity zone masking, which means that you can select activity for the camera to record so you receive fewer notifications
• An extended warranty of two years
• Incident support services, meaning that you’ll have a team of people to help you if you have a security issue

To me, the most important of these features are the cloud storage, person detection, and the safety button. At these prices, I think the paid membership is definitely worth your while.

I also want to talk a little about the camera’s Home Health Technology. Remember those vents at the top of the camera?

They can detect your air’s quality, humidity, and temperature, all visible through the Canary app. Pretty cool, right? That brings me to my next point…

Mobile Application

Unlike other camera apps, I found the Canary app to be pretty user-friendly and not at all overwhelming. Through the Canary app, I can livestream footage, review my history, and receive notifications about my home. I can set up geofencing so my camera arms or disarms depending on my location. I can also turn on privacy mode, which turns my camera and mic completely off, or I can contact law enforcement using the safety button. Finally, I can use the app to monitor my indoor air quality, temperature, and humidity. Pretty smart for a camera.

Canary Pro Alternative

You’ve learned a lot about the Canary All-In-One, some of it good, some of it not-so-good, but let’s talk about how it compares to the competition – like the Ring Indoor Camera.

Ring Indoor Camera

You can’t talk about home security without talking about Ring. The Ring Indoor Camera is one of the most popular on the market thanks to its long list of features and low, low price. But how does it stack up against the lesser-known Canary Pro?

The cameras are remarkably similar. Both feature 1080p HD resolution. Both work with Alexa and Google Assistant. Both require a paid subscription to access high-tech features like person detection.

Where the Canary Pro has the edge is its field of view. At 147 degrees, it knocks the Ring Indoor Cam (117 degrees) out of the park.

On the flip side, the Ring Indoor Cam ($60) is a fraction of the price of the Canary Pro ($169). That’s a huge difference, and it’s one reason I gave Ring a much higher rating than Canary in my full Ring Indoor Camera review.

Still haven’t found your perfect match? Read our review of the best home security cameras.

Recap

Got more to say about the Canary Pro? Contact us and we’ll get back to you.