Canary: All-in-One Home Security review

Where I live, it’s a typical safe neighborhood. Nothing too crazy happens all that often (stolen UPS packages that are left on doorsteps not withstanding.) I do subscribe to Vivint though, a home security service that ties in home automation. Of course, that required a team to come out and install things all over the house—but what if that’s overkill for you? Maybe you live in an apartment or condo, or maybe you just don’t want the monthly bill.

That’s where Best Buy comes in. Rather than shelling out monthly for a monitored home security system, you can now take those matters into your own hands for what I’d consider to be a fair price. Best Buy sent over the Canary Home Security System for me to check out. If you’re unfamiliar, the Canary is an all-in-one unit that you put in a high-traffic area in your home. It’s a small package, but packs in the features.

The Canary Home Security System includes a high definition camera with a 147-degree range of vision that allows you to view what’s happening in your home remotely using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. It also has a motion sensor, so that you can arm it and have it alert you when something is amiss while you aren’t there. You can even set it to arm itself automatically when you leave the house, and then turn itself off when you arrive back home. If something does happen while you are awat, Canary also has a 90 decibel siren that will sound. You can sound the alarm manually, or even choose to alert law enforcement. Oh, and bonus, it also has built-in temperature, humidity, and air quality sensors as well.

• Canary is the only solution with a 90+ decibel siren and a localized emergency call feature, which lets you contact authorities close to home from anywhere in the world
• Notifications keep you informed: receive movement-detection notifications that contain recorded footage and give you the options to watch live or sound the 90+ dB siren
• Since the March 2015 launch, nearly 75 known burglaries, home invasions, caretaker abuse and other emergency situations have been captured by Canary, resulting in multiple arrests.

Alongside the Canary, Best Buy also sent over the Netgear Nighthawk DST router with DST adapter. This is a Best Buy-exclusive router developer jointly by both companies. I’m a fan of the Netgear Nighthawk routers, and I actually already use their AC3200 tri-band router which is even faster. The DST router, though, is an AC1900 (still plenty fast,) but includes Geek Squad support, and comes with a Dead Spot Terminator (hence, DST.) This is a little tool that you plug into the wall in any room where you have a weak Wi-Fi signal. It’ll connect to the router and then pump out an improved signal instantly. Definitely nice if you have a larger home, or one built with materials that make Wi-Fi difficult to travel through.

It’s a great pair of devices, and allows you to take your security into your own hands at a more reasonable price, and the Canary is a well-thought-out gadget that has nice utility even when it isn’t being used strictly for security (like checking on what the dogs or kids are up to when you’re away!)

You can pick up the Canary Home Security System, as well as the Netgear Nighthawk DST router, right now from Best Buy.

The reviewer has been compensated in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card and/or received the product/service at a reduced price or for free.