“Hey, Google, show me the front door,” seems like an increasingly popular command among owners of security cameras, and today smart home company Swann becomes the first firm to launch Google Assistant voice control on its wired multi-camera 4k surveillance systems. Potential thieves better adjust their makeup because Swann’s cameras have a scary high resolution and some other bells and whistles that set them apart from the competition.
The basic Swann camera runs about $99 but some truly serious surveillance customers can start at around $400 for a Swann 4K DVR Series package that includes that includes 4K Ultra 4D cameras (kits available with 4 or 8 cameras, with individual cameras sold separately) as well as free local recording for 180-plus days onto a massive 2TB hard drive as well as delivery to a personal Dropbox account.
As far as Google’s smart assistant goes, customers can issue commands to their Swann setup via Google Assistant as well as Chromecast to see videos via commands like “Okay, Google, show me channel one,” or “Okay, Google, show me the front door,” all hands-free.
“The ability to effectively monitor and protect your home 24/7 is an increasing concern for consumers,” said Jeremy Stewart, vice president of global marketing at Swann in an August 28 release. ‘’With the Ultra HD 4K Series of DVRs, we are catering to both the professional market and the home, with the opportunity to stay alert at all times with amazing 4K video quality and powerful digital zoom. With Swann’s True Detect technology, you will always know what’s happening!”
About those bells and whistles: in addition to their 4K Ultra HD captures in 1080p, each system is equipped with Swann’s “True Detect” technology, which allows all the cameras to sense heat from large moving objects like people, dogs, or cars and send push notifications to a customer’s smart phone while recording to a local hard drive.
Security companies and customers are very big on annoyance avoidance these days, and it seems that Swann’s algorithms are pretty good at eliminating false alarms like the weather, rustling trees or small animals so customers only get pinged on legitimate security concerns.
So that includes heat vision just like Airwolf, very cool, but the Swann surveillance setup also encompasses a pretty robust night vision feature that can sweep up to 150 feet (45 meters) in total darkness, or up to 200 feet (60 meters) with ambient light like street lights or other outside illumination.
A lot of security companies are focused on the growing smart home market but Swann is thinking bigger with a system that has been designed to be equally adaptable to homes, offices, small businesses, and retail operations.
Other than a super-weird security glitch earlier this year, Swann has consistently been getting solid reviews from Digital Trends so all you Google Home users with mild paranoia should be able to rest easy with the company’s new smart home voice command feature. “Hey Google, lights out!”
Few things ruin a quiet evening faster than a robot vacuum roaring through the living room. Most of us end up pausing the cleaning run, which defeats the whole purpose of owning one. Matic thinks it has the answer with its new Serene robot vacuum, and the big selling point is how little noise it makes.
The Matic Serene runs at 52 decibels even when cleaning at full power. To put that in perspective, Matic compares it to the hum of your refrigerator. It is available now for $1,695, which is $200 more than the original Matic’s current price.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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