Home security has advanced significantly with the ‘Internet of Things’ movement that kicked off a few years ago. At the forefront of affordable yet practical products are ‘Neos’, who have just expanded their SmartHome offering.
The main piece of kit is the ‘SmartCam’. Priced at just under £30, this is Neos 1080p full video answer to home security. The compact security camera simply plugs into a power outlet and works over Wifi via the SmartHome App.
I See You…
The SmartCam features up to nine metres of night vision, two-way audio to scare pets/children and auto arming. Neos arms your home via a SmartPhones GPS signal, simply set your home location in the SmartHome app.
The best feature of the SmartCam is motion and audio detection. Either instance triggers a short video clip that is saved to the cloud, which comes in handy when tracking events. Alerts fire through in near-real-time when a home is armed in the SmartHome app as notifications on your chosen smart device.
Protecting the Family with This Family
As previously mentioned, the Neos SmartHome family just got bigger with its Smart motion sensing and Smart Leak add ons. These work via the USB input at the back of the Neos SmartCam.
In true smart gadget fashion, these items work wirelessly via the SmartHome app. Both add on packs include with a ‘Smart Bridge’. This add-on allows the Neos Smart Motion, Smart Contact and Smart Leak Sensors to communicate with the end-user.
Sensors Make Sense
The Smart Motion sensor is much like a standard sensor. It features a magnetic ball joint to enable users to place in their homes conveniently. The device is a good companion to the SmartCam, especially for hallways and areas that don’t warrant a live video feed.
The Smart contact units are in two pieces with a magnetic connection in between. The device is ideal for placing on doors, windows or even dog flaps to detect when something or someone enters or exits a SmartHome.
Smart Batteries?
Wireless technology is usually battery operated. All Neos SmartHome kit comes with extended 18-month battery life. Most importantly, the SmartHome App lets users know when batteries need replacing and on what devices.
The Smart Leak sensors are highly sensitive devices that can detect single drops of water nearby to help prevent a major leak. For example, I have placed three sensors in my boiler cupboard, under the toilet cistern and one around the middle of my living room. Why in the middle of my living room?
Product Leaked…
Smart Leak sensors also double as humidity and temperature sensors. It’s possible to set up alerts when a home’s temperature drops or rises to a certain figure. Teaming this up with something like Google Home can come in really handy for users dependant on electric heating options.
The overall build quality on all devices is solid and a cut above other budget SmartHome gadgets. The quality of materials used from hard plastic casing to the dependence on magnetics screams forward-thinking.
Smart Setup
The setup of all of the above devices is very user friendly and easy to setup. Users should firstly set up the SmartCam, imagine this to be the hub of all other Neos devices. The SmartHome app does all the heavy lifting with clear instructions on how to set up each device. If users encounter issues, customer support is also accessible by clicking the question mark icon.
The Neos SmartHome app controls all of the above devices and is the driving force behind executing the SmartHome feature set. Whilst the setup is certainly smart, the performance of the app can vary on android devices. The app was tested on the Huawei P30 Pro and the iPad Pro 2020. No issues were encountered on the iPad, although there isn’t a dedicated iPadOS version currently. The iOS version, however, works great.
A Picky App…
The Android version of the app can be picky when it comes to user settings, this issue is currently being investigated and fixed by Neos. For Android users, please follow the official guidance provided by Neos below:
“For some reason (being investigated) some Android phones won’t display the live feed but all other functions are working i.e. motion detection and clip recording until some settings within the phone are set correctly.
We have found that if you go into the phone settings, then display setting there is sometimes a ‘Video Enhancer’ setting. Can you switch this off?
Also, if you go into your Android Phone Settings > Apps > Neos and then clear the local data.
Lastly, if you go to you phone settings once again, and find the time settings, could you just ensure that the phone has permission to use network time and that the “set automatically” toggle is switched on.“
In my case, having network date and time disabled in settings blocked the live feed from my SmartCam. Since this has been identified there has been no issues with performance, bar the odd app reboot.
The Neos SmartHome range can be found on their online store here and Amazon here. Bar the initial android compatibility issues, the Neos SmartHome range is a great choice for families on a budget or for anyone with a bit of common sense.
