Wireless Robot Lawn Mover: Ecovacs GOAT A3500 Review

In this post, I’m going to spend two weeks with the ECOVACS GOAT A2500. I’ll take you through what it’s like to set up, and how you mark out your lawn if you don’t use boundary wire. I’ll take a look at the different settings and options for this robot lawnmower and show you exactly how it works. I’ll wrap things up with both the pros and the cons and let you know if I think this device might be right for you.

I would like to say thank you to ECOVACS for becoming an ongoing sponsor of the channel this year. While the company is paying for my time, it has not told me what I have to say and what I can’t say, and I got to test the lawnmower out as I wanted to. So you can consider these thoughts on my own.

ECOVACS has truly made a name for itself in the crowded market of robot vacuum mops. I gave the last four ECOVACS products perfect review scores as they have enough quality features and capabilities that outweigh their premium price tags and large base stations. Clearly ECOVACS has the technology and full understanding when it comes to cleaning all kinds of indoor rooms.

But can ECOVACS score some outdoor victories too? Back in September 2023, ECOVACS launched the company’s first fully-automated robot lawn mower strangely called the GOAT. This was a bold move by ECOVACS because the robot lawn mower market is crowded with some other brands you might not be familiar with if you never purchased a lawn mower before. To give some examples, I reviewed the Husqvarna Automower 415X more than a year ago and checked out the RoboUP lawn mower at CES 2024. But this 2025, mainstream brands like Eufy are creeping into the lawn mower market and ECOVACS looks set to expand the GOAT to more countries. I finally had my chance to try the GOAT and put it through its paces.

Watch the FULL Video Review of Ecovacs Goat A2500

Unboxing: Ecovacs GOAT A2500

I received the A2500 model, designed to cut up to 5/8 acre, 27,000 square feet, or 2,500 Square meters. In other words… A really big lawn.
The first piece is out of the box are both menacing and mysterious. A spiky triad, and 2 metal posts.
Next stop is the top piece of the base station. Then it’s time to meet our GOAT… the robot is quite large and you might want a hand to get it out of the box.

Underneath the robot is a box of components, cables and connections which will dig into in a moment. Finally at the very bottom is the base tray for the robot.
With everything laid out here some of the components might look mysterious, but in essence what you have is 3 sets of components: the robot, base station, and the cylinder, poles and spikes make up what’s called an RTK Reference Station.

RTK reference station

I’ll pause here for just a second because these components are still unique and new enough to us average consumers that a crash course will be handy.

RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic , and an RTK reference station is basically a GPS receiver that transmits real-time data about the location of your robot.

This allows the robot to know precisely where it is so it can cut your lawn in very straight even rows, unlike many other robot lawnmowers which are stuck doing random bumps and loops inside a wired boundary.

Assembly and set up

If you haven’t already done so, download and log into or sign up for the ECOVACS app. The app is going to walk you through the rest of the set up process, and it will help you place your components.

You have two things to take into account when you’re doing your set up: first is the location of the base station, and the second is the position of the RTK station post.

For the RTK station, connect the two poles to the metal stakes. To place it, you need an open area at least 6 feet away from buildings and not under trees or overhangs; it needs a clear view of the sky. But you need to take that location into account when you’re placing the base Station to some extent because they are wired together.

Fortunately the app will test the signal and let you know if it’s clear, or you need to move it. Lastly, connect the cable from the RTK Station to the base.

The two parts of the base station simply click together. It probably goes without saying but you will need to keep the base station within reach of a plug. You’ve got about 10 meters/33 feet of cord here which helps.

With the base station, it also needs to be a clear and accessible area where the robot can come and go. You need approximately 6 1/2 feet on either side and along the back of the base.

I was able to place mine on a sandy area adjacent to the grass, but you could certainly place this somewhere right on your lawn as well.
With both the RTK station and the base in place you can use the included pegs or screws to secure the base plate to the ground.

Mapping

The last step before you can have a freshly trimmed lawn is to map your yard.

There are two ways to go about this and which one you choose will depend on your yard. If you have a fairly flat yard without a lot of obstacles, narrow areas or drop offs, you can use what’s called automatic mapping.

The other option is manual mapping and I chose this option because we do have an area of the lawn that does have about a 3 to 4 inch drop where some edging was removed.

The great thing about manual mapping though is that it’s easy and can be done in a couple of minutes.

What you’ll do is enable the mapping function and the app will give you a joystick. You’ll use the joystick to drive your robot along the edges of the yard, while you follow behind, maintaining a local Bluetooth connection for this task. This is fairly easy to do if a bit unfamiliar. You’ll also tell the app when you are leaving the base station and when you arrive so it always knows how to get your goat home. Because my lawn is largely rectangular this was quite easy to do. This might be a little fiddlier with more organically shaped lawns.

How well does Ecovacs Goat cut grass?

When you’re ready to have your lawn cut, you have a few different options. You can simply tap the app and send the robot out anytime you want. You can also schedule daily or weekly cuttings.

I am a huge fan of having ECOVACS GOAT A2500 cut the lawn overnight, every other day. Because the lawnmower runs completely silently it’s not going to disturb me or any of my neighbors. Take a listen… The goat is actually a ninja. You could take a nap right next to this thing and never hear a peep.

The bot moves pretty quickly as well. Officially, the mowing Speed is 2.3 feet or 0.7 M per second, or 400㎡/h* or 4,300 Square feet per hour. That translates to it being able to cut my entire lawn in about

If I flip the robot over you can see a little better how it works. On this model, two spinning blade arrays with three blades each mulch down the lawn. Which brings me to another great feature of a robot like this, and that’s that you never have to rake up grass clippings. Because the robot is only clipping small amounts from the lawn, these are easily absorbed and composted back into your lawn. So that probably goes without saying that you won’t be able to use it to cut extremely tall grass.

Another really great feature I want to call out here is that it will cut your lawn in perfect rows. Older lawn robots without cameras and recognition technology are forced to simply bump their way around your yard in a random pattern, and only constant outings keep the whole lawn clipped.

But with ECOVACS GOAT A2500, the robot can position itself exactly on the map and cut out perfect rows every time. In fact it will even reverse the row direction every other week to keep from developing ruts

Cutting height & Slope

When it comes to the specifics, the goat can cut grass from 1.2-3.6 inches tall, and it’s adjustable to your preference.
And if you have a hilly lawn, this is the ideal bought for you. With its big chunky back tires with plenty of grip, it can easily manage up to a 50% grade or 27 degree slope.

Edge mowing

The GOAT is also able to get right up to edges. To some extent this will rely on you mapping your lawn carefully at the outset, but it’s also assisted by a 3D camera with AI recognition, that can help it see where it’s going. You can also enable something called cross boundary mowing where the robot will straddle the map boundary to further get the edges of the lawn trim

Obstacle avoidance

The recognition tech also makes it pretty remarkable at avoiding obstacles. The camera can help it spot things like a wayward hose, dog toy, or other obstacle, as you can see in my full video review.

It will also divert if it detects a person or a pet in its path, and while it nudged the end of my shoe, it turned right around and moved away.

No-go zones

I noted earlier I have a small drop off on my lawn. It did trip up the robot a handful of times. I decided to set a no go zone for this edge simply to keep it out of trouble.

To do this you’ll essentially use the joystick and walk the robot over to the area you want to block off. Roll the robot around that area, and then save it. It’s easy, and extremely helpful to keep the GOAT from getting stuck.

Zones

Depending on the complexity of your yard, you can divide your space up into different zones that can be cut at different times.

IPX6 Waterproof

Sadly one of the things most robot lawn mowers can’t identify is dog poop. That means you might occasionally need to hose off your robot. GOAT A2500 is IPX6 waterproof, meaning you can rinse it with water from the hose, but it wouldn’t be recommended to use a high pressure garden nozzle.

Security

There are a couple of features that work together to ensure your mower stays on your property and if it is potentially stolen, that you could find it.

First off, you can set a PIN code to make any changes on the device or to start it from the mower’s keypad.

If someone does lift up the mower to potentially carry it off, the GOAT A2500 is going to sound the alarm… and same thing if the mower is brought outside of your virtual boundary; alarms will go off.

The alarm isn’t overly loud, but it is enough to draw attention and perhaps make a thief think twice. Plus, once it sounds it takes a few minutes to shut it off, a further deterrent.

Finally, location tracking will always show the mower’s current location.

Can GOAT cut multiple unconnected areas?

You might be wondering if goat can cut multiple lawn areas. The answer is it depends on how they are separated. If there is no physical barrier, and something like a pathway connecting those two areas, the mower can map the entire space as one and then you can later divide into what are called zones. Then you can schedule cutting when you want on each of the zones.

If there is no way to get between those areas, so for example if you have a fenced front and backyard and might want to carry GOAT over to the other area, sadly, you can’t, because it does not currently support storing two separate maps.

But I will say… Many of Ecovacs robot vacuums now have the ability to store multiple maps, so perhaps this is a technology that could be added via a firmware update later.

Charging

The great thing about this robot is that it has a strong battery life and takes only about 45 minutes to recharge.
Because it will always return to its base station where it’s going to get a full charge, it should be ready to cut your lawn at a moment’s notice.

Overall Thoughts: ECOVACS GOAT A2500 RTK

Overall, I can’t believe what a huge leap forward ECOVACS GOAT A2500 is for robot lawnmowers. It essentially makes this technology extremely easy to deploy in almost any yard, because it removes one of the biggest barriers, which is the need to dig and bury boundary wire.

That alone is reason enough for me to want this machine, but let’s go over the pros and the cons so you can see if it might work for you.

On the pro side, this robot lawnmower could not be easier to set up and get working in your yard. The super easy walk behind mapping takes just minutes. The robot does an outstanding job at cutting the lawn, for a few reasons.
It’s powerful with very Efficient Mowing that cuts your lawn in neat rows, and it’s spinning dual blade discs underneath do a fast job.
It operates completely silently, meaning you can cut the lawn overnight when it’s not being used. It also has adjustable cutting height, and cuts your lawn in nice tidy rows.

It’s waterproof and washable in case it gets into some dirt. Plus with AI Vision and 3D LIDAR navigation, it can avoid obstacles on its own, cut right up to the edges of your lawn, and it has the ability to cut over 5/8 of an acre, so it can handle even some of the largest lawns. This is a truly remarkable robot lawnmower that is about to make older robot lawnmower technology obsolete.

But what are the potential downsides? I suppose for some people it could be finding a suitable location where the base station can access the lawn, while the RTK station can view the sky for connected GPS navigation.

The other potential downside could be the price, but I will take note the price of this product category has been coming down every year.

Ecovacs GOAT A2500 sells for about $1999 USD and is available from ECOVACS’ website and from Amazon.

In short, I can’t believe what an amazing robot lawnmower this is and it’s been an absolute dream for cutting my lawn. I can definitely recommend it for you.
You can also check out a couple other products I’ve reviewed that make me a huge fan of ECOVACS brand— and why I’m so grateful for them as an ongoing sponsor of my channel. The company makes truly great products that you can check out here on the blog.

The post Wireless Robot Lawn Mover: Ecovacs GOAT A2500 Review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

In this review I’ll try it out here in my home over a couple of weeks so I can test out each of the brand-new features and improvements. I’ll also put it through my special array of cleaning tests to see how well it performs and if it might be worth an upgrade for you. I’ll wrap things up with the pros and the cons of this robot floor clean cleaner to see if I can recommend it for you.

I would like to say thank you to ECOVACS for sponsoring this video. While the company is paying me for my time, it has not told me what I have to say or what I can’t say about its product so you can consider these thoughts all my own.

Watch the FULL  ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 Pro OMNI in-home review

Components / Unboxing

It’s easy to get DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI up and running very quickly.
In the box, just beside the reading material, is a tiny corner brush… you don’t want to lose this because you’ll need to install this important component before you get underway so make sure you locate it and set it aside.

Also on top here is a ramp for the base station and your power cord.

Underneath all the wrapping is the star of the show which is the brand new DEEBOT X8. The robot feels larger and heavier than previous generations and that’s probably because there’s lots more power built in here. ECOVACS bumped the suction power on the bot to a crazy high 18,000Pa, so it may not be surprising the robot feels more substantial.

Underneath you can see that new scrubbing OZMO ROLLER too.

In the down deep of the box you’ll find the OMNI Station for cleaning and recharging, which comes nearly fully assembled. Just remove all the tape and protective packaging and connect the base station plate to the bottom. Then connect the included cable plug from the station to the wall outlet. You also get cleaning solution and a user manual.

The last step before you charge it up, is to snap the corner brush into place.

Want to learn more about ECOVACS floor bots? Check out my reviews of the ECOVACS T30S Combo, or the ECOVACS X2 COMBO.

ECOVACS App

The last item you’ll need, is not in the box but it is on your phone… Download or sign into ECOVACS app so that you can pair your DEEBOT to your phone for complete remote control, scheduling diagnostics, updates, and the ability to use your robot’s onboard camera. More on that in a few minutes…

I had my robot paired in less than a minute with just a couple of taps.

The new ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI is an investment at $1,399.99 so you’ll really want to know its full set of features to really appreciate the value and make full use of its advanced capabilities. Why are we let it charge up let’s get to know it.

Special Features

OZMO Roller-Instant Self-Washing Technology

ECOVACS has continued to make upgrades to its mopping technology, and that means it’s switched from dual spinning mop pads and moved to the new OZMO Roller-Instant Self-Washing Technology.

If you’re thinking, so what, this is actually a huge deal because the roller can self-clean without only relying on the base station.

The process works by dispersing clean water from its tank through 16 individual water nozzles to the saturate the OZMO Roller Mop while spinning very quickly at 200 times per minute generating up to 4,000Pa worth of pressure. Thanks to the built-in edge scraper underneath, DEEBOT can effectively wring out the dirty water and channel it towards a new, separate dirty water tank in the back off the bot, without contaminating the clean water. In a nutshell that means while the robot is cleaning it is also constantly cleaning the mop as well and then storing that dirty water for disposal back at the base, so you’re getting a clean that’s a lot more than just rubbing a dirty pad over the floor like some other bots.

The self-cleaning scrubbing roller is just the beginning though: the mop is actually able to reach out from underneath the robot and align with walls and edges so it can mop them extremely thoroughly. This happens automatically thanks to some other technology….

AIVI 3D 3.0 Omni-Approach and TruEdge 2.0 3D Sensor

The right side of the ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI features a new and highly sophisticated TruEdge 2.0 sensor that uses high precision structured light to effectively scan for edges.

TruEdge Sensor.

The sensor can identify the most protruding part of the edge so it can position itself just close enough for effective edge cleaning without collisions. This makes both vacuuming and mopping super intelligent, in particular when cleaning around edges with hidden skirting boards, narrow gaps, even around boxes, or obstacles like chair legs, as you can see here; each leg gets the close-up mopping treatment.

VACUUM Suction Power & ZeroTangle 2.0 Technology

With the mopping already more advanced, ECOVACS also made significant upgrades to the vacuuming.
For starters, it redesigned the vacuum roller brush on the DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI, now with a triple V-shaped structure design that completely gathers and untangles hair. Combined with the 18,000Pa of suction power I mentioned, the DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI is designed to be very powerful.

OMNI Station

The new OMNI Station is where your maintenance happens: here, the robot can empty its vacuum dust bin into a sealed bag, it can empty the dirty water from cleaning the mop, disposing of it in one of the two large tanks on top, and it can refill its tanks for washing, from the large clean water reservoir.

Also hidden in here next to the vacuum bag? A special detergent dispenser which you can fill with ECOVACS cleanser that is dispensed automatically as needed, to ensure your floors and your mopping pads always stay fresh and tidy.

The OMNI Station is a big drink of water, but only because there’s so much going on. Despite the large footprint, ECOVACS has really worked to make it more attractive by adding some beautiful brushed surfaces, and ensuring all the finishes are in the same colour tone.

Cleanser tank & vacuum bag.

The station even evaluates the dirt levels based on which rooms it’s cleaned, and can make adjustments to the mop washing – 40°C water for bedroom cleaning, warmer 55°C for post-kitchen cleaning, and it will wash the mop with 75°C water after bathroom cleaning. Once finished, the station can generate hot air at 63°C to dry the mop for two hours which helps keep the mop from developing mold and mildew, leading to odors and germs.

Yiko Voice assistant

Another feature I’ve been enjoying is the Yiko voice assistant. Just by asking Yiko, I can start or stop a clean, empty the dustbin, wash the mops or pause drying.
You can even go anywhere in your home and call for Yiko to ‘clean this spot’ and it knows where you are by measuring the distance to your voice. Pretty cool.

Schedule

One of the most useful features of a robot vacuum is the ability to schedule cleanings anytime. The app makes it easy to choose regular daily or weekly cleanings and I find this is one of the best ways to maximize your investment.

Cleaning tests

By now you’re likely thinking all this technology is great, but how does it work in real life, in a real home? It’s time to get to my Cleaning tests to find out. With robot vacuum-mops, I always put them through the same set of tests: I will start out by spilling dry goods like rice, oatmeal, and cracker pieces on both carpet and hard floors to see how well the vacuuming works.

Cleans nearly 100% of debris.

To test the mop I will spill liquids on the floor to see how it’s able to clean those up, and then I will also let some liquids dry to test scrubbing performance on dried stains.

At first I just schedule it go out every other day to get the dog hair and minor dust, and it did a great job.

With my spill tests like coffee, DEEBOT X8 is easily able to wash away any still damp spills. And when it comes to more dried on spills, that rotating scrubber does a good job at removing all but the thickest most-dried areas.

When it comes to the vacuuming, it’s extremely thorough gathering up about 95 to 99% of all spills I left for it. It was particularly adapt at lifting extremely fine spills like flour or sugar, and was great at picking up crumbs both small or large.

The robot actually seems to have almost a seeking ability where if it does kick something away with its spinning brush, it almost appears to go looking for it so that it can vacuum up every last bit. On carpet the DEEBOT X8 is similarly adept, and was able to pull dirt from the fibres of both carpet and rugs. [will add more].

Obstacle avoidance

Easily avoids all kinds of obstacles.

I also tried running the robot through another series of tests where I left obstacles in the way to see if I could trip it up. As you can see it seems to know to avoid fallen cords and cables, and I also found this to be very true under the sofa and under the bed where I have plenty of cables running. Other robot vacuums constantly get tangled up in these but the X8 pro Omni didn’t get tangled up once. Similarly it can avoid things like shoes and fallen clothing, even this drinking glass too. ECOVACS robots have always been among the best when it comes to object recognition and avoidance so here I’m delighted but not surprised.

Roving security camera

Part of that object recognition and avoidance comes courtesy of built-in cameras into the bot. While they are ideal for this purpose, they also double as a roving security camera if you want. You can simply tap on the app to access the onboard camera and the video is shockingly clear and sharp. You can even turn onto two way audio with it or send it on a home patrol which will automatically drive the camera around a few key locations so you can see whether your baby gate is still up or if you left a light on or the back door open. Yes… You can even check if your dog is sleeping on the sofa. Pretty cool.

Overall Thoughts: ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI

The ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 PRO OMNI seems to mark a new gold standard in cleaning, obstacle detection, edge cleaning technology, and you can really tell how advanced things have gotten once you see the robot vacuum in action and how it treats objects like cables and watching it just clean right snug to the edge of walls
Let’s go over both the pros and the cons of this device so you can see if it might be an ideal fit for your home.

On the pro side the suction is outstanding. It’s some of the strongest available in a consumer robot floor cleaner and it cleans very well. The new rotating mopping roller seems to be able to add even oomph to floor washing, wiping up not just drips and dribbles but powering off dried on spills too. The sliding cartridge of the mopping roller is a pretty amazing advancement that lets it clean deeper into corners and hard to reach areas than ever before.
The app is easy to use and trouble free and lets you keep tabs on your robot, schedule cleans and more. And speaking of keeping tabs, the ability to use the robot vacuum as a security Rover is pretty amazing also. With obstacle avoidance, scheduling, Yiko the built-in voice assistant, and self-cleaning from the OMNI station, there’s so much to appreciate.

So what are the downsides? I think the biggest barrier for people may be the size of the base station. There’s no escaping that it’s huge and you do need room for it.

In short I can absolutely recommend the ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 Pro OMNI if you’re looking for the smartest, best cleaning floor bot with extras.
Regular price is about $1299 USD / $1,799 CDN and you can get one from ECOVACS.com or from Amazon. Be sure to check the description for any current coupon codes or special offers. *** Original Price: $1,299.99 – Discounted Price from February 11 – March 2: $1,169.99 (after 10% discount)

Want to learn more about ECOVACS floor bots? Check out my reviews of the ECOVACS T30S Combo, or the ECOVACS X2 COMBO.

The post ECOVACS DEEBOT X8 Pro OMNI: Full in-home review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Black Friday is no longer just one day; many holiday sales began last week, including Amazon’s annual Holiday extravaganza. Since today is Cyber Monday, we again spent hours poring over the deals, specifically in the tech and gadget space (that’s our specialty!) to find the ones that are the best bargains we’ve seen all year, and the biggest savings and markdowns. The good news is, if you’ve been surfing the deals earlier this week but waiting to buy, almost all the super deals we found earlier are still on! But some deals that were substantial and unheard of on Black Friday are already gone. Now is the time to snap up those discounts before they vanish altogether.

Here’s the list, divvied up by Amazon.com in the USA and Amazon.ca in Canada and each price listed in local currency. We’ve also added new deals we found today, and revised some deals that expired or cut the savings back already; if you missed out on ordering a new pair of Apple AirPods Pro 2, sorry to break it to you that discount has been cut drastically.

What Amazon deals can I expect for Black Friday & Cyber Monday?

Amazon announced earlier this month that its Black Friday event started Monday, November 21, giving customers more days and more deals to shop than last year’s event, and that it will see some of the lowest prices of the year so far on select products. You can find deals from popular brands like Samsung, HP, ASUS, Dell, VTech, Canon, GoPro, Fujifilm, and more.

I also found one pair of earbuds at a remarkable 71% off.

Unexpected Apple deals and Dyson deals

Companies like Apple and Dyson, who almost never put their products on sale have also surprised us by offering big discounts this year. See below for what we think are the lowest prices you’ll see on these premium gadgets.

What are some good Amazon deals?

Amazon will continue to spread the joy of seasonal savings into its Cyber Monday weekend event starting Saturday, November 25, and running through Monday, November 27, with even more festive deals from top brands like Cosori, Ninja, Mattel, Hasbro, FitBit, and Wyze. With discounts of up to 74% off select Cuisinart appliances, up to 40% off select electronics from Anker, up to 40% off select Delonghi products, up to 38% off select Hamilton Beach appliances, up to 30% off select Dremel tools.

Amazon.com / Amazon USA best tech deals

Appliances

**NEW: KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer: 28% OFF

Ninja Professional Blending System (I just bought this to review and I’m Obsessed!) 41% off
Anova Sous Vide Machine: 40% off (Was 48% off on Black Friday!) I own one of these and love it. Read my full review for more 

Coffee gadgets

Keurig Single Serve K-Cup coffee maker: 47% off 
Nespresso Vertuo Plus: 35% off  _ I’ve reviewed almost all Nespresso machines. Surf reviews all the options on the blog.

Smart Home

**NEW: Blink Outdoor 4 Security Cameras – 3 camera bundle: 62% off

Amazon Echo Dot: 54% off
Govee smart Floor Lamp: 45% off – I LOVE Govee lighting products. Whether you choose this, or shop ALL Govee’s deals, you won’t go wrong.
Ring Video Doorbell Battery: 40% off

Hair & Beauty

**NEW – Fitbit Charge 6 health tracker: 38% off

**NEW Dyson AirWrap Long : 18% off

L’ANGE HAIR Le Volume 2-in-1 Titanium Blow Dryer Brush. 59% off
Dyson AirStrait Straightener: 20% off

Philips Sonicare ProtectiveClean 5300 Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush: 45% off

Vacuums & Floor cleaners

My new #1 pick for best stick vacuum EVER:

Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum & Auto-Empty System: 30% off. Find out why it beats Dyson hands-down in my full review.
Tineco Floor One S5 upright floor washer & mop 44% Off  See my full review of this floor washer that takes all the work out!
Dyson V8 Stick vacuum: 40% off Unheard-of price for a Dyson

Robot vacuums

Roborock S8 Max V Ultra: 39% off – This is one of the most advanced floor bots yet, and a steal at this price. See the full review here.
Yeedi M12 Pro Plus robot vac-mop: 45% off. Lesser-known brand but a steal! Read my full review here.

Headphones & Earbuds: up to 71% off

**NEW: Beats Studio Pro headphones: 54% OFF

**NEW Sony 1000XM5 Over ear wireless headphones: 25% off

Bose original QuietComfort over-ear headphones: 43% off

Amazon Echo Buds earbuds: BIGGEST Deal seen today: 71% off. I liked them: read my full Echo Buds review here.

TV Deals

Samsung The Frame (my #1 TV pick!) 40% OFF!

Tools

DEWALT 20V MAX Cordless Drill and Impact Driver, Power Tool Combo Kit with 2 Batteries: 46% off

Amazon.ca / Amazon Canada best tech deals

Health & Beauty
Dyson Supersonic Nural Special Edition Hair Dryer 21% OFF Fantastic Dryer that I Love. Full review is here.
Fitbit Charge 6: 36% off  A fitness & activity classic. Full review.

Appliances

NutriBullet PRO Single Serve Blender : 45% off
KitchenAid 7 Quart Bowl-Lift Stand Mixer: 33% off
Ninja Professional Plus Blender: 47% off
Philips 3300 automatic espresso machine: 30% off (One of my FAVOURITE espresso machines of all time. Read the review here)

**NEW Meater Wifi Meat Thermometer: 30% off

Headphones & Earbuds

Sony WH-CH720N Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones: 51% off

Apple AirPods Pro 2: 18% off (was 27% off on Black Friday – proof you need to jump on some of these deals!

Vacuums & Floor cleaners

Tineco Floor ONE S5 Floor washer: 42% off

My new #1 pick for best stick vacuum EVER: Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty Cordless Stick Vacuum & Auto-Empty System: 20% off. Find out why it beats Dyson hands-down in my full review. Only 20% off for Canadians, but brand new to the market and worth it!

TV Deals
Amazon Fire TV Streaming Stick 4K: 51% off

Smart Home

**NEW: Kindle PaperWhite e-reader: 16% off

Blink Outdoor 4 one-camera system + Amazon Echo Show 5: CRAZY Deal at 71% off for the bundle!
Blink Outdoor 4 Wireless security cameras: 62% off

Amazon Echo Dot: 50% off
Ring Video Doorbell Battery: 42% off
Ring Stick Up Cam battery: 42% off
I’m a huge Ring fan and found lots of deals on almost its entire lineup. Check them all out here.
Google Pixel Tablet: 29% off  This is a very cool device, and you can learn more in my full review.

New Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet: 32% off

Govee Smart Light Bulbs: 40% off.
New Govee Curtain Lights 2: Just launched and killer price at 50% off! Learn more about how to use them in my video.
Govee is one of the easiest to use and best value smart home brands. Shop all its deals here.

Robot Vacuums

Roborock S8 Max V Ultra: 32% off – This is one of the most advanced floor bots yet, and a steal at this price. See the full review here.

ECOVACS DEEBOT T30S Combo: 35% off. I really liked this one when I tested it. See my full hands-on review here.

Have YOU found a mega deal or true steal? Post your recommendation for other shoppers in the comments and we’ll add them to the list!

*Deals are current at time of publication. Amazon or its merchants may change or update deals at any time, therefore TechGadgets is not responsible for inaccuracies. Please verify pricing and offers.

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With an Ethernet connection port in this version, you can plug directly into your router for stabler streams without the need for an adapter, and now billed as having Ambient Mode, is this Streamer finally a worthy adversary for the decor-focused Samsung Frame TV?

What is Google TV Streamer?

Google TV Streamer is a device that connects to any TV, and using a Wi-Fi connection, it can open up streaming access for nearly any device, whether a smart TV or an older non-connected set. Once you have it connected, it gives you access to all the streaming channels on the market. With an included remote, it’s got instant control, or you can use a phone to run it too.

Watch my full hands-on video review of Google TV Streamer

In this review I’m going to try the TV streamer out here in my home for a few days and I’ll take a look at what’s new and improved in this iteration, what it can do, what the user interface is like and I’ll assess the other special features it has. I’ll wrap things up with the pros and the cons of this device and let you know if I think it’s a good TV streaming system for you. I would like to thank Google for gifting me a pre-release version so I could do my review ahead of its public launch. Well the company did provide the streamer to me at no cost, it did not ask for nor receive permission to have any input into this review. So you can consider these thoughts my own.

Google packed the device with hardware upgrades, like the Ethernet port, AI smarts, and other neat goodies too, meaning it’s a solid competitor for something like Apple TV and Roku Ultra.

Unboxing and set up

In the package you’re getting the TV box… although you probably can’t call this a box. The design leans heavily towards Google’s preference for more natural, pebbly shapes and textures, and features mega-curves and round edges.

A power cable and plug adapter, plus two colour-coordinated batteries round out the necessities, and there’s also the new remote control. Yes while batteries are included an HDMI cable is not, so make sure you’ve got your own. (Just remember to buy an HDMI 2.1 cable if you don’t have a spare to enjoy the full 4K HDR benefits).

Bigger than a Chromecast

Those who were big fans of the palm-sized, pebble shaped Chromecast dongle will find this device more challenging to place or hide, since it’s not going to dangle behind your TV, but I think Google actually did an incredible job at making this something that you won’t mind having sitting out in the open. I placed mine on top of my Sonos Sound bar, below the Samsung Frame TV and I think it disappears nicely into the room; it’s sculptural yet unobtrusive.

The New Voice Remote

Google redesigned the remote, making it slightly larger and altering the button layout, and apparently improved the ergonomics but the improvements are subtle at best and aren’t going to rock your Chromecast world.

The YouTube and Netflix buttons remain, but the smaller button with the star icon is now customizable allowing you to bind the button to any Google TV app or function you want. The built-in microphone allows you to give the streamer Google Assistant smart home commands as expected.

To get the Google TV Streamer set up, you’ll plug in the power and connect the HDMI cable to the streamer and your TV.

While we’re back here, let’s take a look at the ports: there’s the single HDMI connection, an Ethernet port, and USB-C power. A multipurpose button on the far left will reset the device or find your lost remote.

Once it boots up, the screen will begin to walk you through.

The first thing you will do is pair the remote.

I couldn’t quite get mine to pair the first few times I tried and ended up having to pop the batteries out and replace them. Once I did that the whole set up process advanced by itself. Not sure if this is simply a pre-release bug or a bigger issue but it was resolved quickly.

The rest of the set up process will involve connecting to your home’s Wi-Fi network and then enabling a handful of settings. I was set up in about five minutes.

As a quick aside if you prefer to use your television’s remote to control your Google TV streamer, you can. I didn’t even have to do anything to get this working; instantly my Samsung TV remote was connected and functioning too.

User Interface

Let’s take a look at the main screen…

If you’re familiar with Android TV interfaces, this will look somewhat familiar. The clean and uncluttered interface looks modern and is easy to follow.

At the top you have your core tabs which are self explanatory: For You, Movies, Shows, Apps, and Library.

The ‘For You’ tab may be of most interest, since this is where YouTube will make recommendations about things it thinks you’ll like, and also give you the opportunity to resume watching things you’ve already seen.

My recommendations were not extremely robust, but I also haven’t had time to let the TV streamer understand my watching habits just yet.

Apps

When it comes to apps and streaming services, pretty much every platform is available here and you can personalize what you see, and how easy it is to access. The interface is incredibly easy to use and understand, and you’ll also find things like free streaming TV options as well as live television too.

Google Home

One of the features I liked is the integration of Google Home into the streamer. You can set up a shortcut button to access this, or simply find it through settings. Either way it gives you access to your full suite of Google Home and smart home devices. It’s incredibly easy to make adjustments to lighting, or even call up any of your cameras onto the big screen and take a look around.

The new Google TV Streamer doubles as a wider smart home hub too, complete with Thread and Matter support. These newer smart home connection protocols might not matter yet (no pun intended) to every household, but they will become standard soon enough and mean your Google TV streamer is future proof for a while.

Ambient Mode

One of the features of Google TV streamer I was looking most forward to is what Google is calling Ambient Mode, which you could also refer to as the screensaver.

Google seemed to say it’s done some work to improve this, but as I was setting it up I have to say it looked suspiciously like the screensavers already available on Google smart screens.

AI Screensaver

One of the interesting options is the ability to use Google’s AI to create your own screensaver. You can either generate art completely from scratch, or use the Google assisted prompts to help you. This is certainly fun and can lead to both some very nice images, and some interesting misfires. But if you’re willing to stick with it you can probably get something you’ll like.

Google provides you with the option of using your own photos as a screensaver or using art or photography. I wanted to use some of the professional art and photography in hopes of matching the experience I currently get on my Samsung Frame TV.

While there are definitely some cool art works and prints, the effect is definitely more screensaver than Ambient Mode. The TV stays at its current brightness so it can look a bit unnatural in dimmer rooms.

There’s also no single touch button that can get you immediately into Ambient Mode. I went looking through the settings for the programmable favourite button, but there appears to be no option for this to trigger Ambient Mode.

In short while I had high hopes that the so-called Ambient Mode would be a nice way for the TV to fit into my space a little better, at this stage it’s little better than a screensaver and could use a few tweaks in my opinion to make it easier to access.

Find my Remote

Everybody’s misplaced the remote control for the TV at one time or another. It will never be a problem with the Google TV streamer. There are three ways to locate a lost Google remote:
1. Press and hold the button on the back of Google TV Streamer for <5 seconds and release to ring the remote.*
2. If you have Google Nest Speakers in the home, you can even trigger the remote to ring using your voice. Say “Hey Google, find my remote”.
3. You can also use the Google Home app. Tap on your Google TV Streamer inside the app you’ll get the menu options.

Customize the remote

A new customizable button on the remote lets you program your favourite app or channel for instant callback, or set it up to switch inputs or launch the Google Home panel with just one click.

Well this is a nice option, right now the programming options are limited to just those three things. As noted before you can’t program this button to launch Ambient Mode, or change your default audio settings for example.

What can I watch on Google TV Streamer?

Wondering what you’ll be able to watch or stream on this device? The answer is pretty much every streaming service that’s available can be found on Google TV. It also gives you access to free TV channels as well as live television options too.

Google Gemini (kinda) and Google Assistant

It will probably come as no surprise that the Google Assistant is built into your TV, which allows you to ask for channel changes, volume adjustments and info like weather, with just your voice. Google appears to be getting away from the familiar Google Assistant emblem, since on the remote if you want access to the assistant you’ll push the microphone button.

Google has also built in access to its new Gemini artificial intelligence assistant… kinda.

While Gemini will deliver AI-powered summaries for movies or TV, related content, and even a roundup of what people are saying about a show, it does not appear the dedicated Gemini assistant also known as Gemini Live is actually available on the TV streamer yet.

Here’s hoping that feature comes along down the road with a firmware update. In the meantime, it looks like using the microphone button as a way to invoke whatever assistant will be in your future makes the most sense for now.

Spec Bumps Across the Board

Google’s TV Streamer houses a more powerful MediaTek MT8696 processor which the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K uses as well. However, the Google TV Streamer has a greater surface area than any dongle so you can expect that quad-core CPU to do extended tasks without throttling. The streamer also features 4 GB worth of memory which is twice the RAM found in the old Chromecast with Google TV 4K. But what might that mean to you?

Original remote, left, and new.

Likely the ability to allow you to run more background apps without stuttering or buffering. With 32 GB of storage space, you can install more apps and games while having extra space for other media.

Connectivity Improvements

Google also added an Ethernet port to the Google TV Streamer which is something I haven’t seen in a Google streaming device since the Nexus Q released back in mid-2012!

With Gigabit speeds, you can reliably use Google TV Streamer as a Plex server. In addition to the usual Wi-Fi 802.11ac with 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz support, you also get Bluetooth 5.1 which offers better efficiency and range than the older Bluetooth 4 featured in the latest Chromecast dongles.

Connect Pixel Buds Pro 2 for private listening

That Bluetooth capability means you can link the streamer to a pair of Pixel Buds Pro and enjoy private spatial audio.

That’s very good news, but you can also pair your Google TV streamer to any Bluetooth enabled headphones you want, even Apple devices. I love this feature and was able to use the streamer with a variety of different headphones to enjoy a quiet movie night.

Casting call

Google’s Chromecast technology is still alive and well and with it, you can conveniently send Chrome tabs from your phone to the big screen along with any Android and iOS apps supporting Chromecast.

Photo and video sharing

You can also beam videos and photos to the TV via the Google Photos app or mirror your Chromebook’s screen.

One Remote capable

CEC (Consumer Electronics Control) allows for HDMI devices to be controlled with one remote control.

If you try to cast to a CEC supported TV while on a different source input (local TV channel, Cable, USB), source input will automatically switch to the HDMI port where the Chromecast is connected. Certain TVs will also power on (when powered off) when trying to cast to the Chromecast.

In order for this function to work, your Chromecast must be using a wall outlet for power and not plugged into a USB port on the TV.

Supported Media Formats

Like the Chromecast with Google TV 4K, the Google TV Streamer can handle up to 4K HDR at 60 frames per second with support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG. On the audio format side, you get Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos technologies.

Overall Thoughts: Google TV Streamer

Overall the Google TV Streamer appears to be an outstanding device that will be ideal for anyone who needs to add streaming functionality to an older TV, or is looking for a portable option.

Let’s go over the pros and cons.

On the pro side this TV streamer is a beautiful device, and is certainly far more attractive than Apple’s hunk of black plastic. I would go so far as to say Google TV Streamer is the best looking streaming box on the market bar none. With 4K resolution you’re getting the best quality video, and the Ethernet port lets you set up a direct connection if you prefer.

It’s incredibly easy to set up, and easy to use, and the simple clutter free home screen makes it a joy to navigate. With all the streaming services you could want already built-in, you’ve got loads of entertainment options, and with Google Home interface at your fingertips, it’s easy to navigate your smart home too.

Plus with the option to connect any pair of headphones for private listening, this is an ideal streaming box for a family home when quiet is needed.

So what are the downsides?

I was incredibly disappointed with the so-called Ambient Mode. It’s really just the same screensaver you’ll get on any Google display. To be clear, it’s nice to have if you don’t have something like a Frame TV as I already do, but calling it Ambient Mode seems like an overreach.

Some users may also be disappointed at the bigger size and need for set-top or furniture placement. I also wished for more options to program that favourites button, and I’m surprised Gemini isn’t baked in here on release, though this might come down the road.

Google priced its TV streamer at $99 USD/$129CAD which is more expensive than the old Chromecast, but still a lot less than a 4K Ethernet Apple TV. And since Chromecast is still available as of this review going up, if you need the smaller dongle and don’t need the Ethernet connection, you can still get 4K video and save.

In short, there are a few shortcomings in this device that may give you pause before you add to cart, especially since there are cheaper streaming options out there—mainly from Roku, but as long as you know what you’re getting here, and what you aren’t—at least not yet— Google TV Streamer does the job and it looks a lot better doing it.

The post Google TV Streamer 4K 2024: full hands-on review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

If you’re ready to add a wireless video doorbell to your home, there’s never been a better time. Video doorbells are generally easy to install and can add a new level of security and connectivity to your home since they can let you answer the bell from anywhere. In this video, I’m checking out the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell. I’ll show you what you get, take you through the set up and installation and then go over how it works, and if it might be a good option for your home.

I’d like to thank Abode for sponsoring this post. The company has paid me for my time here, they have not told me what I have to say or what I can’t say about their video doorbell and I got to test it out on my own terms so you can consider these thoughts my own.

How does it work? Abode Wireless Video Doorbell

Abode Wireless Video Doorbell is a rechargeable video doorbell that connects to your Wi-Fi network, allowing you remote access to your doorbell camera at any time.
The doorbell can serve as a building block for a bigger smart home network if you have other products like the Abode Smart Bulb since you control them via the same Abode app.

Watch my video about Abode Video Doorbell

What’s in the Box?

Inside the box, you get the doorbell unit itself along with a separate chime which you connect to your home’s Wi-Fi router, and it appears the chime almost acts as a wireless hub for the bell. Abode also includes an Ethernet cable which you must use to connect the chime to your router during the set up of the doorbell.

For mounting, Abode includes both a standard flat wall mount as well as a 30-degree angled wedge mount just in case you need to tilt the doorbell’s video camera to view around any obstacles.

Abode also provides the mounting screws and hex keys for installation as well as an included USB-C charging cable.

Set up & Installation

I was pleasantly surprised at how quick and easy the set up and installation process was. Like most modern video doorbells, installation involves downloading an app (the official Abode app for iOS and Google Play) which guides you through the setup process and offers some tips for different front door arrangements.

Your first steps will be to initiate the doorbell, and connect the chime to your Wi-Fi router using that Ethernet cable. I had these steps taken care of in just a couple of minutes with good guidance from the app. Once you have paired the chime with the doorbell, you can safely unplug the Ethernet cable, as the chime will still connect to the router wirelessly (if you want) and this is helpful in case you wish to position the chime further away from the router. One thing to note is that the Abode doorbell cannot operate without the chime.

If installing a video doorbell intimidates you and wires freak you out, the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell is an ideal choice because you don’t need to hard-wire it at all, thanks to the internal battery. You simply screw the mounting bracket to your door frame or siding and click the rechargeable doorbell unit into place.

It is definitely one of the quickest and easiest installations I’ve done, because I wasn’t limited to placing the doorbell only where my old wires are, I was able to get a much better angle to view my doorstep.

Recording & subscriptions

Abode Wireless Video Doorbell has a couple of different options when it comes to how you want to use it and what you want to pay for, or not pay for, and if you just have one camera, or multiple. Plans start at $6.99USD or $8.99CAD per month and you can check out Abode’s website to see exactly what you get with each tier. I will point out that some type of monthly fee for video recording and cloud storage is standard operating procedure with almost all video doorbells.

If you opt for one of the paid plans, you’ll get the ability to look at the camera live any time, and your events like doorbell rings or motion detection will be stored in the cloud for 10 days, plus you get more detailed notifications to your phone about what’s happening. You can also adjust the recording duration; from just a few seconds, up to 30 seconds.

You can opt not to pay any monthly fee at all if you prefer, and simply let the chime notify you about any visitors. You should also get a simplified or generic push notification to your smart phone (‘An event has occurred’) that lets you know something is happening, but it doesn’t provide more detail. Looking at the camera via a live view and talking to whoever is there is also possible with the free plan. The free plan does not save any recordings.

Possibly worth noting is the doorbell doesn’t record video 24/7, which would just be impractical with a battery powered device but you can use the app to customize which events you want to be notified about.

Using the Doorbell

When someone rings the bell, the chime will make an audible sound inside your house. This is great for anyone who’s not already using the app since it means you’ll never miss a visitor.

If you would like to also get notifications to your phone, or view past instances of motion or rings, that is one of the features that does require a subscription, as noted earlier.
Otherwise, the Doorbell lets you open the app and take a live look at any time, and even talk to people who are there.

Smart Home Support

You will also be able to get notifications and even a live view of your camera on Amazon Echo Show devices to. I enabled this feature and found it was super convenient to have my Show devices both verbally announce an audible ring, and pop the feed up on the screen for me.

The Abode Wireless Video Doorbell also integrates with Google Home devices too.

Abode Smart Detect

Whenever the doorbell detects activity, it can harness the Abode cloud to identify the subject.

Abode Smart Detect (which is part of the paid subscription tiers) can recognize people, pets, or packages. If you have other Abode products with a video camera like the Abode Cam 2, these devices can use this feature as well. After enabling the feature in the app (Settings Motion Settings>Smart Detect), you can customize the push notification settings for each subject which can be useful to reduce unnecessary notifications.

Video quality

Full HD or 1080p resolution is table stakes for doorbell cameras today; you won’t find much if anything out there in a higher resolution, so rest assured you’re going to get the clearest possible view, particularly if you are viewing from a phone or small smart home assistant, the full HD resolution is just fine.

The camera also uses Starlight technology, which offers good low-light performance in full color. If you want better contrast, you can use the doorbell’s infrared LEDs for black-and-white. The 160-degree field of view is ample for seeing people, package deliveries, or four-legged visitors if you take the time in finding the best mounting location.

Audio

Since the Abode wireless video doorbell has a built-in mic, visitors can engage in 2-way chat with you after pushing the doorbell’s button. The audio quality is good and more than enough to carry on simple interactions.

Battery Life

The Abode Video Doorbell is made to last about 3 months before you need to recharge it, which I’ve found is comparable to other video doorbells’ charging lifespan. Since I only had this doorbell in place for a couple of weeks, I won’t be able to weigh in on the battery life just yet.

The Abode app will send a notification when the doorbell is low on battery.

Weatherproof Housing

The Abode Wireless Video Doorbell looks and feels sleek and compact, but the company didn’t skimp on ruggedness. With an IP65 waterproof rating, the doorbell’s body offers full protection from dust and water, so you don’t have to worry about those harsher weather conditions. Abode says the doorbell can operate at temperatures from -4 to 113°F, or -20 to 45 C, and I would say that is industry standard across pretty much any video doorbell you’ll find.

Overall Review: Abode Wireless Video Doorbell

As a standalone product, the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell nails the essentials with a simple installation process and decent video quality.

Let’s assess the pros and potential cons so you can make the best decision about it for you.

On the pro side, you get industry standard HD resolution, and the ability to speak to visitors anytime the doorbell rings, as well as take a live look whenever you want. With support for both Alexa and Google devices, you can get notifications to your smart home speakers and screens too. The indoor chime is actually really nice for giving you audible alerts so you don’t always need your smart phone. And the option for different subscription plans including a free version means you can choose only the features you want. The fact that it is wireless and rechargeable means you can place it literally anywhere and it’s great for doors with no existing wiring. And because it’s rechargeable it’s much easier to use.

What are the potential downsides? Some folks may not like the options for the free and paid subscription plans, but I have found this is standard procedure for video doorbells and paying a nominal monthly fee is just something you’ll need to do if you go the video doorbell route. I did note a small delay in notifications but it’s usually only a second or two, and this small delay is quite common across most video doorbells. The only other potential downside could be that the battery itself is not removable so you will need to bring the entire unit inside to recharge, but that doesn’t really feel like a huge hardship.

In short, I found the Abode Wireless Video Doorbell was a good option particularly for areas with no existing doorbell wiring and it was easy to set up and easy to use. And as long as you’re aware of what the potential downsides could be, you should be quite happy with this device.

Abode Wireless Video Doorbell sells for about $99USD and you can get it through Abode’s website.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Abode Video Doorbell: What to know, how to install, pros & cons appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

If you need a video monitoring solution that takes you a step further than a standard static camera, Ring has just brought out a brand new option, meet the Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam.
In this review I’ll take a look at what you’re getting with this dedicated moveable camera, what it’s now designed to do, and how it’s changed drastically from the original version, plus how well the Pan-Tilt mechanism works to help it see into more places or if it has limitations. I’ll wrap things up by going over the pros and the cons and let you know if I think I can recommend this set up for you.

Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam – What you get

Ring’s indoor home security cameras, whether battery powered or plug in, have been massively popular. Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is the replacement for what used to be a two part camera. While the original consisted of a Ring camera and separate pan-tilt mount, this version is a single unit where the camera is already connected to a sturdy motorized base that allows the camera to pan 360° around the room, as well as tilt 169° from floor to ceiling. With 1080 HD video and night vision, the camera requires an AC plug for all of its power.

It can sit on a table or piece of furniture or be mounted to a wall or ceiling.

Also new with this version is a manual audio on off switch as well as a privacy cover that allows you to ensure even if someone could perhaps hack into your system, you have a way to completely shutter the camera.

Helpfully, Ring now offers this camera in five different colours so it can blend in a little better with your space.

Ring does not seem to declare an IP rating for this camera, saying only its maximum operating temperatures are -4°F to 113°F (-20°C to 45°C). Since this is billed as an indoor camera, temperature and water shouldn’t really be an issue.

Watch my full hands-on review of Ring Pan-Tilt Cam

Set up & Installation

Setting up all Ring devices is incredibly simple, even for novices. I’ve reviewed literally dozens of Ring products over the years and can count on one or two fingers the number of times I’ve had trouble. With this camera it was as simple as plugging it into the wall outlet and letting it power up. You’ll sign into or sign up for a Ring account using the Ring app. Then you’ll just follow the steps in the app to connect your camera to your home Wi-Fi network. I was ready to go in about five minutes.

Once your camera is ready you can create your own default or Home position where the camera will rest and do most of its observations.

Control with joystick

I can definitely say the camera is easy to maneuver using the 4-way virtual joystick inside the Ring app. The movement also responds quite quickly.

The motion of the camera is completely silent; it makes a very subtle humming sound as it is changing positions, but it’s barely perceptible.

At any time you can take a live look through the camera and pan it around your space or tilt it up and down to see anything you need. Having this type of motion is incredibly helpful particularly if you can place it in a central area of your home. It would allow you to do things like check whether or not you’ve left the door unlocked, the stove on, or your important papers on the counter.

Once you have finished with your live look, if you exit the Ring app the camera will return to its default home position on its own.

Limitations

I should mention that the camera won’t spin in a complete 360° circle endlessly; it will only go to the edge of its field of 360-view before you will have to pan it back all the way around to get to the other side.

One of the features I was really hoping for with this camera was automatic motion tracking. Sadly while the camera has seen a few feature upgrades, this is not one of them. That means that if something moves through the field of view, you would have to get the motion alert, then open the app and manually use the controls in the app to follow it around the room; the camera can’t do that on its own.

Some other similar devices, such as the Echo Show 10 can do this.

I will say I am a bit surprised by that. Ring, through its partnership with Amazon is clearly using this technology in other places, so I’m a bit surprised to find Ring still has no dedicated motion tracking home security camera… despite having just refreshed this version.

Ring Protect Plan

I don’t want us to get too much further into this review without touching on an important point. To get the most out of this camera and really the entire Ring system expect to pay a monthly fee. Ring has monthly cloud recording and storage plans known as Ring Protect plans. If you don’t opt for one of these plans you really only get the ability to take a live look at your cameras. While the Basic protect plan costs just about $5USD per month, it only allows you to operate one camera or doorbell. Any more than that and you will need to upgrade to a more robust plan (Plus gives you unlimited cameras for $10USD/month).

I have had a Plus plan for years and I think it’s been worth it. Before you hit add to cart, I do recommend going to Ring’s website and checking out the options before you commit.

Video

Most of the Ring’s camera lineup uses 1080 HD resolution cameras, and this is common across most of the home security spectrum. HD video pales in comparison to 4K video which many of us now have the ability to record on our phones and watch on TV. But using HD video is actually a good balance of clear image quality and efficient bandwidth usage, and if you typically look at this footage on your phone screen, it works just fine, but identifying faces beyond about 5 feet away might be a little difficult because of the limited resolution.

Ring cameras use Advanced Motion Detection with Customizable Motion Zones to alert you to any motion within range of the camera. You can set your camera to alert you to any motion or just at certain times of day or certain types of motion. These alerts will come as push notifications to your phone depending on which type of notifications you have enabled or prefer. Once you receive a motion notification you can go in and take a live view and use the camera to pan or tilt across the space.

Plus, the camera has Color Night Vision to help you see better in all types of spaces.

My primary use for this camera was for watching my dogs, and it was more than enough for me to keep an eye on them.

Two-way talk

For an entry-level security camera, the two-way audio of the Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam is a welcome feature. You can turn on the microphone or speaker and talk or listen.
The audio from the camera is surprisingly good. It’s not going to replace your phone anytime soon, but it’s entirely capable of giving a few ‘good girls’ to the pups.

Adjustable motion zones

A cool feature of many of these Ring cameras are the adjustable motion zones. What these let you do is essentially tell the camera that certain parts that are visible in the frame don’t need to trigger alerts.

With an indoor camera, this would be helpful if you want alerts only when someone appears in the doorway, and not when they walk across the living room.

You can combine Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam with Alexa so that when anyone triggers Ring’s built-in motion zones, your Echo device will jingle and make an announcement, and your Echo Show will let you see, hear and speak to anyone captured on camera.

Real time alerts

I will say the alerts from Ring cameras come to my phone fairly quickly. While they are sometimes delayed a couple of seconds, it’s not usually a problem. And of course if you’re subscribed to one of the Ring protect plans you’re going to get recorded video footage of that stuff anyway so you’ll have a chance to review it after the fact. Yet another good reason to subscribe to the plan.

Overall review

Overall I’m glad Ring has created a dedicated pan-tilt camera, but I’m also a little bit surprised that it didn’t give it as much functionality as I think it could have. Let’s go over the pros and the cons so you can understand what you might be getting and if it’s right for you.

Like all the Ring devices I have reviewed this one is easy to set up and integrates perfectly into my Ring and Alexa enabled home. The resolution is standard for home security cameras of this type and includes night vision. Being able to move the camera to view any direction goes a long way to increasing the available view. Using the joystick in the Ring app it’s easy to move the camera around, and even with all that motion, you’ve got a couple of options for mounting it. I also appreciate that the electronic motor that moves the camera operates silently. I also think the addition of the physical privacy shutter adds peace of mind, and the new colour options will help these devices stick out less like sore thumbs.

When it comes to the downsides, on its own merits the camera delivers on exactly what it promises. I do have to admit that I am quite surprised there is no integrated automatic motion tracking in this device. I do think that may limit its usefulness for some users since it can literally only alert you to what happens directly in front of the lens while it’s in its home position. Otherwise, the other limitation might be that you do need to have it connected to AC power at all times, and the 6 foot cord may not be not long enough for many installation applications.

As long as you understand what you’re getting with this camera and know that you will have a roll to play in helping the camera access all 360° of your space, this camera will probably work just fine. If you are looking for more of a fully automated, smart, home security solution, you might find this option rather limiting.

I will however give kudos to Ring for pricing this all-in-one unit lower than the previous version which required the purchase of both the mount and the camera separately. Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam for about $79 US or $109 Canadian and you can get them from a variety of electronic stores or from Amazon.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam: hands-on review in my home appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Owners of pricier robot vacuums, especially the ones we review here at TechGadgetsInternational probably know by now that these vacuums are offering premium features for the premium price tag. Not only do they boast ultra-high suction power, but they also come with many features that help make these autonomous pucks more independent. We no longer have to rearrange our furniture for optimum vacuum performance and we don’t need to roll away our carpets when the vacuum starts mopping. What you pay for is pure cleaning power and extra smarts to ensure we trust our vacuums to do the job even when we leave the house.

The question is, which expensive vacuum should we trust more? The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra is out with the usual spec flexing and it’s bringing AI to the conversation too. Let’s see if this offering is worth the hype.

About the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra sits at the very top of the Roborock vacuum pecking order. Being part of the Roborock’s flagship S8 series, it not only possesses the full feature stack of the S8 series, but it also features the highest suction power in the family. Roborock is asking for $1,799.99 USD for that luxury which is a full $200 more than the S8 Max Ultra ranked below this one. Read on to learn more about the specific features exclusive to the “MaxV Ultra” model. For those new to Roborock’s naming scheme, that letter “V” is a meaningful distinction.

Watch my full hands-on review of Roborock S8 Max V Ultra

What’s in the Box?

Inside the large box, you get the robot vacuum itself with the VibraRise Mop Cloth, dual rollers, and spinning brush preinstalled. The charging dock comes packaged with its own components including a clean water tank, dirty water tank, cleaning solution cartridge, and disposable dust bag. The Roborock vacuum also includes a separate docking base known as the ‘8-in-1 RockDock’ which has a special ramp and power cord. Roborock provides a large quick start guide on a single paper to assist you with assembly and setting up the mobile app.

Set up

Setting up the machine is quite easy. You’ll just need to attach the ramp to the base station and situate it near a plug. Then settle the bot into the dock and let it get charged up. Once ready open the Roborock app and follow the steps to connect your bot to your home Wi-Fi. I was set up and ready in under 10 minutes.

With this bot, you’ll also want to take the extra step of filling the special cleaning fluid.

Your robot will want to go on an initial reconnaissance run of your house and it will be able to do this in just a few minutes. It uses the information from that recon, to build a detailed map of your house. Once the map is populated, you can use it to schedule cleanings, or initiate room specific cleanups.

The technology:

V is for Vision (and Vigorous too!)

Since the introduction of the Roborock S6 MaxV, Roborock reserved their most advanced obstacle avoidance technologies for the MaxV models and the S8 MaxV continues that tradition.

RGB Camera

With a built-in RGB camera, the Roborock S8 MaxV can essentially ‘see’ objects which is something that existing LiDAR Navigation technology cannot do on its own.

The camera + LIDAR combo forms the basis of Roborock’s Reactive AI 2.0 Obstacle Recognition technology and this helps the vacuum navigate around floor obstacles including objects as small as 3cm tall and 5cm wide. This feature is the same as its predecessor, the S7 MaxV Ultra and it houses the same chip and camera.

The Roborock S8 MaxV doesn’t just use the camera for object recognition either. The second use for the camera is as a security rover.

Using the Roborock app, you can remotely connect to the vacuum and get a real-time feed of the camera’s vision. The interface is pretty cool as you can see a mini map of the house as well as some on-screen buttons for manually controlling the vacuum. You can set what are called target points around the house and simply have the robot rove around from point to point so you can see what’s going on. It also has a pet locator where it will look around the house for your furry pals, and even an audio button so you can talk to your pets too.

The camera feed is very good, and the interface to use it is incredibly easy.

Using the robot as a mobile camera does require you enabling it inside the app and with a physical button press sequence on the device. Once you’ve enabled it anytime the camera is activated through the app, the robot will announce “remote viewing is activated”. That way you’ll always know if someone is taking a look.

The third thing the camera helps with is Dirt detection.

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra can use what’s called its DirTect technology to dynamically alter its suction power depending on the dirt or dust detected by the bot. Plus, while mopping the mop and brush will automatically lift when it detects carpets to help prevent soaking or dirtying them.

Improved HyperForce Suction

Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra breaks new ground as the company’s first vacuum to hit a 10,000pa worth of suction power which is nearly twice as powerful as its predecessor. That doesn’t mean the vacuum will always operate this way as flexing its muscles requires using the battery-draining Max+ mode, but it will help make short work of those heavy pile messes on thick carpets.

Finally, the S8 MaxV Ultra has a built-in voice assistant. That may not sound very groundbreaking since you can issue voice commands to other vacuums, but this feature does not require a smart home device or even an Internet connection. The vacuum will recognize “Hello Rocky” as the trigger and you can tell it to do basic things like starting and pausing cleaning, mopping, and dust emptying.

Other Roborock S8 Improvements

Like other Roborock S8 variants, the S8 MaxV UItra gets some design improvements to back the suction upgrade. This includes a DuoRoller Riser Brush that minimizes the hassle of hair tangling around the roller, as well as a FlexiArm Side Brush to help pull dirt and debris found on tougher spots like corners and under furniture. Broader coverage extends to the mopping capabilities of the S8 too thanks to the spinning small circular mop pad on the side of the vacuum.

The “Ultra” Factor

The “Ultra” portion of the name mainly points to the various automation extras the S8 MaxV Ultra possesses. The dock can hold up to 580ml worth of detergent which automatically dispenses to the vacuum for mopping.

Cleaning tests

Let’s get to the cleaning power… I run all my robot floor cleaners through the same tests.

I will run it around the house for a week or two just to see how it does with day-to-day cleaning. Then I put it through a series of more vigourous tests. I spill dry things like cornmeal, rice and cracker crumbs on both carpet and hard floors. For the mop, I will create wet spills on the floor like coffee and soy sauce, and let some dry to test the mop’s scouring power.

With S8 Max V Ultra, I was really happy with the day to day cleaning it did. It was noticeable to me that the bot had been through the house after each outing. It was great at getting all the pet fur tumbleweeds and even mopping up coffee dribbles and spills.

Let’s see how it handles the dedicated cleaning tests…

On dry spills, it was beyond impressive. It was able to suck up almost everything in its path. It has an interesting way of moving that almost makes it look like it is seeing its way around. It targeted everything from cracker crumbs on the floor, to powering fine cornmeal from a rug. I’d say during my tests it got about 99 to 100% of all debris off the floor.

On to the mopping, and again I am impressed but not surprised at how good a job it’s able to do. On coffee or soy sauce it was able to wipe up everything often in a single pass.
I even created a special, large dried coffee spill on the floor and used a hairdryer to bake it on. I wasn’t sure the robot would be able to completely deal with this one…yet to my surprise I found it was able to scrub off most of the dried on coffee after just one pass, and then when it came around to finish it’s cleaning route it got most of the rest. It really only left behind a small mark, so I’d say when it comes to more thoroughly dried on spills it can get you about 95% of the way clean.

Self Cleaning and Drying

Once the vacuum finishes its run, the dock will automatically return to its base and empty the bot’s onboard dustbin into a sealed bag inside the base station. From my experience with Roborock’s flagship bots, the bag should hold several months worth of debris. Then the RockDock will wash the mop with warm water and cleaning solution, and dry the mop with warm air. While the auto emptying and washing process is loud, the drying is virtually silent.

When the dirty water tank fills up you can just pour it away. The device will let you know when it’s time to either empty or refill your tanks.

Overall Thoughts: Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra

If you’re questioning the steep asking price of robot floor cleaners, you’re not alone, but these bots have reached a new level of sophistication and all-in-one autonomy that means you can have clean floors without the work.

The whole idea of a flagship vacuum like the S8 MaxV Ultra is to tip the odds in your favor. With really high suction power, advanced object detection, and an automated dock, the S8 MaxV Ultra is Roborock’s biggest attempt to thoroughly cleaning the house while minimizing the extra effort you might have to do to finish the job. If you don’t think those extra features are worthy of the price tag, Roborock has lower-end models that still manage to keep the core features intact.

Let’s go over the pros and the cons

On the pro side, I like the simple design that’s relatively compact and unobtrusive. Roborock bots are easy to set up even for novices. The scheduling and room-specific cleaning features are no-brainers in a bot, but handy. The bot cleans really well, both when vacuuming and mopping.

With a self-cleaning and emptying base station, there’s almost no maintenance from you; just swapping out the dustbag every few months and tending to the clean and dirty water tanks when needed. And the option of using the cleaner dispenser gives you added cleaning power.

With the super-easy roving security cam option and the cameras also being used for dirt and object detection, this is pretty advanced technology.

So what are the downsides?

Typically the biggest complaints people have about robot vacuums like this revolve around the price, noise level, and the design. We’ve already talked about getting what you pay for with pretty advanced technology. If the noise is an issue, you can use the Roborock app to adjust how often it happens, or to keep that feature to only certain times of day, and if you’re looking for something a little more design forward, I guess the only recommendation here would be to place it in a lesser used room of the house.

I don’t find that any of these potential downsides distract from what a thoroughly smart, capable, and effective robot floor cleaner the Roborock S8 Max V Ultra is.

I think if you want the best of floor cleaning technology, this is a great option and I can definitely recommend it to you.

Roborock S8 Max V Ultra sells for about $1799USD/$2599CAD and you can get it from Roborock or Amazon. And if you’re looking for something a little more budget friendly or perhaps with fewer bells and whistles, I’ve reviewed many Roborock floor bots. Check out a couple of those reviews.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra: My in-home review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Why consider ecobee?

ecobee is a brand that needs no introduction if you shopped for a smart thermostat over the past decade. The Canada-based company kickstarted the smart thermostat golden age with their launch of the original ecobee Smart in 2008 and later established their reputation as a thermostat pioneer with feature-rich successors.

But with the recent release of the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium back in 2022, ecobee has made it clear that the company doesn’t want consumers to just view them as a smart thermostat brand. The smart hub features of the Smart Thermostat Premium serve as a trojan horse of sorts into a broader ecosystem under construction. ecobee’s Smart Security subscription service (previously known as Haven) is also proof of ecobee’s strong ambitions to cover the other areas of the smart home. And this leads to one of the pillars supporting this new ecosystem – ecobee’s very first doorbell product called the ecobee Smart Doorbell.

Why is ecobee entering the smart doorbell ring when there’s so many strong contenders with far more experience? Not only does the company want to expand its ecosystem, but it also wants to use its expertise in product design in hopes of enticing customers to give their ecobee thermostat a bestie. And make no mistake, the ecobee Smart Doorbell is indeed the ecobee Smart Thermostat’s bestie and you’ll notice it from the packaging to the unboxing, to the shared ecobee app.

Watch my full video review of ecobee doorbell

What you get: ecobee Smart Doorbell

This product gives you a slim smart doorbell with camera and an included chime that will mean your doorbell actually rings inside the house and sends an alert to your phone via an app. Amazingly, if you also have an ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium, your doorbell alerts will come in on the thermostat video screen also. Quite futuristic!

You can use the ecobee app to review past events or to answer the doorbell or simply take a look at the camera in real time, since there’s also a two-way microphone. While there is a subscription fee for some of the more advanced features, many users will be happy with what you get for free.

What’s in the Box?

Being the eco-friendly company ecobee’s known for, ecobee packaged their Smart Doorbell in a small box made of recycled material and complete absence of plastic, glue, and dyes. Lifting the tab reveals the doorbell itself and underneath is a wedge mount, a small paper pouch containing the screws and accessories, and a chime adapter… which we’ll get to…

It will also be worth pointing out that you don’t need to pay for a monthly subscription to use the doorbell, but going for the free option does come with some limitations. We’ll get to that also coming up.

Installation & Set up

ecobee thermostats are often praised not only for their ease of installation, but their extensive documentation covering numerous scenarios and the ecobee Smart Doorbell is predictably taking the same approach.

However, the box doesn’t include any form of printed manual or even quick guide. That’s because the ecobee app guides you throughout the installation process and for those who are still on the fence of buying this doorbell, ecobee has an entire site portal filled with installation guides, a friendly installation video, and wiring diagrams.

Yes, wiring is involved with the ecobee Smart Doorbell because the doorbell does not run on a battery. ecobee made this choice to allow the doorbell to reliably operate for a long time and under extreme temperatures. If you’re intimidated by the prospect of hardwiring a doorbell, I’m here to tell you you don’t need to be.

This is most definitely a DIY project, and ecobee gives you great, detailed instructions in the app. With that said it can be a bit confusing the first time you do it, and if you’re just not comfortable with wiring, ecobee offers a “Find a Pro” service to assist you. If you can’t find someone, ecobee also offers live chat support.

I’ve installed probably a dozen video doorbells. Let’s walk through it; I’m going to give you a good idea of what’s involved, but by no means is this a detailed installation ‘how to’ post.

How to install

The first step should always be turning the power off to your doorbell and chime box. While most doorbells use low-voltage wiring, it’s always better safe than sorry.

Next we’ll move to installing the included chime adapter to your chime box, and your chime box is the thing in your house that makes the ding-dong sound. The adapter will work with most digital and mechanical chimes made by over 40 manufacturers, but there are a few exceptions laid out in their chime compatibility page.

Essentially you will connect the chime adaptor which is a small rectangular dongle with a bunch of different wires sticking out into the wiring inside your doorbell chime box. The app walks you through which colour wires to connect where and it’s quite easy to figure out. If there is no room inside your chime box to tuck the adapter, you can set it on top.
Next, you’ll need to remove your old doorbell if you have one.

There’s usually just a couple of screws. If your doorbell’s wires are extremely short as mine are, ecobee helpfully includes wire extenders to give you some more length to work with. These attach to the wires with orange marrettes. This might look a little Frankenstein, but it should all come together.

Decide here if you want to use the wedge kit mount. The wedge turns the smart doorbell on a bit of an angle so it can see the approach to your door better. From there, you just attach the backplate to your door frame.

Next, attach the wires to the screw-terminals in the back of the doorbell and tighten them. Finally, hang the doorbell on to the backplate and secure it with a security screw on the bottom using the included Allen key.

In total, installation took me about 20 minutes.

ecobee Smart Doorbell Features

In some aspects, the ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera feels like a first generation product, but it doesn’t show up empty-handed coming out with some big swings.

Design and Build Quality

The doorbell seems well made and sturdy and it’s IP65 certified for weather resistance withstanding a broad temperature spectrum ranging from -13 to 113°F (-25C to 45C). Since we haven’t had any extreme weather over the last several weeks here in Calgary where I’m doing my testing I will have to wait and see what the weather resistance is like.

Doorbell Camera

The doorbell uses a 5-megapixel camera recording at Full HD 1080p resolution with HDR support. That is essentially the same resolution as most other video doorbells on the market today. HDR helps keep the colours more true to life even in low light, and I can say the videos were definitley colourful and easy to view even in bright or low light.

You can always take a live look at your doorbell camera, with or without a plan, but if you don’t opt for ecobee Smart Security Plan, you won’t be able to access recordings of any events. ecobee will instead save what it calls snapshots which are essentially still photos. With a subscription you get 2 minute videos, saved for 30 days in the cloud.

Smart Security Subscription

It’s time to talk about that monthly subscription.

Subscribing to ecobee’s Smart Security Subscription for $5 USD or $7 CAD a month unlocks the full capabilities of the ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera. With one, the doorbell camera will record 2 minute event snippets and store them in the cloud for 30 days. These video snippets can appear as notifications too.

ecobee’s Smart Detection subscription also lets you get package alerts too. Finally, the subscription lets you use the system as a pseudo home alarm, if you also opt to add ecobee door and window sensors. During an armed state, you can let the doorbell play a siren when triggered. ecobee is offering a two-month free trial to all new owners which is a fantastic deal especially since an active subscription gives extra functionality to ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium owners.

I opted to go for the monthly plan and I think the cost is quite reasonable and I always recommend getting a recording subscription, and in most cases you can never go back and buy your older recordings if something ever did happen.

Camera quality

Back to the camera. The camera is reasonably sharp with things that are close to the camera; the lens has a more rectangular aspect ratio that’s taller, which actually allows you to see what’s near the foot of your door so you can see if there are things like packages there.

Helpfully you can use the ecobee app to pause and zoom in on any imagery you want. The camera’s resolution is even good enough to zoom in on license plates about 20 feet away which I found extremely impressive.

ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera can make clever use of its zooming capabilities with the Smart Focus feature. Whenever a person enters the scene, you can enable the camera to lock focus to the individual and pan and zoom ensuring the person stays in the center of the frame without altering the resolution. I found this worked really well. You just need to toggle the setting on in the app.

Detection

ecobee’s Smart Detection technology combines the use of radar motion detection with machine learning to minimize false alerts and promptly respond to people showing up. The cool thing about this is that it works without the subscription.

Like other doorbells, you can designate an Activity Zone so any activity outside the zone won’t trigger any notifications. This works if your camera overlooks your neighbours property or a busy sidewalk and you don’t want alerts every time someone passes by.

My several weeks of testing I found the app was extremely good at only alerting me to people in the frame. Occasionally it would also alert me to things like a car pulling into the driveway but I was quite impressed with how few useless or false alerts I got.

Package detection

The doorbell will also detect and alert you to packages placed in view of the camera, for this you will need a Smart Security Subscription. Even though I opted for the subscription, I found that I did not ever get a package alert. The alerts I did get when a package was delivered came in as a ‘person’ alert; possibly because it was being delivered by… a person. But I wasn’t clear on what the package alerts were supposed to do or how they were supposed to work so I reached out to ecobee’s team for clarification.

Smart Home Integration: Alexa

Smart home integration is one area where ecobee breaks a trend. Unlike the ecobee thermostat products, the ecobee Doorbell doesn’t have the tightest integration with Apple’s ecosystem. HomeKit Secure Video is unsupported, but you can still access the Live View in the Home app and use the two-way talk feature. I’m not a huge fan of Apple HomeKit or working with Siri, so I wasn’t worried about this. Instead I moved swiftly to my preferred digital Butler; the Amazon Alexa ecosystem.

I had the Alexa skill linked up in seconds using the ecobee app, and I was able to ask my Echo Show speakers to show me the front door. I will say there is a not-unsubstantial delay in asking for the camera view and it being delivered; it can run from about 6 to 8 seconds which seems a bit longer than other cameras and doorbells I’ve tried. I suppose this may only be an issue if someone is running to drop something on your porch and taking off immediately; if someone rang your doorbell and is waiting for you you’ll definitely still see them.

Most of the video doorbells I have tested and reviewed do have some small delay, so this isn’t uncommon. Back in March 2024, numerous Echo Show owners had trouble viewing the Smart Door Camera Live View and it took more than 2 weeks for ecobee to acknowledge the issue. Then it took several more weeks before fixing the issue and tagging the issue as resolved in late May of this year. This is a reminder that products within their ecosystem work best while others may enjoy some interoperability but won’t enjoy the top priority when it comes to support. So at least as of now, you don’t have to tear down that Nest or Amazon smart thermostat just yet. But the way it integrates with an ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium might just tempt you.

ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium Integration

ecobee is so confident in its integration with their flagship thermostat that the company is selling a bundle including both products and some extra SmartSensor accessories.
That’s beacuse the thermostat’s 4-inch display can turn into a viewfinder for the doorbell on the fly and the quality looks stunning. Seeing a live feed on this display looks surprisingly futuristic especially since that wide viewing angle can cram the entire body of a person without looking so distorted. You can even talk to the person outside like an intercom by simply tapping the “Talk” button on the thermostat. The thermostat also doubles as a speaker for the ringing of the doorbell, since it has a built-in speaker.

Overall Thoughts: ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera

Overall, I have to say I’ve been really impressed with the ecobee Smart Wired Doorbell. So much so, I have decided not to reinstall the other brand of smart doorbell that has lived out here for several years.

Let’s go over the pros and the cons to find out why.

On the pro side, I found the alerts were actually very clever and helpful and I wasn’t getting over-notified. The recordings are easy to look at and I can zoom in on anything I want to see, and they download to my phone in seconds if I need them. The camera’s resolution is standard, but I feel like it is still high-quality. I love that the doorbell integrates with Amazon Alexa so I can view it on any of my Alexa enabled screens, and the fact that I can also take a peek at the camera when someone rings the doorbell by looking at my ecobee thermostat is an extra treat. I actually feel like the monitoring fee is relatively affordable and worth the money for the 30 days of cloud recording and the longer 2 minute video files.

So what are the downsides?

There is no battery back up option with this camera as there are with some other brands. That means if you lose power you also lose your doorbell. I have also long been advocating for higher resolution video doorbells that offer 4K video recordings. This is still a bit out of reach and I’m not aware of any brands offering that yet. Not deducting any points for this since the camera quality is good and it’s not promising to be anything other than an HD video camera. But just a wish for the future.

In short, I’ve really been enjoying my ecobee experience and in addition to keeping the doorbell, I’ve also locked in the ecobee Smart Thermostat as another permanent fixture. And they do work amazingly well together.

The ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera sells for about $160 USD / $220 CAD and you can get it from ecobee, Amazon and other electronics retailers.

**A note about Affiliate Links: TechGadgetsCanada & TechGadgetsInternational is supported by our readers. Occasionally I will include affiliate links in my reviews. I do this partly for convenience of the reader (since I’ll almost always include a link to the company website or similar anyway) in case you want to read more or purchase, but I also may get a small commission from the click, which helps me keep the blog running. If you choose to use this link I thank you greatly for supporting the blog. There’s no obligation or cost to you for using these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The post ecobee smart wired video doorbell: hands-on review appeared first on TechGadgetsCanada.com.

Many Amazon Echo products went through all sorts of evolutions every generation with the rare exception of the Echo Spot and a few other products. I found the Echo Spot to be a cool little smart assistant when I reviewed it back in 2018 as its small display had more uses than I thought. After more than six years without a successor, Amazon took the Internet by surprise with a new Echo Spot, and it is… different. But is it any good? Let’s spot the differences!

What is Amazon Echo Spot?

Amazon’s new Echo Spot is a mashup of several popular small-size Amazon devices: the original Echo Spot, Echo Dot and the new Echo Pop resulting in a smart alarm clock-speaker-screen hybrid. Where the original had a small speaker across the face, the 2024 version uses a 2.83-inch screen on only the top portion of the device, which is just enough to show the time or one of the other small widgets the Echo Spot supports. The bottom half is reserved for the speaker, a reminder this Echo Spot can competently play your favorite music tracks and podcasts, or interact with your voice commands.

Although Amazon didn’t entirely cover the Echo Spot’s space with screen, the unit itself is larger than both the original Echo Spot and the Echo Pop. The top of the Echo Spot features the familiar array of volume controls and “mic off” button.

Watch my full video review of Echo Spot

Who’s it for?

After spending a few weeks with this device, it’s clear to me this is meant to replace something like the echo dot with clock as your new bedside alarm. It can also be useful in small spaces like bathrooms or kitchens as a supplemental speaker or digital assistant. This device is not for watching any kind of video content and is actually going to be better for those who are inclined to use voice control above all else.

Setup Process

The new Echo Spot is a bit easier to set up than an ordinary Echo speaker because the display will show you a QR code that your phone can scan. The code will take you directly to the Alexa app where it will search for the device and add it to the network. No more hotspot selection and typing your router’s password on the old Echo Spot’s tiny keyboard! Once connected, the Echo Spot will download the latest update and then let you choose a clock face.

Of course if you already have any Echo/Amazon devices in the house and are logged into your Amazon account, once you open the Alexa app, the speaker will pop right up on the screen and essentially set itself up. That’s what happened for me and I was ready to go in under two minutes.

Customizable Clock Faces… kinda

The Echo Spot offers six different clock faces, which are far fewer than the 16 faces available on the older Echo Spot. You can change the color of the clock face resulting to a few more combinations but you cannot set a background photo which is an sad omission for those hoping to really personalize their Echo Spot.

While Amazon could theoretically add this feature in a future update, I wouldn’t count on it because if you look closely at the display, you’ll notice that it is actually rectangular. The 240 by 320-pixel resolution may not be enough for displaying photos and will just expose the thick bezels. With Amazon’s minimalistic approach to showing the time and other widgets, you won’t ever notice the bezels from a reasonable distance which is nice. Analog fans have the option of an analog clock face, but let’s face it, analog clock faces look far better on a circular display.

To change the clock face and display, you should be able to just open the Alexa app and choose your Echo spot from your devices list. Then you want to click on the gear to get to your settings, and look for Clock and theme in the list. Clock face will be the top option. But for me, the app didn’t work at all to change or update any of the settings.

To change the clock face I had to go directly to the spot itself, swipe down from the top to get to the settings, then I chose Clock and theme then adjusted the clock face. Same thing happened when I tried to change the colour scheme. It wouldn’t do anything inside the app so I was able to do it on the device instead.

It’s here all note that the options for customization are extremely limited, and I wouldn’t really refer to it as customization at all. You can make a few small minor tweaks but you’re really not going to get an incredibly personalized device here. I hope Amazon ends up adding more options in the future.

Using it as an Alarm Clock

If you want to use this device as an alarm clock, you may be confused about how to set the alarm. The easiest thing to do is to just ask Alexa. You can ask it to set a weekday alarm, or different alarms on each day.
There’s about half a dozen simple alarm sounds accessible on the device, or about 20+ choices inside the Alexa app.

Interface and Widgets

The Echo Spot’s interface is all about simplicity. The default clock face shows you only the time… unless you choose the one option that will also show the date and weather.
To get the most from your speaker you’ll want to use your voice commands..
Asking for the weather will treat you with a cool animation showing the weather information. You won’t get the same visuals you would normally get with an Amazon Echo Show 10, but given the product’s size, you’ll likely find the minimalistic interface rather refreshing.

Night mode

If you are going to use this device as a bedside alarm clock, you’ll want to enable night mode and adaptive brightness.
With the Night mode activated, the Echo Spot darkens the screen, displaying just the time in red. It certainly gives off that classic RCA alarm clock vibe! The Alexa app offers the option to schedule the start and end times of the Night mode, so you don’t have to manually toggle it.

Adaptive brightness will automatically adjust screen brightness based on the available light; meaning if it’s in a really sunny room the screen will appear brighter, and if it’s darker, it will seem dimmer.

Music play

You can bring up the other Echo Spot widgets using voice commands. For instance, telling the Echo Spot to play a music track from Spotify or other supported streaming service will load up the album art along with a cool playing animation and a ticker showing the track’s title. Tapping the screen will bring up the playback controls.

If you prefer, you can link to the Spot using Bluetooth and stream music from your phone too.

Audio Quality

Now is a great time to touch on the sound quality.

Audio quality is a big step up over the old Echo Spot model thanks to some improvements in the speaker. While it’s still just a 1.73-inch speaker beneath the bottom speaker grille, the Alexa voice sounds clear and loud enough and it’s easy to hear and understand. When listening to music, vocals sound very clear, and the overall sound is actually quite good for a speaker of this size and capabilities. The Spot isn’t going to win any awards for audio Fidelity, but it’s still a capable speaker that’s going to be able to handle most of your sleep-wake tasks no problem.

Smart home control

Every Echo device doubles as a smart home hub. This one is no different, except for the fact that you will get a little less information on your miniature screen.
Instructing the Echo Spot to turn on or off a smart light will show an on-screen button in case you wish to toggle the light again.

Timers and alarms

The Echo Spot can also keep track of multiple timers in case you set them up through voice commands. The home display will only show one active timer but tapping that timer will take you to a scrollable interface where you can see the others.

No Camera; No Streaming: No problem?

The Echo Spot doesn’t have a camera which is good news for the privacy-conscious folks who want this to sit bedside, but it may not be great news for those who loved using their old Echo Spot to video call their loved ones.

On top of that, the Echo Spot is cannot play back videos or streams so you can’t use it as a viewfinder for any video doorbells or cameras installed in your household, like you can with other, larger Echo screens.

Motion Sensor

While the Echo Spot doesn’t offer any smart hub functionality, Amazon managed to bake an ultrasonic motion sensor right into the device. This means you can use the Echo Spot as a motion detector for any Occupancy Routines you wish you to make. Occupancy routines will do things like turn lights on when you come into a room, or play ambient music. You can set these up using the Alexa app and it’s routines setting.

Tap to Snooze

Like the Echo Pop and recent Echo Dot models, you can tap the top of the device while an alarm is going off, to snooze it. You can disable this feature in the Alexa app if you prefer.

Internal Hardware

The Amazon Echo Spot can serve as a decent upgrade to an aging Echo Dot too thanks to the built-in MT8519 processor which allows the device to respond faster to your voice commands. The dual-band Wi-Fi supports 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz as well.

Overall Thoughts: Amazon Echo Spot

How much you’re going to enjoy the new 2024 Amazon Echo Spot will depend on how you intend to use it. If it’s going to be your primary echo device with screen, you may find it mildly disappointing. But if you intend to use it either as a bedside alarm clock, or small space voice assistant, the new echo spot is a capable and handy device. Let’s cover the pros and the cons.

On the pro side, the screen is a decent size to give you the basics, the speaker quality is great for the size, and this form factor is ideal for places where you don’t have room for a full sized Echo Show device. The voice control is excellent, and it does almost everything that any other Echo device can do. If you are going to use it on your bedside table, the adaptive brightness and night mode mean it shouldn’t become a blazing distraction. And it’s easy to set daily or weekly alarms, and plenty of options for the sounds you want to wake up to. That is unless you’d like to wake up to your own music… Since it seems that’s not an option.

When it comes to the downsides, I had some struggles getting the Spot to update its settings via the app, the screen is kind of too small to be truly useful. But it is handy for glancing quickly at the time. I also didn’t love the extreme lack of options for personalization of the screen and what little information you can see on the display.

On its own merits the 2024 Echo Spot seems like it’s improved a few things from older small format Echo devices, but that’s it’s not excelling at any of them. And at its introductory price point, it’s asking a lot for what you get.

At $79 USD, the price is a bit high too especially compared to its deeply discounted price of $44.99 during the recent Prime Day sale. If you don’t need an Echo Spot right away or plan to buy it as an gift, I would wait for the price drop.

To be clear, Echo Spot is a capable compact smart speaker and it does what it promises and if this design appeals to you, you’ll be happy with the choice. But if you were expecting big leaps and bounds in terms of technology and features, this is not it.

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