First off, I see a lot of negative reviews about online features being taken away recently. I purchased my Canary after that change, so I can't speak to that. It seems like grandfathering previous users or opening some of the features back up to those folks could go a long way on that front. My review will focus on my experience:

I have owned Nest (Dropcam) cameras for years, so I'm comparing my product experience to those. I decided not to opt for the monthly payment for now, so i can see what all I'll get with no monthly cost first. To me, the options are similar to Nest, and in several areas, better. One exception is the talk-back feature, which is included free with Nest (I have never used it though).

Geo-fencing is great. Between the geo-fencing and the Away history, I have a lot less video to go through to see what's actually happened at the house. The timeline is also more useful here than with Nest, showing me status changes, as well as thumbnails for major events.

Wireless power mode is impressive - now on my fourth day off of my first charge (and i was anxious, so I don't think I even charged it all the way the first time). Curious to see how long it will go. Eventually I may run the power cord to it, but until I'm absolutely sure where it will stay, it's very portable and convenient. I also like the industrial design of this camera more than the other cameras. It looks very minimal, but unique. The magnetic base is very convenient.

On the monitoring side, the iPhone app is easy to use, and very visual. The cards approach to navigation took a few minutes to get used to, but no problem after that. Apple watch notifications are also very handy. I even get a thumbnail of the activity - convenient if I'm in a meeting and just need to see what it is. I would however like to see more functionality here - like being able to change status, start recording, or even view live video if possible right from my watch - but maybe i should just be paying more attention to the meeting I am in! :)

Overall, I'm happy with this camera. I hope Canary can solve the customer satisfaction issues they're currently having with long-time customers, because the actual product and hardware are of great quality. As a new user, I'm very happy with this camera.

A great product experience from start to finish. To begin with, the packaging and presentation were much nicer than expected and setup is an absolute breeze with directions that truly anyone can understand. You simply download the app and and follow the simple prompts (with photos included). Up and running in 10 mins tops. The device itself is very solid and stable and appears very well made. The power cable is long enough for placement flexibility and is itself flat so it can be easily hidden and tucked under/behind things. Nice touch Canary.

As far as the user experience, absolutely wonderful device that work exactly as described and as intended. Is this a full fledged home security system with central station monitoring? No, nor does it claim to be. For its intended purposed, as a motion activated security camera, it works wonderfully. The app is well designed and easy to use. Sensitivity can be adjusted which is handy for false triggers, and it does not automatically sound a siren or contact authorities when triggered which is paramount for those of us with pets. Speaking of pets, this is really my intended use of the device....to watch my mischievous dog when I'm not at home. It's great to be able to pull up a live feed and see what he's up to any time i like or be notified when he wakes up from a nap and starts looking for trouble. I usually keep the device pointed toward the front windows and I can actually see if someone is at the door or something if I see him get up and start barking. (The pay service has 2 way voice communication if you really want to freak out your pet!) Resolution in the daytime and in the dark are both excellent. My favorite feature is the fact that the unit automatically switches into away mode when I leave the house.....one less thing for me to remember in the morning.

I have seen a lot of complaints about the free plan not saving video for long periods of time, etc etc....but honestly for me this is really a non-issue. The 24hr timeline and priority clips with the free version are really all that is needed for the intended purpose of being a security camera. You still have access to live video which is great for my purpose of watching my pet. Bandwidth and storage isnt free and if full length videos saved for a month and two way talk are features you require, I think their pay plan is very reasonable. Great device and experience, highly recommended!

Both shots below were taken in relatively dark rooms on cloudy days. The processing in the Canary really brightens up the video well.

I wish I could give this company zero stars. I have been with Canary since the very beginning. I recently purchased an additional Canary and two Canary Flex devices. I don't pay for the subscription because I wanted to passively monitor my home. Well they just announced they would be locking basic features behind a paywall. I also checked my devices tonight and I can now only access the live feed for one of my devices. So now I can only check one feed if I hear a noise in my home? I'm glad this is getting the publicity it deserves. Canary has liked to their customer base. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT.

I am in the same boat as many of the early purchasers of this product. I purchased 3 canary cameras so that I could have a great security package with good video history without the pain of a monthly payment. The company has decided to kick us all in the teeth and GO EVEN WORSE then they have by now they only offer 12 hours of video history but even worse they now WON'T EVEN SHOW YOU THE FULL VIDEO UNLESS YOU PAY. That is important as i'm sure this will be a big deciding factor for everyone when purchasing this product. I'm not sure why they decided to shoot themselves in the foot. Perhaps their server costs are outweighing their product revenue stream but I 100% recommend no one purchase this product as their policies continue to change towards greed.

I've been using my Canary Flex for about four weeks now. As others have mentioned, each consumer should do their own due diligence in terms of the home security device that is right for them. Here's my experience.

From a security standpoint, material possessions mean little to me. In the last ten years, I have been burglarized twice (during both instances I was living in New York City, and I have long since moved away). I've had all of my belongings stolen and in both cases had an idea of who the perp might be, but no evidence to back it up. During both burglaries, my primary concern has been my pets. TVs, computers, etc are all replaceable, but the feeling of coming home to a pet happily wagging their tail can not. Enter Canary.

Set up:

My excitement peaked the very second I opened the box. Originally, I had been considering the All-in-One, but the Flex seems perfect for my little apartment. I was pleased to discover that it had a built-in battery and could be used wireless, but nevertheless placed it near an outlet. It came with a very long micro-USB cable to make charging even easier and also included wall-mount hardware. I placed mine near electronics in my living room so the recording light would blend in and not draw attention to itself, as other reviewers have noted.

Initially, I found the app set-up on my phone to take longer than expected, since the instructions say set-up can take 10-15 minutes, but I figured it was an Android-based bug since I've had issues with Bluetooth in the past on other smart home related devices. I jumped online to chat with Canary support and a friendly representative had me up and running in no time.

Operating mode:

I've had to fidget with my settings a bit to get it to switch between home/away/night mode per my preferences. I tend to be a very private person so I have recording turned off while I'm at home. For whatever reason, I've always had issues with my Android disconnecting and reconnecting to my home Wi-Fi router, which I suspect is the case here when Flex is trying to determine if I'm located near my geofence to switch between operating modes.

I've really enjoyed the functionality. I travel a lot for business and love that I can now check in on my cats "“ or cat sitter "“ anytime I want. And I can't wait for the two-way talk to roll out in mid-September! I've upgraded to the annual membership as well: if I were regularly connected to any data network I think the out of the box package would be fine, but given my intermittent connectivity it's imperative that I can review data for days at a time.

It's obvious to me that the team at Canary passionately developed a product that they're proud of, and I'm thrilled to have one in my home.