For quick blog posts telling you about any new videos that I have posted on the Smart Home Point YouTube channel.
Reolink recently got in touch with me, asking if I wanted to review one of their cameras. I opted for their RLC-810A, a 4K, 8 megapixel smart camera which records with MUCH better image quality than Ring does. This video compares the Reolink 4K footage with my Ring Floodlight Cam Plus, that records in full … Read more
So Ring have finally done it. The well priced Ring Protect Plus plan (at $10 per month) has been effectively doubled for Ring Alarm customers. But is the new Ring Protect Pro (at $20 per month) worth it for existing – or new – Ring customers? Is the new local storage feature worth paying double … Read more
Back in 2018, Ring promised that you would soon be able to pay extra for 24/7 recording from all “wired” Ring devices (such as the Ring Pro and Ring Floodlight Cam). However it’s now 2021 and… Ring still doesn’t offer continuous 24/7 recording features. This is disappointing but unsurprising – Ring has been promising HomeKit … Read more
Since most crime happens at night, a high quality night vision mode is really critical for your security system. As a result I wanted to shoot this video and talk through the pros and cons of Ring’s night vision mode, and also discuss how it works. I also explore Ring’s color night vision mode, and … Read more
Philips Hue recently confirmed that the Hue ecosystem will soon have a software update to support “Matter”, the connectivity standard that aims to finally introduce a common smart home communication ‘platform’. However this update will be made to the Hue Bridge V2, meaning that individual Hue lights and components will NOT be Matter or Thread … Read more
People sometimes use the terms “Amazon Alexa” and “Amazon Echo” interchangeably, as though they are the same thing. But they are actually different. Amazon Alexa is the smart cloud platform used by Amazon, and this can be accessed on our phones, through our smart watches, in our cars – and yes, through Amazon Echo. Amazon … Read more
Ring have come a long way since their appearance on Shark Tank back in 2013. Heck, they now offer 10 different smart doorbells (and over 10 smart cameras). Whilst this is good in terms of choice, it can also be pretty confusing. As as a result, I shot this video to talk you through all … Read more
I was recently on YouTube and Ring’s Floodlight Cam Wired Plus announcement video popped up for me to watch. This confused me, because Ring already announced this product – a month ago! As it turns out, that was actually a completely different product (the Ring Floodlight Cam Wired Pro). Ring’s product line-up seems quite confusing … Read more
If you’re new to the world of smart lighting, you might be baffled by all the different choices out there. Whether it’s Philips Hue, LIFX or a budget make on Amazon, it’s not often clear what company to go with. Plus is there a difference between Wi-Fi and Zigbee based lighting? Finally, should you care … Read more
People quite rightly think that when a company advertises “full HD” quality… the image quality matches expected full HD (1080p) quality. Seems obvious, right?! Well unfortunately this isn’t really the case. Whilst Ring’s cameras and doorbells tend to have a 1920x1080p resolution, the all-important bit rate is a measly 2.5 Mbps – which is closer … Read more