Canary
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | |
| Product Type | Security Cameras |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://canary.is |
Canary is a consumer security camera line (including Pro, View, and Flex cameras) produced by Canary, a dedicated home security technology company founded in 2012. Based in New York, the company focuses on smart home surveillance and operates as a subsidiary of Smartfrog & Canary.
Consumer impact summary
The Canary line of home security devices were originally marketed as including a suite of free cloud-based services as part of the purchase price. Buyers report gradual enshittification has ensued, to the point that the original devices have lost most of their value, and the company discounts and sometimes gives away some of its products (previously ~$400) in order to gain customers for the monthly paid services that are now needed in order to restore functionality Canary products were initially sold with. This has lead to some consumers being skeptical towards the brand and doubtful they will spend money with them again.[1]
All video is sent to the cloud, with all the privacy implications of that.
Free tier enshittification
The free-with-purchase tier:
- Video History: initially 7 days, later reduced to 24 hours, then 12 hours and then to limited 30-second clips, even if motion goes on for longer.[1][2]
- Night Mode, previously free, is now disabled for non-subscribers.[3]
- Recording video while in Home Mode, previously free, is now disabled for non-subscribers.[3]
- Video downloads, previously free, are now disabled for non-subscribers.[3]
Products
- Pro, View, and Flex cameras
- Premium service (currently $20/mo)
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Canary slashes features from free tier — cameras are no longer worth it". Archived from the original on 12 Jun 2023.
I bought a couple Canary cameras a few months ago because they offered free 24h video clip history. They recently sent an email saying that their servers are overwhelmed, so they've changed the free tier to 1) only record 10 second clips 2) not record at night and 3) you won't be able to download the recordings without paying for a monthly subscription.
This sudden reduction in features seems to be a ruse to buy the monthly subscription, and I regret giving these clowns almost $400 for the cameras just to have them force an upsell on me. - ↑ "Plan Pricing". Archived from the original on 12 Apr 2016.
12 Hours of Video History, 3 Video Downloads, 5 Video Bookmarks, Included
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lloyd, Craig (2017-10-06). "Canary's Free Tier May Have Changed, But It Still Offers More Than Other Cams". How-To-Geek. Archived from the original on 2023-03-30.