The Canary home video security system #vzwbuzz

My Canary monitoring my home. 

Earlier this year I unfortunately had my house broken into while I was away for the Christmas holidays. It was upsetting on a number of levels - the safety of the sanctuary I call home was violated and being out of town made it extremely difficult and added to my sense of loss of control. Luckily my loss was pretty minimal - after having my home robbed when I lived in South Africa years ago, I have kept few expensive material possessions in my home. However, the feeling of violation was real and I actually felt better that I didn’t have to return immediately after the robbery.

Because I travel fairly extensively, it is important that my security system is up to par. I was delighted when as a Verizon ambassador I was sent the Canary home security system, it is a great addition to the security I already have. The Canary is a smart video monitoring system that enables me to monitor my home when I am away. It streams directly to my Verizon Galaxy phone so I can always check in. I’ve also found it useful for times when my son is playing downstairs while I am upstairs and I can see what he is up to.

With more usage, the Canary will track both the movement of myself and my son and I won’t have to arm it manually. In addition, because of the motion detector, I am alerted on my phone when there is motion in the house. I have the option to flag the activity to let the Canary know what is going on ie- shadows, glare, etc. or in the event that I have a break in, I can set off the alarm and call the authorities right from the app. It programs the numbers for local authorities upon setup so that is one less thing I have to worry about in an emergency.

I really am enjoying having the Canary in my home, it is an added layer of security. I like that it is unobtrusive and you would never know what it is if you see it. Additionally, the fact that everything I need - without a subscription - is available right on my phone makes it convenient.  I currently only have one Canary and it monitors the area where burglars are likely to break in however, if you have a large living space like I do, you might want to consider setting up multiple Canaries. Overall, the Canary has helped me feel a lot safer when I am out and about or traveling away from home.

Disclosure: I am a Verizon lifestyle ambassador and periodically receive products from Verizon. No other compensation is received and as usually my opinions are my own.