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Amazon's new Ring camera is actually a flying drone -- for inside your home
Amazon's new Ring camera is actually a flying drone -- for inside your home
Update, Sept. 28, 2021: Amazon hosted an event today to show off the latest editions to its growing lineup of devices as well as updates on its services. You can read a recap on our event coverage page. Original story follows.
Read more: Amazon's smart products lead the market even as trust in the company lags
Ring introduced a new product to its growing roster of smart home devices -- the Ring Always Home Cam. Unlike the Amazon company's other security cameras, the Always Home Cam is a flying camera drone that docks when it isn't in use. The Ring Always Home Cam will be available in 2021 for $250.
Along with this hardware announcement, Ring says you'll be able to turn on end-to-end encryption in the Ring app's Control Center "later this year" in an effort to improve the security of its devices.
Read more: Amazon's Ring drone camera sets a bad precedent for privacy
A bit of Ring history
Before Ring was Ring, it was a startup called Bot Home Automation. Bot Home's inaugural product, the 2014 Doorbot, was among the first video doorbells on the market. It had a lot of problems, however -- clunky design, limited features and poor performance. Then Bot Home rebranded to Ring, was purchased by Amazon and now sells a growing variety of smart home security and automation devices and related accessories.
Ring has been in the news for its Neighbors program partnership with law enforcement agencies, which allows Ring customers to share their saved video clips. Privacy advocates express concern about how Ring and law enforcement agencies collect and use the information they gather. Ring also has patents for facial recognition technology that would scan through law enforcement databases.
Security has also been a big topic of conversation, following user data being exposed in December 2018. This prompted Ring to require two-factor authentication and add a privacy and security Control Center in the app where customers can more easily find and make changes to their personal account settings.
The Always Home Cam and end-to-end encryption
Ring says the Always Home Cam travels on a set path you designate -- it can't be controlled manually -- and you can view the feed live in the Ring app. "The path is entirely determined by the customer ... you actually walk the device around your home and ... train it on that path and can set different waypoints for the camera to fly to," Ring President Leila Rouhi told me over the phone.
It has HD live streaming and a 5-minute runtime, and takes about an hour to charge. Rouhi said that short runtime was deliberate, to make it a "purpose-driven security camera."
It can work with the Ring Alarm security kit, so that if activity is detected while your security system is set to away mode, the Always Home Cam is supposed to leave its dock and fly around to see what's happening.
As far as privacy goes, the Always Home Cam's camera is hidden when it's docked and should only begin to record when it leaves the dock and flies around your house. It's designed to hum so you know when it's flying and recording. The camera is also equipped with "obstacle avoidance technology," so it should avoid things in its path. If it does sense an obstacle in the way of its normal path, the camera will return to its dock and send an alert, letting you know it couldn't complete its pass around your home.
Ring has also added a video encryption page to its Control Center privacy and security landing page. After end-to-end encryption becomes available later this year, customers should be able to turn on the feature for each individual compatible device. Ring will be providing a list of compatible devices later this year.
Ring's flying security cam needs these 4 features to succeed
Ring's flying security cam needs these 4 features to succeed
Update, Sept. 28, 2021: Amazon hosted an event today to show off the latest editions to its growing lineup of devices as well as updates on its services. We got a first look at several new Ring products, including the Ring Alarm Pro, the new "virtual security guards" home security feature, and importantly — the flying Always Home Cam. You can read a recap of everything announced on our event coverage page. Original story follows.
Read more: Amazon's smart products lead the market even as trust in the company lags
Last year, Amazon announced the Ring Always Home Cam, a drone camera that flies around your house and records whatever it sees. People are pretty excited, apparently, and I can see the appeal – especially if you have ambitions to turn your house into a video game villain's lair. Personally, I'm pretty hesitant about putting an autonomous flying drone camera in my own home.
Fueling my hesitancy is Ring's political baggage. Yes, some of its user data has been exposed within the past few years, but its current problems -- with its Neighbors app encouraging unhealthy surveillance among communities and its partnerships with police forces putting regular people's civil liberties at risk – represent an ongoing and troubling pattern of privacy slippage. Adding a drone camera that will literally patrol your home isn't helping.
That said, I won't dismiss the Always Home Cam out of hand. Here's what Ring needs to offer (and not offer) to win me over.
Smart responsiveness
When something goes bump in the night, what's the first thing you do? Well, after you grab the baseball bat, you go see what it was. An autonomous camera's biggest appeal to me is that ability to go check when something unusual happens, whether it's the sound of glass breaking or Ring's security system registering a door or window opening.
Ring has already confirmed that there will be some level of responsiveness tying in with Ring's Alarm system, but for the camera to reach its full potential, I want to see it respond to a wide variety of customizable inputs, and respond in personalized ways, such as going to parts of the house I've OK'd ahead of time.
Practically, that means working with Alexa Guard to listen for human footsteps when you're on vacation, or it could mean investigating when your Ring video doorbell picks up unusual activity like someone approaching the door and not leaving after a few minutes.
But the personalized settings are important, too. I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night, stumble out into the hallway and get slapped in the face by a drone checking on the unusual sounds I made when I got up.
Multifloor mobility
If you've ever used a robot vacuum cleaner, you probably know that stairs are its Achilles' heel. Despite the drone cam's flight capabilities, though, it has a similar limit.
I really wanted the Always Home Cam to be able to go up and down stairs without problems. Even more than that, I wanted it to be able to move vertically in different spaces -- flying higher where ceilings are vaulted, for instance -- or to avoid a pedestrian.
For now, barring significant updates, this isn't going to happen. Ring has said the device will work on a single floor and that it will follow predetermined paths created by physically carrying the drone around the house -- that means no responsive avoidance of a person walking, for instance, other than maybe registering an obstacle and reversing course.
When I get my hands on the Always Home Cam, you can be sure I'm going to try carrying it up and down stairs to see if I can make it work.
Smart security
At this point, video doorbells are getting pretty good at telling the difference between a person and a package, and Alexa Guard can tell the difference between human footsteps and animal ones. I want to see that same logic applied to the Always Home Cam: If it can go check on an unusual sound, it should also be able to distinguish between a mundane situation (like my cat knocking over a book) and a crisis (like an intruder breaking in through my back door) and alert me appropriately in either case.
Ring doorbells are already good at telling the difference between people, animals and packages. Hopefully the Always Home Cam will have the same smarts.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Robust security and privacy protections
Security and privacy are easily my biggest concerns about the Always Home Cam, especially considering Ring's track record. First, I want the device to use end-to-end video encryption by default. Ring offers this feature with some other video devices, but you have to opt in. That encryption means better security in general -- and it makes it harder for users to share footage, too, which I think is good.
Honestly, I'd even throw in there that the Ring app shouldn't be able to share footage taken by the Always Home cam. That app is designed for sharing clips of mostly public or fully public spaces like your front stoop or the sidewalk in front of your house. I don't think we should be normalizing sharing footage from inside our houses, and accidental sharing could lead to privacy disasters.
What I don't ever want: Remote control
Remote control is a tough feature on a drone camera, because it sounds incredibly convenient -- but the costs likely outweigh the benefits. If I'm away from the house, I'd love to take a quick lap, virtually, to check that everything is as it should be. But hackers are already gaining access to home security cameras regularly, and a hacker flying a camera around the house is a nightmare scenario for many people.
Ring plans not to include this feature for now, which is a good call, though I'd love to see the company commit to keeping this feature out of future updates and generations of the device, too.
I'm still on the fence about the Ring Always Home cam. I can see the appeal, but it also feels like an extension of Ring's habit of pushing the privacy envelope in the wrong direction. With the right security and privacy measures, along with some mobility and camera smarts, I might be sold on the gadget. Regardless, we'll almost certainly have to wait till the second half of this year to find out exactly what it's going to look like, because Ring still hasn't given a launch date more specific than "in 2021" for the Always Home Cam. Based on its previous product launches, I wouldn't hold my breath expecting it before the fall.
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How to buy the latest Amazon devices: The $1,000 Astro, Ring's flying drone camera, more
How to buy the latest Amazon devices: The $1,000 Astro, Ring's flying drone camera, more
Amazon's latest device lineup is a mix of new learning devices for kids, smart home upgrades and everyday tech. The Echo Show 15 has a screen that's bigger than ever (you can mount it on your wall) and the Ring Always Home flying drone camera gives a new take on home security cameras. But the showstopper that took our breath away was the all: Amazon's $1,000 Alexa-powered Astro robot.
Amazon's Astro takes a new spin (on wheels) in Alexa voice commands and hoping to show really need robots in our homes. Astro can monitor your Ring home security system, deliver items from one room to the next and video chat -- all while your pets. But there are already a few privacy concerns. Questions also stem from criticism of Ring's policies and police partnership and privacy issues. But there's already talk that Amazon is looking into an Astro 2, despite these raised eyebrows.
We'll tell you how and when to get your hands on Amazon's new devices and give details on the latest futuristic features. This story has been recently updated.
Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET
Astro brings AI to your home, but puts bots to the test. Amazon's new robot is designed to follow voice commands and keep an eye on your home with its periscope camera. Astro can show a live view via the mobile app, so you can check on your home when you're away. Astro works with Alexa Together and Ring Protect Pro (and comes with a six-month free trial of the latter). Anticipating privacy criticism, Amazon offers privacy features with Astro that include:
No-go zones
Do not disturb features
Alexa's standard privacy features
You can sign up to request an invite today. Astro will ship later this year.
Read more: Amazon's Astro: New details on price, privacy, battery, specs and more
Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET
Amazon partnered with the Honeywell Home thermostat team to create an Energy Star-certified smart thermostat that competes with Nest. Most customers may be able to get the thermostat for free after utility rebates. It's an Alexa-enabled thermostat that supports routines and automatically adjusts temperatures. It's available for preorder now and will ship starting Nov. 4.
Here are a few of the top features you can look forward to:
Control your thermostat using the Alexa app or voice commands
An energy dashboard to breakdown your usage on your Echo device or the Alexa app
Thermostat Hunches, which automatically adjusts the temperature
Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET
Amazon's new Echo Show is bigger than ever. It comes with a 15.6-inch display and in a single color: black. You can mount it on the wall or place it on a stand. The newest model also has facial recognition for personalized alerts and more when the hub recognizes your face, tightening the competition with Apple. It also comes with personalized to-do lists, like Google's Hub Max. But the Echo Show 15 comes with a few highly anticipated features.
Custom sounds that allow Alexa to listen to specific noises in your home (available in 2022)
Visual ID to give you more customized calendars and reminders
Customizable Alexa widgets
Echo will also get a few new features, including Hey Disney to give your device new voices with character-inspired games, books, skills and more. Alexa Together will also be available for loved ones with the Alexa Care Hub. You can sign up to receive an email when the Echo Show 15 is available for preorder.
Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET
The Amazon Glow is a brand-new kid-friendly smart device (yes, it's different from the Echo Glow night light). It takes after Osmo and other interactive learning gadgets. Kids can use the video screen to chat with long-distance family and friends. It includes a silicone mat to read, play and draw with loved ones. You'll also get a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus for access to digital books, games and more. The Amazon Glow comes with a two-year, worry-free guarantee if you happen to break it. You can request an invite to the Glow program today.
Games and activities from Mattel, Disney, Nickelodeon and Sesame Street
Preapproved contacts using the Amazon Glow app
Camera with privacy shutter
Amazon/Screenshot by James Martin/CNET
The Halo View is a new addition to Amazon's Halo family. The latest Amazon fitness tracker has a few new features, including an AMOLED color display screen. Halo View users can also look forward to Halo Fitness and Nutrition services that will help with exercise and healthy eating. It benefits the Halo user in several ways, including the movement, emotional tone and the camera's body analyses. And it still works with the original Halo band. But these new additions might be worth upgrading from Amazon's Halo.
Amazon Prime Day camera and accessory deals: GoPro, Sony, DJI, Lowepro and more
Amazon Prime Day camera and accessory deals: GoPro, Sony, DJI, Lowepro and more
This story is part of Amazon Prime Day, CNET's guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.
Amazon Prime Day means some excellent camera and accessory deals if you're a photography enthusiast or aspire to become one. Even in 2021, there are plenty of times it's worth trying something besides your smartphone for capturing memories and getting creative.
There are a lot of discounts in the photography section for Prime Day, but we've pored over the options for the best deals and gear.
Joshua Goldman/CNET
When you spot an action camera attached to a surfboard, ski helmet or mountain bike handlebars, chances are it's made by GoPro, the company that pioneered the market for these small, rugged video cameras. The GoPro Hero 8 Black 4K camera arrived in 2019 and won a CNET Editors' Choice for its value and all-important image stabilization. This GoPro bundle is 26% off and its accessories -- a tripod, head strap, extra battery and a 32GB memory card -- are useful. The batteries are from GoPro, not a third-party manufacturer. The newer top-end GoPro Hero 9 adds some improvements, but the Hero 8 remains a solid, more affordable choice.
DJI
Gimbal mounts use pivots to keep cameras steady -- or in the case of the DJI OM 4, your smartphone. It's 20% off for Prime Day. This is handy for shooting video when you're walking. This model has a built-in battery for 15 hours of use and a magnetic mounting system that lets you easily attach and detach your phone. And motorized Dynamic Zoom and Spin Shot add little cinematographic effects to your video.
Amazon
Rokinon lenses aren't generally as good as higher-end models from better known Japanese camera companies, but they're a lot cheaper. At 48% off, this 14mm Rokinon ultrawide lens for Canon EF and EF-S mount cameras (those full-frame and smaller APS-C sensors, respectively) is an affordable way to try out a new perspective on your photography. It has a 115.7-degree field of view on full-frame cameras and 89.9 degrees on APS-C, and some weather sealing to handle rougher conditions.
Amazon
Lowepro has been making camera backpacks for decades. The Truckee BP 250 LX is designed for tourists, hikers, street photographers out for a day in the city, and anyone else who has to carry a modest amount of camera equipment. It'll accommodate an SLR and three midsized lenses in the bottom padded compartment, a 15-inch laptop in an inside zippered sleeve, a water bottle and tripod in side pockets, and lunch and a rain jacket in the top.
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Amazon's new Glow interactive kids device follows in the footsteps of products like Caribu and Osmo
Amazon's new Glow interactive kids device follows in the footsteps of products like Caribu and Osmo
Amazon announced a new device called the Glow during its fall product launch event, a $250 video chatting gadget that allows children to virtually interact with loved ones by playing games and reading books together. Although the company has been selling the Echo Dot Kids Edition for years, it's rare for Amazon to develop an entirely new device designed specifically for children.
While it's new for Amazon, the general concept behind Glow might sound familiar -- especially if you've ever used the storytelling app Caribu or the Osmo brand of educational tablet accessories. That's because although they're different products, they share a lot of underlying qualities with Amazon's Glow. Caribu is designed to help kids play games and read stories with relatives remotely through an interactive video chatting platform, and Osmo is all about incorporating real-world game pieces into educational games you can play on a tablet.
Read more: Amazon unwraps privacy features as it tries to roll deeper into your home
To understand the similarities, it's important to know how the Glow works. Amazon Glow is an Alexa-free video chatting device that consists of an 8-inch upright display, a camera with a built-in shutter and a projector. The device isn't available to the public yet and can only be obtained via invitation since it's part of the company's Day 1 Editions program.
The basic premise behind the Glow is simple. Children can video chat with relatives and loved ones on the device's screen, while a projector conjures up a virtual play area for games and activities that's displayed on a silicone mat in front of them. The person on the other end of the call can participate in that game or puzzle on their tablet through the Glow app.
The activities are also designed to combine real-world elements with digital ones. For example, in a demo video on Amazon's website, kids can be seen arranging physical game tiles, drawing pictures with their finger on the play mat and moving digital puzzle pieces on the mat -- all while a grandparent or aunt on the other end cheers them on. The device will come with a one-year subscription to Amazon Kids Plus and will feature content from Disney, Sesame Street, Barbie, Pixar and Hot Wheels.
The Caribu app is built on a similar concept, but with a different execution: It's an app with the same goal, not a purpose-built device. Caribu is meant to make the video calling experience more interactive by enabling children and loved ones to share experiences like bedtime stories, coloring sheets and games virtually. It's essentially like a Zoom for kids that's available on iOS, Android and the web, but with built-in activities.
The app has been around since 2016, but grew in popularity throughout the pandemic as relatives looked for ways to connect with little ones they couldn't see in person. Maxeme Tuchman, Caribu's CEO and co-founder, doesn't seem bothered by Amazon's entry into the space.
"What I can say is that Caribu obviously identified a problem in the market, started a trend, and now everyone wants in," Tuchman said in a statement.
You can use the Caribu app to video chat and read stories to the child in your life.
Caribu
Osmo, on the other hand, is more about turning your tablet into an interactive device for educational games and activities rather than social interaction. Osmo's system involves slotting a compatible tablet into a base that enables it to stand upright in portrait mode. You would then place a red reflector piece over the device's camera. This reflector enables the tablet to detect physical game pieces so that these real-world elements can be incorporated into the game on screen.
Games designed for the Osmo cover a range of skills, including coding, literacy, critical thinking, drawing, math and science. Certain Osmo bundles are priced similarly to the Amazon Glow, but the starter kit -- which includes the base, reflector, and four games aimed at children ages 3 to 5 -- costs just $79.
Read more: Always Home Cam: Amazon's flying Ring drone might be tricky to get your hands on
Like Caribu, Osmo isn't an apples-to-apples competitor to Amazon Glow. Amazon seems focused on the technology while it relies on big-name partners for most of the content, unlike Osmo. And Osmo is centered on solo playtime and learning, rather than shared experiences.
There are also some fundamental differences in how the products work. Osmo doesn't project images onto a nearby surface like the Glow. Instead it uses the reflector to send an image of game pieces or a child's drawing to the tablet's camera so it can be incorporated into the game. Amazon also specifically mentions that the Glow itself isn't a toy, despite its similarity to products that are considered to be part of the toy market.
Osmo
Still, the core appeal of both products comes down to combining an on-screen experience with real-world play elements. As is the case with Caribu, the concepts are just carried out in different ways.
Similar to Tuchman, Osmo co-creator Pramod Sharma didn't express concern about increased competition from Amazon.
"We're excited to see Amazon join the play movement we started with Osmo over seven years ago," Sharma said via email.
Amazon's device also isn't the first experimental computing device to rely on a projector as a central part of the interaction. You might remember HP's Sprout Windows 8 all-in-one PC from 2014, which projected a second screen onto a 20-inch touch sensitive mat situated in front of the computer for drawing and other creative work.
It's easy to understand why Amazon would develop a product like the Glow at a time like this. The pandemic has normalized remote learning and fueled interest in connecting with family members virtually. At the same time, technology is playing a bigger role in the global market for educational toys, which is expected to grow from $19.2 billion in 2020 to $31.62 billion by 2026, according to Arziton Advisory and Intelligence. Toys that use augmented reality to overlay digital graphics on real-world objects will likely boost the demand for learning toys year-over-year, says the report.
Tech companies are also increasingly tailoring their products to appeal to younger audiences. Facebook offers a version of its Messenger chat app for children, and the company has been building a version of Instagram for kids, too. (Those plans were recently put on hold following backlash over the concerns that come with exposing younger age groups to social media.) Apple launched parental controls for the iPhone in 2019 and released Swift Playgrounds in 2016, a game aimed at teaching children how to code in Apple's Swift programming language.
It's too soon to know whether the Amazon Glow will be a success. Amazon's Day 1 Editions program is meant to provide access to new products before they're ready for prime time, meaning they may not be ready for widespread release. Not all products in the program make it past the Day 1 Editions phase either. The Echo Loop, an Alexa-powered smart ring, never graduated from Day 1 Editions to become a real product, for example.
We'll have to wait until we've tried Amazon's new child-friendly gadget to know how it stacks up against existing products.
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Ring App Will Soon Be Available to Non-Ring Cameras
Ring App Will Soon Be Available to Non-Ring Cameras
The Ring smart-home security app will soon work with non-Ring cameras, the Amazon-owned company said Wednesday.
Starting in April, surveillance cameras that support The Open Network Video Interface Forum will have access to live view, video feedback, smart notifications and other Ring features.
In an email, Jamie Siminoff, Ring chief inventor and founder, said customers being able to integrate ONVIF-compatible cameras into the Ring ecosystem "is something I've been excited about for a long time."
Read more:Best Home Security Camera of 2022
"This will allow our many residential and business customers who use these cameras to easily link their existing systems within the Ring app, giving them greater peace of mind and the ability to use Ring technology to help secure what's most important to them."
Non-Ring owners will need to purchase the $250 Ring Alarm Pro base station to access the Ring app.
Ring
It's possible the strategy is aimed at small and medium-size businesses and larger residential properties, not individual consumers: Most ONVIF-compatible cameras are IP-based devices made by commercial manufacturers like Amcrest, Bosch and Panasonic.
To access the Ring app, users have to have a Ring Alarm Pro base station, which comes with a built-in eero Wi-Fi 6 router and retails for $250. They'll also have to subscribe to the Ring Protect Pro plan, which starts at $20 a month.
In addition, their ONVIF-compatible camera needs to be password protected and able to support H.264 encoding and a video stream of 1,080 pixels or lower.
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Amazon Echo's spooky sounds and stories can get you ready for Halloween. Here's how
Amazon Echo's spooky sounds and stories can get you ready for Halloween. Here's how
Spooky season is here. That means it's time to pick out costumes, candy and cue up your favorite Halloween movies. But Alexa has a few ways to help you get in the Halloween spirit, too. Your Amazon Echo device can play spooky sounds throughout the house, control smart lights and tell scary stories once you add a few Alexa skills. The voice assistant can even help you find a last-minute costume just in time for your spooktacular soiree (more below).
You can add Halloween skills from the Amazon site or a voice command to give your home a creepy vibe (most of them are free). And if you want to really go all out, Google and Ring have a few Halloween tricks and treats to give all of your smart home devices a spooktacular feeling.
We'll show you how to set up some of our favorite Halloween skills so you can use them this weekend (and year-round if you're obsessed with Halloween, like me). Here are our favorite ways an Amazon Echo ($37 at Amazon) can make your home spooky on All Hallows' Eve. And if you're having trouble with your Echo-enabled device, here are a few common problems and easy solutions.
Scare neighbors with your Echo speaker
If you've got multiple Echo speakers, it can be fun to place one outside, out of sight, to spook others. For example, you can broadcast creepy sounds or play Halloween music. You can also use the Drop In feature on the speaker to let trick-or-treaters know from a safe distance that you enjoy their costume or how much candy to take. Note that it may be best to set out small bags of candy to avoid dozens of hands touching each piece. You should also make sure your Echo is out of the rain to prevent any water damage.
Play spooky sounds
It's not Halloween without creepy sounds, and there are many Alexa skills that provide them. You can also say, "Alexa, let's get spooky" to prompt Alexa to give you ideas.
Spooky Halloween Sounds will play a continuous loop of unsettling noises until you tell Alexa to stop. Just say, "Alexa, start Spooky Halloween Sounds" to get started.
Spooky Sounds plays 50 minutes of original spooky sounds (in a continuous loop), complete with an audio Easter egg hidden within. Say, "Alexa, open Spooky Sounds" to begin.
Spooky Scream will play a random scream after a set time of your choosing. Say, "Alexa, ask Spooky Scream to start in 5 minutes." Turn up the volume and wait for your unknowing victim to fall into your trap.
You can also request audio like the Spooky Sounds for Halloween EP on Spotify. Alexa has other creepy sounds available, including Haunted House and Scary Halloween Sounds to turn your Alexa device into a Halloween sound machine.
Spooky sounds are sure to scare the neighborhood kids.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Play Halloween-themed games
If you're looking for an eerie game to play, there are quite a few Alexa skills to choose from. But if you'd rather have Alexa pick for you, just say, "Alexa, let's get spooky."
The Magic Door is a popular interactive adventure game. If you take the Dark Forest Path, it will lead you to the Witch's mansion in search of the Wise Wizard.
Ghost Detector is exactly what it sounds like. You must detect and capture ghosts to earn Ghost Bux, which you can use to buy "improvements, gadgets and missions" for further gameplay.
Haunted Adventure is just one of several spooky adventure games.
Halloween Feel the Pressure is a spin-off of Feel the Pressure with a Halloween twist. You must answer questions based on a letter of the alphabet. You need 10 correct answers in a row to "save your soul."
Ask Alexa to tell a scary story
Want to hear something chilling, yet kid-friendly? Simply say, "Alexa, tell me a spooky story" and you'll hear a short story voiced by an actor. They're pretty cheesy, so they're best for younger ears.
If you want to hear something a bit scarier, you can try the Scare Me skill. Just say, "Alexa, ask Scare Me to tell me a scary story." It'll read you a short, two-sentence scary story. Kids can also use the Scooby Doo! Mystery Inc. Theater for scary stories. Just say, "Alexa, I'm ready for a mystery from Scooby-Doo" or "Alexa, tell Scooby-Doo I want to solve a mystery" from any Echo-enabled device. The skill is free but requires a parent's permission in the Alexa app.
Still not scary enough? Try creating your own scary story using the Alexa Halloween Blueprint. You can even use names of the people in your home as the characters in the story.
Alexa can tell you scary stories.
Alina Bradford/CNET
Play Halloween music
One of Alexa's best tricks on Halloween is playing party music. You can easily make a playlist with all your Halloween favorites on Amazon Music or Spotify -- like this Halloween Party Soundtrack -- and ask Alexa to play it. Or you can use the Halloween Music skill.
Greet visitors with spooky sounds
Use your Alexa-compatible video doorbell, like Ring, to talk to trick-or-treaters who are waiting at your door. With the Ring doorbell, you can have it say "Boo" to anyone who comes to the door. You can also change the chime to a spookier tone. Your Ring doorbell has a few other spooky features and hardware accessories.
You can also use the Trick the Witch skill for your Alexa device to entertain your guests with a witch voice. Just say, "Alexa, start Trick the Witch" to get started. Lamona, the witch, is an interactive game that trick or treaters can take part in while practicing social distancing. Or you can enable Halloween Facts to share facts about Oct. 31 with your visitors.
When you hear the doorbell, or think you hear it, tell Alexa to "Answer the front door" or "Show [camera name]" to see who's there.
A video doorbell will show you who's at the door.
Chris Monroe/CNET
Create a smart haunted house
You can turn your home into a haunted house using your Echo devices. You'll need to replace your regular bulbs with smart bulbs and change the colors to orange, purple and red. However, it's much more fun to set up a routine that you can trigger by saying, "Alexa, make it spooky," rather than a boring "Alexa, change the lights to red."
For example, you could create a routine that turns the lights orange and plays Halloween music. If you've got a smart plug, you can even plug a Halloween decoration into it and set it to come on with the routine.
Spookify your house with smart bulbs.
Josh Miller/CNET
Get help with a last-minute costume
If you're one of those people who wait until the last minute to find a costume (guilty), Alexa can help you come up with some ideas. Using the Halloween Costume Ideas skill, Alexa will list some ideas until you find one that you like.
Just say, "Alexa, open Halloween Costume Ideas." Then answer the yes-or-no questions until you come across the perfect costume idea.
Lighten up with Halloween jokes
If you're spooked out by the end of the night, have Alexa lighten the mood by telling jokes. Just say, "Alexa, tell me a Halloween joke." The joke it gave me was, "Why shouldn't you date a spirit? So you don't get ghosted." The jokes may not be fall-over funny, but at least they can distract you from the scary stories you listened to earlier in the night.
When Halloween's over, dive into the 10 weirdest things your Amazon Echo can do, the four best uses for an Amazon Echo in your living room and four places to avoid putting your Amazon Echo in your home.
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Arlo Go 2 vs. Eufy 4G Starlight Cam: Two Wireless LTE Security Cameras Compared
Arlo Go 2 vs. Eufy 4G Starlight Cam: Two Wireless LTE Security Cameras Compared
If you're interested in keeping a closer eye on things at home, you'll find a wide range of smart security cameras vying for the job. Whether you're looking to build your own DIY home security setup or you just want to keep watch over kids and pets, all of them will allow you to view the feed from your phone, and most will provide you with basic features like night vision and motion alerts whenever they spot something, too. Some are weatherized for outdoor use, as well -- but if that means placing the camera at the outer limits of your home's Wi-Fi network, keeping that cam connected might be a challenge.
Fortunately, there's a growing number of outdoor camera options that come with cellular connectivity as a backup to Wi-Fi, or a replacement for it outright. Just slide a SIM card in and you'll be all set, with the camera staying connected over LTE airwaves in situations where Wi-Fi won't suffice.
If you're shopping for a camera like that, the Arlo Go 2 and the Eufy 4G Starlight Cam are two of your top options. Each comes from a well-established company with a full portfolio of cameras and video doorbells. Each offers a similar pitch: high-quality footage sent straight to your phone, motion alerts, night vision, multiple months of battery life and, of course, cellular connectivity via those LTE airwaves.
So which one is the better buy? I spent some time testing each one out. Let's take a closer look at what sets them apart.
The Arlo Go 2 takes the popular indoor/outdoor camera and adds cellular connectivity into the mix by way of a SIM card slot. You'll need a mobile plan to take advantage of those cellular airwaves -- such plans are available from T-Mobile, USCellular and Verizon.
Once the camera is set up and installed where you want it, you'll be able to check the feed from your phone and tweak your alert settings using the Arlo app. You get a free three-month Arlo Secure subscription at the time of purchase, which unlocks 30 days of unlimited cloud storage of your video clips, object-specific motion detection for people, animals, vehicles and packages, customizable motion activity zones and video history. After that, you'll need to pay $3 per month for those features, or $10 per month if you're using more than one camera. If you don't want to subscribe, you can still store your footage locally by inserting a MicroSD card into the camera, but you'll need to buy it on your own.
The Arlo Go 2 also features a built-in siren and spotlight, night vision, GPS tracking and two-factor authentication to help keep your account secure. Upgrade that Arlo Secure plan to the $15-per-month Arlo Secure Plus subscription and you can add in 24/7 emergency response capabilities, too.
Connectivity: 3G/4G LTE, Wi-Fi
Video resolution: 1,920x1,080 (HD)
Field of view: 130 degrees
Battery life: Varies based on usage
Operating temperature: -4 to 113 degrees F (-20 to 45 degrees C)
Local storage: Yes (MicroSD slot, card sold separately)
Platform compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant, IFTTT
Price: $250
Ry Crist/CNET
Eufy's 4G Starlight Cam doesn't support Wi-Fi at all -- instead, it connects with your phone (and if you're storing footage in the cloud, with Eufy's servers) via cellular 4G LTE airwaves. The camera promises three months of battery life on a charge, night vision, 2K resolution, and customizable notifications for people and animals alike.
There's no MicroSD slot for expandable local storage. Instead, you get 8GB of built-in local storage. That means you don't need to buy a MicroSD card -- but it also means that you don't get very much space in the way of local storage, and cloud storage requires a monthly fee. That said, the rest of Eufy's features, like custom notifications and activity zones, don't require any extra subscription.
Like the Arlo Go 2, the 4G Starlight Cam includes a built-in spotlight and GPS tracker. There's no siren, but DIY security enthusiasts can subscribe to a Eufy protection plan to add 24/7 emergency assistance.
Connectivity: 3G/4G LTE
Video resolution: 2,592x1,944 (2K)
Field of view: 120 degrees
Operating temperature: -4 to 113 degrees F (-20 to 45 degrees C)
Battery life: 3 months
Detection capabilities: Motion, person, animal
Motion activity zones: Yes
Pan and tilt: No
Two-way audio: Yes
Local storage: Yes (8GB built-in)
Platform compatibility: Alexa, Google Assistant
Price: $230
Design and setup
The Arlo Go 2 and the Eufy 4G Starlight Cam make similar first impressions. Each comes in a white plastic casing with rounded corners and a fair bit of bulk, due to the large-size batteries housed inside. You can place either one on any flat surface you like or you can grab a screwdriver and use the included mount to stick it up outside your home.
To get started with either one, you'll charge the battery and pop it in, along with the SIM card (and I wish both cameras did a better job of clarifying which direction the card should be facing when you slide it in). From there, you'll follow along in the app to pair the camera with your phone and finish setting it up.
Both apps will also let you customize the brightness and motion sensitivity and the kinds of alerts you receive. You'll also be able to track the signal strength and the battery status. Eufy says its battery lasts 3 months on a full charge, while Arlo says battery life will vary based on usage. To that end, the Arlo app offers settings that can optimize battery life or video quality and clip length at the expense of battery life. Either way, you'll need to remember to recharge the thing with the included cable whenever it runs low.
Winner: Tie
The Arlo and Eufy apps will let you customize the motion sensitivity of your camera, and they'll let you turn notifications on and off for people, vehicles and animals. Arlo also features a package detection mode.
Ry Crist/CNET
Features and app controls
Speaking of the apps, they're designed similarly, with still-image previews of your cameras' feeds on the home screen, a history tab where you can review stored clips, and access to your camera's picture and notification settings. With both, you can tell the camera to notify you only when it detects certain things (people, pets and/or vehicles), but Arlo also offers package detection settings, which might make it the better pick for a front stoop.
Both cameras can store your footage locally. Arlo does so with a MicroSD slot, so you'll need to purchase your own MicroSD card to store up to 256GB worth of clips. Meanwhile, Eufy includes 8GB of nonexpandable, built-in storage. That makes it easier to use right out of the box without needing to buy anything else, but 8GB isn't a ton of space for clips, so local storage is somewhat limited.
In both cases, the key feature is LTE connectivity (support for T-Mobile, USCellular, and Verizon with Arlo, or AT&T and Eiotclub with Eufy). Neither one supports 5G, which is a little disappointing. Arlo and Eufy offer similar cameras without a cellular connection that cost less, so you'll want to consider going with one of those if LTE is more than you need.
Cellular connections aside, each camera uses precise motion detection to send you alerts whenever it spots something. Those alerts worked well when I tested them, including the object-specific ones. For instance, I used both cameras to track the comings and goings of Andrei, a neighborhood cat that enjoys wandering onto my porch for the occasional salmon-flavored treat. With animal detection turned on, both cameras always alerted me whenever he wandered in or out of the frame. When I turned animal notifications off, those alerts stopped coming.
All of that's to say that both cameras are similarly featured -- but you have to pay a subscription fee to unlock all of Arlo's features. That said, Arlo's MicroSD slot makes storing lots of clips easier, while many Eufy users will be forced to pay for cloud storage to store more than 8GB of clips. The other key difference is that the Arlo Go 2 also includes Wi-Fi connectivity, which makes it more versatile and can help reduce your data usage. It's close, but I give Arlo the slight edge here.
Winner: Arlo
Picture quality
With a 2K resolution packed with more pixels than regular HD, Eufy boasts better resolution than Arlo, though it's closer than you might imagine. Both cameras produce a clear, crisp image with a wide field of view (120 degrees for Eufy and a slightly wider 130 degrees for Arlo).
The Arlo Go 2 (left) and the Eufy 4G Starlight Cam (right) were both able to use night vision to show details from my darkened kitchen, but Eufy did a better job illuminating subjects at a distance. The white siding of my neighbor's house a few feet outside the window is much easier to see in the Eufy feed.
Ry Crist/CNET
I also made sure to take a close look at each camera's night vision capabilities. Each works well, automatically kicking over to night vision when things get dark. Still, Eufy's night vision seems a little stronger, with infrared diodes capable of lighting subjects far from the camera a little better than Arlo's. Arlo promises "color night vision," but that simply means you can turn the integrated spotlight on to light the scene up and see it without using the infrared diodes, so don't get too excited.
Winner: Eufy
Privacy considerations
For many, privacy is justifiably top-of-mind when picking out a camera for placement in and around the home. The good news is that both Arlo and Eufy offer two-factor authentication to help keep your account secure, as well as encryption that protects your footage in transit to Arlo's servers if you're paying for cloud storage.
You'll want to take each company's policies and track record into consideration, too. While neither has a history of repeated privacy blunders, Eudy did experience a brief software issue in 2021 that exposed the feeds of over 700 users to other Eufy customers. Fortunately, the company was able to take action and fix the problem within a few hours.
There's also the question of police requests for footage stored in company servers, especially in the wake of recent disclosures from Ring and Google about their policies for granting police access to user footage without consent and without warrants during life-and-death situations, which is permitted under US law. Eufy wouldn't explicitly rule out sharing footage with law enforcement in situations like that when I asked. Instead, it pointed out that the company can't access footage that's stored locally or transmitted using end-to-end encryption, as it is when you transmit Eufy footage over Apple HomeKit Secure Video. That said, unlike other Eufy cameras, the 4G Starlight Cam doesn't support HomeKit at all (and neither does the Arlo Go 2), so if you're storing footage in Eufy's cloud, you're subject to Eufy's privacy policy, which says that the company may share the footage with law enforcement to, "protect against ha rm to the rights, property or safety of Eufy, its users or the public as required or permitted by law."
You'll find nearly identical language in Arlo's privacy policy. However, the company takes the position that if a situation is urgent enough for the police to request emergency access to footage, then it should be urgent enough for the police to obtain a warrant, as well.
"Consequently, it is our policy to NOT produce videos to law enforcement no matter the situation, unless we are compelled to do so by a valid warrant or court order," an Arlo spokesperson tells CNET.
Winner: Arlo
Both Eufy and Arlo offer solar panel chargers for their cameras, but it's a more affordable option with Eufy.
Ry Crist/CNET
Value
Both cameras retail for about $250, but Eufy's currently costs a little less, and you're arguably getting more for your money since it comes with 8GB of built-in local storage for your video clips, plus a SIM card from Eiotclub preloaded with 100MB of data over your first 7 days. With Arlo, you'll need to purchase your own MicroSD card for local storage, but some might prefer being able to store a lot more than 8GB of video locally. Arlo also makes you sign up for an Arlo Secure subscription if you want to unlock object-specific notifications -- that's a free feature with Eufy.
You can also bundle the 4G Starlight Cam with Eufy's solar panel charger for an additional $40, which is a little less than you'll pay for Arlo's solar panel charger. As of the date this is published, that bundle is marked down to $250 on Amazon, which basically nets you the solar charger for free.
Winner: Eufy
Ry Crist/CNET
A split decision?
This one's close, as there are good reasons to pick either of these cameras over the other. If I needed a trail cam or something else where Wi-Fi wasn't a factor, I might lean towards Eufy for the slightly better value, particularly if I were interested in pairing it with a solar panel for nonstop trickle charging. The Eufy 4G Starlight Cam also offers slightly better video quality and stronger infrared diodes for better night vision during dark hours.
On the other hand, the Arlo Go 2 is probably a better fit around the outside of your home, where it can serve as a package cam, and where it might be able to leverage your home's Wi-Fi signal to cut down on the LTE data usage. I'd also go with Arlo if I wanted to store lots of footage, as the MicroSD slot lets you pick a card capable of storing as much of 256GB of footage on the device, as opposed to the non-expandable 8GB of storage that comes with the Eufy 4G Starlight Cam.
The bottom line is that both are good devices that performed well when I tested them out, and both offer a good mix of features for both average and advanced users. If you're struggling to decide between them, consider that Eufy supports LTE via AT&T and Eiotclub, while Arlo offers LTE via T-Mobile, USCellular and Verizon. If one of those providers offers particularly strong service in your area (this LTE coverage map from the FCC might be helpful), then it's fine to make that the tie-breaker.
