Canary Home Security Review

Canary technology provides customers with real-time footage of their home, automated alarm settings, and two-way communication capabilities. Read this Canary home security review to learn about the company and decide if it’s the right home security system for you.

Written by Brenda Woods Updated 04/18/2024

This Old House Rating: 9 / 10

Canary believes seeing what’s happening inside your home is the most important part of a home security system. That’s why each product or security package is equipped with an intelligent video camera that alerts you to activity inside the home, records video, and automatically adjusts security modes based on home activity.

Along with video-centered security solutions, Canary devices monitor your home’s temperature, humidity, and air quality, notifying you of significant changes within your home’s environment. In this Canary home security review, we examine the company’s security devices, pricing, and customer service, helping you determine if this is the best home security company for you.

Our Take on Canary Home Security

We rated Canary home security a 9 out of 10 and identified it as the Best Security System for Two-Way Audio. The system seamlessly integrates with your smartphone, and its premium service allows you to easily monitor and communicate with anyone in your home.

Pros and Cons of Canary Home Security

Pros

Cameras have night vision capabilities

Alarm modes automatically change based on home activity

Users can receive two-way communication with Canary Premium Service

Devices are free, so customers only pay a monthly service fee

Cons

Doesn’t offer professional monitoring services

Doesn’t offer window or door sensors

Can only access one day of video history with the free plan

Canary Home Security Equipment & Packages

Canary offers customers a wide selection of products to purchase so that they can choose how to secure their home. From indoor surveillance to outdoor accessories, here’s the equipment available through Canary home security.

Canary Home Security Equipment Comparison

Metric	Canary View	Canary Pro	Canary Flex
Best For	Securing Indoor Areas	Monitoring Air Quality	Securing Outdoor Areas
Motion Detection?	✔	✔	✔
Night Vision?	✔	✔	✔
90 Decibel Siren?	✘	✔	✘
Temperature, humidity, and air monitoring?	✘	✔	✘
Weatherproof?	✘	✘	✔
Wireless?	✘	✘	✔
Camera	HD Camera with 1080p image sensor	HD Camera with 1080p image sensor	HD Camera with 1080p image sensor
Field of View	147° wide-angle lens	147° wide-angle lens	116° wide-angle lens
Wi-Fi	2.4GHz Wi-Fi	2.4GHz Wi-Fi	Dual-band Wi-Fi

Here is a breakdown of Canary’s equipment:

Canary View: The Canary View provides customers with 1080p HD video; however, it doesn’t come with the siren or home air quality monitoring like the Canary Pro. It does give customers access to 30-day video history, two-way communication, and unlimited video downloads when you purchase the Canary Premium Service.
Canary Pro: The Canary Pro gives customers the same high-quality footage as the View edition, with clear footage of your home’s interior. It comes equipped with a 90-decibel siren and constantly adapts, automatically arming your system when you’re away and detecting unusual activity in your home. It also monitors air quality, humidity, and temperature and notifies you of smoke or carbon monoxide within the home. When you purchase a one- or two-year Canary Premium Service subscription, you’ll receive access to two-way communication and video history for 30 days.
Canary Flex: The Canary Flex is a small, versatile camera capable of surveilling indoor and outdoor areas. The camera is waterproof and can withstand temperatures between -4 and 113°F. Like the Pro and View indoor home security cameras, the Canary Flex comes with two-way communication when you purchase the Canary Premium Service, making the small camera great for warding off intruders outside or monitoring a nursery within the home.
Secure, Twist, and Stake Mount: Canary offers three different mounts for the Canary Flex, giving you the ability to place your camera in almost any location. The Secure mount attaches to any wall or surface and contains a cylindrical ball joint that allows the camera to move freely in any direction. The Twist mount uses a flexible rod to wrap around surfaces inside and outside. The Stake mount is designed to stick into your pots, garden beds, or yard, giving a discrete look into your outside areas.

Canary Home Security Packages

Package Name	Best For	What’s Included
Starter Pack	Securing one large room	Canary Pro (1) and Canary Flex (1)
Total Home Pack	Securing 1 large room, plus an additional area	Canary Pro (1) and Canary Flex (2)
Outdoor Security Pack	Securing 2 outdoor areas	Canary Flex (2) and Secure Mount (1)

While the majority of Canary home security devices are purchased individually, the company does package a few products together, offering customers multiple devices that can secure a larger area of the home. Canary’s three security packages include the Starter Pack, Total Home Pack, and Outdoor Security Pack.

Starter Pack: The Starter Pack bundles a Canary Pro and Canary Flex, allowing customers to secure an area like a large living room or outdoor area. The Starter Pack includes 1 Canary Pro and 1 Canary Flex.
Total Home Pack: The Total Home Pack includes everything from the Starter Pack but includes one more Canary Flex, securing an additional area within or around your home. The Total Home Pack includes 1 Canary Pro and 2 Canary Flex.
Outdoor Security Pack: The Outdoor Security Pack allows you to secure two of your home’s outdoor areas and is bundled with a wall mount for customized installation. The Outdoor Security Pack includes 2 Canary Flex and a secure mount.

Canary Home Security Premium Service Details

Canary provides a Premium Service with each of its cameras and bundles. Premium Service includes the following advantages:

24/7 Watch Live
Personal Safety Button
Full-length Video Clips
30-Day Video History
Two-way Talk
Incident Support
Extended 2-Year Warranty
Unlimited Video Downloads
Activity Zone Masking
Person Detection
One-tap to Police
Desktop Streaming

Canary Home Security Warranties

Canary offers U.S. customers and European customers a two-year limited warranty. The limited warranty only applies to hardware products manufactured by or for Canary, not consumable products such as batteries.

Canary also offers a 60-day free trial for all products sold on their website, allowing you to return the product if you’re not satisfied at no cost to you.

Canary Home Security Pricing

Each Canary home security camera is bundled with Premium Service, meaning that there is no separate cost for the equipment. Premium Service for each camera type is charged monthly.

Canary View + Premium Service: $9.99/month
Canary Pro + Premium Service: $12.99/month
Canary Flex + Premium Service: $14.99/month

Canary Home Security Customer Service

To help customers better understand their system, Canary has a help center where users can input concerns, browse frequently asked questions, and get information on Canary Premium Service membership. If users can’t find an answer, Canary offers customer service via SMS text or online chat every week from 8am to 5pm EST.

Canary Home Security Reviews

Canary is accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and holds an F rating with the BBB. This rating comes from complaints the company has received about camera malfunctions, products unexpectedly going offline, and payment concerns.

Here’s one Canary home security review from a dissatisfied customer:

“They autodraft without your knowledge, give no way to cancel their service, and make it impossible to get a hold of them. Horrible company and customer service, very deceptive business practices.” — Tim C. via BBB on 1/3/2020

Our Conclusion

We rated Canary home security a 9 out of 10 and considers it the Best Security System for Two-Way Audio. Canary is for homeowners who are looking for video surveillance of specific areas within the home along with communication capabilities. While Canary offers high definition video and an option to watch live footage via its app, the camera can only secure one area at a time. It also holds a low BBB rating.

Although the company has a couple of drawbacks, we recommend Canary for those seeking an easy-to-install system with night vision and premium benefits like two-way communication, unlimited video downloads and a one-tap option to contact police. View all of the benefits and determine if Canary is right for you.

If you’re not sure whether Canary is right for you, see how the company stacks up against other top-rated security companies in the industry.

Canary Home Security vs. Competitors

Provider	Abode	Vivint	ADT
View Plans	View Plans	View Plans	View Plans
Monthly Monitoring Cost	$6.00-$20.00	$40+	$36.99+
Contract Required?	No contract	No contract	36 month contract
24/7 Monitoring	Available	Available	Included
Professional Installation	✔	Pricing by quote	$99+
DIY Installation	✔	✘	✘
Mobile App Access	✔	✔	✔
Motion Detection	✔	✔	✔
Smart Home Compatibility	✔	✔	✔
Video Surveillance	✔	With camera purchase	✔
Video Streaming Capability	✔	With camera purchase	✔
Money-Back Guarantee	✘	Warranty only	6 months (installation and monitoring fees)*
BBB Rating	A+	D+	A+

More Reviews on Home Security Companies

Frequently Asked Questions about Canary Home Security

Does Canary have a money-back guarantee?

Yes, if you’re unsatisfied with your purchase of any Canary product, you can return it within 60 days at no charge.

Does Canary come with home automation?

Canary products are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. You can use a voice assistant to learn the temperature and humidity within your home, ask who is at your front door, or check how much battery is left in your device.

Can I use Canary without monitoring?

Yes, Canary can only be self-monitored through their application.

How Does Canary Work?

Get started with your Canary home security plan by purchasing one of their products that you will install yourself—typically by plugging it in or giving it batteries. After installation, you monitor your own system through the Canary app, which gives you live video feed, direct emergency contact, and the option to trigger your device’s siren.

With Canary, there’s no complicated installation or hidden fees. A one-time purchase is made for your selected home security device and after that, you can decide if you want to purchase Canary’s premium service, which gives you access to two-way communication through devices and video storage.

Our Rating Methodology

We back up our home security recommendations with a detailed rating methodology that we use to objectively score each provider. Our research includes analyzing product specifications, reviewing service and plan information, speaking with customer service representatives, and analyzing customer reviews. We then score the provider against our review standards for system options, special features, installation options, connectivity and smart-home automation features, pricing, contract terms, warranty, usability, availability of a trial period, and trustworthiness to arrive at a final score out of 100.

To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at reviews@thisoldhousereviews.com.