Several popular security camera manufacturers create reliable, durable and functional products. Two such prominent and well-known companies are Canary and Piper. These two are highly-trusted and respected brands that have released best-selling security cameras.
In this Piper vs Canary comparison article, we'll compare these two security cameras, rate their designs, discuss their features and capabilities, and write about the advantages and disadvantages. Lastly, we'll come up with a reasonable verdict and crown either Canary or Piper NV as the leading security camera.
Table of Contents
Piper vs Canary: Pros & Cons and Verdict
Piper and Canary are well-known for their functionality and useful security features. These two security cameras have thousands of satisfied customers, and people consider them as the complete products on the market.
Let's find out if Canary All-in-One and Piper are that good and if they can meet or exceed our expectations. To do so, we'll discuss some of the most critical aspects of both security cameras.
1. Installation Process
The first thing we need to address is the installation process of Canary and Piper. Today, modern smart home shoppers don't want to invest in products that require professional assistance or too much time to install. So we need to be sure that activating Canary and Piper is a fairly swift process.
Piper NV
Piper NV is a DIY security camera that takes 5 minutes to activate. Instead of writing a step-by-step guide, I'll drop a fantastic vid uploaded by Piper that perfectly explains how to do it.
If you still have doubts and didn't fully understand the setup process, Piper NV's package includes a beautiful user's manual that'll walk you through the whole thing. As a last resort, you can reach out to the support team of Piper. Those guys are superb and will help with everything you think is relevant.
Canary All-in-One
Canary All-in-One is one of the most comfortable security cameras to set up. It takes a few minutes to complete the process, and there's no chance of getting lost. I'll write a simple guide to activating your Canary security camera:
- Use the USB cord to plug Canary All-in-One into a power source
- Use the yellow cord to connect Canary to your smartphone device
- Download the mobile application and follow the simple steps
That's all you need to do. Canary is a beautiful DIY security camera that is well-known for being one of the most straightforward devices to activate. If you still have questions left, Canary's package includes a beautiful user's manual, and you can use it for further guidance.
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While activating your Canary, if problems arise while pairing your phone with the security camera, make sure to contact Canary's support. I've seen several reports where people complained about the issues with this process.
2. Design
It's utterly essential for our security cameras to be functional and good-looking. Today, people try to shop for products that are well-made and beautifully designed. It's crucial for both security cameras to look good in the context of our home interiors. Otherwise, buyers won't be interested in purchasing Canary All-in-One and Piper NV.
Piper NV
To be honest, I'm not keen on the design of Piper NV. It's not beautiful and looks noticeably strange. Piper NV is available in two colours – black and white. The dimensions of Piper NV are 5.5 x 7 x 8.8 inches, and it weighs 11.5 ounces.
If you don't know how the security camera looks, take a look at the picture posted below.
It's not that Piper is ugly or unattractive, but I find it too mainstream and straightforward. It doesn't have anything unique, and it's not eye-catching. Piper doesn't raise interest and curiosity. On the contrary, it's kind of creepy.
I've seen a few mounted Piper NV security cameras, and I wasn't impressed with its aesthetics. There are far more beautiful, eye-catching security cameras, and Piper NV is not a match for them.
Canary All-in-One
Standing 6 inches tall and measuring 3 inches in diameter, Canary is available in three colours – black, white and silver. Canary is one of the most uniquely designed security cameras on the market. If you take a look at it, it doesn't even look like a security camera. It attracts a lot of positive attention.
I've met several people who own Canary All-in-One. All of them mentioned how their visitors love to compliment the aesthetics of the security camera and tend to be curious about what it is.
Canary perfectly blends with the interior design, and it can be placed anywhere in any room. Shortly, Canary All-in-One is one of the best-looking products on the market, and I've never come across a person talking negatively about the looks of the security camera.
3. Features
Generally, in order to find out what a security camera is capable of, it’s essential to know its features. Otherwise, we can’t know what to expect from a particular device.
So we need to know what features these devices offer and if there are any meaningful differences between Canary All-In-One and Piper NV. It can be confusing for customers if they buy a device without knowing its exact capabilities. So, to avoid any uncertainty, we’ve created a detailed chart that shows the features of both security cameras.
| CANARY ALL-IN-ONE | PIPER NV | |
|---|---|---|
| 147° Field of View | 180° Field of View | |
| See and Hear Feature | Enhanced 1,920-by-1,080 HD Camera | |
| Siren | Multi-room Security | |
| 1080 HD Video | Two Way Talk | |
| HomeHealth Technology | Motion & Sound Detection | |
| Intelligent Notifications | Temperature, Light & Humidity Sensors | |
| Privacy Mode | 105 dB Siren | |
| Mobile Application | Night Vision | |
| One-Touch Emergency Access | Z-Wave Support | |
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Canary and Piper have the ambition to be the all-in-one hub. While both have similar features, there are some noticeable differences. If we compare the features of these two security cameras, Piper NV leads the competition. It's more advanced, complete and enhanced.
4. Performance
Besides everything we've discussed, we need to know the performance capability of Piper NV and Canary All-in-One. If a security camera can't meet a purchaser's requirements, they will look elsewhere.
Piper NV
Piper NV is a Z-wave controller; it has better recording capabilities, better night vision, Android and iOS mobile apps, CMOS sensor and the ability to download clips directly to your smartphone. Right now, Piper NV can be called the best surveillance camera on the market.
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The 180-degree field of view and the 10x zoom makes the Piper NV extra class. To be honest, there's not a single device that could match the capabilities of this security camera. Inside the Piper, there's a temperature, light and humidity sensor. Besides everything we've mentioned, Piper NV has a sound and motion detection system that alerts you whenever the security camera detects anything suspicious.
On top of this, Piper makes sure to track the indoor and outdoor temperature. Due to Z-wave technology, Piper is integrable with dozens of smart home devices. You can pair it with dimmers, window sensors, and smart switches.
The mobile application of Piper is the primary tool to control your security camera. It allows you to change modes, and view footage and triggers captured by the sound and motion detection system. Also, it shows the indoor and outdoor temperature. We'll talk more about the mobile app in the following sections.
Piper NV records in 1080p quality and takes crystal clear images and vids. The black-and-white night vision is also clean, and you'll have zero trouble figuring out who's standing in Piper's field of view. If you're interested how well Piper records, check out this picture below:
The motion and sound detection of Piper work flawlessly; throughout numerous tests conducted, there were no signs of lags, bugs or crashes. Piper was quite sharp at detecting motion. Every time we entered the room where Piper was placed, it always sent notifications, and the siren was quite loud too.
We wanted to make sure that the siren is loud enough, and when we tested, the sound was quite noisy. So that's a huge plus that makes the security camera more effective – in terms of security, apart from anything else.
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The two-way audio communication works flawlessly. Piper obeyed every command we gave it without any complications. In short, Piper NV performs at a high level, and it is an ideal security camera.
Canary All-in-One
Like other security cameras, Canary offers a motion detection feature amongst its suite of desirable features. Canary is well-known for being a functional, durable and an adequate security camera that has thousands of satisfied customers.
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We've tested Canary All-in-One to find out how well it performed. During the tests, Canary turned out to be a disappointment. It regularly sent false alerts that were triggered by harmless movement. That's a massive issue since people might start ignoring all of their alerts, thinking that there's nothing special going on.
The good part is that Canary has been actively working to solve this issue. They've rolled out several updates that seem to have resolved the problem. Despite this, we did experience some persistent issues with Canary not always sending the correct alerts.
Canary has added a new feature, which works as follows:
- When the security camera sends an alert that you believe is false, you can notify Canary that you don't want to see more of these kinds of notifications.
It takes time for the security camera to understand what type of notifications you have in mind, so don't expect instant changes.
The Canary records in crystal clear quality. The 1080p HD camera takes lovely pics and vids. If you're interested in how well this security camera can record, I've dropped a great video that demonstrates the capabilities of the Canary All-in-One.
Besides recording quality vids, Canary monitors the air quality, temperature, and humidity. If it notices something suspicious, Canary will send notifications on your smartphone. Besides the camera capabilities, Canary captures sound perfectly; and as we've tested, if you listen carefully, conversations held in different rooms can be heard.
Siren is another cool feature of Canary that makes the security camera more desirable. If Canary detects suspicious activity, you can activate the siren and alarm the interloper that you've seen them. That's pretty cool since even if you're out of town, you can still make the burglar think you're somewhere close.
While having a siren is a huge plus, there are some issues with it since lots of buyers reported problems. One of my friends who owns a Canary All-in-One had an awful night when the siren was triggered 15 times.
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The night vision of Canary is good, and it records in crystal clear quality. The geofencing feature of Canary is also excellent. If Canary detects that there's a registered smartphone in its range, it'll automatically go into ‘disarmed' mode so that your privacy is respected and not recorded. But as soon as you leave and Canary detects you're out, it'll go into ‘armed' mode.
The drawback of Canary is that it has problems controlling several security cameras. When we tried activating 4 Canarys, all of them became buggy and unpredictable. So that's something Canary needs to solve as soon as possible.
5. Mobile Application
Having a quality mobile application is essential for both security cameras since we all actively use those apps to control our devices. If Canary and Piper don't have quality mobile apps, the user experience will be quite low, and buyers will start looking for alternatives.
Piper NV
What makes Piper's mobile application great is the freedom it provides. This security camera allows the user to configure notifications and prohibit Piper NV to act if the owner wants to do so. Here's what I have in mind:
As you see, there are several options for us to choose from. If Piper detects motion, you can, for example, configure it so that the security camera records a clip, sends notifications to your phone and sounds the siren. On top of this, Piper uses the location of your smartphone for it to know when you're home or away.
Lately, I've seen cases where Piper NV failed to send notifications, and the mobile application suddenly became useless. Other owners have noted the same. Luckily, this problem seems to be solved, and for a few weeks now, I've never seen my Piper disconnecting or not functioning.
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There's another cool feature in the app. If the bandwidth is causing problems, you can lower (or raise) the streaming resolution. You can also view and download the motion and sound triggered clips stored in the ‘Events' tab. What's cool about Piper NV is that there aren't any monthly charges and you don't need a subscription for a cloud service. Piper offers 1,000 35-second clip cloud storage for free. If you start running out of space, delete the clips that are old or useless.
Whenever Piper detects activity, it'll record a 35-second clip and include the date, mode of the security camera and time. That's quite cool since it provides all the insights you might need, and you'll have zero trouble remembering what caused a specific event on a particular date.
The control page allows you to create cool scenes with other Z-wave smart home devices. For example, if you pair Piper with dimmers and a lamp, then when the security camera's sensors detect that it's dark outside, it'll automatically turn the lights on.
The most significant drawback of Piper NV is that it doesn't support Apple HomeKit, Wink, SmartThings and IFTTT. That's quite a big drawback if you plan using any of these services.
Canary All-in-One
Canary's mobile application is available for iOS and Android. There's also a web app if you want to access it from a desktop computer. What makes Canary even more unique is that it's one of the rare security cameras that work with an Apple Watch. So if you want to receive notifications and updates on your Apple Watch, Canary lets you do so.
The interface of the mobile application is easy-to-navigate and intuitive. It takes hardly any time to understand what's where. The main screen of the app displays items such as temperature, air quality and humidity. You can also access the live feed and review recorded footages.
Canary also has ‘Homehealth' – a handy feature that helps you control and monitor the air quality in your house. Here's how it works:
- For example, if you place Canary in the living room and you light up a cigarette, the air quality will change instantly and show up as ‘very abnormal'.
That covers all our feedback on the mobile application of Canary All-in-One. It works quite well; it's clean and functional. The live feed of Canary displays two critical buttons that can help you act fast in case of an emergency.
Whenever you view the live feed, Canary will display an ‘Emergency Call' and a ‘Sound the Siren' button. So if an intruder trespasses on your property, you can call the police and sound the siren to scare them.
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As for bugs and glitches, Canary's mobile app is free of all that. I've never seen buyers complaining about the app crashing or freezing. The only problem is the pairing issues, which can be solved quite easily.
6. Advantages and Disadvantages
Before we conclude our comparison article, we need to find out the pros and cons of Piper and Canary. It's important to know all the advantages and disadvantages of both security cameras to avoid any misunderstandings. Hence we've created a useful chart showing the pros and cons of both devices.
Piper NV
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to Set Up | Average Design | |
| Z-Wave Controller | Not Third-Party Integration Friendly | |
| Crisp 1080p HD Video | ||
| Flexible Mobile Application | ||
| 105 dB Sensor | ||
| 180° Field of View | ||
| Enhanced Night Vision | ||
| Multi-Room Security | ||
| Two-Way Talk | ||
| Temperature, Light & Humidity Sensors | Purchase Piper NV |
Canary All-in-One
| PROS | CONS | |
|---|---|---|
| Easy to Set Up | Sensitive Siren | |
| 24/7 Live Streaming | Frequent False Alerts | |
| Crisp 1080p HD Video | ||
| Flexible Mobile Application | ||
| Homehealth Technology | ||
| 147° Field of View | ||
| Enhanced Night Vision | ||
| Intelligent Alerts | ||
| See and Hear | ||
| Privacy Mode | Purchase Canary All-in-One |
Both security cameras have a lot of pros and a few, not so scary, cons. These two devices are well-known for being capable, durable and functional.
7. Support
When people purchase smart devices, quite often they have a hard time understanding “what's what”. When they fail to find answers on their own, the remaining option is to reach out to the support teams.
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Luckily, both Piper NV and Canary All-in-One are well-known for having quality customer care areas. So if you have any complications and can't figure what to do next, just reach out to the support teams, and they'll help with anything you think is relevant.
8. Comparison Chart: Piper NV vs Canary All-in-One
Before concluding our comparison article, here is a detailed chart in which we compare Canary All-in-One and Piper NV directly.
| NAME OF THE SECURITY CAMERA | PIPER NV | CANARY ALL-IN-ONE |
|---|---|---|
| Security Camera Name | Piper NV | Canary All-in-One |
| Video Quality | 1080p HD | 1080p HD |
| Field of View | 180° | 147° |
| Mobile Application | Yes | Yes |
| Night Vision | Yes | Yes |
| Motion Detection | Yes | Yes |
| Intelligent Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Audio Capabilities | Yes | Yes |
| Live Stream | Yes | Yes |
| Third-Party Friendliness | Low | Average |
| Easy to Set Up | Yes | Yes |
| Notifications on Phone | Yes | Yes |
| Dimensions Of The Product | 5.5 x 7 x 8.8 inches | 6 x 3 x 3 inches |
| Problems | No Third-Party Integration Friendliness | Sensitive Siren & False Alerts |
| Unique Feature | Customizable Alerts & 105 dB Siren | Siren |
| Warranty | 1-year | 1-year |
| Check Price |
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So both devices have all the important features a security camera can have. They're well-known for being reliable and durable products with high-ratings and best-seller statuses. While they share the majority of the features, Piper NV is still a superior security camera that exceeds Canary in every major aspect.
The Bottom Line
If you want to purchase a top-notch security camera that has outstanding capabilities, useful features, high durability and thousands of positive reviews, you have to buy the Piper NV.
Piper NV is a wonderful security camera that outranks the majority of its competitors. Piper is known for its high standards and security levels. If compared with Canary, it exceeds the security camera in every important aspect.
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For sure, Canary All-in-One is a well-built, beautiful and a functional device that has good features and capabilities. Still, it’s not a security camera we’d like to depend on. In short, if you want to own a top-notch security camera, purchasing the Piper NV is the best decision you can make.
| Security Camera Name | Piper NV | Canary All-in-One |
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