INTRODUCTION

   How many times have you left your home or office to go on a vacation but your mind stayed behind because you were afraid of what might happen while you were away? Well i don't know about you all but this happens a lot to me even when i leave for a single day so aside equipping our lab with several IP cameras set to record around the clock I’ve done the same at my place to try and put my mind at ease. However IP cameras on their own might just not be enough to keep potential burglars away so lately I’ve been scouring the market to see what kind of budget-friendly out of the box solutions are available for consumers who are looking for something easy both to setup and use. To my surprise there are actually quite a few available choices most of which come from a company named smanos and so today we're taking a closer look at their latest W020i WiFi Alarm System.

   smanos is the brainchild of smanos and Chuango Technology Holdings, with a 16-year-long commitment to simplistic design and system reliability. Marketed and serviced from Amsterdam, smanos is our security, monitoring and automation solution portfolio for the global residential and SOHO market, especially targeted at retail channels in hardware/DIY building materials, consumer electronics and IT/mobile accessories. The US$1.4-million, 325-sqm/3,500-sqft facility just outside of Schiphol Airport is a multifunctional design, support and logistics center that facilitates the turning of popular demands, disruptive innovations and intuitive designs into palpable sensations. For the Americas market, smanos inc. is at your service from a 445-sqm/4,800-sqft equally multifunctional facility in Dallas, Texas.

   The smanos W020i WiFi Alarm System consists of the central unit, IP6 WiFi HD Camera, remote control and two wireless window/door contact sensors (DS2300 models) so it pretty much has everything you need to setup a basic wireless alarm system. The central unit features a powerful build-in siren (105dB) which goes off in case one of the sensors is tampered with (or if you want it to go off by using the remote control or the smart android/iOS app) and a WiFi receiver/transmitter (IEEE802.11b/g/n) while the IP6 WiFi camera features two way audio/communication (via a built-in speaker and microphone), microSD card slot in which it can record clips and a Exmor 1/3" CMOS sensor by SONY (1280x720p @ 30fps) which smanos has paired with a 5MP (Megapixel) 110 degrees wide-angle lens. Unfortunately although the IP6 WiFi camera can record video in low-light environments it doesn't feature IR LEDs (night vision) and that may "annoy" some potential buyers. So let's move forward with today’s review and see just what smanos has to offer with the W020i WiFi Alarm System.