{"id":17555,"date":"2016-01-05T12:51:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-05T05:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/?p=17555"},"modified":"2016-01-03T10:53:35","modified_gmt":"2016-01-03T03:53:35","slug":"home-via-phone-with-the-logitech-circle-cam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/home-via-phone-with-the-logitech-circle-cam\/","title":{"rendered":"Home Via Phone with the Logitech Circle Cam"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A webcam that helps you experience home life as it happens? Hmmm\u2026.what is this all about? Enter the Logitech Circle<\/a> cam which is an intelligent, portable home camera that brings life\u2019s moments right to your smartphone\u2026so you don\u2019t miss a thing. When I think \u201cwebcam\u201d, I think home security. And while, there are aspects of this camera that can help with home security, the focus of this camera really is bringing magical home life moments to your smartphone. <\/p>\n

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Logitech Circle Cam<\/span><\/h2>\n

When we first opened up the Logitech Circle cam, I was quite impressed by how easy it was to set up. It went from the box to the top of our entertainment center in minutes. The instructions are simply \u201cTurn Circle on\u201d and \u201cDownload Circle app.\u201d And seriously, it was that easy. We were ready to go in no time.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the most part, we leave it on top of our Entertainment Center, plugged in. But, it is completely portable and has a very strong magnet that lets you attach it anywhere that has a magnetic field. We can move it places like the refrigerator, the bathroom medicine cabinet and even the walls where we have metal studs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The box also includes a Command Strip and some screws if you do decide to mount it more permanently. When the Circle is not plugged in, the battery life is fairly minimal (lasting 2 – 4 hours depending on the amount of activity happening) which is why we keep it plugged in most of the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Logitech Circle cam has 135\u00b0 wide angle viewing. It features HD live-view and 2-way talk and listen. I can see what is happening in real-time on my phone. <\/span><\/p>\n

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As it records snippets throughout the day, I can scroll through the day and see what has happened during the day. If someone in the family is at home, I can actually talk to them from my phone and they can respond back. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Logitech Circle cam also has Scene Intuition which adapts to your home and identifies interesting clips so you can focus on what is important. For the most part, the Logitech Circle cam recognizes when there is motion and starts recording. It filters out ambient changes like night lights and daylight changes so that you only see the important happenings. The night vision is great – you can see everything even when the lights are all off. <\/span><\/p>\n

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For a Busy Family, theCircle Cam Helps Us \u201cDo\u201d Life<\/span><\/h2>\n

An Eye on the Kids<\/span><\/h3>\n

I am a mom of three boys, ages 11 (almost 12), 9 and 5. The 11-year-old is starting to get to the point that he wants to be able to stay home by himself or with his middle brother. I am still a little nervous about this. The Logitech Circle cam is great for this situation. I can go to the market and can check on them from my phone and know all is well. <\/span><\/p>\n

I can see how he handles my being gone and figure out if and when he is ready for a little more responsibility. If he is fighting with his brother? I can yell at them from my phone and they will know that I know what is going on. I have also been able to remind them to take care of their responsibilities (like practicing piano and doing homework) through the camera.<\/span><\/p>\n

Babysitters<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another way that the camera is useful is when we have babysitters. I like knowing that they are playing with my kids. I like to see what time they go to bed. And, I want to see that the sitter is cleaning up a little bit around the house if the kids go to bed way before we get home. While I can ask my kids in the morning and get some of this information, it is nice to be able to see first hand how good (or bad) the sitter is.<\/span><\/p>\n

A fun feature of the Logitech Circle cam is the 24-hour replay option on the app. You can get a \u201cDay Brief\u201d that shows the day\u2019s happenings in 30 seconds. You are able to download this and share it (via email, Dropbox, Facebook, etc.) There is also an option that allows you to download and share the segment. If my boys are acting crazy or doing something funny, I can find it on the app, download and email it to Grandma!<\/span><\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.logitech.com\/assets\/54127\/15\/circle-pdp.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div><\/p>\n

Pets<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

While we don\u2019t have a pet, I could see that this would be a great way to keep an eye on your animal if you are out and about. You could even talk to your pet if you wanted to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Security<\/span><\/h3>\n

I mentioned at the beginning that the Circle really focuses on catching family moments. Its focus is not being a Home Security camera. That being said, you CAN turn on push notifications which will alert you if the camera senses activity. If your entire family is out of the house and you get a push notification, you would know that something is up and could check the camera to see what is going on.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, the main reason that I say that it is not a Home Security camera is that it only keeps 24 hours worth of data. So, if you were to go on vacation on Friday, were robbed on Saturday and came home on Monday, you would not be able to find any footage from Saturday to identify the thief. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you had your push notifications on and knew that something had happened, you would need to download and share it that day or it would be lost. (As a side note, while I say that some of the home security features are a little lacking, based on the website, it looks like Logitech is working to make improvements on this.)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Pros<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n