Home CasaVerdeSmart ,,,,,Netatmo entered the Internet of Things world with many original products and by first introducing many new technologies in consumer devices: the Welcome camera was among the very first to manage face recognition and bring them to your computer, iPad, iPhone smartphone. and also on Apple Watch and manages not only the detection of movements but also the transposition of the signals of other alarm systems thanks to the microphone input and the Internet connection that signals any extraordinary audio signal or the entry of people with an unknown face in home.
Cyber Layman has already tried in recent months the Netatmo Welcome camera (we refer you to the complete review on this page ) but in the meantime the French company it has not been idle and has frequently updated, as it does with all its products, the management software, introducing several interesting innovations such as the possibility of recording video-alarms not only on the micro-SD card in supplied but also on FTP and DropBox to allow you to access and control movements in your home at any time.
The other interesting novelty that is the subject of our test is the availability of a motion sensor kit with an affordable price (99 Euro including VAT for three of them) called “ Tags “Which integrate the security functions of the cameras to which both the Welcome model for interiors and the Presence model for exteriors that have been on the market a few weeks ago must be connected.
The Tags have a unique feature in many ways: unlike other similar products they can be mounted outside and therefore are not exclusively dedicated to internal doors and windows (doors and windows) but also to gates and shutters. We tried them in this capacity with Netatmo Presence and we show you how it went.
The packaging
In order to test the Tags we had to install the Welcome camera from scratch that was provided to us for the overall test: the sensors use a low-consumption radio connection with the camera that allows a wireless connection at a distance of 80 meters, excellent for large apartments or to connect to gates on the fence when the house does not have a mega-park available. In our tests with a 45-inch camera behind a wall with cap insulation the detection of the sensor reaches about 70 meters.
Here, then, in the photos below, the packaging of the camera and the three sensors which are obviously equipped with a battery whose duration is around 12 months but which also depends on the frequency with which the movement data is transmitted.
The packaging of the video camera and that of the sensors 
We open both for a dimensional comparison 
The camera equipment 
we unpack the sensors 
The contents of the box: 6 AA batteries for the 3 sensors 
There is no shortage of stickers for fixing 
Here is the back with the features 
The bottom shows the screw accessible with a small coin or a nice flat screwdriver 
The internal spring allows a good tightening 
it is necessary to overcome a good resistance of the spring to close 
The information can be found on the reported page but the installation is perform from the video camera app 
Here we apply the sensor on an external dark 
here on a window 
and here on a secondary entrance door 
The back of the camera 
the slot for the micro-SD, the micro USB socket for the power supply 
The supplied micro-SD 
The camera's beautiful lens 
The hole for the microphone 
The synchronization between tag and camera 
Dimensional comparison with our weather station Netatmo
The installation and placement of tags.
As anticipated, we installed the camera from scratch and added the Tags. below we see all the assisted installation phase of the camera that repeats the steps already seen in the relative review …
We install the camera 
Here is the whole procedure … 
that will allow us to configure with wi-fi and face recognition 
… here, on the other hand, the specific installation of the tags which initially involves synchronization with the camera, then mounting on the frame (window door or gate) and finally calibration: the tag in fact needs to know exactly what the position is “Open” or “closed” of the frame to be able to provide you with a direct report or allow you to consult its status.
It must be said that most of the door-window sensors on the market are equipped with a magnetic system: the sensor is divided into two parts (one with the battery and one with a simple magnet) whose disconnection due to opening communicates a status signal while here it is the detection of a vibration and a displacement with respect to a rest position.
As you can see from the photos of the initial gallery we installed the sensor both internal and external frames (one dark) and then also inside a drawer. The management of the calibration is also based on the adjustment of the sensitivity that fixes the limit excursion. We thought we could also detect the opening status of a tilting window (the window opens tilting with respect to the vertical, letting the air pass in the upper part) but no sensitivity setting or sensor rotation allowed us to detect the variation also because the excursion of the limelight itself in the farthest part from the center of rotation was only 10 cm.
The calibration process is very fast and we applied it as mentioned also by inserting one of the tags inside a drawer to detect its opening. If the calibration is not successful, simply remove and put the batteries supplied and that is why it is advisable to position the tags so that the lower part has space to let them out when they run out.
The use of standard AA batteries obviously helps with cost management as they are readily available at low cost. It should be noted that the spring with which the batteries are ejected once the door is opened is very “powerful” and the subsequent closure receives considerable pressure to guarantee a good functioning of the whole.
As you can see from the images above, the tags already come with an attachment system with double-sided adhesive and we must say, having mounted them on the inside of a shutter that has been exposed for 3 months, when open, to the sun, wind and rain, that the link proved very effective. We obviously don't know how it could react with snow and very cold temperatures.
Once installed, the tags transmit their position to the camera, or rather to the application that shows their status, quite quickly: the signaling delay is 3-4 seconds … but this is not about managing an instant alarm but to understand the state of an opening. In our case, the tag was useful above all as a check on the correct closing of all the windows before leaving home or in remote control of the same.
At work
While the camera works efficiently detecting movement, noise and above all the faces of those who enter the house, it is clear that it can only do its job in the entrance area of the house while windows or other doors remain unguarded, open or half-open, leaving easy play for any intrusions.
In the months in which the tags remained active they proved to be very efficient for detecting accesses to the back door of the apartment and for checking that the darkness of a room was regularly closed or that a drawer with particular contents in the house was not opened. Initially we had problems disconnecting the tags but the latest versions of the software used before the return have almost eliminated the problem.
The opening or movement signaling is integrated into the application and appears in the list of camera events or in the push notifications of the phone or, if you have an Apple Watch, also on the smartwatch screen: obviously it will be your care when measuring the sensitivity of avoid the detection of movements such as movement due to the wind or improper shocks (our dog leaning against the secondary entrance door from time to time).
The range of the link is largely overestimated by Netatmo and perhaps should be adapted to more realistic actual measurements: according to our tests it does not go beyond 20-25 meters if you have heavy walls between the camera and the tags. Some users report problems with metal doors (like cellar fire doors) but unfortunately we have not thought about testing this type of frame.
Conclusions
Obviously, no one would buy the Tags for themselves and then the camera to manage them: it is a system that expands the camera's alarm management capacity and does so at a very affordable price and with excellent integration and even if it does not replace a real alarm system helps us manage the house: “will I really close the window?” “Will I have closed all the shutters?” “Did I close the internal doors so as not to waste the heating between one zone and another?.
We would have liked that the individual sensors could be managed with IFTTT but at the moment only the camera is integrated into the system that manages various home automation devices and obviously everything is NOT managed through Homekit. On the other hand Netatmo Welcome (and similarly Netatmo Presence) are so comfortable with their management of facial recognition that they will be the reason for later adding the tags to increase their versatility.
For our part, the result of the camera test Welcome was f enomenal: few “surveillance” tools have proved to be so convenient especially in a family with several children whose return home times or presence when away from home is convenient, and being able to count on an integrated control system of openings is definitely an advantage. In the struggle between digital and non-digital in the family of the writer, Welcome with its tags represents one of the products on which we all agreed and the return of the product to Netatmo after the test was really suffered!
Pro
Easy to install, suitable for outdoor use, good design, affordable cost, standard batteries, excellent integration with Netatmo Welcome and Presence cameras.
Cons
They do not detect the closed-open state of the flap doors, they are not integrated (for the moment) in IFTTT. The range is lower than that declared and if exceeded it makes the connections unstable.
Price to the public
The kit with the 3 Tags costs 99 Euro including VAT while the Welcome camera costs 199 Euro including VAT. The product is distributed in Italy by Hinnovation and can be found online as well as in many APRs and specialized Apple stores.
Update: in September 2019 Netatmo presented a useful accessory for the Tag and Welcome sum alarm system; a siren with various types of alarm for 79.99 euros. It will be available from September 22nd.
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