Why You Can Trust CNET Archos Smart Home Starter Pack review: This Android security and automation kit lacks focus
Archos' Smart Home Starter Pack seems like a great deal, but arbitrary design choices left us scratching our heads.
The $250 (£200 in the UK, Australian availability not yet announced) Archos Smart Home Starter Pack is a security and automation system that comes with an Android tablet, two cameras, two motion sensors, and two temperature and humidity sensors. Pair the accessories to the tablet using Bluetooth and set up rules like, "If the door opens, take a photo/video," or "If the indoor temperature drops below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, send me a push notification." That's a fair number of features for an entry-level DIY kit.
Archos Smart Home Starter Pack
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Unfortunately, the system's core design doesn't make a lot of sense. The included Android "tablet" has the ergonomics of an alarm clock and the screen quality of same. And since it functions as the linking hub for the various accessories in the kit, it's mostly designed to stay in one place. Hobbled by the tablet, and laden with cheap-feeling accessories, this kit feels more like an attempt to cash-in on the hype surrounding the smart home. Look to SmartThings and other kits for more robust alternatives in the same price range.
Design and features
Archos' Smart Home Starter Pack looks pretty nice at-a-glance. The tablet and related accessories have a white finish that's subtle enough to blend into most rooms. There's also a distinct plasticky feel to these components, causing me to question their long-term durability.
The tablet has a low-resolution 7-inch display and runs Jelly Bean (Android 4.2.2). Like other standard Android tablets, you can use it to access the internet, email, music, the Google Play App Store and so on. It also has a webcam, a light sensor, a microphone, a speaker, a temperature sensor, a microSD card slot, a Micro-USB port, a headphone jack, a reset button, and, confusingly, a built-in stand.
The build-in stand hump makes this tablet much more of a stationary home-automation hub than an easily-transportable mobile device. That means it has the functionality of a tablet without any of the ease-of-use. And even if it didn't have that awkward stand, the other accessories pair to it via Bluetooth. In other words, if you move the tablet out of range or power it down, the related accessories won't work at all. That solidifies this "tablet" as a relatively permanent fixture on your coffee table or other centrally-located spot.
The kit also comes with two Mini-Cams. These round cameras measure roughly 1.5 inches and run on three CR2450 coin cell batteries each. They have a 110-degree viewing angle, a 640x480 resolution, and come with magnetic bases for easy angle positioning. Regrettably, they can't be used for live monitoring or long-term recording. Instead, you can set up rules for the cameras to take photos or video clips after a motion alert or other triggering event.
The two accelerometer-equipped Movement Tags and two temperature and humidity-sensing Weather Tags run on one CR2430 coin cell battery each. They measure roughly 1.5 inches long by 1.5 inches wide by 0.5 inches deep and have adhesive backs for fast installation. The Movement Tags come with magnetic contacts that detect opening doors and windows. All of the accessories are waterproof and have a roughly 65-foot Bluetooth range.
Usability and performance
The setup was fairly straightforward. I powered on the tablet and logged in using a Gmail account. Then, I was able to access the already-downloaded Archos Smart Home app and start pairing the accessories. The app lets you create a mirror of your accessory setup so you can monitor your house in a more systematic way. So, if you have one Weather Tag in your bedroom and the other in your living room, you can track the current temperature and humidity by room in the app, too.
Pairing the cameras, motion sensors, and weather sensors was painless. Go to the "accessories" section in the app, hit the plus button on the top right corner, select the product you want to add, and follow the instructions. It will tell you to push the pairing button on the accessory until the red pairing light starts to flash. Then, hit "start" and the app will take care of the rest.
Once all of your accessories are paired and installed, you can start creating what Archos calls "programs." Programs are custom rules that are structured like IFTTT recipes. I created various programs using the cameras, motion sensors, and weather sensors and they consistently worked as expected.
While I received push notifications and was able to view video footage or photos, the layout of the app was a little convoluted. The push notifications were color-coded and timestamped, but not labeled, so I could see that an event had taken place, but not what specific alert I was receiving (see middle screenshot above). Also, it felt unwieldy to scroll through the blocks of accessories to get to the one I wanted to view.
In addition to accessing this information directly on the Archos tablet, I downloaded the app on an Asus Nexus 7 tablet and on an iPhone 5. I was able to pair new accessories and create programs on the Nexus 7; The iOS app, on the other hand, is severely limited -- you can't pair devices or create programs on it at all.
The app also times out regularly -- sometimes after just a few seconds. There's also a different app connection process when you're connecting remotely and it involves a 16-digit number. It feels like Archos made this design needlessly overcomplicated.
This is especially true when you consider the competition. There are plenty of other home security and automation systems in the same relative price point that have functional Android apps with well-built accessories. Consider the US-only $230 Viper Home system .
The Viper Home Starter Kit comes with a hub, a motion sensor, and a door/window sensor. You can buy cameras, sirens, and additional accessories a la carte (the camera has a $10 monthly fee). It isn't outfitted with as many environmental sensors as this Archos system, but the app was intuitive and the accessories felt sturdy.
The $199 Piper all-in-one security system is another interesting option. It has even more environmental sensors than this Archos kit, as well as a camera with live-monitoring capabilities, a siren, a motion detector, and a built-in Z-Wave hub. More than that, neither Viper Home nor Piper had superfluous hardware.
Conclusion
Archos is best known for its Android tablets, so it isn't surprising that the brand wanted to incorporate one into its smart home vision. The problem is that most home monitoring takes place on-the-go, so a tablet that can't be used as a true tablet doesn't have much use as an automation tool. That makes this system's design feel fundamentally flawed -- and overpriced when you consider that the core component doesn't really add value. In addition, the app's label-less push notifications and clumsy block layout feel hastily thrown together.
Ditching the tablet, making the accessories Wi-Fi-enabled, and updating the app could dramatically improve the system, turning it from an oddly configured kit into a solid entry-level security system. You could wait for those improvements, but you're better off just looking for a kit from another vendor.