Verdict

If you've got a Neos SmartCam, the Neos Smart Motion Kit is a smart and cheap way to boost what it's capable of with the addition of motion and contact sensors. Simple to install, the system is quick to detect when sensors have been tripped, sending you a message. Currently, that's the limit of what the system can do, so if you want anything more than basic monitoring, you're better off with a proper smart home alarm.

Pros

• Cheap
• Easy to install
• Quick to send messages

Cons

• Sensors do very little

With its free cloud service, high-quality camera and low price, the Neos SmartCam was the first truly budget camera that I could recommend. Today, the company is expanding what the camera is capable of with the Noes Smart Motion Kit.

With two contact (window/door) sensors and a motion sensor in the box, the kit expands how you monitor your home. With few options on what to do with an alert and only two modes, the kit can’t really compete with proper alarm systems.

Neos Smart Motion Kit Design and Features – Simple to set up but few options

All of the smart sensors have to be connected to the Neos Bridge, which ships in the box. This bridge plugs into the back of the Neos SmartCam, so if you don’t have a camera already, you’ll need to buy one. You can have multiple bridges per house to increase coverage (and, you’ll need the same number of cameras).

Once the bridge is in place, you can use the app to pair the sensors, which is really quick. If you’ve got multiple bridges, you’re asked which one you want to connect a sensor to, otherwise devices pair to a single bridge only.

The two contact sensors come with sticky fixers, so you can attach the main sensor to one part of a door, window, cupboard or another opening device, and the magnetic trigger to the other.

For the motion sensor, you get a magnetic mount that sticks to the wall, and then you can position the motion sensor where you want it.

Once set up, you can choose to have notifications when the sensors are triggered, but that’s the limit of what they can do. It’s a shame that there’s no option for a siren, or to trigger the camera recording. Sensors also don’t appear in Amazon Alexa, so you can’t use them to trigger Alexa routines.

You also only get notifications when the system is set to Armed, which also turns on the cameras. It’s disappointing there’s no intermediate setting, where cameras are turned off but the sensors still send alerts. Replaceable batteries are set to last 18 months, with the app warning you when battery life is low.

Related: Best smart home devices

Neos Smart Motion Kit Performance – Quick to send messages but the sensors don’t do a lot

With the system Armed, any sensor being triggered will send an alert to your smartphone, provided you have notifications turned on. How many alerts and what type depend on the sensor. With the contact sensors, you get an alert when they’re opened and when they’re closed; motion sensors simply give you an alert when motion is detected. That’s really it, and there’s not much more you can do with the information, beyond knowing that a sensor was triggered.

Alerts can get quite annoying, too. So, if you arm your system when you’re going to bed, you may get lots of alerts from the motion sensor, either triggered by yourself or even a pet, as these are not pet-safe.

You can turn alerts off for a sensor, but then there’s no point in having them, as they’re incapable of triggering any other action. As a security system, then, the Motion Kit is fairly limited, but you may find the kit useful for monitoring, say keeping tabs on a cat flap: just be warned that on a cat flap you’ll get two notifications per use: door open and door closed.

Should I buy the Neos Smart Motion Kit?

If you already have a Neos Smart Cam, then the Motion Kit is a cheap add-on that gives you very basic monitoring of your home. Yet, even considering how cheap the kit is, the system is hugely basic, only capable of sending you alerts. I recommend buying a full smart alarm, such as the Ring Alarm, instead.

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