Earzz: A one-minute review
Smart Home Week
This review is part of TechRadar’s Smart Home Week 2024, bringing you all the latest news, tips and tricks to help you create the smart home of your dreams.
Earzz sensors use a microphone, smartphone app and AI to alert you to specific sounds, such as a baby crying, a dog barking, a doorbell, appliances beeping, broken glass, etc. The product of a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, Earzz is not only designed for the smart home (IFTTT integration), but also allows caregivers to attend to dependents and their needs in a reliable and anonymous way.
Battery life is about 8 hours, so it’s best to leave it plugged in with the included USB-C cable most of the time. Earzz can be set to play up to six of about 20 different sounds. Phone notifications are quick, often within seconds, and the app keeps a record of every time the device is triggered.
(Image courtesy of Future)
Imagination is key to getting the most out of Earzz. It can ring your phone when someone is at the door or alert care home staff if a resident may have had a fall. With the addition of IFTTT integration, Earzz can even blink your smart lights when the washing machine finishes.
The hardware is pretty basic, but it feels well-made. It’s easy to set up and use, and has a lot of features to explore. However, it doesn’t always perform as well as you’d expect, and it doesn’t always provide accurate alerts quickly enough. It’s still a work in progress at the moment, but the AI will certainly improve with training.
(Image courtesy of Future)
Earzz: Price and availability
How much does it cost? £79.99 (about $100), plus subscriptions. When is it available? Available now. Where can I get it? Available in the UK, with shipping to the US available.
At £79.99, or roughly $100, Earzz isn’t cheap, especially when you factor in subscriptions: The company advertises it for £7.99 a month, but you’ll be billed £95.88 (about $120) a year. That’s a steep price, so this might not be the kind of gadget you buy on a whim to experiment with your smart home.
Rather, the product is aimed at people who are perhaps hard of hearing and need a way to be notified of sounds like knocks on the door, smoke detectors, etc. Obviously, there’s a lot of value in a product like this, but the price tag might put off those less interested in smart homes.
Earzz: Specs
Swipe to scroll horizontally.Row 0 – Cell 0 EarzzRow 0 – Cell 2Dimensions: 5 x 5 x 4cmRow 1 – Cell 2Connectivity: USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (the latter is for setup only)Row 2 – Cell 2Weatherproof: No, indoors onlyRow 3 – Cell 2Battery life: approx. 8 hoursRow 4 – Cell 2Smart home connectivity: IFTTTRow 5 – Cell 2Schedule functionality: YesRow 6 – Cell 2Colour options: Black and whiteRow 7 – Cell 2Subscription: Yes, £95.88 per yearRow 8 – Cell 2
Should I buy Earzz?
…then buy it
Do not purchase if…
How we tested Earzz
I’ve been using Earzz for a few weeks now, tried out almost all of the 20 different sound alerts, and connected Earzz to my IFTTT account.
I created an Earzz account and connected my device to a Wi-Fi network. I then tested Earzz with some real and recorded sounds, including an intercom buzzer and a washing machine, neither of which Earzz recognized, unfortunately. To remedy the situation, I sent a recording of the buzzer to the Earzz team, which added it to the sound catalogue. It now works perfectly, but I understand that this is not a service that regular customers can expect.
Even better, the product responded quickly to two different smoke detectors and a carbon monoxide monitor. It also worked well with IFTTT, making it easy to create a routine that would turn on my Hue lights when my door buzzer went off.
The app allows users to provide feedback on every sound Earzz hears, which I did dutifully, telling the app what it got right and, more importantly, when it got it wrong and what the sound should have been, which should allow the AI to improve over time.
I also tried playing various doorbell sounds and dog barking sounds from my computer, and while these were mostly recognised, the notifications sometimes came with a delay. I’d heard that Wi-Fi strength was a factor, but it didn’t help that the app claimed Earzz’s signal strength was never above 65%, even when I was right next to a router or network extender.
Smart Home Week
This article is part of TechRadar’s Smart Home Week 2024, where we bring you all the latest news, tips and tricks to help you create the smart home of your dreams.
