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Maximus hits CES 2019 with a dual-camera doorbell and improved porch light

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Many smart home enthusiasts see video doorbells as a monitoring device, but fail to remember that even the best-crafted machines often have blind spots. Now a well-tested security devices manufacturer based out of Hayward, California, is addressing that challenge by launching a new dual-camera smart doorbell — the first of its kind in the smart home market — well as a new floodlight at CES in Las Vegas.

Maximus is committed to making easy-to-install smart home security solutions. The first new product in its one-two launch at CES is the Maximus Answer DualCam Video Doorbell, which uses two cameras to provide a wider field of vision and eliminate top or bottom blind spots that exist in many smart video doorbells already on the market, which generally only feature a single camera.

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Maximus Answer employs 1080p HDR cameras, each providing a field view of 155 degrees. The front-facing, music-quality speaker can not only enable two-way communication, but can also be programmed to play messages and customizable greetings, augmented by echo-cancellation technology to ensure clear and understandable messaging.

The new video doorbell also uses less power than others, according to a release from Maximus. It also utilizes lower latency and faster connection to the company’s proprietary Kuna app to not only control all of the Answer’s security functions and notifications, but also allow users to see and speak to visitors, sound an alarm, dial 911 in the case of an emergency, and more.

Maximus hasn’t discussed a premium subscription fee for video capture and playback directly, but does note that its platform is similar to previous Maximus products, with a two-hour download and “look back” function without a fee. In short, the video doorbell is very fast and easy to use, enabled by an Ambarella high-resolution, quad-core S5L-4K chip. It’s compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, enabling voice commands, and is expected to retail for $199 when it hits the smart home market.

“Answer is an immediate upgrade to any other smart doorbell on the market right now,” Maximus CEO Mark Honeycutt said in a release. “Our goal has always been to provide consumers with easy-to-use (and install) products that instill a sense of safety and security. Answer accomplishes that and more by allowing homeowners to view footage of packages on the ground, children and pets, in addition to faces and full-length bodies. Easy-to-use streaming shows both camera views at the same time. Click on either view to make it larger, smaller, zoom in or out.  This video doorbell will dramatically change the video doorbell industry and set a new level of expectation from consumers in the market.”

A bonus to add to the Maximus Answer video doorbell is a new and improved version of the company’s popular Camera Porch Light. With an increased field of view now stretching to 155 degrees, the porch light also features an upgraded 1080p HDR camera, an enhanced motion sensor, a quick connect installation base, and the same echo-cancellation technology that augments the Answer doorbell.

Clayton Moore
Clayton Moore
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Clayton Moore’s interest in technology is deeply rooted in the work of writers like Warren Ellis, Cory Doctorow and Neal…
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