Smart home
Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt Home Security Camera Review
Priced at Rs. 3,499, the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt home security camera does exactly as its name suggests; you can not only view the camera feed remotely, but you can also adjust the field of view by panning or tilting the camera using the app. I’ve had a chance to use this new IoT home security camera from Godrej, and here’s my review.
The Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt Home security camera has a microSD card slot to store recorded footage
Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt Home Security Camera design and build quality
Godrej currently has two Wi-Fi-enabled home security cameras in the Spotlight range – a fixed version, and this one, which as the name suggests, is able to pan and tilt mechanically when controlled via the app. The cylindrical camera is attached to a vertical ‘stem’ from one side, and this attaches to a circular base that holds the electrical components and Micro-USB power port. The entire base turns to pan left or right, while the stem allows the camera module to tilt upwards and downwards.
The camera can be placed on a tabletop or mounted on a ceiling when clipped onto an attaching plate (which is included in the box). A lengthy USB cable and power adapter are also included, allowing for some flexibility in positioning the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt camera. Interestingly, Godrej states that the camera can be powered even with a power bank, so it can be used on the go or away from a power outlet.
The device has a microSD card slot on the underside of the camera unit, which supports up to 128GB cards for continuous video recording. At around 400g, the camera is fairly heavy for a device of its size. It isn’t rated for water or dust resistance, so you’ll need to be careful if you’re mounting it in a semi-exposed, dusty, or humid area.
With a 2-megapixel sensor, this camera is capable of recording video at up to full-HD (1920×1080-pixel). The field of view is 110 degrees, and the camera can pan up to 350 degrees and tilt up to 90 degrees. This gives it the ability to look all the way around itself. There is also night vision through an IR filter which allows it to function in the dark. A built-in microphone and speaker let you use it for two-way communication.
Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt Home Security Camera app and features
The Godrej Spotlight app (available for iOS and Android) is used to set up and control the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt home security camera. The setup process was fairly simple and took around 10 minutes to complete, following the on-screen steps. Once done, I was able to watch the camera’s video feed and configure other settings. The app can be used to watch and control multiple Godrej Spotlight cameras.
Jumping straight into the camera view, it takes four to five seconds to activate the camera from standby and show you a live feed with the date and time overlaid. It’s also possible to switch between SD and HD resolutions for the feed, view it in full-screen mode on your phone, and activate the microphone on the camera so you get a live audio feed along with the video.
The Godrej Spotlight app is available for Android and iOS, and lets you control the camera and view the feed
The app has an on-screen D-pad to pan and tilt the camera with, and you can save angles to quickly jump to. You can also take screenshots, record video to save onto your smartphone, turn on two-way communication to speak to someone near the camera, configure the motion detection settings (to capture screenshots or video clips when motion is detected), and configure continuous recording settings (if a microSD card is inserted into the camera).
You can also set up cloud storage through the Godrej Spotlight app. This lets you access recordings even if the device and storage card are stolen or damaged. Cloud storage is a premium feature, and you’ll need to subscribe to a monthly Rs. 99 plan for unlimited space. Godrej does offer a seven-day free trial. It’s worth noting that this doesn’t mean you can record continuously and store everything; the cloud plan can only be used to store clips recorded because of motion detection.
You can log in to your Spotlight account to access your camera’s video feed and settings from a desktop browser, if you prefer. On one occasion during this review, the app froze and refused to load anything despite rebooting my smartphone. Only uninstalling and reinstalling the app fixed this issue.
Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt Home Security Camera performance
As with any home security camera, the hope is that you don’t need to use it at all. However, if that need does arise, the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt camera gives you quick and reliable access to its video and audio feeds. This is, of course, a Wi-Fi enabled camera, and you will need a stable and reasonably fast Internet connection for everything to work properly. Godrej states that the Spotlight camera is only compatible with 2.4GHz Wi-Fi networks, and I didn’t have any trouble when it was connected to my home network.
The Godrej Spotlight camera can be powered even using a power bank, according to the company
The Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt home security camera provides a colour video feed in well-lit conditions, and automatically switches to a monochrome night-vision feed when needed. The video feed is clear and detailed at HD and SD resolutions, both in daylight and in the dark. It’s useful to be able to take screenshots or video recordings to save to your smartphone, in case you don’t want to use a microSD card for continuous recording.
Although there was a bit of blur in the feed when panning or tilting, the picture was about as good as you could expect for a home security camera. It’s sharp enough to recognise faces and objects, or even read text. On the whole, the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt camera worked as expected when it came to its core functionality.
Pan and tilt movement was easy, but there was a noticeable delay of about a second between issuing a command and the camera responding and moving in the right direction. Two-way communication is a useful touch, although there is a bit of delay in the transmission of audio on both sides. This isn’t something you should be using as a substitute for video calls; rather, only use it for occasional functionality as a door phone or intercom.
The speaker on the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt camera is quite loud, and there is also a built-in alarm function that should scare off intruders, once it’s set up and activated. The camera chimes loudly when turned on and connected to the Wi-Fi as well as during the setup phase, which can be very annoying. The microphone quality is decent, but there was always a slight hum to be heard from household appliances such as ceiling fans, or sounds coming in from an open window.
Verdict
The Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt home security camera is simple but effective at its core functionality, and offers just about everything you would expect from such a device. A wide range of movement means you can have the camera look all around wherever you place it, which is a nice bonus. Stable network connectivity and app support let you access the camera from anywhere, and additional features such as microSD and cloud support offer flexibility when it comes to storing footage.
Although there are slight delays in transmitting both video and audio, these issues are quite small relative to the generally positive experience I had with the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt camera. There are more affordable options with similar features such as the Mi Home Security Camera 360 and Realme Smart Cam 360, but the quality of this product coupled with the reputation of Godrej as a security solutions provider make this a device worth considering.
Price: Rs. 3,499
Rating: 8/10
Pros:
- Wide range of motion and field of view
- microSD and cloud storage supported
- Clear video in well-lit and dark environments
- App is well designed, camera works through desktop browser too
Cons:
- Slight delay in transmitting audio and video
Another group of people who benefit from this are the elderly who might not enjoy travelling for exercise due to mobility issues. This is what led to the arrival of various home workout programmes, video tutorials, and online classes. While it did address the problem of accessibility to some extent, one area that was still largely unaddressed was personalisation. But not for long.
Role of AI in Home Workouts
The artificial intelligence (AI) discipline might thank the wave of generative AI that started in late 2022 for mainstream attention, but its impact on the lives of people was felt much before that. From smartphones to search engines and from Microsoft’s Clippy to Amazon’s website, AI technologies such as predictive analysis, rule-based AI, and machine learning (ML) have always been part of popular software.
AI also made its way to the home workout space slowly. Products such as Fitbit and Apple Watch with health and fitness sensors gave people insightful data about their daily activity level. These devices also allowed users to make adjustments to get more out of their workouts opening the path for personalisation.
While the pieces were being put together, the home workout space was missing one key ingredient — expert advice on type of workouts, posture, and an option to build a personalised routine. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the majority of the population was stuck indoors for months, businesses cracked the code.
Carol Bike 2.0, OxeFit’s XP1, and Vitruvian Trainer+ were some of the home gym equipment that sought to bring AI personalisation to people. But they were largely catering to the Western countries and India was missing out. Sensing an opportunity to address this gap, Portl, a Hyderabad-based startup entered the space with its smart mirror-based AI home workout system dubbed Portl Studio.
Gadgets 360 spoke with Indraneel Gupta, Founder and CEO of Portl to understand the tech behind Portl Studio and how the startup is leveraging AI to offer users a personalised experience.
The Vision Behind Portl Studio
Founded in 2021, Portl aimed to solve the same personalisation problem for those who prefer working out at home. Gupta said, “One common issue that persists even today is that gyms and fitness centres tend to follow a very cookie-cutter approach to fitness that doesn’t apply to everyone.”
Portl Studio
Photo Credit: Portl
The company focused on the demographics of people aged 35 and above and found that fitness was as much a convenience issue as it was an engagement issue for them. Their solution? A device with a large smart mirror that can be spotted from a distance — which also doubles up as a display that shows personalised workout routines and follow-along guides to help them get the right motivation. But, how does it all work together?
The Portl Studio Tech Stack
Portl Studio is a 32kg device with dimensions of 5.8 x 2 x 0.1 feet. It is a fairly large and heavy device that requires experts to properly install it to either a free wall inside a house or on a stand. While this would make it a piece of unfeasible equipment for some, it would also be an ideal setup for those whose main struggle is to get out of the house and go to the gym after a long day. For those people, the device tries to fit in all the requirements that could eliminate the need for a social space.
The Portl Studio’s mirror features several sensors that track the user’s posture in real-time. It also comes equipped with biosensors, similar to a smartwatch or a fitness band, that can scan health vitals. The device also implements several cameras to properly assess all of these parameters.
There are two components that enable the data processing as well as allow the user to interact with the system. The first is the system-on-chip. For that, Portl uses Snapdragon chipsets to power the device. It handles all the computational power that the device would need.
The second part is the touch screen, which is a multi-point touch display. The company said that the display is coated with a nano protection layer that adds durability and protects against breakages and damage. The device also connects with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to let the user either connect their earphones or stream their playlist from Spotify.
“So the idea has always been, how do we create a scenario where the program constantly adapts to the user’s minimum level of performance? We designed a system that looks at variable data, the sleep routine, recovery rate, and more. All of these factors go into the next workout routine that they follow,” Gupta explained.
Portl’s solution was an intelligent machine that prioritises real-time data to process what the user needs in terms of workout intensity. Interestingly, this heavy lifting was done by the company’s AI processes.
AI Behind the Portl Studio
Gupta explained that the entire data collection and AI processing occurs on-device and none of the personal user data ever leaves the system. To handle such complex tasks in real-time, the company included several AI-based processes.
Notably, no generative AI tools were used for the system. Instead, the company uses classical rule-based algorithms to both analyse and predict user behaviour. Gupta explained that the decision to opt for a rule-based algorithm instead of something more dynamic was because fitness science, kinesiology, and body mechanics are not constantly changing and are well-defined.
However, just like generative AI models, these AI systems are grounded at a first principles level to ensure that the system can gauge a base level of user performance. On top of that, the information provided by the user creates an extra layer of personalisation.
Portl Studio AI interface
Photo Credit: Portl
To explain how it works, Gupta gave an example, “During the onboarding, a user tells the system about their current lifestyle, injuries, health conditions, and more. All of these factors determine the kind of exercises and movements that will be used to create the workout plan. Then, once a user starts the plan, a 45-second health scan measures the core vitals of the user. This includes metrics such as blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac stress, etc.”
As per the Portl CEO, the scan then creates a baseline for the individual. Further, the cameras also collect data on the user’s functional movement screen, which includes balance, range of motion, and mobility. All of the data is used to understand the user’s starting point. From there, the user gets a workout plan that both pushes them and notes their limitations.
Portl Studio’s Use Case
The Portl Studio offers 15 different workout formats, with calisthenics as its core principle. This means this device does not support weight-based workouts and only focuses on cardio and bodyweight exercises. It also comes with various yoga and meditation courses. Additionally, there are skill-based exercises such as Muay Thai and Kickboxing.
At present, all 15 workout formats and guiding videos from experts are part of the device’s native offerings. This means the user does not need to pay subscription or add-on fees to access any of the content. As a result of all these offerings, the company claims it has more than 1,000 monthly active users despite a steep price of Rs. 1,25,000.
While Portl Studio offers a lot in terms of personalisation, ease of access, and choice of workout, the lack of strength-based workouts does create a significant gap. Gupta realises this, and that’s why the company recently launched a product that caters to this segment — the Ultragym.
Portl Ultragym
Ultragym is a smart fitness device that takes up 2.4 sqft of space and weighs 12kgs. It features a board, cables, accessories, and a bench. The company claims that users can perform 150 different workouts using this device. The cables do not use weight plates and instead use a motor to increase the resistance.
Portl Ultragym
Photo Credit: Portl
Each cable can be pushed to a maximum of 35kgs for a total of 70kgs of weight for a workout that requires both hands. The device also comes with a companion app that monitors and analyses workouts and creates personalised routines for users. Portl’s Ultragym is priced at Rs. 59,990.
On ensuring safety while users performed workouts with heavy weights, Gupta explained that the device has inbuilt safety features. If a user struggles with the weight or loses balance, the sensors can automatically reduce the weight to allow them to get out of that position safely.
The Future of Smart Home Workouts
Smart home workout technology has come a long way. However, there are still several gaps to be filled. First, personalised routines and fitness tracking have enabled users to make progress without leaving the comforts of home, however, existing devices are not portable enough to be carried everywhere. People who travel frequently will not find such gadgets very useful.
Second, these technologies are focused on basic fitness and do not have solutions for those who have competitive and advanced fitness goals. Further, most of these technologies do not emphasise the motivation element enough, which is a key factor in whether or not a user exercises consistently.
As companies experiment with innovation, these gaps are likely to be filled in the coming years. Till then, whether working out can become an at-home experience or if a social institution such as a gym or fitness centre is necessary, debate is up the air.
Smart Home Hub Could Be Apple’s Most Significant Launch of 2025
In his latest Power On newsletter, Mark Gurman revealed that Apple will unveil a new HomePod-like smart home hub with a touchscreen later this year. It is claimed to be “Apple’s most significant release of the year,” as it represents the company’s “first step toward a bigger role in the smart home.”
Gurman notes that the smart home hub will be like a smaller and cheaper iPad that lets users control appliances, conduct FaceTime chats, and handle other tasks.
Meanwhile, Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had stated earlier that the new HomePod with a 6-inch to 7-inch display will enter mass production in the second half of this year. It is said to pack an A18 chip and offer support for Apple Intelligence. If launched, the purported HomePod will compete against the likes of Amazon’s Echo Show and Google’s Nest Hub.
The upcoming model is tipped to carry a square display instead of a rectangular one. It could include a customisable lock screen with multiple clock faces. It is likely to include an in-built camera to support video conferencing apps like FaceTime. The camera may be able to recognise hand gestures.
As per Gurman, the price of Apple’s purported smart home hub will be $1,000 (roughly Rs. 83,740) or more. The company is reportedly working on a new operating system dubbed homeOS to run these devices and its existing smart home lineup including HomePod and HomePod mini. The basis for the OS is said to be tvOS.
Noise Tag 1 Price in India
Noise Tag 1 price in India is set at Rs. 2,999. It is currently available at Rs. 1,499 as part of a limited period offer, according to the company. The company says its pre-bookings will begin soon and the Bluetooth tracker will go on sale starting January 28 via the brand’s website.
It will be available for purchase in three colourways — Charcoal, Ivory, and Midnight.
Noise Tag 1 Specifications
One of the standout features of the new Noise Tag 1 is its compatibility with both Android and iOS. It can work in tandem with Apple’s Find My network which enables iPhone users to locate lost or stolen items such as keys, luggage, wallets, and even pets. The same functionality is also available for Android devices (Android 9 and above) supporting Google’s Find My Device Network.
The Bluetooth tracker is also claimed to be compatible with Google’s Fast Pair technology, which simplifies the connectivity process for Bluetooth and BLE devices.
As per the company, the Noise Tag 1 comes equipped with a Ring Mode which can help locate misplaced items by activating a 90dB sound. Meanwhile, its Lost Mode automatically sends notifications to the smartphone if the tag disconnects after a specified duration.
Another feature of the Noise Tag 1 is the Network Mode, which is claimed to leverage the vast number of Android and iOS devices in the network to locate lost or stolen items, even if they are out of the immediate range.
The device offers 1 year of battery life and it has an IPX4 rating for splash resistance, according to the company.
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