If you are away from home quite often, having a security system could mean a lot. It is a great feeling to leave your house and all your belongings knowing that they are safe.
One of the home security systems worth checking out is the Cocoon All-In-One Home Security System.
Cocoon uses a proprietary Subsound technology that picks up sounds that are barely or not audible to people. This technology can cover all rooms in your house and not just the room where you place the Cocoon.  As such, the system does not really need other sensors, nor does it need additional wiring.
Once the Cocoon detects an odd sound, it will send you an alert on your smartphone. You can view what is happening at home and decide whether to ignore the alert or sound the siren.
The features you need to know
What are the features that you should expect when you buy the Cocoon All-in-One Security System?
It learns your movements. The Cocoon’s Subsound technology uses both infrasound microphone and machine learning. Cocoon will start learning the normal movements and habits of every occupant in your home from the instant that you first turn it on.
This way, it will have a baseline of what the “normal” sounds are around your house. It will know when a particular sound is just you or your dog moving around, and it will know when an intruder comes in because the sound that the person makes is out of what’s ordinary.
HD camera.  The Cocoon uses a high-sensitive HD camera with a rated 1080 pixel resolution. It has a three-megapixel sensor and a wide-viewing angle at 120 degrees. It also records HD videos in H.264 format.
Mobile app.  Connecting the Cocoon with your smartphone is very easy. After downloading the app on your iOS or Android device, you would just need to plug your Cocoon in and the app will help you through the pairing process.
Loud siren. The speaker built into your Cocoon is of high quality, complementing the 90-decibel siren.
Automatic arming. Your alarm would be useless if you do forget to arm it. The good news is that through your phone’s GPS, Cocoon will know when you go out of the house and will automatically arm itself.
HD quality video and audio streams. Once you are notified of a possible intrusion at your home, you can watch live video feeds on your smartphone. If you see nothing out of the ordinary, you can dismiss the alert.
If there is a reason for concern, you can remotely sound the loud siren to help scare away the intruders.
Night vision. The camera also comes with night vision capabilities, which means that you can see what is happening at home even at night. The camera has automatic night vision using eight high power 850nm infrared LEDs.
Security. The video feeds that are sent over the network to your smartphone is secured and encrypted. For one, the device will only send video footage to your cloud storage if there is an alarm or when you check into the live stream.
Otherwise, the videos would be stored on the Cocoon and will have a maximum duration of 30 seconds. These video clips are then written over. Cocoon also has a flashing LED light that lets you know when there is somebody watching the live feed.
On top of all these, the data are all encrypted with 256bit AES encryption, which is similar to military-grade encryption. You can only decode your video files when you have your smartphone, where the access keys are stored.
Place Cocoon wherever you want. Apart from its eye-catching looks, you can also put the device anywhere. It is only 3.34 inches high and has a diameter of 2.95 inches. It is also very light, weighing 0.39 pounds.
What you would love about the Cocoon
The Cocoon All-in-One Home Security looks remarkable. It is the same size as a tennis ball, but it was designed to look modern.
Using a combination of hard plastic and fabric, as well as innovative design elements, you could really see how much time and consideration have been poured into the aesthetics. You really would not mind if it is somewhere visible.
The easy setup, without the need to lay down additional wires, makes it a good choice for those who rent, and for those who do not like the extra work. You can just take it out of the box, put it where you want it, pair it with your smartphone, and it starts doing its job.
Another thing you’d love about the Cocoon is how you don’t have to deal with annoying false alarms because you have a way of verifying them before you opt to sound the siren. It also does not have monthly fees, so you can protect your home and save money.
Lastly, the Cocoon comes with top-of-the-line tools: an HD camera that records crisp and clear videos, high-definition audio, and good mobile app experience. The focus on making things simple is also very clear with the Cocoon.
What could be better
While machine learning on the Cocoon is pretty advanced, there are several ways you could trip the alarm unwittingly. You might want to disarm the alarm when you have a garden party, when you have guests staying with you, or when there is a lot of potential for false alarms.
Unlike other security systems, the Cocoon All-In One Home Security System does not automatically sound the siren when the alarm is tripped.
However, this could also be a bad thing. What if an intruder comes into your home and you did not have your smartphone with you?
While the Cocoon would be alerting you of the intrusion, it will not sound the siren until you tell it to. This means that you would have to constantly monitor your smartphone for these alerts to keep your home safe.
Furthermore, the device is great for smaller homes and maybe one-room apartments. While the Subsound technology can help monitor your entire home, you can only see one room: the one where your Cocoon device is in.
This does not bode well for bigger houses and those that have multiple points of entry. This really sets the Cocoon back because it is being marketed as an all-in-one device or as a single-device home security system.
Also, the Cocoon device uses a new technology. How does it learn the normal sound of your home? How do you know what it has learned? You wouldn’t know. What is apparent is that, at first, the Cocoon All-in-One Home Security System will bombard you with a lot of false alarms.
And when you dismiss these, the system will take your feedback and tell itself that the sound it heard was normal.
It would have been a lot better and give you more peace of mind if there was some way to audit the Subsound technology, especially when the system relies on it to protect your home.
Lastly, it is important to note that the Cocoon is not a security company. When it does detect a burglar coming into your house, it is up to you to sound the siren, and call the police.
There is also no way for you to integrate your Cocoon All-in-One Home Security System, which means that you would need to launch another mobile app to say, for example, turn on your smart lights or lock your smart lock.
Home automation with the Cocoon is also not available at the moment, but there are plans to make it compatible with IFTTT.
Final Say – Is the Cocoon Security System Worth it?
The Cocoon All-in-One Home Security System is a good product if you only want to keep an eye on things at home. But if that is your goal, then why not install a connected security camera that not only monitors the rooms in your house, but can work with other connected devices at the same time.
For instance, the Netgear Arlo Wire-Free Pro HD Camera delivers HD videos and can turn your lights on when it detects movement. It works with IFTTT, SmartThings, and Wink.
Being marketed as an all-in-one security device puts the Cocoon in direct competition with iControl Networks Piper NV. Piper NV protects your home using only one device. It has a siren, a microphone, speaker and a camera.
It can detect motion as well as light, humidity and temperature. It also has night vision. The Piper NV is similarly easy to set up and connect to your Wi-Fi network.
It also allows you to see video recordings as well as live feeds and it does not require you to pay a monthly fee.  It does, however, have Z-wave compatibility. (For the Piper NV’s latest prices and discounts, check here).
While the Piper NV makes use of security cameras and different types of sensors, Cocoon listens for unusual sounds. So the choice between Piper NV and Cocoon really depends on your preferences.
Should you go with the solution that uses tried and tested sensors and cameras? Or is it time for new technology to take center stage?
If you are looking for a home security system that allows you to integrate it with other connected devices, then the choice should be Piper NV, unless you are willing to wait for Cocoon’s promised IFTTT integration.
If you are, however, looking for an all-in-one solution with a more budget-friendly price tag, then the Cocoon wins. For the latest prices and discounts, check here.
Leave a Reply