The Amaryllo Athena security camera can spot fires, animals, cars, and people

By Patrick Hearn Published April 25, 2023

At CES 2020, Amaryllo announced its Athena camera, a state-of-the-art device with a powerful onboard CPU that allows it to do more than just watch for motion. Athena can recognize objects in real time, including people, cars, and animals. Athena can also differentiate between different kinds of animals; in one of the demo videos, Athena highlights and points out a bear moving through the homeowner’s backyard.

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Another noteworthy feature is Athena’s ability to identify fires. The camera can spot fires and alert users when if any fire is spotted, a feature that Amaryllo says is the first of its kind. Besides the cutting-edge features, the Athena has all of the capabilities you expect from a smart security camera. Users can listen and speak through the camera, see perfectly clearly at night, and receive notifications whenever motion or audio is detected.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Athena uses 256-bit, military-grade encryption to keep the device secure. It also utilizes a patent-pending “Voice Print” technology that can recognize individual users by the cadence and sound of their voice. As an outdoor camera, the Athena is IP66 weather resistant. You can use it outdoors without worrying about the weather. Finally, the Athena has a powerful warning light that can be used to shine a light on intruders, be they human or animal. It’s enough to startle someone or scare off pests outside your home.

The Athena camera received a Smart Home Innovation Award at CES 2020.

In addition to the Athena, Amaryllo also has the Ares and Zeus security cameras. The Ares is an outdoor, auto-tracking camera that will lock onto motion and follow it across the yard. This allows the camera to protect more than just the area it is pointed at; if something catches its attention, it will follow it for as far as its mount allows before returning to its original position. The Zeus is much like the Ares, but rather than mounting to a wall, it has a light bulb-socket mount that allows you to screw it into a light socket.

The Athena will be available in May and is slated to retail for $230.

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Patrick Hearn writes about smart home technology like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, smart light bulbs, and more. If it's a…

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