Deep Sentinel Camera Review 2020

What Is Deep Sentinel Security?

Sen·ti·nel (n): A soldier or guard whose job is to stand and keep watch.

Deep Sentinel home security promises just that. Your home and property is monitored 24/7 by artificial intelligence (AI) technology and real-life humans. Never before has a home security company delivered cutting-edge technology and round-the-clock service the way Deep Sentinel has. But… does the technology live up to the hype? Let’s find out.

CEO and Cofounder David Selinger is the driving force behind the company’s explosive growth. Before founding Deep Sentinel, Selinger worked in R&D at none other than Amazon. It’s also worth mentioning that Amazon’s founder and front-man Jeff Bezos is Deep Sentinel’s biggest investor. It certainly can’t hurt to have the financial backing of the richest man in the world.

The company is only three years old, but they’ve hit the ground running with their unique approach to home security. Where other home security systems rely on reactive alerts to secure your home, Deep Sentinel puts a proactive and predictive solution in place. The system detects suspicious activity and prompts human intervention before a criminal gains access to your home or steals the package on your doorstep.

Deep Sentinel works by putting a virtual force-field around the perimeter of your home. A combination of surveillance cameras, motion detectors, sirens, and flashing strobes are always at-the-ready. The AI technology can distinguish between ambient motion (like trees swaying in the wind) and real criminals who are up to no good. The moment suspicious activity is detected, a live-stream video is picked up by agents at the monitoring station. The agents then engage their proprietary ‘HELLO’ protocol. That is, a surefire way to let potential package thieves or burglars know that Deep Sentinel is watching their every move.

The threat detection happens as fast as 10 seconds, and if necessary, the highly-trained agents contact the police within 20-30 seconds. That’s how Deep Sentinel combines AI technology with human intervention to deliver the fastest response times in the industry. Deep Sentinel might be the next best thing to posting real-life guards around your home to watch over you and your family.

However, the alarm system isn’t perfect. It does not come with entryway sensors, a staple security component that practically every other home security system offers. This means if a thief or criminal does somehow bypass the perimeter sensors (highly unlikely), they could gain access to your home without any alarms sounding. This doesn’t sit well with some people.

Also, Deep Sentinel is not yet compatible with third-party smart home automation systems. So home automation aficionados might want to look elsewhere until Deep Sentinel decides to develop this into their offering.

Features & Tech

Predictive AI + 24/7 Human Surveillance

Deep Sentinel processes video footage around your home in real time using Qualcomm’s innovative SnapDragon 820 SoC on-site processor. The footage goes through predictive AI technology to find out whether or not there is a threat of criminal activity. Then, a trained agent will verify and validate the footage, discern the nature of the activity, and take any necessary action. Of course, all of this happens in a matter of seconds. And the benefits abound. It completely eliminates false alarms, allows residents to maintain their privacy, and guarantees help will arrive as fast as humanly possible.

Human Intervention

A critical feature that Deep Sentinel offers is ‘100% verified crime in progress.’ This means that the agents who intervene will only do so if a real-life threat is detected. If and when criminal intent is detected, the police are contacted, and because it’s a ‘verified crime in progress’, the call receives high priority. No more false alarms, ever.

Ultra-Fast Response Times

Deep Sentinel was developed for the safety of people, communities, and the police. The company boasts the fastest response times in the industry for a few good reasons. First, trained agents in the LiveSentinel program evaluate the situation and are capable of providing key information to the police. Using live-stream video footage and two-way talk, agents can give count and location of perpetrators, their specific behavior and activity, as well as any potential threats to police. This ‘100% Police Verified Escalation’ is why the police are so fast to respond.

Prioritizes Privacy

Deep Sentinel security goes to great lengths to ensure the privacy of their customers. This home security system puts cameras around the exterior of your home only. There are no cameras inside that might encroach on personal privacy. Also, LiveSentinel is only capable of viewing outside activity when activity is detected. This means the agents can’t live-stream your kids playing lawn darts. Finally, the company closely monitors which streams are being viewed, and when. Your safety and privacy is Deep Sentinel’s priority.

Covers Entire Property

Proximity protection is Deep Sentinel’s approach to keeping the bad guys off your property. The suite of exterior cameras and motion detectors extend to the furthest blade of grass on your property. That is, virtually every inch of your property is under 24/7 surveillance. Many other home security companies offer motion detectors and cameras, but often these security solutions are to monitor a certain area, not the property as a whole.

System Designed by Police

Perhaps more than anyone, police know how to stop criminals in their tracks. That’s why Deep Sentinel worked with over 50 police departments to create their home security solution. The makers of Deep Sentinel also collaborated with police to ensure their system and service was developed in such a way to limit hazards and threats of those arriving at the scene. This collaboration instills trust in the everyday consumer. The police had their say in the matter, and that’s good enough for many.

Modern Companion App

Like all of the best home security systems, Deep Sentinel offers a sleek mobile app that allows you to access, monitor, and control your devices from anywhere, anytime. Leaving for vacation and forgot to set your system? Don’t worry, you can arm Deep Sentinel from your destination stateside or abroad. You can also tap into your activity log that shows exactly when LiveSentinel agents viewed your cameras. Deep Sentinel’s companion app allows you to take total control of your home security from the convenience of your smartphone.

Local Audio/Video Storage

The Deep Sentinel Hub, available in gunmetal grey, is where audio and visual footage is stored. Having local storage means that your video isn’t leaving your home via the internet. It also means you’re not paying an additional monthly fee for cloud storage. Instead, your audio/video recordings are kept safe locally, and are there for you to access and review at your convenience.

Products & Equipment

Deep Sentinel home security systems come stacked with the following equipment:

3 security cameras (fourth camera purchased separately)

1 Intelligent Hub

4 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

3 wall mounts

1 yard sign

Sticker decals

The equipment quality is above average on all fronts. But to get a better sense of exactly what you’re getting with Deep Sentinel, read on to learn about the individual components of this one-of-a-kind home security system.

Cameras

Nextgen wireless cameras are built with weatherproof IP65 Housing. These cameras are capable of withstanding rain, snow, and extreme temperatures (-4 degrees to 122 degrees fahrenheit). Deep Sentinel cameras are equipped with a Strobing LED Red Ring — a unique feature that proactively lights when motion is detected to warn intruders they are under surveillance. The cameras house the loudest 104db siren that send the bad guys running for the hills. And finally, Deep Sentinel cameras come with 2-Way Audio for intervention. The company bills it as ‘Professional quality audio speakers and microphones allowing for two-way communication’. Overall, the cameras are quite impressive for their capabilities, but we were hoping for a more crisp and clear image quality.

Intelligent Hub

The Deep Sentinel Intelligent Hub is the nerve center of this security system. First off, the modern design is a great addition to any home. Looks aside, the Hub performs as we expected. As mentioned above, it stores audio/video footage locally. It includes 4GB of dedicated RAM and 64GB of ‘ultra-fast flash memory storage’. As the only security system on the market with on-site processing, Deep Sentinel’s Hub boasts an impressive processing speed of 10 frames per second with their Snapdragon 820 SoC processor. The smart recording feature only records audio/video when absolutely necessary, saving you countless hours of poring over potentially useless footage. And finally, the Intelligent Hub is what houses the AI. The AI is designed to eliminate false alarms by distinguishing between, say, a thief stealing a package and a squirrel climbing a tree. And as far as we can tell, the accuracy is unrivaled.

Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Batteries

Deep Sentinel includes 4 quality batteries in every home security package. These lithium-ion batteries can last upwards of two months on a single charge. The Intelligent Hub has a built-in charging dock, keeping the fourth battery charged and at-the-ready. Of course, wireless cameras like Deep Sentinel are powered by batteries, which is good and bad. It’s good because it makes for simple setup with no wires for a criminal to snip. But it’s bad because you’ll have to manually replace the batteries every couple of months, rain or shine.

Wall Mounts

We’ll discuss installation and ease-of-use below. But the weatherproof wall mounts are made of a sturdy plastic construction. They only require one screw per mount, making setup a cinch. There is nothing exceptional about these mounts, other than the fact that they are responsible for holding the industry’s most technologically advanced home security cameras to date.

Yard Sign and Sticker Decals

The Electronic Security Association (ESA) reports that 90% of convicted criminals do not target homes with security systems in place. And the best way to tell a criminal that your home is armed is to advertise it with yard signs and sticker decals. Deep Sentinel includes these important elements in each of their systems so that your home doesn’t become another statistic.

Ease of Use

Deep Sentinel gets stellar marks in the ease-of-use department. Physically mounting the cameras takes just a few minutes. The one-screw DIY mounting setup only requires a screwdriver, and maybe a ladder. There’s no configuring the system on your end. It comes pre-configured and practically ready to go. The setup only takes a few minutes, requiring a small handful of steps to activate the hub and cameras.

Other than arming/disarming the alarm and viewing activity logs, there aren’t any ongoing functions that you’re responsible for. The LiveSentinel agents handle the A/V so that you don’t have to. Unfortunately, setup instructions do not come in the box. You have to pull them up on Deep Sentinel’s companion app. But again, it’s all refreshingly user-friendly, so you shouldn’t have a problem.

Customer Service

Deep Sentinel’s customer service is second-to-none. The expert LiveSentinel agents are always on the clock, 24/7, safeguarding your property from criminal activity. The service is proactive and responsive. If the police are needed, they come right away, as they categorize Deep Sentinel calls as ‘high priority’. This is because the LiveSentinel agents are able to report it as a verified crime in progress, rather than mere suspicious activity.

Deep Sentinel’s agents follow strict protocol to deliver the best service. When activity is sensed, real-life humans (opposed to machines and algorithms) will immediately tap into the live-stream and label the activity according to its nature. That is, they will dismiss it, continue to observe, trust but verify, or label it criminal intent.

Here’s how these designations break down:

Dismissal — Nothing to see here, maybe it’s just the mailman.

Nothing to see here, maybe it’s just the mailman. Continue to observe — You have a visitor on your property. It’s likely not a threat, but LiveSentinel will continue to observe just to be sure.

You have a visitor on your property. It’s likely not a threat, but LiveSentinel will continue to observe just to be sure. Trust but verify — Still unlikely there’s a real threat, but this one needs verification. The agent will follow their HELLO protocol and say, well, ‘Hello’ to the person via two-way voice. This helps them determine whether the person is a threat to your home and family. Sometimes agents will take it a step further and contact you for verification.

Still unlikely there’s a real threat, but this one needs verification. The agent will follow their HELLO protocol and say, well, ‘Hello’ to the person via two-way voice. This helps them determine whether the person is a threat to your home and family. Sometimes agents will take it a step further and contact you for verification. Criminal intent — This is where the menacing reputation of Deep Sentinel really shines. If criminal intent is detected, the alarm sounds, the strobe lights flash, the agent intervenes, and the police are contacted within 30 seconds. The agents then provide critical details to police dispatchers to help catch the criminal. This real-time collaboration continues even while police are en-route and arrive at the residence. It’s as if the police have eyes at the scene of the crime.

So what accounts for Deep Sentinel’s great customer service? First off, each LiveSentinel agent goes through extensive and rigorous training. This training teaches agents exactly what to look for while monitoring a home. The faster they detect and verify a threat, the faster the response times are. And Deep Sentinel prides itself on ultra-fast response times. LiveSentinel agents are also trained to effectively communicate with emergency dispatchers. This includes situational awareness training, communicating the physical description of a suspect, and the list goes on.

Deep Sentinel’s features and technology are impressive. But without the trained agents to evaluate the situation and take action in real time, this home security system simply would not work. With this in mind, Deep Sentinel’s customer service is on-point and delivers the help you need, when you need it most.

Cost and Value

Now for the moment of truth… how much does Deep Sentinel cost? That’s a great question, and we’re about to share it all, in full detail. But remember as you read on, keep in mind that this home security system is fundamentally different than the competition.

The Deep Sentinel surveillance package will set you back the one-time upfront cost, as well as the monthly surveillance subscription fee.

The one-time equipment cost — which includes 3 cameras, the Hub, rechargeable batteries, wall mounts, yard signs and stickers — comes out to $499. The company claims this is a discount from the original price of $699. Either way, it’s not cheap. In fact, it’s one of the more expensive equipment packages on the market. But remember, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill home security system.

The Deep Sentinel monthly monitoring fee costs $49. And users must sign a one-year contract (if you pay for the full year upfront, they’ll give you a generous discount of $100). Again, this is more expensive than ADT’s $39/mo. plans, and far more expensive than budget-friendly systems like SimpliSafe that only charge $15/mo. Deep Sentinel acknowledges this and shares some rather convincing reasons behind the price difference.

On their website, they remind us that “Companies like ADT, Vivint, Xfinity, and SimpliSafe provide passive monitoring – alerting you or the police several minutes after a break-in has already happened.” They go on… “And because those alarms are set off by sensors, their monitoring center cannot physically see what is happening. These events cannot be verified as a crime in progress, making it a very low priority for police.”

They call home security giants like ADT and Vivint “passive” in their approach. But these systems still get the job done… and they get it done really well. In fact, these companies all include the mainstay of home security systems — entryway sensors — that Deep Sentinel conspicuously lacks. With this in mind, Deep Sentinel’s value really depends on what you’re looking for in home security.

So the questions to ask yourself are: Do I need such advanced technology as Deep Sentinel guarding my home? If so, how much am I willing to pay for proactive and predictive AI-based home security? And be honest with yourself. When the dust finally settles, we get it — some people want and need the latest and greatest technology on the market. If that’s you… we certainly can’t blame you. Your money is well spent with Deep Sentinel. After all, once you pay for the equipment, you’re only on the hook for $1.65 per day for serious home protection.

Summary

By now you should know Deep Sentinel inside and out. But to help you along, here’s Deep Sentinel in a nutshell…

The new company (founded in 2016) offers a robust home surveillance system. It’s financially backed by the richest man in the world, Jeff Bezos, and it’s really shaking things up in the home security industry. Why? Well, because it takes a fresh approach to safeguarding your home. There are no door or window sensors. Instead, the system puts an intelligent surveillance zone around the perimeter of your home to proactively prevent a criminal from getting too close.

Deep Sentinel uses AI to detect suspicious activity, and then the highly-trained LiveSentinel agents evaluate the situation and take action if necessary. This one-two punch — AI paired with human intervention — is what accounts for Deep Sentinel’s fastest response times around (20-30 seconds, with 100% of calls considered ‘high priority’ by police). Also, the Nextgen surveillance cameras are surprisingly easy to install and easy to use. In fact, the DIY one-screw mounting will have you up-and-running in a matter of minutes. And the nifty companion app gives you full control from there.

The system is by no means cheap, but like most things, you get what you pay for. So if you’re on the market for a tech-forward home security solution, and you don’t mind paying a little extra, then Deep Sentinel is a safe bet to protect your home and family in 2019 and beyond.