Guardzilla All-In-One Video Security System Review

By Joe Evans February 2, 2015

An Introduction To Guardzilla

Home automation is all the rage now and was a big area that was well represented at CES this year. Products are almost universally tied to mobile devices to allow home owners to interact with their residence from anywhere they have a cell or Wi-Fi signal. Home security is something that everyone needs as the FBI reports that every 14 seconds a home is burglarized and 90% of thieves will bypass a home with a security system. In other words, they go for the easy targets. Unfortunately, it can be extremely expensive to equip your home between the costs of the hardware and monitoring services. Guardzilla wants to make that task more affordable buy allowing the homeowner to do their own real-time monitoring. In essence, it’s a Wi-Fi enabled IP camera with software that allows the camera to act as a movement detector to send notifications to the user(s). We got a sample to see how well it works and lives up to the hype. I had some bumps in the road, most of which I was able to overcome and were not necessarily the fault of the Guardzilla product which I get into more in depth. Others still linger so keep reading if you want the details.

Guardzilla is found for sale exclusively at Best Buy for $99.99 with free shipping in your choice of white or black. though Best Buy runs sales often and likely it will show up for a bit less after it’s been on the market a bit. It has quite a long feature list with night vision, pet immunity, built-in siren, built-in speaker/microphone (more on this later), and a micro SD card slot. It comes in a package similar to that of a GoPro with the device in a display cube on top and the contents in a box underneath.

Guardzilla Wireless All-In-One Video System Features:

Monitor from anywhere using your smartphone
No monthly fees
No installation, 5 minute setup
Wi-Fi enabled
Self-Monitored
Motion and audio detection
Siren alert
Video with night vision
Syncs with an iPhone and Android app
Email notifications sent to your phone
Multi-unit home solution
Pet immunity
Discreet security
Wide angle lens
100DB siren
Built in speaker and microphone
Support for Apple and Android
Option to store additional video with SD card
1 year limited warranty

Guardzilla Wireless All-In-One Video System Specifications:

Warranty Terms: Parts 1 year
Warranty Terms: Labor 1 year limited
Height: 10.04 inches
Width: 4.33 inches
Depth: 5.62 inches
Weight: 1.4 pounds
Color Category: Black (GZ502B) or white (GZ501W)
Additional Accessories Included: Power cord, extra lens, adjustable foot pads
Network Connectivity: Wi-Fi
Operating System Compatibility: Android / iOS
Remote Monitoring Capabilities: Yes
Camera Connectivity: Wireless
Color Display: Yes
Compatibility: Apple iOS and Android devices
Field Of View: 89 degrees
Image Sensor Type: CMOS
Indoor Or Outdoor Use: Indoor
Night Vision: Yes
Night Vision Distance: 30 feet
Number Of Cameras Included: 1
Number of IR LEDs: 9
Pan-Tilt-Zoom Functionality: No
Resolution: 640 x 480
3-Axis Adjustable: No
ENERGY STAR Certified: No
Auto-On Detection: Motion
Cable(s) Included: Yes
Camera Iris: Fixed
Day/Night Mode: Yes
IP Camera: Yes
Optical Zoom: No
Records Audio: No
Smartphone Compatible: Yes
Water-Resistant Housing: No
UPC: 856751002325

In the packaging we find the AC adapter, an extra clear plastic camera shroud lens, an extra foam foot pad for changing the camera angle, and a sticker to ward off those with ill intent.

Documentation comes in the form of an amateurish setup video (seen above), a short guide and tips plus FAQs from Guardzilla’s site, and the wizard in the app that guides you through the setup. All in all, the available documentation could be more comprehensive as I found several bits of information lacking as I’ll talk about later.