Godrej SeeThru Pro Nova review: A 10-inch video door phone with one flaw

I live in a rented apartment, which means my landlord gets a vote on every hole I drill. A video door phone needs holes. Well, I utilized my work table as my entry door. At one end of my work table was the outdoor camera of the Godrej SeeThru Pro Nova with the 10 inch monitor next to it. This is how the device was put into use for a month’s time. Though not the ideal way to test the system, it was good since every part except the lock wiring was tested properly.

The Godrej SeeThru Pro Nova comes equipped with a 10 inch touchscreen indoor monitor and a 2MP, 1080p outdoor camera. With WiFi connectivity, your mobile acts as your second door bell screen. This device provides you two-way talk, IR night vision and lock control and can operate electromagnetic locks. The device is priced at ₹21,493 by Godrej.

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Display and camera

The screen is the best feature of the pack. The size, the Full HD resolution, and a very responsive touchscreen. Finger swipes are where they should be. The device feels like a tablet that you attached to your wall, which is quite an honor in the class, when many indoor units are shipped with slow-resistive screens from 2014.

Video and sound in daylight are good enough. Facial expressions can be easily distinguished, and no details are lost. No one will take 2 MP camera for the flagship mobile phone one, and Godrej makes no false pretensions here.

The dark time is when the image suffers some. The infrared night vision works fine; you can see who stands right there. However, the image quality gets worse than the daytime one. Only slightly worse, though. In case you have poorly illuminated entrance, you will get some graininess in the videos.

Motion detection

Either the camera sleeps through everything or alerts about each flying moth. In this respect, the Pro Nova took a decent middle road. It performed great in terms of motion detection throughout the month, catching my hand flicking when I was playing video games or working at the desk.

It is a pretty good level of sensitivity. However, it prompts an interesting question: my camera was looking at my desk, not a busy hallway, so I can not really say how well it performs in case of people, delivery men and stray cats going through a door. If you live on a busy floor, check your settings.

App and notifications

The Seethru Pro+ app’s setup process is straightforward and simple. I was able to connect within a couple of minutes, with no need for customer support and no need to locate a QR code in some hard-to-find manual.

Alerts were delivered promptly, which is more important than any specification on this list. An alert that comes in thirty seconds too late isn’t an alert; it’s a footnote in my diary. The app could use some speed-ups from time to time. Switching to the live view or switching screens occasionally put me on hold. It was frustrating, but not unusable.

Also read: Yale Luna Pro+ Review: Great smart lock with a brutal price tag

The mic problem

Here comes the issue. Whenever I attempted talking via my outdoor unit through the phone, my voice would not go through but people speaking through the bell are audible on my phone. Conversations would be one-directional most of the time.

This is a huge issue because two-way conversations are the whole idea of buying a video door phone. You want to tell the courier to hand your parcel over to the guard, not to look at him while he doesn’t understand you. However, there is an exception here. The speaker and the camera in my test setup were located about three feet apart from each other at the same table, and this could distort the audio for any intercom system. Nonetheless, it was the weakest point of my testing period with the Pro Nova, and it happened quite often.

Storage

There are two options for you offered by Godrej. The support of Micro SD cards will go up to 128 GB, that is plenty of space for long recordings and not having to delete the recordings all the time. The internal memory can store up to 80 images and 10 videos. The recording occurs automatically or manually, meaning every guest will be recorded or you pick and choose.

Verdict

The Godrej SeeThru Pro Nova does all the noisy parts well. It has a big, responsive display, easy app configuration, timely alerts, and better-than-expected motion detection for its price point. Video quality is good enough during the day and tolerable during the night. As an option for someone who needs a wall mount security camera rather than alerts on their phone, it’s pretty solid.

However, the microphone on the phone is where it falters. If you intend to use it to communicate when you’re answering the door from the office or from across the country, you’ll be frustrated within minutes. If you communicate mainly through the device itself at home, that won’t matter much.

Here comes the conclusion regarding which solution is better. Hikvision is a more safe and professional option because of its long history of development in the sphere of security devices and good cameras, but kits usually look like those made for installers and more expensive due to wiring and installation expenses. Qubo is opposite. It is cheaper, app-based, and convenient for tenants that cannot drill in the walls, but in return, you lose the large screen. Finally, Pro Nova is somewhere in between.

In any case, here is my recommendation. Get this solution if you have your own property and need a monitor of large size and high speed. Do not buy it if you are interested only in remote voice calls, or wait until Godrej makes an update in order to solve the problem with microphone.

Also read: Vivo X Fold 6 review: Is this premium foldable phone worth Rs 2.2 lakh?

Godrej SeeThru Pro Nova Video Door Phone Key Specs, Price and Launch Date

Release Date:
Market Status:	Launched

Key Specifications

Vyom Ramani

A journalist with a soft spot for tech, games, and things that go beep. While waiting for a delayed metro or rebooting his brain, you’ll find him solving Rubik’s Cubes, bingeing F1, or hunting for the next great snack. View Full Profile