COP ALC-DVR32SL New Alarm Clock Radio DVR * 520TVL * Slowshutter 0.001 Lux sense up to 32X * MPEG4

• New Alarm Clock Radio DVR * 540TVL * 1/3 Slowshutter 0.001 Lux sense up to 32X * 2.5mm Lens* MPEG4 Compression * Includes Remote control and 4GB SD card. 110V

I bought this hidden camera alarm clock because occasionally I am paranoid about what people do in my house when I'm not around. I'm only partially kidding on that. I wanted to use it mainly for motion detection; I'm not really interested in hours of unchanging room scenes. I aim mine at the entrance to my bedroom door so I not only catch things IN the room, but also when people walk BY the room.

I'll just list the cons and pros as I see them:

Cons

1) It's EXPENSIVE! I got it at SpyTown for two-eighty-five (in case the price has changed) plus shipping (and tax if you live in NY). With shipping it came to just over 300.

2) The instructions could be better. I still don't really understand how to work that Schedule setting. When I use it and block off specific hours of recording motion, it records anyway. The menu shows hours (at least I think it's the hours) 1 through 24 so I block off the hours I'm at home, but it starts recording everything (not the motion I selected) at midnight. I then tried leaving the schedule off and it seems to record SOME of the time, but because it's not consistent when it starts up I am just not sure what I need to change in the settings.

3) The 4GB card that comes with it is a regular SD card and I have a feeling this thing won't use the SDHC cards. It seems old school. And of course the plain SD cards don't come any larger so I have to set this thing to Loop which means I sometimes miss time periods in the beginning (they get overwritten).

4) The DVR On/Off button is on top. Not very discreet if you hope to have it seem like a regular alarm clock. Should be on the back or sides and there's plenty of room for it almost anywhere else. I think your average thief would recognize it for what it is if they looked at it for more than a couple of seconds.

5) The only way to the menu is the remote so don't EVER lose that! Needs a menu button on the device itself just in case.

6) You must view the image on a separate video screen. I connect mine to my TV's side output as necessary, but given the hard to use factor I am doing this every day with an extra long cord.

7) The non-radio alarm is too soft. It ends up ringing almost a minute until I wake up. Luckily I set it for a bit early anyway. My other alarm clock was ALARMING and I could never sleep through that.

8) I removed the "battery cover" and discovered there was no place for batteries so you're stuck with A/C power only out of the box. (Still don't know what that removable plate is for since it goes to a PCB plate--am I supposed to remove that as well to get to the batteries??)

Pros

1) That gimmick of showing the time on the ceiling or wall with the projector is AMAZING! I really like that. It's even aim-able and reversible, meaning you can even make the time "inside out" (I think for reflections off of something). If I turn over in bed I can read the time on the ceiling. May bother someone who is light averse while sleeping, though, even if it isn't that bright in my opinion.

2) It really does capture motion well and the camera's video is true to life. It is color and you can see faces and other detail fine.

3) You can connect this thing to an alarm system if you have one. One of the settings is to have it record when the alarm is tripped. I've never used it, though.

4) It has WHITE NOISE to fall asleep to! Not just white noise, but sounds of nature; there are two selections other than radio. It's soothing actually.

5) It does have AM/FM radio, though the dial doesn't go all the way down for FM. Not sure why there are numbers down there where you can't go. I think it might be a flaw in my particular clock/radio.

6) It has TWO alarms, which means two people can use it without adjusting the wake times.

7) Numbers on the front are large and easy to read and the AM/FM dial is also easy to see, though the radio isn't bright in the dark.

8) You can erase the card and set Motion Sensitivity in the menu.

As for the specs, it records at 30FPS max, which looks like enough for this purpose. I think the video is at 320x240 in resolution according to the menu. The more expensive alarm clock at SpyTown only adds Wi-Fi, which might be useful for some folks. I got my clock within 3 business days (5 days total), but there was no tracking info sent out and I called and never got a human. I e-mailed and the PERSON who handles that was out that week so basically the customer service is weak, but I have no problems after 3 weeks of use so I can live with that.