Netvue Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder Review
The Netvue Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder ($224/£219) sets out to enable greater awareness of the way we engage with the natural world around us. With its combination of seemingly cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology and advertised deep appreciation for birdwatching enthusiasts, this device aims to provide an immersive and effortless bird-feeding experience. In this review, we delve into its design, setup process, bird-spotting capabilities and, ultimately, whether it lives up to its promises.
Design
The Netvue Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder has a pleasing design that is clearly thoughtful in the way it interacts with our feathered friends. The perch is modular and can be replaced with others available from Netvue, such as a hummingbird feeder. The one we have features a jelly feeder, mini hummingbird feeder and fruit holder, known as the Pro Perch ($49.99).
We decided to mount ours in a tree with established bird activity, and it blends into the natural environment quite well, helped by its cheerful green roof that folds forwards to allow for an opening to replenish the bird food. However, it's not too discreet to be noticed by those who walk near or past it, thus acting as a security deterrent, because the camera also detects human activity. Importantly, the IP65 weatherproof construction is reassuringly robust and made from solid plastic, which hasn't shown any signs of fading or degradation over the past two months of living outdoors in every weather type you can imagine, whilst facilitating thousands of avian visitors! The camera lens has also remained free of debris just from natural rainfall - no manual intrusion necessary.
Setup & App
Setting up the Netvue Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder was a breeze. The birdhouse isn't assembled out of the box, yet it only takes a few minutes to put together. The next step is to download the Netvue App and power on the birdhouse to connect it to your device and bring it onto your Wi-Fi network. Its user-friendly interface and clear instructions make the whole process straightforward. The app has a live feed that allows you to monitor bird activity in real-time, and a section with all recordings providing a captivating glimpse into the world just outside your door by date and time, wherever you are. You cannot yet filter by bird species or activity type in a larger calendar period other than a single day, which is a little limiting, but nevertheless the ability to remotely control the feeder's settings through the app does enhance convenience, especially for those who travel frequently. You can adjust the level of sensitivity that triggers recording, the length of videos, filter notifications for specific categories like birds, humans, parcels, vehicles, general pets, and even set a sleep schedule for when you don't want notifications about motion activity during certain periods. For our own use, we had to disable all bird activity notifications due to near-constant bird activity on the feeder from early morning until dusk, and instead review the day's recordings at our convenience.
Next, you will need to venture outdoors and decide where you want to place the Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder, and this can be mounted in three ways. Included within the box are velcro straps for tree mounting, a template if you want to drill for mounting with screws (rawl plugs & screws included), and also the option to use a tripod bracket to mount it in more creative ways. Ours has taken up residence in two different trees so far, and in both positions, we opted to have it strapped around a tree trunk. However, the first tree required a ladder to gain the height needed for installation of our Birdfy onto it because we wanted a higher perspective for both birds and outdoor surveillance looking over tree branches and walls. This worked well, but made refilling with bird food tricky as we needed to go up a ladder to do so, which is why we moved it to a different location that made it easier to access from ground level. However, some users may also find the need for a stable and reliable Wi-Fi connection a potential limitation in where they place the Birdfy, as a connection is pivotal. The antenna is located on the rear of the device and is helpfully adjustable to make it easier to position towards your Wi-Fi network for better reception.
How reliable is that solar panel?
Well, the perpetual nature of the device has surprised us, despite being shrouded in fog and slim sunshine more often than not. The Netvue Solar Lite solar panel has successfully kept the battery topped up enough to capture all bird activity nearly every day since it was first set up. We've never dropped into the camera to view our live feed and found the battery fully depleted, which is a huge achievement considering the conditions it has endured. This leads us to suspect that there is some very savvy power management system here. Interestingly, the warmer and sunnier recent days have meant that the Birdfy is 50%-70% charged, which is enough to last for a week or more on the battery alone.
It’s a security camera too
It’s a fully fledged outdoor security. Not only can you alert it to show only human activity, for instance, but if you have it situated close to an entrance door and someone arrives when you’re not there, like a delivery driver, you can engage two way audio, relaying instructions such as to leave the parcel by the door or question why someone is knocking to begin with. There is also an additional ability to engage a loud alarm and flash a bright white light as a deterrent.
AI Bird Spotting Performance
The Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder undergoes its true test in its ability to attract and identify various bird species, making use of advanced AI technology. Through our experience, we can confidently confirm that this feeder excels at recognising and distinguishing between birds, humans, packages, and general pets that visit our garden. Equipped with a high-definition 1080P camera, the feeder captures clear and detailed images and videos of the avian visitors. The camera lens provides sharp visuals, allowing us to observe the birds with exceptional clarity and precision, which proves particularly helpful when they come up close to the camera. This immersive view of our feathered visitors, enhanced by colour night vision, offers us a captivating glimpse into their world whenever we desire.
With its intelligent detection capabilities, the feeder goes beyond merely capturing footage but takes it a step further by identifying specific bird species. It can even distinguish between common visitors and rare finds, adding an exciting element to our birdwatching experience. However, during our testing, we did observe occasional false positives or misses in identification, suggesting room for further improvement in the AI algorithms. Nonetheless, this feature has allowed us to gain valuable insights into the bird species that regularly grace our garden, as well as highlighting the presence of unexpected species that we had no idea frequented our area. For instance, we were pleasantly surprised to discover the presence of the vibrant Scarlet Tanager, a species we had not previously observed in our vicinity.
Verdict
The Netvue Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder is an innovative and thoughtfully designed device that offers an insightful experience for bird enthusiasts and casual observers. While there is room for refinement in terms of occasional misidentifications, overall the very precise identification of species and sharp visuals from the Birdfy Smart AI Bird Feeder leaves a positive impression. Its ability to attract and identify bird species, along with clear visuals and immersive viewing, deepens our connection with nature and fosters appreciation for the avian visitors in our garden. Beyond bird-watching, the feeder doubles as a security camera with two-way audio, human AI detection, and alarm/light functionality. Its seamless integration into outdoor environments and reliable solar panel ensure uninterrupted operation, and the user-friendly setup process makes installation a breeze.