Bought a $90 thermal camera for my phone and it paid for itself in a week

I was working on a fridge that would not cool down right, and the usual checks did not show the problem. I got the thermal camera, pointed it at the condenser coils, and saw a cold spot right away. It was a tiny restriction in the capillary tube I would have missed for hours. Has anyone else found a specific tool that saved a job like this?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_martinez1mo agoMost Upvoted

Man, that's a smart move. Which brand of camera did you go with, and is the phone app actually decent to use? I've looked at those cheap ones before but always worried the software would be junk.

sagep1919d ago

Back that up real quick, cause @kim727 is right about the Wyze app being solid for the price. Something I've noticed with cheaper tech lately is that the software is actually getting better across the board, not just cameras. It used to be you'd buy a budget gadget and the app would crash or take forever to load, but now even the low cost stuff runs smooth enough for basic use. Full disclosure, I've got a couple of their cams myself to watch my front door and they've been totally reliable for months. The trick is you gotta keep your expectations reasonable, like nobody's making a Hollywood movie with a fifty dollar camera. But for checking on a package or seeing if your pet is tearing up the couch, it gets the job done without any hassle.

kim7271mo ago

Got a Wyze cam, and honestly, the app is totally fine for what it is. It's not some fancy, polished thing, but it opens fast and the live feed works every time I've tried it. I'd say the software is way better than the price would make you think. For checking in on my dog or seeing a package delivery, it's more than good enough.