Seek Compact Thermal Imager for Android
Seek Compact Thermal Imager for Android

Powerful and portable, the Seek Compact Thermal Imager for Android is a state-of-the art thermal imaging camera that connects directly to your smartphone. Using over 32,000 thermal pixels, Compact detects invisible infrared light and displays a visible heat signature on your phone.

Seek Compact Thermal Imager for Android

  • This thermal imaging camera for your Android smartphone detects infrared light and creates a visible image on your screen.
  • In broad daylight or complete darkness, you can now detect levels of hot and cold, water leaks, and more.
  • Simply plug Seek into the USB port of your Android smartphone to generate high quality imagery.
  • Seek captures heat signatures and converts them into an easy and convenient real time picture for your smartphone device.
  • Useful for homeowners, inspectors, contractors, and more.
  • 206 x 156 Thermal Sensor
  • 1,000 ft. Viewable Distance
  • Wide, 36° Field of View
  • Detectable Range of -40° to 626° F
  • Operates in Total Darkness
  • Free Mobile App Included for the Seek Compact Thermal Imager for Android

 

Heat the house. Not the neighborhood.

Nothing spots energy drafts and missing insulation faster than Seek Compact. Connect the camera, tap the app, and Compact’s advanced thermal sensor lets you pinpoint energy loss throughout your home. To save valuable energy and money, look no further than Seek Compact.

Before you can fix it, you’ve got to find it.

Quickly diagnose electrical overloads and shorts with the powerful, portable Seek Compact. Using over 32,000 thermal pixels, Compact delivers a ‘best-in-class’ detectable range of -40° to 626° Fahrenheit. To find and fix faster, Seek Compact is the sharpest tool for your toolbox.

Seek first. And spot leaks faster.

Take aim, adjust the focusable lens, and uncover clogs and hidden leaks with more confidence. Whether you’re a professional tradesman or a DIY addict, Seek Compact’s military-proven technology delivers the thermal insight you need to save time and work smarter.

Seek. And see the danger before it sees you.

Keeping out of harm’s way is a whole lot easier when you can see in the dark. By allowing you to spot people and animals even on the darkest night, Compact delivers greater peace of mind. With Seek Compact, the entire world is a light bulb.


Reviews of

Review 1: If you are comparing Seek vs Flir

Waited for a third gen ‘Flir one’ to come out, eventually did, with the wrong port for my old Note 3. Needed an imager asap and bought the Seek. The only reasons I wanted the Flir was 1. Real/Thermal Image Overlay (dual camera) and 2. The name seems more known. How wrong I was.

1. About half the price of the other brand

2. This seek imager runs from your phone power (Unlike the competitor that gives you 15-20 minutes use on a charge that takes 2-3 hours) – HUGE bonus as I have a 10,000 mph battery, I’ve used this thing for 3 hours straight with no noticeable drain. Never have to charge and what happens in 3 years when the non-removable battery dies on the other product?

3. This is smaller and lighter (less stress on the phone port) and very easy to carry all day in my pocket with it’s well built, waterproof case.

4. The ranges are better than Seek has stated (probably legal safety), I can confirm the temp range high of 626 and believe the -40 (though have only gotten to -24) BUT “allowing you to detect thermal energy up to 1000 feet away”, is a bit off. I live in the country and can see the thermal image of my neighbors single story, 2 car garage sized shop, exactly 1/2 mile away. I’ve taken video of a commercial plane flying over (30,000′?) though low quality and even the moon shows up as a few thermal pixels.

5. Sensitivity (pictured) – In the right conditions, with the right filter, you can almost read a newspaper in thermal – (In my shop with a few incandescent and halogen lights, the ink and paper reading about the same temp but the ink radiates at a slightly different rate). So image overlay isn’t essential when you have great sensitivity.

All in all, if you are even comparing like I was, get the Seek, especially if the price difference still applies. All the benefits Greatly outweigh a couple bells and whistles on the Flir that has less range (in both senses) and won’t matter when the battery dies. Do yourself a favor and read up on thermal imaging, methods, theory, etc, and play play.. um.. practice your baselines… it’ll greatly enhance your purchase and expand it’s usefulness and accuracy.
(I was not paid for this review but if Seek wants to share any awesome products, I’ll keep an open mind) 🙂

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Review 2: XR pros and cons over FLIR One

** Edit – added FLIR One (1st Gen and Seek XR photos of same dog at about the same range)

I owned a FLIR One for my iPhone 5s prior to buying the Seek Thermal XR for my iPhone 6+. With a new FLIR on the horizon (FLIR Two?)that could attach to any iPhone I was planning on buying that device but then Seek came out with the “XR” that had a much greater range than my FLIR One and the ability to focus on objects near or far. I do like my XR but I also miss my FLIR One.

Pros of the Seek XR over FLIR One:
Focus
Higher resolution/thermal pixel count
Much better App for iPhone (like MUCH better)
Seems to be more accurate (skin is actually 98f!)
Wider displayed temperature range
Automatic calibration

Pros of the FLIR over XR
Second camera for visible spectrum
Contrast of thermal seems to be better

My FLIR would tell me <32f or >212f if I pointed at something colder or hotter than that. I have gotten 24f and 626f (thermite) off the XR so far. The 626f must be its peak displayed temperature as it hit that number within a few seconds of the thermite’s ignition and it stayed there for a few seconds after it went out.

The XR is purely a thermal camera so unless there is pretty good contrast in temperature you will feel like you are looking at a sea of gravy. The FLIR provides a visible spectrum camera as well so it provides additional details in the image/video like outlines, facial features etc.

Focusing the XR takes some practice as the area you are focusing against isn’t clear to begin with. After focusing on several dozen objects you do get a sense of where it should be and then can just tweak it a bit while looking at the image. You can actually get really good detail for a thermal image by doing this. Seek’s Facebook page has several people who have sent images in demo’ing this.

The image itself seems much more zoomed over the FLIR One which is both good and bad. I have had to take a few (several) steps back from something I wanted to image since I couldn’t get the entire “something” in the screen without doing so. For outdoor longer distance uses though the zoom level seems more appropriate – I just wish I could control the zoom level on the XR. I believe it is the same as having an image zoomed in to 200% – all the time. Its an optical zoom so you aren’t losing resolution though.

I did have an issue with my XR – there was a defect that showed a small rectangular area in the upper right corner as being several degrees cooler than the surrounding image. I don’t know if it was a sensor problem or something on the inside of the lense. In any case the Seek guys offered an exchange and a pre-paid FEDEX label to send it back. The one complaint I have is that I had to let go of my XR – have them receive and process the return prior to them sending me a new one. Not a huge deal but I’m currently without my XR and I’m missing it! Update: 3 days after they received the device I got a FEDEX notification that another was on the way. Ill update again when it arrives.

Review 3: Read the specs online and you won’t be disapointed

Now I may be biased as I’ve been waiting for a price effective thermal camera for years.
But I don’t need it enough to pay more than $300.

I searched the web thoroughly before I decided what to buy. I considered the Flir One and Therm-App and read all I could about them as well.
The first thing I noticed was that temperature range is way better on the Seek.
Thermal-App can’t detect high and low temperatures (from 5°C to +90°C (41°F to +194°F)) so that limits the usefulness for me and the price is quite high (almost 6 times the Seek).
Flir doesn’t go subzero at all (32 °F to 212 °F (0°C to 100°C))
So with (much) better range and a good price the choice was easy (I live way up north and intended to use it outside some of the time and it actually gets that cold here sometimes)

When I got the camera I liked the retail packaging. Feels as a good product even before you open it. (My seal was broken by Amazon for “inspection purposes” – I expect someone couldn’t help themselves to try it out – I’m not complaining and I understand – hope you had fun).

The camera was much smaller than I had anticipated (I knew the specs but never thought of size as an issue). The carrying case was sturdy and watertight (I removed the camera and held the case under 2 feet of water for 45 minutes without any leaks – I floats by the way also with the camera inside).
The camera itself felt rough as well, nice magnesium body and very light.

There’s no instructions what so ever other than to get the app and plug in the camera. The app has a reasonable size and I had downloaded it before I got the camera.

If you buy directly from Seek you will have to setup an account (I got cameras directly from Seek and from Amazon).
When you attach the camera you can setup another account (not the same as the one you setup for a buy).
And if you want to ask questions on their support site – you’ve guessed it – you have to setup a third account.
If you worry about privacy don’t setup accounts just press an extra button when you start the app to accept the terms of use.

I use a wallet type case for my phone and had no problem fitting the Seek without the case getting in the way. It seated just fine. I realize that this may not be the case (no pun intended) with all case types but depends on design of your specific type of case.

First thing I realized using the camera was that 20° FOV (Field Of View) is very narrow.
I had to keep my distance from objects if I wanted an overview of things.
It was the cause of a little irritation to begin with but now I’m used to it and it works fine both indoors and outdoors.
It’s not that I have to stand 20 feet away as other reviewers has claimed. I was able to take reasonable pictures in a small room 6 × 6 feet.

Next thing was the software. It’s not intuitive at all. Often you have to look for the right button and while in changing settings you have to go through 2 steps to get back before you can take a picture or movie (not sound on the movies by the way – but you know that if you read the specs).
That is a constant source of irritation together with the fact that some controls switch places and gets mirrored when the camera (phone) tilts.
I hope an update will change that one day (updates can update your camera’s firmware by the way).

The focus lens (not a zoom lens) works as expected. I’ve successfully focused on objects as close as 4 inches and as far as 1500 feet. On short ranges a picture can get very detailed because of the good resolution. On a distance it makes a difference as to how small and how far you can detect a heat source. Pictures from afar does not get sharp but you would know that if you researched just a little (you still “only” have 32,000 measuring points).

Focusing on most objects with just a little texture shows how accurate this camera is. It’s possible to get very detailed pictures.
Most low resolution thermals produce blurry picture and Flir introduced the msx technology to outline the picture so you can see what it was you took a picture of, but in most cases the Seek pictures are very clear and objects are easily distinguished. Provided there’s enough contrast in temperatures. Therm App (384 × 288 gives more than 110,000 temperature measurements in a picture) has a higher resolution than Seek but as mentioned the price is way up and temperature detection is much narrower than the Seek.

I bought an extension cable for my camera because I’m lazy and won’t bother to get out of my car. I can hold the camera out the window and it works fine. It can be a little difficult to point but it does work. Only thing you have to take in to account is that the app orient itself according to the phones position and not the cameras. (You can take pictures that shows upside down on your computer, but even native programs on any Mac or pc can easily turn them).

I wrote to Seek regarding EXIF and thermal data in the pictures. There’s no data stored with the pictures and what you see is what you get (other companies saves thermal data with pictures thus making it possible to process the pictures later on a computer – change the color scheme for instance).
Seek wrote to me that they might update firmware later to include this data witch would be a major improvement but not necessarily something all users need.

In the settings you can change what temperature scale to use (Fahrenheit, Celsius and Kelvin).
Aspect ratio can be set to 4:3 or 16:9. The first will utilize more of the thermal sensor and the latter fits better on modern screens (but be advised that what really happens is that the 4:3 picture is cut to fit)

It’s possible to ad watermarks to your pictures. You’ll find 3 options in the settings: “Date & Time”, Location and Seek Logo. They can be chosen individually and the fact that you can turn off the Seek Logo is a plus (not possible on Flir cameras – don’t know about Therm App)..
The date, time and location is taken from your phone so if the date or time is off so will the watermark be. If your location on the phone is turned off you won’t be able to get a precise location on the picture (I don’t know why I have to tell you this but apparently not all think about this)
The camera I heavily relying on the phones cpu and that’s what keeps the price down.

The software allows you to change between 9 different color palettes: white, black, iron, cool, amber, indigo, tyrian, glory and envy.
They will each show temperatures in a mix of gradient and different colors.
I’ve found that the same motive can be more or less clear/obvious depending on the palette used.

it’s possible to have the temperature shown on the picture either in spot mode (temperature measured and shown in the middle of the picture) and High/Low mode where highest and lowest temperature within the frame is shown.

There is a search mode where you can have the camera highlight temperatures higher, lower or exactly a given temperature.

In the thermal+ mode you can use the camera together with the phones camera and slide between the 2. If you double press on the normal picture you’ll be able to zoom and pan the picture so it fits the thermal picture. With a little practice the 2 pictures can be lined up to almost perfection a feature that is very useful.
When you take a picture in this mode 2 pictures will be saved to the phone. An ordinary and a thermal. Within the app you can still slide between the two but that is not the case when you export the pictures or see them in your phones image viewer (goes without saying, but still saying it)
If you take the picture in one of the temperature modes the temperature will be shown on both pictures.

All in all I’m very satisfied with this camera.
I have both ios and android version and this review goes for both.
Only difference I’ve noted is that the ios version seems to fit firmer in the phone and can be set both ways in the phone.
For the android version, on a phone with the micro usb turned the “wrong” way a small cable works fine.
The narrow field of view can be irritating at first but when you get used to it it’s not a problem.
I’d say that the fixed focus on the regular version would be a greater source of irritation to me.

Pros: price , temperature range (-40C to 330C), adjustable focus, size (smaller than expected), sturdy carrying case, build quality, app has many useful features, range of detection (from macro to long distance), ability to adjust normal and thermal picture to line up (thermal+ function)

Cons: flat photos (no exif or thermal data saved with the photos, thus no possibility of tweaking the photos on computer later), fov is very narrow, (20 degrees compared to regular versions 36), app is messy and not intuitive (some controls even move around on the screen when entering functions or tilting the unit),

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