Experience Thermal Imaging on Your Android Device with the FLIR ONE Imager

Leo: This works well enough for my purposes and at roughly half the cost of a standalone FLIR camera, the price was right. My only real complaint isn't with the device itself, but with the incomplete list of compatible phones. In my case, I'm using it with an Asus Zenfone 3 Laser, so if you have one of those, it works just fine, although based on my prior research, FLIR disavows specific knowledge of this. I gambled and won on this working with my phone. The software is a little bit of a resource hog, and it has a tendency to crash. I have a feeling that some of the third-party software (both free and paid) is superior, but I haven't had a need to test it, yet.

Canada on Aug 23, 2017

Doug Robinson: I have used IR cameras at work but wanted one for home use that didn't cost thousands of dollars. This unit works great, images are as good as the pricey ones, and even better because of the screen on most phones is larger than the screen on most IR cameras. Bonus - it comes with two adapters that allow use with different phone cases. I needed one because I have a Samsung S5 Active, which has a gasket over the charging port and a protective case. The adapter extended the plug on the IR camera so it would reach the port on the phone.
Only 4 stars for two reasons:
- the FLIR software is still a bit buggy, but you can download other software that works fine
- no physical support when it is attached to the phone, if you dropped the phone with this attached it could damage the charging port on your phone or this unit.

Canada on Mar 13, 2017

Mr-Fiero: This unit is a great tool. I have used it for more than I ever thought I would. Even saved me already as I detected moisture that had collected from an air exchange due to the cold. I would of never seen it without this tool, and I got it before any visible signs. No damage at all.

Its a bit expensive if you think its just cool, and maybe, and that is why I never bought one. But I decided to give it a try and see if it was something I could use. Well, I use it all the time now! I never realized how invaluable it would be to see thermal. You just cannot beat it. Takes a bit to get used to as I think its too much information, but once you know how to dial it in, its very powerful.

I even fly it on my multicopter now, and thats pretty awesome for the reports I now can compile.

My first unit had issues, and it was never as good as my second one. The RGB on the first unit stopped working so Amazon replaced it right away. When I received the second unit, the battery life was better, resolutions were more sensitive, and it just works perfectly. Very pleased.

I would suggest, do not source it anywhere else, use Amazon. Besides, it was the best price I found. I...

Canada on Jan 29, 2017

Amazon Customer: The device does show thermal infrared quite nicely. However, interpretation of what the colours mean does require some understanding of what the thermal image shows. For example, without understanding HOW thermal energy can vary, it can be very misleading to interpret a "cold" or "hot" spot which may in fact represent a difference in emissivity, or a difference in the material surface. That knowledge is necessary to get a meaningful interpretation of the image. Without that knowledge, it's just a way to get colorful, but low-resolution pretty pictures.

Physically, one has to be rather gentle with the micro-USB connector, as it can cause enough stress on the connector inside the phone to break it (which will mean an expensive repair). The device itself is quite robust, but I worry about the connector inside the phone.

The downloaded app is easy to install and use. I would recommend downloading (on your PC) a copy of the FLIR TOOLS software that will allow additional manipulation of the images, and their extraction into various formats.

I have now used the device for about a month, several hours each day, both for work (doing home inspections) and private use...

Canada on Jan 22, 2017

PhotoKing: i've always wanted one of these, but it was for iphone and i don't have one. i waited quite a while and then the android version came out. i bought this for a Note 2 with an otter box - works fine. it comes with 2 adapters, very short, stacked devices, one extender for people with an otter box (but i still had to file the box a bit to get it to be snug), and a reverse for those with upside down pieces.

the device has its own battery, but you can't change it in the future. it lasts for an hour or so. the device sticks out quite a bit i tend to block it with my hand, so i have to use the phone upside down to really use it.

how well does it work - i would like to compare this to the gun type, but i don't have the gun, but i have seen a lot of examples online. things you can't do (compared to the gun type i saw)

you can't see studs (maybe in the winter?)
you can't see nails
you can't adjust a temperature threshold (this is software, and maybe someone will make something)
i don't think its as cold sensitive, i tossed water on the wall, and viewing it from about 5ft away i couldn't see it. at 2ft it was clear, and if i blew on it, more so. i still need to...

United States on Aug 15, 2016

Spike: So this is really cool for what it is....however it's not perfect.

Response time is a little on the slow side, not sure if it's from the phone/processing side or the camera itself. I'm using it with a stock Nexus 6. It also tends to pause periodically for like a millisecond, although I think I read that this is part of the autocalibration the unit performs. It seemed to stop after I turned autocalibration off (but is still a bit sluggish).

Also you should probably order an extension cable with this, since while they do include adapters to allow you to mount it on most phones, the adapters are a little clunky and fragile, and are something additional to carry with you that doesn't store with the included carrying case clip thing. I wish they'd just include a short usb extension cable and not bother with the small clips. Maybe even just velcro the back of the camera to the back of the phone, and run a short extension cable between them. Or start making the carrying case a pouch instead of the clip thing that it is.

Really my only gripe with it is that it doesn't read temps above 248F. I don't think it's a limitation of the sensor, assuming they use the same...

United States on Jul 15, 2016

Adam Wood: The media could not be loaded.  I apologize in advance for the ~10-minute video, but I could talk all day about this product. I think it is a phenomenal value right now compared to other products on the market. I had to cut about 10 minutes out of the video just to get it down to size, so parts may seem a bit choppy, but hopefully it gets the information across. A good chunk of it (the second part of the video) is showing off the free FLIR Tools software that you can use with photos from the ONE - and that software is something that helps FLIR blow away the similarly priced Seek Thermal imager.

The video covers almost everything that I wanted to point out, but I had to remove some things to get it down to size, so below are some highlights and additional details.

* CHECK COMPATIBILITY BEFORE YOU BUY * - I highly recommend that you go to the app store for your phone/tablet (iOS or Android) and check if you can download the software. Some of my phones will, but some won't. It doesn't seem related to Android version, either, but rather the phones themselves.

I bought the  Seek Compact Thermal Imager for Android  in January 2015 for about $230, and...

United States on Apr 07, 2016

Charlie the bass: Terrific little device, if its something you need. I'm really not sure about Flir's marketing on "how to be a superhero", but if you know what a thermal imaging camera is and may actually use one, £200 is a bargain. The combination of the thermal camera and "regular" camera is very clever, because it gives you meaningful points of reference for the thermal image - you can more easily understand what you're looking at. Do be aware of the orientation issue though - on my HTC One the thermal camera only looks back at you, lke a thermal selfie. To make it usable, you need a short male-female micro USB extension. Not all cables work for that though. I've bought a couple from different manufacturers, with one which works and one which doesn't.
I'm using this for electronics prototyping, and for that its great for the price.

United Kingdom on Apr 04, 2016