Despite the no-fills appearance, it packs in a lot of features which put some more expensive models to shame. It even works with Linux. Shove in a USB-C cable to grab the photos or even use it as a webcam.

All the images you see in this post are unaltered. I haven't optimised them or stripped the metadata; what you see is what you get.

Let's go!

Specs and Pictures

Infrared cameras usually have tiny sensors - the D02 is no different, you get 96x96 pixels of thermal information upscaled to 240x240.

Where the D02 shines is that it also has an optical camera just below the thermal sensor. This allows the camera to combine both the thermal and optical images into one "fusion" image.

Here's an example of the thermal image:

The optical image has a higher resolution - 480x640:

It isn't the highest quality lens in the world, but more than adequate for seeing what's going on.

Once fused, the image looks like this:

With the two images overlayed, you get a reasonably clear photo. The visual shows a good amount of detail and the thermal image shows what's hot.

It mostly works. If you're pointing at something very close to the sensor then you'll end up with a slightly surreal image like this which show the two out of alignment.

Storage is limited to around 2.5GB with no SD card slot. But given that photos are typically less than 150KB, you'll fit tens of thousands on there before worrying about running out of space.

Videos

Videos are a bit bigger, about 12MB per minute in MP4 format. But, again, you'll be able to store a couple of hours of footage on there without worry.

Again, 240x240 upscaled. Good enough for domestic use. No audio. What you see is what you get.

EXIF

There's not much useful EXIF - just the timestamp and camera serial number. That said, all the images and videos are placed in the DCIM folder which should make importing them easier.

Some other cameras provide the "raw" thermal data separately - but that's only really useful if you're doing analysis on the data, rather than trying to spot hot / cold spots.

Features

There are a few other nifty features. You can set a schedule to allow it to take pictures periodically - handy if you use the tripod attachment point to place it in a static location.

You can change the type of thermal image taken - there are various palettes available depending on what you're interested in.

There are various emissivity profiles depending on what you're pointing at:

You can also fiddle with the distance setting depending on how close you are to the subject. There's also an alarm setting to warn you if something is too hot or too cold.

Finally, you can view back the images and videos on the device. Handy if you can't get to a computer and want to show someone what you've spotted.

SuperScene AI

Everything needs AI in it nowadays. Thankfully, the D02 doesn't chat to you - instead it can analyse photos for potential problems. There are a range of build-in "SuperScene" modes available once you update to the latest firmware.

I simulated a water leak under my sink and pointed the camera at it:

As you can see, it draws a red outline around anything it thinks is suspicious and draws a little water droplet icon in the lower left corner. It also set the colour profile, to make things easier to see. It isn't the most powerful AI model that I've ever used, but is certainly handy for checking things around the home.

User Interface

There's a trigger. Press it once to take a photo. Hold it down to start / stop recording. Pretty much idiot proof.

The rest is a bit flimsy. A combined power / select button, a back button, then up & down arrows. The arrows confused me for a while. Press the up one to change the type of photo you're taking, the down one changes the colour scheme.

There's no touch-screen, haptic feedback, speaker, or anything expensive like that.

Linux and Open Source

Works fine as a storage device on Linux, showing up as 0525:a4a5 "Netchip Technology, Inc. Linux-USB File-backed Storage Gadget". True to its word, it shows up as a standard disk.

Most hardware manufacturers from China ignore their Open Source obligations - but not HIKMICRO. There's a rather prominent menu item in the settings screen which lets you scroll through an almost endless parade of software names and their licences. A bonus star for that!

You can also turn on diagnostic logging - that'll slowly fill the disk with log files:

[07-21 14:47:40][pid:477][tid:642][GUI][ERROR][minigui_lcd_dsp_update][line:1393] KEY_OK_MSG minigui_lcd_dsp_update GUI_TM_DATA_CAPTURE...

Probably not overly useful unless you've got a problem.

Webcam

On plugging in the camera via USB-C, the screen gives a choice of "USB Drive" or "USB Cast Screen". Toggling to the screen option transforms the device into 2bdf:017f a "UVC Camera". In theory, you should be able to use it as a standard WebCam and show others what the D02 is seeing. I couldn't get it to work with Chrome or Firefox directly.

Using qv4l2 I was able to open it as an MJPG stream once I set the resolution to 240x320.

For those of a technical bent, here's what v4l2-ctl showed as the available formats:

ioctl: VIDIOC_ENUM_FMT
    Type: Video Capture

    [0]: 'MJPG' (Motion-JPEG, compressed)
        Size: Discrete 240x320
            Interval: Discrete 0.033s (30.000 fps)
        Size: Discrete 320x240
            Interval: Discrete 0.033s (30.000 fps)
    [1]: 'YUYV' (YUYV 4:2:2)
        Size: Discrete 640x256
            Interval: Discrete 0.033s (30.000 fps)

Price

Infrared cameras are annoyingly expensive. This one is around £190 - although currently discounted to £170 - which is fairly reasonable.

How much will it save you? Well, it can tell you where your insulation isn't working - or which plugs are about to burst into flames; so a decent investment.

Final Thoughts

I've reviewed a lot of thermal cameras and I think this might be one of my favourites. The fact that it (optionally) captures both the thermal and the optical image makes it great for diagnosing problems because you can easily see what it is you're looking at.

There are enough settings to fiddle around with to keep most tinkerers happy and the image quality is more than good enough for spotting problems in the home. It's well worth buying for your home if you want to check for leaks, insulation gaps, hotspots, and other domestic problems. I'd recommend sharing the cost with your neighbours, or loaning it to a local tool library.

This is lightweight, quick to boot up, has good accuracy, and is (relatively) cheap. Well worth it, in my opinion.

Straight away you can see it is different from normal IR cameras - they tend to have a small fixed screen and a rubber button interface. This has a lush touchscreen which displays the thermal image and is used to control the camera. The screen can go bright enough to be easily visible in full daylight, and you can dim it down to something more appropriate for night-time viewing.

OK, enough waffle, time to get snapping!

Photos

Here are some shots from the camera of various bits of wildlife near me. I haven't edited these images, they're exactly what you get from the camera.

The resolution is 512x384. There's no EXIF metadata - so no location information.

There's also no in-picture thermal gradient so you can't see the exact temperature of an object. This is designed for spotting animals, not working out how hot your electronics are. The datetime is burned in to the image but can be turned off.

It has the ability to almost totally remove the background "noise" of the sky - making it excellent for spotting things on the wing.

Filesize is about 20KB per photo. So you can fit will over a million images on the ~32GB internal storage. Digital zoom goes up to 8X.

Videos

The static images don't really do it justice. It's also possible to shoot video. This gives you a reasonable idea of what you'll see on the touchscreen.

Video resolution is the same as the photos - 512x384 - and runs at 30fps. File size is around 40MB per minute. So about 12 hours of footage can be stored. I've re-encoded these videos to be smaller while keeping the same quality.

Here's a friendly fox I found - I've cycled through the various settings so you can see how they work.

Again, as with the photos, there's no metadata and the datetime is burned in. Here are a couple of cats playing around in the park.

Twisting the lens allows you to adjust the focus - it is really impressive the amount of detail it can pick up.

There's no video stabilisation (use the tripod mount if you need it) and there's no audio.

RTSP

You can also stream the video to a computer, VLC, or anything else which will take an RTSP stream.

The URl will be rtsp://[IP Address]:8554/ch0 - that will get you a 20fps stream of exactly what the camera is seeing.

Range and Detection

It reckons it'll detect a human's heat signature from around 900 metres away.

There are several modes which will let you see more or less detail. That's particularly important if you're just interested in the hottest part of the image, or if you need to photograph something against a relatively warm background.

The App

This'll pair with your Android phone using the Thermal Masters app. It's a bit of a beast - around 200MB. That's because it's the same app for all their cameras and contains PDFs for several different models. Despite the relatively high download numbers, it has zero reviews.

Like lots of software from hardware manufacturers, the app is basic but serviceable. It connects to your DV2 via WiFi. You can either be on the same network or connect the camera to your phone's hotspot.

Looking through the app's code, it appears to use OpenCV, ffmpeg, and some other popular Open Source libraries. Sadly, the required attribution is missing.

The app is great for monitoring the camera, you can zoom in on the image and fiddle with some of the settings. But you can't actually trigger a photo or video recording! That's a bit annoying.

Linux

For our penguin powered friends, this shows up as 1f3a:1000 "Allwinner Technology Prestigio PER3464B ebook reader (Mass storage mode)". It's a basic drive which lets you copy the media back to your computer via USB-C. Easy as.

Comparison

So how does it compare to the Topdon TS004 Thermal Camera? The Topdon is also marketed at the bird-spotting crowd and, on the surface, has fairly similar features.

The most obvious difference is the user interface. The TS004 is a Monocular - so you need to shove your eye into the end to see anything.

With the DV2, you've got a big screen to look at - which is generally much more pleasant. That display of the DV2 is a touchscreen which makes it pretty easy to interact with - whereas with the TS004 you have to repeatedly mash buttons to change any settings.

In terms of resolution, both have a standard 256×192 sensor. The upscaling on the DV2 is good - but doesn't fundamentally change how much thermal information there is.

But it is the thoughtful little extras which make the DV2 useful. There's a built-in laser pointer which is useful for working out exactly what you're aiming at. At the bottom is a standard tripod mount, so you can rig it up somewhere to monitor an area.

Slightly bizarrely, it comes with an optional Picatinny Rail adaptor. That screws into the side of your DV2 and allows you to add firearm accessories! So if you ever wanted to add a sniper scope to your thermal camera…

Alright, a regular range-finder will also attach to it 😆

The battery is a bit of an odd one. You can physically remove the battery and place it in its own USB charger. The battery is a 1INR22/71 which is a chunky beast. The charger comes with two slots (although only one battery is included) so you can quick-swap to a full battery if you need to. There is a USB-C port on the bottom, if you want to charge it the normal way.

With the TS004, the only way to stream video was via the app. The DV2 will connect to any WiFi network and present an RTSP stream. The built in WiFi is useful for grabbing firmware updates.

The DV2 also suffers a little from the lack of a trigger button for taking photos. When held in the hand, it feels natural to click the button under the thumb finger - instead, that toggles the laser. Taking a photo means tapping away on the screen to get to a sub-menu. Annoyingly, your phone can't be used as a remote control.

One thing in the TS004's advantage - it's lens cap is attached to the body of the unit. The DV2's is a separate rubber cap which comes off completely. Best remember to stick it in the supplied carrying case, eh?

The TS004 also has built-in animal recognition. It can detect heat signatures and tell you if they're a bird or a human. However, it always misidentified English foxes as Wild Boars! So was of limited use.

The DV2 uses AI to upscale the quality of the images rather than trying to detect what it is actually looking at.

In general, the DV2 is easier to use and produces seemingly better quality media. But having to tap the screen multiple times to take a photo or video is slightly annoying.

Price

All the infrared cameras I've reviewed have been expensive. This one is no different. At the moment it is in stock for £459.

You can use the code THERMBIRD10 for 10% off at the official store or from Amazon.com.

That's a chunk of change - but you do get a lot of tech for the price. This isn't designed for finding hotspots in your home, it's excels at picking out wildlife - and the screen is big enough for several people to gather round to see what you've spotted.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the better thermal imaging devices that I've reviewed. The large touchscreen makes it so much easier to control than anything else on the market - all the others have squishy rubber buttons. It is mostly a delight to use, if you can put up with the slightly strange process of taking a photo.

Thermal cameras are still very expensive - the sensors are low resolution and sometimes flaky. The DV2 does a great job of producing a usable images and videos.

The app is no worse than the competition. It really ought to inform users about the use of Open Source code though.

The addition of the laser pointer isn't as gimmicky as I'd thought. I've no use for the Picatinny attachment, but I can see how it could be useful.

If you want to go wildlife spotting, this is probably the device to get. It captures an incredible amount of detail and is excellent at picking up the faintest heat signatures.

It has a hefty USB-C PD (Power Delivery) port for rapid charging of my phone and laptop. Two other USB-C ports for my other gadgets. And a couple of legacy USB-A ports which were redundant. The pass through was useful for using the same socket as the hotel's TV / lamp / coffee maker.

Wherever we were in the world, I was 100% confident that I would be able to buy a replacement charger if I needed it. USB-C cables are everywhere too. What are the chances that I could find the exact charger needed for a GameBoy Colour? Or the puck for last year's Pixel watch? Or the weird barrel jack for an HP laptop?

No. One charger. One cable. One standard.

Here's everything I took which needed to be recharged.

• Phone
  • A Pixel 8 Pro (running GrapheneOS). It also has the ability to act as a power source and recharge other devices.
• Laptop
  • A Chuwi MiniBook. Small, light, decent battery.
• eReader
  • A no-name eInk device. I read a lot on holiday.
• Watch
  • A cheap but capable smartwatch. No magnetic charging dongle - just shove the cable into the body.
• Toothbrush
  • Again, a cheap and unbranded device. And, again, no charging dock - the bottom has a protected USB socket.
    
• Tracker
  • What if someone steals my bag? Hopefully the PebbleBee "Find My" device will help me recover it.
• Battery
  • Most trains, trams, and buses have USB power supplies. But sometimes you want your own hefty store of electrons. This one accepts PD charging and also outputs PD.
• Headphones
  • Some cute ear-cuff headphones. I feel a bit guilty about including these, because it is their case which has the USB-C port rather than the cans themselves.
• Bug Bite Zapper
  • This is a bit of a cheat. It uses my phone's USB port to heat up.

I probably could have gotten away with a single-port charger. The phone needs recharging every night, but most of the other devices can go days or weeks without being topped up.

As we were travelling light(ish) I didn't bother bringing the Nintendo Switch. We were in a major cities, so no need for our USB-C powered walkie-talkies. We were out sightseeing most days, so I didn't take the USB-C to HDMI adaptor which would have let us connect the laptop and phones to a hotel TV. Perhaps in the hotter countries I could have done with the USB-C neck cooler - instead I purchased a cheap USB-C rechargeable fan. Rather than bring a beard trimmer, I went to local barbers. If anything needed AA batteries, well, I could have used these rechargeable batteries.

I know there are some problems with USB-C. But the benefits far outweigh the glitches. Using my USB-C cable tester, I can be sure all the cables I have can deliver the amount of power my devices need.

There's simply no point buying any electrical gadget which uses a proprietary charging port.

You can read all my USB-C posts and all my gadget reviews.

What electrical items do you travel with which don't use the one-true-connector?

But most of my rooms don't have that many devices. Our gym had only an Internet connected TV so that I could watch Quibi while exercising. Recently we added a Kodi box so that I could stream Linux ISOs while sweating on my static bike. Was it worth running another cable there? No. Did I want to buy an expensive hub or switch with multiple ports? Also no.

Enter the EH210. I bought it because it is USB-C powered - as everything should be.

The USB cable it came with was reasonably long. I shoved the A end into the TV and the C end into the device. When the TV is off, it doesn't supply any power to its USB ports - which is perfect for me. When the TV is on, the splitter wakes up quickly and starts blinking its little lights.

The metal chassis is good at dissipating the heat. The lights aren't egregiously bright. Both outbound Ethernet work simultaneously and they are fast enough for video streaming. The supplied Ethernet cable seemed fine.

And… That's all there is to say about it really. For a tenner (depending on The Algorithm) it's a decent bit of kit. If you dont need a fully provisioned switch integrated with your mesh network, this is just the ticket.

So I settled on the Chuwi Minibook N150. It's literally small enough to fit in my cargo-short pockets. For the price (around £300ish) it is basically fine. There are a few niggles, but none of them showstoppers for me.

I took it to OggCamp and had so many people come and ask me about it. It's a small, cute, and distinctive looking device.

The Bad

Here are the worst things about the laptop:

• US Keyboard. Yup, the @ and " are in the wrong place. I can be set to UK, but then you lose the | key.
• The trackpad sometimes goes a bit jittery. It usually works, but once it a while goes askew. The touchscreen can be used if it happens.
• Screen rotation works, but the keyboard and trackpad don't switch off if you bend the keyboard all the way back.
• No biometrics like fingerprint or camera - so you need to remember your passwords.
• Support from the manufacturer is haphazard. Mostly forum links and expired downloads. The firmware seems to update fine on Linux though.

That's not too bad, I reckon.

Installing Linux

I had a brief play with Windows 11, let it update its drivers just in case there was any magic firmware, then nuked it.

Turn the device off. Turn it on and then hammer the Delete button. It'll pop you into the BIOS.

Secure Boot needs to be disabled:

Security → Secure Boot → Secure Boot → Disabled

You'll also need to set it to boot from a USB device:

Boot → Boot Option #1 → USB Device

The go to Save & Exit. I tried Linux Mint Debian Edition. It booted just fine and, after fiddling in the display settings, it automatically detected the screen rotation. Internet worked, touchscreen worked, Bluetooth worked. I tried a few distros and settled on NixOS as being the least worst option.

Everything works except the keyboard switching off when it is folded backwards.

Look and Feel

It is a solid lump of metal. There are no decals on back of the screen (so perfect for adding stickers!) and the bottom is similarly bare apart from some air-flow grilles and the usual identifying marks.

There are two USB-C ports on one side and a vestigial headphone jack on the other.

Keyboard

Despite coming from a UK warehouse and shipping with a UK plug, it has a US keyboard. The only real difference is the £ symbol is missing from the 3 button, the @ and " are swapped, and the | button is in the wrong place. None of that is disastrous and setting your OS to use a UK layout fixes things.

Because \| is mapped to #~, there's no way to type a backslash or pipe.

There are three levels of backlight. Off, dim, and not quite so dim. No fancy RBG effects here!

Trackpad

Supports multi-touch so you can use gestures. Obviously it is quite small, but you can touch the screen if you need to. Annoyingly, the trackpad is only "clicky" at the edges. You can click down in the middle, but it doesn't feel like it clicks. Not a show stopper, but a bit aggravating.

Screen

The screen has masked off rounded corners. Personally I think that's something which should be left to the Desktop Environment to decide. I can't really understand why they've done that. However, as the ratio is 16:10, you're not going to lose precious pixels when watching a movie.

The screen is bright enough for most uses and goes fairly dim for night use. It is locked at 50Hz which is a bit of a baffling decision. I guess it saves a modicum of power? For almost all uses, you won't notice the difference though.

Battery and Charging

It ships with a USB-C PD charger with a UK plug and a hard-wired connection. Unfortunately, the charger was limited to 36W - so fairly modest.

However, initially the Minibook would only charge at around 10W (20V⎓0.5A) eventually getting up to 16W (12V⎓1.3A or 20V⎓0.3A) - that didn't meaningfully change when I used a more powerful laptop charger. It never got up to the promised 36W while the unit was off.

Once I turned it on, it jumped to ~35W (11.70V⎓3A). Using the stronger charger it occasionally got to 40W (20V⎓2A) but mostly stayed around 36W.

That's not a bad speed, and the battery is relatively small, but you won't be able to take it from empty to full with a quick blast. If you do need it to charge quickly, make sure it is on.

Size, Weight, and Tablet Mode

At just under a Kg, it is light enough to slip into a jacket pocket. Similarly, although around twice as thick as a normal 10 inch tablet, it isn't massive. Holding it up for long periods means you will feel the weight more keenly - but the keyboard acts as a pretty decent stand.

It supports multi-touch and a pen, apparently, which is not supplied.

Camera

The small lens is sensibly placed in the top centre and is of surprisingly good quality. You're not going to shoot a movie on it, but fine for video calls.

Verdict

Depending on how you are blessed by The Algorithm, this is around £300 - £350. You may also have to pay tax and delivery depending on where it is shipped from.

The specifications are pretty decent. Look, it's no MacBook Neo - but it is cheap and runs Linux.

If you're happy futzing around a bit, it's a decent travel companion.

For some reason, lots of Chinese manufacturers don't like publishing updates on their websites. Instead they supplied me with a link to a Google Drive containing an instruction PDF and an small .exe with the 2.4.06 update - no love for us Linux freaks. I've locally linked them if you want to install.

Through online chatter, I thought the latest version was v4.0, but Treedix said:

Your device is currently running software version 2.3 and can be updated to the latest available version, v2.4.06. However, please note that version v4.0 includes minor hardware updates. Due to hardware incompatibility, existing devices cannot be upgraded to v4.0 via software.

So, do be careful running this update. Make sure it is for the right version of the device. If in doubt, contact Treedix directly.

Upgrading was easy.

1. Switch on the Treedix by flicking the switch up.
2. Plug a USB-C cable into the charging port of the Treedix.
3. Connect the other end of the USB cable to your computer.
4. On your computer, open the .exe.
5. On the Treedix, hold down the function button.
6. While holding down the function button, flick the Treedix switch to off.
7. The upgrade program should detect the device.
8. On your computer, click "Upgrade"
9. Wait until complete before disconnecting and restarting the Treedix.

There are no release notes, but it does now appear to correctly read some of the more advanced eMarkers.

Let's put it though its paces!

Specs

Physically, it is a little larger than I was expecting. The two UK sockets are far enough apart to easily get your fingers around the plugs. Similarly, the USB ports are well-spaced. There's a tiny LED to show that power is connected, but it isn't offensively bright.

The UK plug is tiny:

Even better, it comes with a proper fuse! The power cord isn't removable, but is long enough for most purposes.

How much power can it supply? This is what the spec sheet says:

But there is a fly in the ointment. While 25W is the most that a single USB-C port can output, the power drops once multiple devices are connected. If you have two or more plugged in, the total output is limited to a mere 15W. Not per-port; total!

25W is already fairly low by PowerDelivery standards, so you won't be using this to power your gaming laptop while charging your tablet and headphones.

Real World Testing

I used my Plugable USB-C Power Meter with some high-quality USB cables. The Orico mostly lives up to its promises.

When charging my laptop from either USB-C port, I was able to measure 22W (12V ⎓ 1.85A). Pretty close to the spec.

As soon as I plugged my phone into the other USB-C port, that dropped that down to just under 8W (4.8 ⎓ 1.65A) per port. Again, right on the promised 15W total.

The USB-A port happily delivered 7.5W (5V ⎓ 1.5A) - much lower than expected. That dropped to around 5W (5V ⎓ 1A) once a USC-C load was connected. The C port was only delivering ~10W which wasn't enough to meaningfully charge the laptop.

Final Thoughts

The flat plug is handy for plugging this in to those hard-to-reach spaces. The cable is long enough for most uses. The mixture of ports isn't for everyone, but handy if you still have legacy devices you need to power.

It meets the promised specification - but the specs are a bit of a let-down. You can get smaller devices which will do 60W charging from USB-C, and they'll spread that out over all their ports.

The two UK sockets are a nice-to-have, but I can't help feeling that they'll mostly be used for adding additional chargers.

It is cheap-ish - US$30 / £20 - and comes in a range of colours. If you need a long cable and don't need ultra-fast charging, this will do.

Typically, headphones fall into three broad categories.

• In ear, like the Apple EarPods.
• Over ear, like the Beats.
• Bone Conducting, like the AfterShokz.

But these are not typical headphones. These are part of a new category of "cuff" audio. They clip (gently!) to your ears. It's actually a pretty clever way to stop your earbuds falling out - and means no uncomfortable foam stuffed into your ear canal. And no wax build up! They only weigh 5g, so are almost unnoticeable while wearing them.

Here's the obligatory promo shot:

And this is what it looks like in my ears:

You can adjust where they sit to make them more comfortable or bring the speaker closer to your ear canal. Here's it riding low on my earlobe.

Just like all modern earphones, it comes with a charging case. The case takes USB-C and doubles as battery storage.

Pop the buds in, wait 10 minutes, take them out with 2 hour of playback charge. The button on the back allows you to pair the clips to your Bluetooth device.

What's In The Box

As well as the clips and their case, you get a small instruction leaflet, a short charging-only lead, and some stickers.

Sound Quality

OK, but how do they sound? Look, I'm not an audiophile - I'm not going to bore on about sparkling centre-stage and ambient high-ends. They sound good. They're not remarkably different from any other headphone. They're small, so you're not going to get the brain-pounding bass that you might get from a heavier over-ear set. They don't completely fill your ear-holes, so you'll be able to hear some of the world around you.

On that note, because they're not sealed into your ear that means there's no noise-cancellation. It also means a small bit of sound leakage. Fine if you're out jogging, but probably best not to listen to anything loud while on public transport, eh?

And, yes, they do go loud. At 50% volume they drowned out the sound of my typing. They have enough power to be relatively painful (if that's what you want) and can absolutely be heard by other people.

But the sound quality is fine. Sure, they have LDAC and all sorts of fancy equaliser features. But the reality is you're probably listening to streaming audio while out in a noisy environment. I listened to a variety of stereo demos and they all sounded great.

I tried a couple of pitch-sweep apps and heard from ~40Hz to ~14kHz. That may be my ears though! Either way - more than good enough for music and voice.

Speaking of vocals, the Clip1 has "AeroVoice™" which claims to be a wind noise reduction mode when speaking. Here's a quick recording of me speaking while standing outside.

Call quality was fine. I could hear people and they could hear me. Similarly, recording on Android was pretty good.

Not as good as a dedicated microphone, but good enough for calls.

The nice thing about the clips is that you can choose how high on your ear you want them. Depending on the size and shape of your lugs, you can have the speaker as far away or as close as is comfortable. Personally, I like them tucked just under my earlobes - but having them ride at the top makes it much easier to hear my surroundings. Either way, the clip are gentle and don't pinch. I find them much easier to wear for a long period than most other cans.

Features

They also come with a few cool features. Most impressive is the auto-ear detection. A gyroscope inside each clip means they automatically know which one is in your left ear and which is in your right. You don't need to look for a little symbol or try and work out which one fits - just clip 'em on and start listening.

Like lots of modern headphones, they will auto-pause your music if you take them off your ears. Unlike the Pixel Buds, they won't pause if you start talking. Placing them in their case and closing the lid immediately disconnects them from your device.

They can connect to two devices simultaneously. Again, that's pretty standard for this class of device. You can listen to music from your laptop and also have your phone connected to take calls. However, this feature isn't available if you use LDAC.

To set up LDAC and other features, you'll need to use their proprietary app.

The App

The PeatsAudio App isn't mandatory, thankfully. It is an iron law of the universe that hardware companies simply can't make decent software. You'll need the app if you want to update the firmware on the Clips. Not that it tells you much about what the firmware update fixes.

It displays the battery level of the clips and their case in this comically large graphic:

You can also fiddle around with the audio equaliser if that's important to you.

There's also an EQ test which attempts to create a personalised listening profile depending on the state of your hearing.

You can set the various sound modes - including LDAC and Dolby.

The most useful thing about the app is the ability to configure the touch controls. Unlike the Pixel Buds, there's no "swipe" detection for changing volume or tracks. Instead you can manually set the actions for double-, triple-tap for each ear.

You can also set various modes and launch your device's AI assistant if you want. Except, this screen is a lie. They only support double- and triple-taps! I spoke to the manufacturer and they said:

Regarding the custom key, please kindly note that Clip1 differs from our other touch-controlled devices as it uses tap controls. Single taps have a high false-trigger rate, and enabling single taps would actually cause more issues. Therefore, this model does not support single taps or long presses.

I wish they supported swipe though. With multiple taps, your timing must be precise so as not to trigger the wrong function.

The app has annoying habit of prompting you to perform a firmware update - even when you're on the latest version.

Annoyingly, you need to register an account before you can use the app. Worst still, you cannot use the app without granting it Internet access! If you're on the tube and have no connection, you won't be able to change the EQ or set the button functions. Rubbish!

I suggest you install the app, configure the device, and then uninstall immediately.

Linux and Android Compatibility

Of course! Bluetooth is a mature, well-supported technology. They connected to my Linux laptop without any problems.

And, yes, even the LDAC codec was supported!

Similarly for Android, LDAC and Spatial Audio were detected.

There were no connection issues - they paired quickly and without fuss.

Bugs

When I got them, they would only play in mono - one of the buds was reporting a dead battery, although it was happy to play audio. Only one channel played though. Because of the low battery, I couldn't run the firmware update function from the app. I tried running the "reset" function which did make them forget my phone - but still didn't fix the battery issue. There's also a "drainage" function which played some loud tones repeatedly - I suspect this is to attempt to drain the batteries quicker. Both buds continued making noise for a while - even though one was claiming to be dead.

I switched to the LDAC codec and all of a sudden, stereo worked. I flicked between the different codecs on my laptop and it went back to mono - and wouldn't go back to stereo until a disconnect and reconnect.

I charged both buds overnight which seemed to resolve the problem. I updated the firmware just to be on the safe side. Then everything started working again.

The app itself is a pile of bugs. After upgrading the firmware, it appeared to give me access to extra tap shortcuts. None of them could be set and they disappeared after reconnecting the clips. The fact that it can't be used offline is a serious weakness. The FAQ page goes to a 404 error.

Worth it?

These cost between £60 - £80 depending on whether the algorithm favours you. That's certainly more than the cheapest USB-C headphones but pretty reasonable. Yes, you can get basic Bluetooth headphones for a tenner, but these are extremely comfortable and feature-packed.

It would be nice if manufacturers could agree on a single standard for recharging headphones. I've got several pairs and, while all the cases take USB-C, none of the buds work in each other's chargers. The lack of swipe is a bit annoying, but not devastating. The app is trash, but you only need to use it once.

Wearing them takes a little bit of getting used to. The clip isn't tight, but you will notice it at first. Shaking your head vigorously won't dislodge them. There's no pressure in your ear canal. It is unusual, but rather pleasant. But, without a doubt, they are comfortable to wear for extended periods.

The touch controls are a bit fiddly. Yes, you can touch at the speaker, wire, or the bit behind your ear - which makes it an easy target no matter where on the ear you wear them - but it is too easy for a triple-tap to be mistaken for a double-tap. Battery life was excellent - after about 3 hours of (non-LDAC) listening, they were still on 60% so I've no doubt they'll reach the projected 8 hours of listening time. The case is a bit lightweight and flimsy, but it contains enough power to recharge the cans multiple times. The USB-C charged at about 2W - not exactly rapid but good enough.

I don't know if clip-on earphones are the future - but they certainly solve some of the problems with in-ear phones. They're lightweight, comfortable, and less likely to fall out while you're moving.

Overall? They've got excellent sound quality, they feel great, and are unique enough to be interesting. There aren't many clip-style headphones available in the UK - so these are a great way to experiment with the form-factor.

The good folks at Benfei have sent me another gadget to review! This is a USB-C Video/Audio capture dongle. Plug one end into a device and the other into your computer - it will show up as a USB video capture device.

Notice the extra USB socket there?

USB Power

One great thing about this device is that it has USB Power Delivery pass through. This means you can charge your device while grabbing video from it. That's more than a "nice to have" - the Nintendo Switch will refuse to output video over USB-C unless it is connected to a power supply.

The capture device claims to be able to pass through 100W - I don't have any devices which need that much power, but my USB-C Power Meter showed devices happily slurping down between 5W and 20W depending on the device I was using.

So how does it do?

Video and Audio

It is limited to 1080p @ 60Hz, which is good enough for most things.

Here's a short clip from the Nintendo Switch:

And here's a capture from my Android phone:

Linux

For the nerds amongst us, this shows up in lsusb as 345f:2130 MACROSILICON USB3 Video which should be well supported.

OBS Studio was able to capture the video and audio input perfectly:

It is the epitome of Plug & Play. Shove one end into your device and plug the other end into your computer's USB-C port. That's it. Done. No software to install, no drivers to download, no switches to flip. There's also a handy adapter if you want to use a USB-A socket - although it will need to support USB 3 speeds.

Limitations

As with most HDMI devices, it will refuse to stream video protected by HDCP DRM. That means you probably can't stream your Netflix / Disney / Whatever subscription to your laptop.

It is limited to stereo sound. I couldn't convince the Nintendo Switch to output surround sound.

Obviously, it only works with devices which have USB-C video output. Modern Android and most hand-held consoles will work. Your PS5 won't.

So what about those devices without USB-C?

Bonus HDMI Dongle!

So you're a wannabe Twitch streamer, or you just want to capture something from your HDMI output? The good folks at Benfei also sent me their HDMI Capture Dongle to review.

There's absolutely nothing else to say about this one. It has the same internals - 345f:2130 MACROSILICON USB3 Video - and works exactly the same.

Shove an HDMI cable in there and you're good to go,

Price

The USB-C to USB-C cable a surprisingly reasonable £15. If you need to capture video for presentations or streaming, it will do the job splendidly. The cable is long enough to drape from a machine to a source - and the Power Delivery is useful.

The HDMI capture is only £12. They both work identically well and are supported on Linux.

Highly recommended!

But how does it perform? Plug the HDMI into your TV and its USB-A end into a suitable power source (my TV had one nearby).

After a few seconds, my TV displayed this splash-screen.

The QR code appears to be vestigial. It tells you the Wi-Fi details of the device, but the USB-C dongle is pre-paired. I plugged the dongle into my Linux laptop and, a few moments late:

Success! It works pretty damn well! The resolution was 1920x1080, stereo sound was clearly separated and was in sync, video quality was reasonably smooth.

There's a pass-through USB-C charging port on the side of the dongle. It will only do 40W - so you don't get ultra-fast charging, but it should be more than sufficient for your average laptop.

It claims a range of 30 metres. My house isn't that big. Once I was about 5m away, video and audio started getting stuttery. A message popped up on screen suggesting changing Wi-Fi channels. For basic presenting, it was absolutely fine while at the other side of the house.

Linux Compatibility

This worked instantly with Linux. Somewhat uninventively, it does not present as a USB-C device! You'll see nothing in lsusb - instead, it shows up as a screen:

As it is just another monitor, you can either extend your desktop to it or mirror your main screen.

Similarly, it presents as a generic audio device:

You can route stereo audio to it.

Android Compatibility

Android's DP Alt Mode support is still a bit shaky. Nevertheless, this Benfei dongle worked! The screen was auto-detected and I was able to play audio without any problems.

Screen mirroring worked - so I could view my apps on the big screen.

Note that if your screen isn't 16:9, you'll get black bars to maintain the aspect ratio. I think that's an Android limitation.

It is hard to take a photo of a TV and have it look good - but, please rest assured, the colours looked exactly as expected.

Playing video and audio worked fine.

Technical Background

The QR code it presents gives an SSID and a (base64 encoded?) password. It says it is a softap which makes me think this is ESP8266 powered. It also seems to advertise KOM.to - whose products come from EZCast.

The HDMI dongle presented both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi networks - both with hidden SSIDs. Given the power draw of a typical USB-A port, they weren't overly powerful, but got the job done. There's no way to update firmware on it that I can see.

Downsides

These are some minor quibbles.

The dongle only has an LED on one side. It will work either way up, but you won't see the status light if you plug it in upside down.

While video quality is excellent, it is limited to 30fps. It will take a 60fps signal, but there's only so much data you can squeeze over a wireless connection.

The USB-C dongle gets warm during use. Nothing too hot - but it was surprising to me just how quickly it heated up. There are plenty of grilles on the casing to let the heat out.

The USB-A cable is a bit less than 1 metre. That's fine if your screen has a socket - but you might need an extension if not.

None of these are show-stoppers. Just something to be aware of.

Verdict

For slideshow presentations, this is excellent. No faffing around or software to install - just proper plug and play.

For watching videos, it is good enough. Perfect for streaming your laptop or phone to a hotel TV.

The Benfei Wireless USB C to HDMI kit retails at around £56. I think that's fairly reasonable for a bit of kit like this. It comes with its own hard-shell carry-case to protect it. It is light enough to throw in your bag as a "just in case" item. If you're regularly presenting on other people's monitors, you'll know what a pain it can be to get right - this simplifies everything. USB-C means no looking for adapters on your side, and every monitor seems to come with a USB-A socket for power.

Thanks to Benfei for the review unit.

Modern smartwatches are tiny and they do a lot. As a consequence, their battery life is generally poor. The industry's attempts to fix this are either to replace the charging standard every year hoping to find something magical, or to lock you in to a walled-garden on proprietary nonsense.

I want to recharge my watch while I'm riding the bus. That means plugging one end of a USB-C cable into the seat and the other into my wrist. That's how I recharge my phone, eReader, laptop, headphones, toothbrush, and a hundred other gadgets. Why should a watch be any different?

So I bought the only smartwatch I could find with a USB-C port. The Colmi P80 - on offer at £16. It bills itself as "The world's first type-c smart watch".

To be clear, I wasn't expecting this to be a good smartwatch. Anything you buy from AliExpress for the cost of a couple of pints is bound to be a bit crap. What I wanted to know is whether USB-C charging of watches is viable.

What I discovered is that, yes, USB-C charging works even on a relatively small watch. Oh, and that this is a surprisingly decent bit of kit - especially given its price. Let's dive in!

Video Walkthrough

If you'd rather watch and listen than read a blog post, please enjoy this shonky video:

What Works?

It tells the time accurately!

You can set it up without using the app (more on that later). It Bluetooth paired to my phone without a problem - and without PIN entry. I could make and receive calls from the watch - and the voice quality was adequate.

Tilting the watch up made the display come on! I wasn't expecting that, to be honest.

The jog-dial button works. Good for scrolling and clicking.

Swiping on the screen to navigate works with pretty good accuracy.

Vibration notifications were strong enough to be noticeable.

There were a bunch of simple games and apps on there - including 2048 - which all ran fine.

The built in torch (!) was bright and useful.

And, yes, it charged via USB-C!

Charging Speed and Battery Life

It claims a 0-100 in 90 minutes which seemed broadly accurate.

It came with a short USB-C to C lead which was charge-only, no data. I plugged it until fully charged, then wore it continuously. After 24 hours of use, even with all my fiddling, that battery was at 80%.

After four days, it still had 40% left - I'd been using it for exercise, sleep tracking, a couple of phone calls, and using the torch at night. After 5 days, I finally got the "low battery" warning when I hit 20%. I reckon, with moderate usage, you'd squeeze a week out of it. Sticking the brightness up, keeping the screen on longer, and playing music through its tiny speaker are also going to drag the battery life down.

My USB-C Power Meter said it charged at 5V .16A, that's around 0.8W. Slow, but it only has a small 280mAh battery. Bluetooth Low Energy is, unsurprisingly, pretty energy efficient! Heart monitoring and motion detection is also a low-power activity. There's no power-guzzling GPS or cellular connection - so the power requirements are pretty modest.

The rubber flap keeps the port safe, although does feel a little flimsy. If you have a chunky cable, it might interfere with the cover a little.

Update after 2 weeks of use: Over about 9 days, the battery went from 100% to 20% - that was using it for a few exercise sessions, getting notifications, and continual heart-rate monitoring. Once the battery got bellow 20%, it wouldn't let me start new exercise monitoring or other activities. So you should easily be able to get a week of useful use out of this.

Power Delivery

This does not work with PD chargers. If you plug this in to the same power-brick as your laptop, it will not charge. Based on the three that I tried, PD chargers will not negotiate down to 1W levels.

If you have a charging adapter with multiple outputs, the regular USB-C ones will charge this just fine. All the USB-A to C chargers worked fine.

Heart Monitoring

Much like my friend Neil and his smartring from the same manufacturer, I've not benchmarked the accuracy of the heart-rate monitoring. When I exercise, it goes up. When I relax, it goes down.

It pegged my resting heart rate at about 65BPM, which in line with other devices. While walking on my treadmill, it went up to 100.

My SpO₂ was measured as 99% which, again, was as expected. I held my breath for as long as possible and it dropped to 95%.

Within the app, you can set a "Heart Rate Warning" and various other detection settings.

Sleep Monitoring

I wore it at night. There's a "sleep mode" setting which stops the screen coming on, but you have to dive into a sub-menu to turn it on.

The watch showed this reasonably accurate screen:

The data are also sent to the app:

What's Annoying?

Given that this is a £16 watch, it hasn't exactly been "Designed by Apple in California". There are limitations and weird little niggles but, surprisingly, not too many.

First up, the brains of the watch is the JL7012 - which is a deliberately underpowered chip. It can do Bluetooth comms and drives the screen reasonably well. You're not going to be flinging billions of pixels around in 3D. The animation of all the interactions is a little jerky - obviously not 60FPS but just slow enough to be slightly annoying.

You can't tap the screen to turn it on; you have to click the side button or rotate your wrist. The raise to wake works, but takes a second or two to register. Weirdly, the scroll wheel works in most UI elements, but it doesn't for changing dates and times - so it is a bit of a slog to manually scroll through them on screen.

There no online manual available. All the other Colmi products have a manual available. Similarly, there's no firmware updates listed - although the app does claim to be able to update the firmware.

The USB-C port is for charging only - you can't get data off it via cable. You cannot use the watch while charging - once plugged in it will show a few messages about keeping the device clean. If you set it to use "nightstand" mode, plugging in will show the time and battery level - but you can't interact with any of the functions.

Directions - no maps, GPS, or even a basic compass. You cannot add any apps to this - what you get is what you get.

Connectivity - Bluetooth only. No WiFi and no cellular. This can't make emergency calls unless you're connected to Bluetooth.

Multiple alarms can be set - but you can't choose their ringtone.

You can add some "favourites" to the main screen, swipe across to get them. Sadly the options are pretty limited. For example, you can't put alarms or the calculator there. For those, you've got to dive into the main menu.

The screen brightness is manually controlled - no clever adaptive technology here. It can go bright enough to see in the blazing sunshine, although the dimmest setting is still a bit bright for night use.

There's no NFC - so you can't use this to pay for things. You can't even use it as an NFC business card - although you can send it QR codes to display, which is a handy alternative.

All that might sound bad but please remember that this is a sub £20 watch; it isn't competing with something costing ten times as much. The fact that it does all these things at all is pretty impressive!

Some of the functionality isn't available unless you pair it with the supplied app.

App

It is a given that all hardware apps are fundamentally a bit rubbish. The Colmi Fit app is basically fine. It isn't very polished but does everything it needs to do. You can get away without using the app completely for most things.

If you want updated weather, stocks, or prayer times - you'll need it to be paired to the app. Annoyingly, things like world clock also need a connection to be set up. Similarly, things like menstrual tracking need a connection (although, please note the privacy implications).

Annoyingly, despite it being basic Bluetooth functionality, music controls don't work without the app nor does the ability to show contact information.

Notifications other than calls also require the app. You'll need to give it permission to read all your notifications, but you can set it only to forward ones from specific apps. I didn't bother to set that up.

There are several built-in watch faces which can be changed by rolling the knob. Only one of the built-in faces is customisable:

What surprised me was just how many watch faces were available to download:

Sadly, I don't think it is possible to add your own designs, and none of them let you fiddle with what's displayed.

Many of the settings - like how long the screen should stay on for - are only available in the app. Even thought the app can get your location, you have to manually tell it what city you're in for an accurate weather forecast.

There were a few things I couldn't get working. The "AI Voice Assistant" is, I assume, just streaming audio back to your phone. As I don't have an assistant app, it didn't do anything. I'm not a Muslim, so I can't tell if the prayer times are accurate. The stress monitoring is a bit opaque - I don't know what precisely it measures. I don't have a menstrual cycle for it to track. I didn't investigate the SOS settings either:

Oh, and you can also tell it to remind you to drink water.

Finally, the app will show a notification showing your goals.

The app works well even if you deny it all the permissions it asks for but, obviously, some bits won't work unless they have access to your phone book, location, gallery, etc. You can always uninstall the app once done setting it up.

Exercise Mode

There are a bunch of different exercise modes on the watch - I'm not sporty enough to tell you what the difference is between all of them.

The app has some basic fitness stuff and will track your jogging locations.

Buried in the watch menu are your historic stats, but you'll need the app to export them.

Step detection is, like most watches, based on arm-swinging. So it wasn't terribly accurate when I was on my standing desk treadmill, but was acceptably accurate when going outside. It showed roughly the same amount of steps as the Pixel Watch 3.

You have to manually activate exercise mode if you want to quickly look up your heart-rate, steps, times, etc.

Instruction Manual

The leaflet in the box is the standard multi-lingual affair. Here's a quick scan of the English version. That'll show you some of what this watch is capable of.

Other Interesting Features

I got the cheapest strap possible - but it looks like it uses standard fittings if you want something more luxurious.

The 240x296 screen is bright and colourful - a basic screen protector is included in the box.

There's a built in LED which acts as a torch - which is only useful if you wear it on the left wrist.

The "Flappy Bird" clone is a bit crap, but 2048 and space invaders are reasonable time-wasters.

There's a camera shutter app if you want to use it as a remote control.

It claims to be IP67 waterproof, but warns not to immerse it in water or use it in steamy environments. It seemed to be splash resistant, but I didn't take it swimming or showering.

Security

There is none. There's no password lock on the screen and there's no Bluetooth PIN.

To be fair, there's nothing much you can do with the watch if you stole it. OK, you could make some phone calls if you were within range and get people's contact details. But there's no payment information stored. A thief might get your exercise and menstrual data, but it isn't a treasure trove of information.

Once it is paired to your device, it doesn't advertise itself via Bluetooth. If it is disconnected, it only broadcasts its availability when the screen is on. There's no pairing PIN.

OEM

The manufacturer appears to be Mo Young - they make the watch and the app.

They have some detail about the watch platform but not much.

Open Source and GadgetBridge

The device uses the MOYOUNG-V2 protocol. I was able to pair it with GadgetBridge by pretending it was a Colmi V79. Most of the functionality worked - I was able to see heart rate, steps, change some settings etc. I've requested GadgetBridge support which should make it possible to get notifications etc.

Update! GadgetBridge can now send notifications!The notifications can be read and deleted, they can't be replied to.

There are a few open source apps to create new watch faces and then upload watch faces to the device. But I wasn't able to get them working.

Disassembly

Update! There's a discussion on opening the device

smallsolar

@smallsolar@techhub.social

Like many people inspired by @Edent @blog I got a #colmiP80 but I'm not a watch person so for science I opened it up.

https://git.solarcene.community/smallsolar/Colmi_P80_Smart_Watch/src/branch/main/images

So - its not meant to be opened up, the back plate is glued in place, I heated it for a little while but then realised that its likely got a lipo sitting behind it so in the end just resorted to brute prying open. While initially I was able to partially open the lid any more and the small ribbon cables started to tear.

The good news is despite the heart beat sensor, the roller wheel and some other sensor now being fully detached the device does still turn on (sort of).

What I can see though are some interesting IC (well one) and also lots of nice test pads.

I can also see as predicted that the usb-c port is just 5v and GND.

In a bit I'll solder in the test points and see what I can find...

If you are interested there are some discussions on my IRC server (88.202.151.14 port 6668)

2025-08-22, 08:50 0 boosts 1 favorites

There are also some great photos of inside the watch.

What's Next?

My last smartwatch was the fairly crappy eInk Watchy which recharged with micro-USB, I only used it for a few weeks before getting bored of it. The last time I seriously tried to use a smart watch was a decade ago and I hated it.

Perhaps I'm just not a watch person? This is a cheap and useful way to get started. After a few days of use, I'm beginning to get used to it. It'll be more useful once I configure the notifications I get, I suspect.

Should I Buy One?

That's up to you, champ. I'm not your real dad and I'm not trying to take his place. But I'm here for you if you need me.

Anyway, as discussed in a previous post, this little device shows that it is possible to make a smartwatch that uses USB-C. It isn't the most powerful or customisable watch. It can't compete with a £200+ Apple or Android watch - but it is surprisingly capable.

The original Pixel Watch used one type of wireless charging. Then the Pixel Watch 2 & 3 removed wireless charging and swapped to a different charging mechanism. And now the 4 has changed again.

So three different charging cables in under three years. Progress!

While it would be lovely if watches could support Qi charging, they are just too small to make it work effectively - which is why Apple has a proprietary wireless charging system.

So, why not use everyone's favourite mandated charging standard - USB-C?

The Verge says:

These devices are too dang small, and the technology isn’t there yet. Most standard connectors, like USB-C, are too large to fit within a smartwatch or on devices that are meant to mold to your body. The smaller the device, the more difficult this becomes.

To which I say:

Bullshit!

Watches are small, but the USB-C connector isn't massive.

Here's a modern smartwatch which uses USB-C for charging and data:

But having a USB-C connector means water ingress, right? Wrong!

Does this USB-C connector affect the waterproof rating? No, it doesn’t as the USB-C connector on the watch is IPX8 rated, meaning the internals of the watch are completely sealed from the outside of the connector.

OK, the port itself might get water and dirt in it - but a lug will seal it.

Still, that watch is over £200. Not bad for a pretty high-tech gadget with a limited supply. Are there others?

Here's the Colmi P80

It's a pretty basic watch - although it claims to do heart rate and blood oxygen monitoring. It may be crap for all I know - but it only costs £16!

In the middle of that price-range is this £80 smartwatch which is actually an entire Android device!

Again, with USB-C built right in.

And, yes, it might be rubbish as both a watch, Android device, and masc-coded jewellery - but it shows that USB-C is viable for devices of this class.

Why USB-C?

I don't want to have to buy new accessories every time my hardware changes.

I already have hundreds of USB-C cables.

I only want to take one cable with me on holiday to charge my various gadgets.

I don't want to be restricted to only buying products from one company.

I want something which isn't going to be knocked off its charging pad by a particularly strong fart.

So I've bought the £16 AliExpress special and will review it shortly!

Enter the catchily-named Treedix TRX5-0816-AC.

It will test just about any sort of USB cable and tell you what it does - and doesn't - support. It will also show you which pins are connected, how fast it can transmit data, and what the eMarker shows. Nice!

Let's put it through its paces.

Inputs and outputs

On one side are your output ports - you have a choice of USB-C or USB-A 3.0.

At the bottom you have this range of ports to choose from:

So you can go A-C, C-micro, C-lightning etc.

Finally, on the other side you have a button, a switch, and input power:

The power switch toggles between the internal AAA battery (included) and a 5V supply from a USB-C cable (not included). Pressing the white button moves between the different diagnostic screens.

Power Only

I tried with a short USB-C power-only cable designed for charging low-power devices. I plugged in the USB-A end and the USB-C end.

It correctly identified that it couldn't do data transmission.

With a power-only USB-C cable, it had much the same display. Pressing the button on the side of the Treedix told me what it knew about the eMarker.

Perfect!

Passive USB-C

What about a data and power USB-C cable? This is the ChubbyCable I reviewed a few years ago.

USB 3.2 Gen2 and power of up to 100W. It has also correctly guessed the likely length of the cable by measuring the latency.

Interestingly, when looking at the basic functions, it says it can only do USB 2.0 speeds and correctly identifies that it doesn't do PowerDelivery 3.1 (which goes up to 240W).

Finally, which pins are connected?

That looks about right!

ThunderBolt 4 or 3?

Let's compare two high-performance cables. The one I usually have plugged into my Framework Laptop and USB-C hub

Thunderbolt 4 capable of 100W of Power and 40 Gbps of data. As expected, no PD3.1:

Let's test a different high-quality cable I bought recently. The labelling claims 20Gbps and 240W of power. We can see that it does have PD3.1:

But! Looking at the eMarker, it reports that is only a ThunderBolt 3 device capable of 10Gbps!

I asked the cable manufacturer if that's a problem with the cable or the eMarker or the diagnostic machine. They said:

eMarker tester can only show single channel transmission rate 10Gbps, devices supporting dual channel can show 20Gbps. our products have 18 months warranty, if there is any problem, please feel free to contact me, I will provide you with satisfactory after-sales service.

I contacted Treedix to see if they could shed light on this. They replied quickly:

Yes, we sincerely apologize - this tester currently does not support dual-channel detection at this time.

Which is a bit annoying.

Of course, my laptop only supports 10Gbps, so it is a bit moot!

Firmware

Update!

I emailed Treedix about possible firmware updates - they said:

Our devices with firmware version V2.3 and above can be updated. Currently the latest version is V2.3. you can see your version number. The way to view it is the boot page will show the version number. In addition, our test boards cannot be updated to test dual channels at this time. Because this is the information written inside the EMARKER, we can only read the information inside. We are currently working on the data inside the information we read to see if we can read the number of channels.

Mine shows a firmware of 2.3.04 - which does appear to be the latest. If a new firmware appears, I'll update this post again.

Weird Cables

As well as your standard USB-C, it will also do the ugliest plug known the mankind - the USB Micro-B SuperSpeed.

It'll also do Lightning cables - as long as they also have a USB-A or C end.

Downsides

Other than having to replace all your duff cables, there are a few annoying little niggles.

• The battery compartment is really stiff. I had to unscrew the back of the device to get it open.
• The power switch feels a little flimsy.
• The function button is a little small and fiddly.
• Screen brightness can't be changed (but it is pretty bright).
• No USB-B (the chunky one often used for printers).
• Lack of dual-channel detection.
• No firmware updates.

Those are all minor complaints.

The biggest complaint is that USB-C terminology is hard. Which is better, 40Gbps but only 100W or 10Gbps but 240W? How does ThunderBolt relate to USB? What is EPR and why does it matter? Where does DP Alt Mode fit in?!

Verdict

It powers up and detects all features instantly. It goes to sleep after a few minutes of not being used. It will even show you the electrical resistance of the cable if you think that's useful.

Total cost? £40 at the moment from Amazon. I reckon that's a bargain. It is an indispensable piece of kit - especially if you have a big box of ancient USB cables. This will allow you to quickly and easily see which ones are broken, which are mislabelled, and which deserve pride of place in your collection.

If you're running a hackspace, this is a no-brainer. If you've ever wasted time trying to diagnose a USB problem, this should be your first port of call.

It is dinky!

Here's what you get for your tenner

• USB-C PowerDelivery
• HDMI
• USB-A

Frankly, I'm impressed that they managed to fit that much in!

If you'll excuse my lacklustre photo-editing skills, here are the two output ports:

This is what it looks like plugged into a laptop:

The spec says it will use about 10 Watts for the hub and pass the rest through. I used my Plugable Power Meter to measure throughput - my 65W charger supplied about 45W to the laptop. Perhaps a bit less than they claim, but certainly good enough.

It delivered 4K video flawlessly - my Linux laptop was able to play 60Hz videos without issue. And, of course, the USB-A port worked as expected.

But that's not the real challenge here, is it? USB-C is the future - how well does it work on a variety of devices?

Plugging in to my Pixel 8 Pro, the PowerDelivery hit 20W - which is decent. DP Alt-Mode is still experimental in Android, but GrapheneOS was able to drive video and audio to my TV. And, again, the USB port worked with a keyboard, thumb-drive, and other accessories.

Let's go for a bigger challenge. How does this thing cope with the Nintendo Switch?

Brilliant! Sound, video, and power all worked!

The only real downside is that it doesn't do data passthrough on the power-in port. So you will lose a USB-C data-socket when using it. It is 48mm wide - so you may need an extension cable if your existing ports are very close together.

But, for a tenner, this is an absolute steal. It even comes with a tiny lanyard and keyring so you can keep it with you at all times.

It's a cute little box, with a built-in USB-C cable.

The cable has one of those weird adapters which lets you convert it back to USB-A. Personally, I think we should force everyone to USB-C and not pander to the laggards who refuse to embrace the future. The box is "tool free" - which means you can slide the top off with ease.

Inside is the standard SATA plug, waiting for your disk. The unit also comes with some extra foam padding - so you can ensure nothing rattles around in there.

I couldn't find my SSD, but I had an old 320GB HDD laying around, so shoved that in there.

As was to be expected, it is plug-and-play technology. For Linux nerds, this shows up as 152d:0583 JMicron Technology Corp. / JMicron USA Technology Corp. JMS583Gen 2 to PCIe Gen3x2 Bridge.

You can read the JMicron datasheed for the chip.

For a laugh, I plugged it into my Android phone:

USB-C has reached the sort of maturity where you can be reasonably sure that plugging in random gadgets will just work.

I did a quick drive benchmark and it seemed to top out at 60MB/s for reading and writing. To be fair, that may just be the age of my piece of spinning rust.

For less than a tenner, this is a great gadget to have in your bag. It's quick and simple to open, you don't need to faff around with screws. The cable is a little short - but you probably don't want it trailing all over your desk.

Oh, and it has a blue LED to let you know it is working. Thankfully, it isn't overly bright so doesn't cause a distraction.

But - alas! - laptops don't have Ethernet ports these days. And mobile phones tend to shun them as well. Who can save us from the tyranny of multi-GigaHertz radiowaves?!

The good folk at Benfei have sent me their latest gadget and, somehow, I need to make 300 words out of "plug into device, plug in Ethernet cable, data go fast". Let's see how that goes!

My hands trembling, I plugged in the svelte USB-C plug into my waiting laptop. With a satisfying "clunk", the Ethernet cable docked into the waiting receptacle. An instant later, subtle LEDs began to flicker as the data pulsed through the CAT6 and into my computer.

For Linux nerds, this is a 0bda:8153 Realtek Semiconductor Corp. RTL8153 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter. Plugging it in just worked - although there are drivers for Linux, Mac, and Windows if you need them.

Just for a laugh, I plugged it into my Android phone and - amazingly - it also just worked. I was free from the shackles of poor 5G coverage. Well, I could only go as far as my Ethernet cable stretched, but the speeds were fantastic.

This claims to be good up to 1Gbps. Sadly, I downgraded my Gigabit broadband, but let's see just how fast it can go. Here's a speed test run from my Android phone:

Fair play! That totally maxed out my home broadband.

Verdict

It's a cute little unit. For about a tenner - depending on how The Algorithm feels - this can't be beat. The short cable is nicely braided, the silver design is inoffensive, and you get the standard Ethernet blinkenlights to tell you it's working.

Please click the affiliate links so my family doesn't starve.

What do you get for your £35?

• USB-C power input - capable of taking 100W of PowerDelivery.
• A built-in USB-C cable to connect to your laptop.
• HDMI port which supports 4k @ 60Hz.
• Four USB-A ports.

And that's it! There isn't any DisplayPort, no Ethernet, no sound, no extra USB-C ports. It is, I have to say, a little bare-bones.

The smarts are powered by a Bridgesil USB 3.2 chip. For Linux nerds, it shows up as 35d6:3510 Bridgesil USB3.2 Hub and 35d6:2510 Bridgesil USB2.1 Hub.

Putting it through its paces

The 4K HDMI worked flawlessly. As you'd expect from HDMI, the picture clarity was perfectly reproduced. My 60Hz videos played without tearing or juddering.

Similarly, it's hard to go wrong with basic USB ports. Everything I plugged into them worked. USB disk speeds seemed fine. Read speeds were around 40MB/s and write speeds about the same. Pretty much what you'd expect - although I suspect this is more geared towards keyboard, mice, printers, and other office devices.

Power was OK. I took measurements with my Plugable power meter. I used a 65W charger, but the maximum I could get it to deliver to the hub was 50W (19.77v, 2.53A). Output to the laptop stuck at around 48W. There's usually a little drop off between the two as the hub itself requires some power. How much juice does your laptop need while you're doom-scrolling?

Verdict

As a laptop stand, it is brilliant. Easily adjustable, good range of movement, and some hefty rubber cushions to prevent slipping.

The USB features on it work - charging is fast enough, HDMI is crisp, and the USB-A ports are decent - but I just wish it had a bit more. Personally, I didn't like the USB ports being at the front - it meant that the cables kept getting in my way. I didn't need an extra HDMI port - but some extra USB-C ports would have been useful, as would Ethernet and sound.

If you're happy with a single HDMI and four A ports, this is fine. But if your needs are more complex or you require more power, you might want to buy a more fully-featured dock.

So the good people at Flexispot have sent me a chair with a USB-C port. Fair play!

This is the Lotus XR6 Recliner Chair - the electric variant of the XC6.

Here's what it looks like when assembled:

And once fully reclined:

Not completely flat, but good enough for a quick snooze!

Tech Specs

There's both a USB-C and a USB-A port.

I measured the power output using an in-line meter. I wasn't expecting Power Delivery - but both gave out a respectable 7.11W (4.87V 1.46A). You're probably not quickly recharging your laptop from that - but it is more than adequate for a phone or eReader.

The transformer is a little weird. It is a fairly chunky 29V 2A unit to handle the recliner motor. It has a standard figure of eight connector for power-in, but this odd connector to connect to the chair:

This seems to be the standard for reclining sofas - replacement transformers and extensions are easily available from 3rd parties.

User Interface

OK, a bit weird to talk about a UI on a chair! There are two rocker buttons.

Except… the rocking function is irrelevant! Push either side of the back button and the chair reclines - first the foot rest, then the back rest. Push either side of the front button and it reverts to the upright position.

There's no way to recline the back but keep the footrest down.

The chair can't be connected to Wi-Fi, there's no BlueTooth, and the USB port doesn't allow control. So you can't bark "ALEXA! RECLINE CHAIR FIVE DEGREES!"

Pity!

Comfort

Yeah! Pretty good. The cushions come vacuum-packed, so you'll need to wait a little while for them to fully puff out. All the pillows are removable, so you can supplement them with anything you like.

The chair rocks back and forth by a short amount - which is very relaxing. The rocker is manual - not electric.

There's 270° of rotation. Because of the power cable you can't loop all the way around. But that's plenty for a corner chair.

Oh, and there's what they call a "hidden" pocket on the left side. Big enough for some magazines and books.

Assembling and cleaning

As with any chair, it'll eventually hold enough sandwich crumbs to make it worth hoovering. All the cushions come off. Some have zips. They're all tacked on with Velcro, so pretty easy to keep clean.

Verdict

It might have been nice to have higher-power USB, or ZigBee control, or a heated massage pad, or any of a hundred other features - but this is practically perfect as a chair. The recline speed is decent, the USB sockets are useful, and the rocking is delightful.

The chair is currently on sale for £450 - with various discounts on the site. That's fairly reasonable for a chair of this size and sturdiness.

The FlexiSpot Black Friday sale is on now with up to 90% off.

Many thanks to Flexispot for the review unit. I'm off to sit in it while reading a good book.

Forget that noise! I have a passive-aggressive death-wish and want to hand out free headphones to people annoying me on public transport.

Time for our-lord-and-saviour USB-C⁰! With Apple finally succumbing to the inevitable¹ it should be possible to have a modern pair of headphones which works on every device. Progress!

I bought the cheapest USB-C headphones I could find from AliExpress. Total cost was about £2 after tax - I also bought some other bobbins to get free shipping.

Here they are:

No, these aren't the weird USB-C headphones which somehow require Bluetooth - they're plain USB-C.

They worked in every Android phone I tried. From the Pixel 8 Pro to whatever cheap devices I had laying around.

Now, I know what you're thinking, the Sainted iPhone would never allow itself to be sullied by such a cheap and nasty 3rd party device. Right?

Steve Jobs must be rolling in his grave! Sound played perfectly though them - thanks Apple Corps!

(And thank you Pabs for lending me your iPhone.)

Sound quality

Good enough for listening to shitty music on a bus. Look, for two quid you aren't getting audiophile aural perfection. Bass was thumpy, stereo separation was fine, no background hiss. They didn't completely block out any outside sound and were a little bit leaky. But still a hell of a lot better than playing tunes out loud from your phone.

There's even a little control box with clicky buttons for changing the volume and play/pause. And, yes, they even worked on the iPhone. I could raise and lower the volume. Spotify worked with the play/pause button. It even hung up the phone when I pressed the button.

Wait... phone?

Microphone

Oh! And there's also a microphone in the control box. Here's the voice quality:

Basically fine for a phone call.

Linux Compatibility

I plugged them in to a Linux laptop and they were instantly detected as: 001f:0b21 Generic AB13X USB Audio

Playback worked. Microphone worked. Volume and play buttons worked. Nice²!

Verdict

For £2? Perfect. I'd love it if these came in little branded envelopes with a suitably snarky message on them. Sell them as "Shush your noise" brand, charge a fiver, watch them fly off the shelves to enraged commuters.

Hey, they were on special - £30 for a pair!

After a few days of use, I've come to the conclusion that they're… basically fine? My main reason for buying them was that they did USB-C recharging (we live in the future now). They didn't come with charging cables or an electrical plug, which is good from an e-Waste perspective. In fact, the whole package is pretty bare-bones. You get the handsets, a belt clip for them, and an instruction leaflet. That's it.

Interface

Pretty crappy! But it works. A cheap LCD screen backlit by two LEDs. No OLED panels or multi-pixel screens - just a bunch of black and white icons.

The interface for changing channels is a bit weird. Lots of stabbing rubbery buttons and trying to remember which one accepts the selection. But it is the sort of thing you'll do once and then leave. Turning the unit on and off is as simple as twisting the knob at the top.

Press the "Call" button and the other handset rings (you can choose between 10 different bloopy ringtones). Press the PTT button and your voice is transmitted. There's also a "VOX" mode which transmits whenever it hears your voice.

Oh, there's also a fairly crappy "torch" which is a weak-ish white LED.

When you release the talk button there is an (optional) beep - so the other party knows you have finished talking.

Range

The PMR446 band is open for anyone to use. So you don't pay anything to make or receive calls. But you don't get much range either. The product description says:

TCXO (temperature compensated crystal oscillator ) technology, ensures the stability and effectiveness of transmission. The walkie talkies for adults long range can reach 5km in open areas with no sight obstruction. If in cities or towns,you could talk and hear clearly without noise within 1.5km.

Is that true? Liz and I conducted a couple of experiments in an urban environment to see how well they coped.

• 1Km - at best we each heard a burst of static
• 500m - enough signal for the call alert, but no voice
• 430m - crackly voice, just about good enough to hear
• 250m - clear voice, perfect reception

Even with me sat at the top of the house near a window, that was about the best we could do.

Of course, there's not much point using these in a city where there's good mobile phone reception. How do they fare in the wide open space of a park?

We went down to our local woods and wandered away from each other.

• 1Km - enough signal for the call alert, but no voice
• 700m - crackly voice, just about good enough to hear
• 500m - clear voice, a little static
• 275m - clear voice, perfect reception

As expected, better when far away from metal structures and lots of stray signals. Perhaps if we were both on top of hills, with nothing between us, we'd get 1.5Km - but I doubt it.

Disadvantages

Other than the range and the UI, the main disadvantage of PMR446 is that it is analogue. Voice quality is adequate, but nothing stellar. There's a fair amount of hiss and crackle depending on the environment.

Although the Digital Coded Squelch allows for hundreds of different channels without interference, they're all unencrypted. So don't say anything you want to keep private.

There's a fairly stiff belt clip on the back, with a small hole if you want to hook it to something.

It takes the weird double earpiece / mic connector so beloved of these devices. No standard 3.5mm and certainly no Bluetooth.

Should you get some?

Are you often in a field far away from mobile signal? Do you enjoy saying "over" a lot? Are you preparing for the collapse of civilisation which still, somehow, has USB-C cables?

If so, these are for you!

Useful to have in a go-bag, and probably handy if you're on holiday somewhere without great phone coverage. And, of course, lots of fun pretending to be on the A-Team or something.