Facebook Portal Plus – Smart Video Calling 15.6 inch Touch Screen Display with Alexa – Black (Gen 1)
Portal Comparison
 Portal+ |  Portal TV |  Portal 10″ | Portal 15.6″ | |
| Display | 15.6″ HD adaptive touchscreen | Connects to TV with HDMI input | 10″ HD adaptive touchscreen | 15.6″ HD adaptive touchscreen |
| Input | Touchscreen or voice command | Remote control or voice | Touchscreen or voice command | Touchscreen or voice command |
| Alexa built in | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Enjoy your favourite apps | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more | Spotify, Netflix, Zoom & more | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more |
| Available colours | Black or White | Black | Black or White | Black or White |
| Dimensions | 45cm h x 14.6cm w x 22.3cm d | 3.17cm h x 19.05cm w x 5.7cm d | 17.85cm h 26cm w x 14.12cm d | 45cm h x 14.6cm w x 22.3cm d |
| Dimensions: | 37.3 x 14.1 x 22.4 cm; 6.06 Kilograms |
| Model: | 899-00048-13 |
| Origin: | USA |
Transforms FaceTime..
This transforms FaceTime, Zoom etc into a comfortable experience! After my son gave me one, I gave as presents to other family members- all delighted with them; enabled comfortable get togethers!
Saved Christmas
When Londoners were suddenly not allowed to travel for Christmas, threw money at the problem and bought a portal tv for me and one for the family. Was amazing and meant I got to open gifts and eat lunch with my family. Since then and the national lockdown, I sit in the comfort of my sofa and chat to friends and family – like being in the same room as them. Totally worth the money!
Transforms FaceTime..
This transforms FaceTime, Zoom etc into a comfortable experience! After my son gave me one, I gave as presents to other family members- all delighted with them; enabled comfortable get togethers!
Ease of Use
Am well impressed with the Facebook Portal as I needed something for my mum to use with ease of use.
Due to the situation we’re all in currently!
Was easy to setup with the primary software with a number of remote tests and the use of Alexa.
All good
Great fun product, easy to set up and use
Really pleased with this portal, it’s great to use when talking to grandchildren who never sit still! Lots of fun to use and bought when it was on offer so good value for money. Easy to set up and use.
Portal is a 5⭐ addition for us
Portal is a great addition to our house at this tough time. All our family are in Galway Ireland and haven’t seen them face to face for 2 years now, due to covid and illness so it was great to ” see them ” at Christmas and new year . Typical of my luck though, i paid 129 then portal is on offer from 89 the following week. But would still recommend it.
Portal is a 5⭐ addition for us
Portal is a great addition to our house at this tough time. All our family are in Galway Ireland and haven’t seen them face to face for 2 years now, due to covid and illness so it was great to ” see them ” at Christmas and new year . Typical of my luck though, i paid 129 then portal is on offer from 89 the following week. But would still recommend it.
Connected
This has to be the best thing I have ever purchased especially in these times ,it has been a godsend keeping us connected with my family and friends over Christmas and new year ,it really does feel like you are in the room with them especially if they have a portal also ,would highly recommend
Great for keeping in touch with family.
I purchased this to speak to family in the comfort of my living room. I have done mirroring before on my TV but this is 100 times better. The camera is very good, it zooms into any individuals talking so come across clearly. If you have poor quality it maybe to do with your broadband or where your broadband is based. I am only signed in via what’s app as I don’t use Facebook and it works really well, I have recommended the portal to my close family and friends. I don’t use Alexa so I can’t comment on that part of the portal but it is easily one of the best things I’ve purchased during lockdown.
Portal TV
I was a bit sceptical of this product. But even from opening the box it oozes quality, very easy to set up and the way the camera tracks you if you move is novel. The people receiving a call say the picture quality and sound etc is brilliant. So giving it a 10 out of 10. And definitely recommend i
Portal TV
I was a bit sceptical of this product. But even from opening the box it oozes quality, very easy to set up and the way the camera tracks you if you move is novel. The people receiving a call say the picture quality and sound etc is brilliant. So giving it a 10 out of 10. And definitely recommend i
Excellent produc
Bought for Whatsapp chats through a tv rather than a mobile phone. Works without a Facebook account and the video quality is so much better than regular Whatsapp calls via a phone camera.
Definitely worth it in these times when you can’t see people face to face. It’s quite easy to set up too
Fantastic for someone who can't see their loved ones.
Bought this for my 80 yr old in laws. Who don’t have wi fi so got a dongle to go with it. Best present ever!!!! Easy to manage and they can now see us, their grandchildren and their great grand children. They said it was the best Christmas present they had ever had! Regularly call us and
Fantastic for someone who can't see their loved ones.
Bought this for my 80 yr old in laws. Who don’t have wi fi so got a dongle to go with it. Best present ever!!!! Easy to manage and they can now see us, their grandchildren and their great grand children. They said it was the best Christmas present they had ever had! Regularly call us and
Excellent produc
Bought for Whatsapp chats through a tv rather than a mobile phone. Works without a Facebook account and the video quality is so much better than regular Whatsapp calls via a phone camera.
Definitely worth it in these times when you can’t see people face to face. It’s quite easy to set up too
Excellent!
I bought an Echo Show, but it doesn’t do Zoom or WhatsApp. The Portal was very easy to set up and easy to use……it does Zoom and. WhatsApp!!! This is IMO better than the Echo Show and I have no hesitation in recommending it!!!
Worthwhile investme
Great way to keep in touch with family. Easy to set up and lots of fun options to entertain the grandchildren!! Quality of sound and video not always consistent but overall a worthwhile investme
Excellent!
I bought an Echo Show, but it doesn’t do Zoom or WhatsApp. The Portal was very easy to set up and easy to use……it does Zoom and. WhatsApp!!! This is IMO better than the Echo Show and I have no hesitation in recommending it!!!
Blooming fantastic investme
Blooming fantastic investment given the state of uk and tiers / lockdown etc!!
Talking to loads of family and friends
Love it!
Bought this when it was reduced to 99 strangely after Black Friday! I got it to talk with my daughter who recently emigrated to the USA. I am so glad I did. Initially concerned about the lack of written instructions but once plugged in and switched on the on screen tutorial took me through the set up process step by step. So simple even I managed it! Lovely clear pictures and speech. Fantastic to sit back on the sofa and chat instead of staring at my phone. Best tech purchase in a long time. Love it.
Fantastic product.
Bought these for the Family as we could not all be together at Christmas, they work amazingly and the picture quality is fantastic. They make video calls a much better experience than just using a phone.
The only slight downside is that when linked to Alexa you cannot change the wake word and this device takes priority over my echo for some reason. Something to be aware of if you plan to have it in the same room as another Alexa devise.
Good quality.
Works very well but not easy to set up and the securing clip does to work on an older TV as most are thicker at the top of the screen than the newer models. The clip is not up to the job as the portal can be dislodged by the HDMI cable. Far too expensive for what it is, I wish I have tried other makers.
very good control on camera
very pleased with device but remember device is always on and listening and possibly watching !
Good quality.
Works very well but not easy to set up and the securing clip does to work on an older TV as most are thicker at the top of the screen than the newer models. The clip is not up to the job as the portal can be dislodged by the HDMI cable. Far too expensive for what it is, I wish I have tried other makers.
All good so fa
I took a ‘Black Friday’ punt on this with the sole aim of having a more comfortable means of talking to my elderly parents. It is easy to set up (I’m not very tech -savvy) with simple step by step instructions on the screen. I’m confident my parents will be able to set theirs up with minimal help (fingers crossed) when I eventually get theirs to them. The camera is great as is the sound quality and it’s nice for my parents to be able to see all of us at once (which is trickier using a mobile phone). Having Alexa incorporated is an added bonus. I am not on Facebook and only use it for WhatsApp calls but all good so far. I have the 10 inch screen which is great but not sure I’d pay the full 170 price tag for it.
Great Produc
I bought this for my parents as a Christmas present so that they can keep in touch with friends and family especially their grand-daughter who lives 350 miles away.
Before purchasing this product, I would suggest that your Internet connection should be an unlimited service (which I am), as I was just curious as to how much data video calling used. 2 WhatsApp calls for about 40 minutes each used 80Gb of data. So about 1Gb a minute if you look at it like that.
In the box you just get instructions booklet, the unit and the power lead.
The HDMI lead isn’t included which is what you use to connect it to the TV, you also need to check if your TV supports HDMI, most modern TV’s do and that you have a spare port. So if you don’t have a spare cable lying around then you will need to purchase one.
My parents don’t have a Facebook account and this product still works via WhatsApp and Zoom.
The camera sets up very easily via Wi-Fi once connected and doesn’t take too long before it’s testing the camera and mic.
My dad likes to use WhatsApp through his phone which he can now use via the portal. You can also download the Zoom App, and have a zoom meeting from the comfort of the sofa.
The camera follows you round so that you never miss being on camera. Alexa is also built into the device and will respond but only when the TV is on.
Great product.
Best way of staying in touch.
This is amazing, I was able to talk to my family and play games as if we were in the same room, it was easy to set up, I just needed to buy a HDMI lead as it doesn’t come with one and you HAVE to have one, luckily I had read other reviews and ordered it at the same time. I dont have Alexa but it’s good to know that it will connect should I get one. We have had some fun with the special effects as well and the story time was fun as well.
Brings family into your home.
What an amazing thing this is. I have just spent Xmas alone with my family 4 hours drive away. It felt like they were here with me. You can leave it on and just hearing my grandchildren laughing and playing was just wonderful. I can play board games with them. I can see my Grandson playing piano. Just wonderful !!
Brings family into your home.
What an amazing thing this is. I have just spent Xmas alone with my family 4 hours drive away. It felt like they were here with me. You can leave it on and just hearing my grandchildren laughing and playing was just wonderful. I can play board games with them. I can see my Grandson playing piano. Just wonderful !!
Really good.. clarity and sound is superb
Bought as a Christmas gift for my partner. He loved it. Instructions were easy to set up.
Saved Christmas
Absolutely brilliant this saved our Christmas bought two so me and my daughter could spend Christmas together as we are a tier 4 area (Covid-19) easy installation even managed a group call and had my sister involved so I have seen all my family this Christmas albeit virtual.
I would say if you are pondering should I get one ? It’s a definite thumbs up from my family.
Great for family chats
We are a couple of oldies so it took us a little longer to set up, sure the kids would have done it in five minutes! Looks smart, great for talking to family in Australia as sound also very clear. Plenty of info on line the setting up. Recommend.
Love i
Came very quickly. Gave it to my daughter and son in law as part of their xmas . Easy to set up and they are using it on Xmas day to meet up on a call as we can’t be together. My grandson is 3 years old and he knows how to work and suddenly ours goes off and he is phoning us. Also got it at a fantastic price.
Love i
Came very quickly. Gave it to my daughter and son in law as part of their xmas . Easy to set up and they are using it on Xmas day to meet up on a call as we can’t be together. My grandson is 3 years old and he knows how to work and suddenly ours goes off and he is phoning us. Also got it at a fantastic price.
Amazing and worth every penny
I bought this for my 81 year old mum who is really struggling with loneliness especially during this pandemic, she loves it, finds it easy to make calls and it has opened up a whole new network of communicating with people. It is very easy to set up and has very good connection. It also helps us as a family to see her and how she is as you can’t ways tell on a basic telephone. Anyway I highly recommend this product.
Amazing and worth every penny
I bought this for my 81 year old mum who is really struggling with loneliness especially during this pandemic, she loves it, finds it easy to make calls and it has opened up a whole new network of communicating with people. It is very easy to set up and has very good connection. It also helps us as a family to see her and how she is as you can’t ways tell on a basic telephone. Anyway I highly recommend this product.
Good price
Bought to make life easier for chatting to family through Facebook. We wanted to set up 2 Facebook accounts on the portal but were unable to do so. Have setup Alexa on it which is useful to mange our devices and listen to music etc
Good price
Bought to make life easier for chatting to family through Facebook. We wanted to set up 2 Facebook accounts on the portal but were unable to do so. Have setup Alexa on it which is useful to mange our devices and listen to music etc
Well worth the monies ......good clear screen.Highly recommended.
Bought this for Xmas pressie.
to keep in touch with family …..
Compact and takes up little space.
As others already mentioned, the device does not receive calls, which is a bit frustrating at first. Facebook helpcentre recommends calling from the Portal to a mobile device first, which allegedly triggers an updates of the Messenger app on the mobile, which then should be able to make a call the other way round. This never helped though. In the end we’re happy to receive calls from grandmother whenever it suits her schedule rather than randomly calling her when she’s hanging out, so not a major issue. Bought it in a substantial discount as well – maybe would be more annoyed by this had I paid the full price 😀
Otherwise quite a premium-looking device, decent screen and sound quality. You can install a Portal app on your phone, log in with your grandma’s account and keep feeding her with pictures that are then displayed on the device after each call – another thing she really enjoys, except for the photo of a common seal we met on a beach, which creeps her out. Well, she’s from a landlocked country so that’s understandable 🙂
I’m still a bit nervous from the possibility that Facebook might just randomly block her account due to a lack of other activity or whatever, which would be a massive inconvenience. Let’s see and keep it four stars for now 🙂
Facebook porthole 😊👌
Brilliant as you can see whomever your talking too without standing close to it like you have to do with all the other products on the market…
I love it.
Thank you.
No issues with the delivery amazon come up trumps in my book compared to ebay which I always have problems getting what I’ve purchased.
Thanks amazo
Be careful if have a soundbar and can’t turn it off easily!
I bought four of these as a surprise extra gift for family members to help us hang out together easily at Christmas (rather than holding iPads and FaceTime).
The interface and remote make this so simple.
However two downsides –
1). It’s 720p only. On my huge 4K TV it doesn’t look brilliant, but it’s so simple to use I can forgive that;
2) I’ve got a Sonos soundbar and other speakers and it just doesn’t work with it. The mic and speakers are so far apart, when you’re talking from remote, you hear every word bouncing back at you, so much so it’s unusable. This is not written clearly enough before buying so take heed. If you can easily turn off the soundbar I suppose this may work but I can’t, and don’t want to, so unfortunately I’ve sent all four back
Great produc
The smart camera on this is worth the price alone. It makes video calling with your TV a breeze.
I had an issue setting mine up but the technical support team is excellent too.
You don’t have to have a Facebook account you can just use WhatsApp but you do need at least one or the other.
My daughter and I had lots of fun playing around with all the silly effects as well.
We already have a smart TV but for those that don’t this adds a lot of the services you would want from one.
It would be nice if they had an App Store or a bit more of a selection though. Support for Zoom is lacking
It arrived a day early, the packaging was excellent and just taking it out of the box and setting it up using the on screen instructions was brilliant it connected to my phone with no problems at all, it has got all my photos off my phone and displys them on the screen as a slide show, the hey portal voice activated instructions are fast, the wide image camera is fantastic we can talk to our family and friends without using my phone for face time calls and although none of them have a portal they can see both my husband and myself.
I am one very happy portal owner and i still have so much more to learn about i
Easy to set up, but would be good to know you need HDMI cable.
Initially worked brilliantly but after a few week the sound started to have problems when talking through TV portal, the sound began breaking up for the people receiving the call, then who ever you were speaking to found that their phone or portal began echoing when they were talking.
One opened one the Christmas prese
Well I’ve only setup one as the other is a Christmas present it is all working fine and it has more features than I thought Amazon prime TV and Netflix as well as Facebook watch which is a service that I’m sure that will grow
One opened one the Christmas prese
Well I’ve only setup one as the other is a Christmas present it is all working fine and it has more features than I thought Amazon prime TV and Netflix as well as Facebook watch which is a service that I’m sure that will grow
Absolutely brillia
I wasn’t sure with my purchase as I saw a few negative comments from UK customers but so glad I decided to give it a try. Portal + is just huge tablet for various uses for everyone in my family. Setting up was very easy, activating Facebook, WhatsApp, Zoom, YouTube and other apps permissions was without any problems. Of course, the choise of apps is limited but I believe they will be adding more and more soon. On the other side it’s not a problem as I easily set up the bookmarks on the main menu and with one touch we can just use our most used TV/satellite channels, study courses and other sources over the website, they all running smoothly. Quality of the camera is amazing, screen resolution as well. Game selection fit to all of us, only Checkers are not working as the moment. Uploading photos from my phone was little bit harder, but I blame my phone. ..As a Google home fan and owner of various smart devices, I had to install Alexa first time on my phone to activate it, but she works on Portal without any problem. Voice commands are limited as she can only open apps, not a bookmarks but we don’t need this at all. She reacts to all members of our family, even to my Czech accent :). We have now Google and Alexa but it doesn’t make any troubles as we use Google for most of the devices and Alexa is there for Portal only..
It’s quite heavy gadget but the handle in the back is making it very easy to move it to another room. I found only one negative thing on this beauty and it is a sound. Sound settings has only three levels and even on lower bass settings, sometimes we thing it’s still quite high. I think it’s little bit unpleasant when it’s in lower volume, in higher it’s not so bad…. Screen resolution is amazing as I mentioned, watching RedBull videos is nice bonus (app from the store).
I have to say that for 220 pounds it’s absolutely amazing 15inch gadget, with brilliant camera, microphone and screen resolution and has a huge potential in the future. But for me it’s perfect already.
Keeping in touch with family
I bought this portal to keep in contact with my family. It is easy to setup and having used it for the first time to contact my granddaughter, the display, sound and the way the camera follows you around the is brilliant.
Keeping in touch with family
I bought this portal to keep in contact with my family. It is easy to setup and having used it for the first time to contact my granddaughter, the display, sound and the way the camera follows you around the is brilliant.
DOES NOT COME WITH HDMI CABLE required for USE
Apart from fact that it does not come with HDMI cable required for use, item seems to work very well from first looks. Camera, picture quality and sound are all excellent. Camera tracking also good. Should be ideal for keeping in contact with family.
Wow!
Brilliant bit of kit, set up easy, placed below tv on stand, I can sit in the room anywhere and ask it to call anyone. Good clear picture and sound. You don’t even have to shout across the room, speak normal and the recipient can hear great. Someone else comes in room and the camera adjusts itself to accommodate all in view. To finish the call you just tell it too.
Alexa built in too, means I can control my smart devices. Not used what’s app on it, but spotify all good, best bit of kit I have seen for some time. I would recommend.
This is a nice product and the video worked well, especially via Facebook video messaging, however, I bought this for my parents who are in their mid-eighties and cannot do technology. There is no auto answer function and so requires pressing ok on the remote (or by voice control) to answer, and when call is finished it leaves the TV on the Portal input rather than switching back to the TV channels. I therefore have returned the product. It’s a shame that technology companies don’t make it simple for the elderly who can just about change tv channels and certainly cannot handle multiple button pushes to switch from one device to another.
Excellent bit of ki
Excellent bit of kit. Purchased for my mother due to lock downs, so simple for her. Now she can still see all the grandkids, and not miss anything.
I bought one of these for parents to talk to grandchildren as they struggled with the complexity of other systems. I had to set up a dummy facebook account for each family which worked well. It takes time to download all the updates so did this in advance of delivering to family. Wifi connection works OK but sometimes the image quality isnt as good as I would like. I tried wifi booster but the best option is to hardwire the ethernet connection. I used an ethernet to usb c adapter to plug into the USB c port on the portal TV and then connected to a devolo dlan plug. Works great:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Ethernet-Thunderbolt-Compatible-1000Mbps/dp/B077FVG3F3
and
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Powerline-Starter-Homeplug-Internet-Ethernet/dp/B00N8W34SC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=S3EMUFRHTMKC&dchild=1&keywords=devolo+dlan+starter+kit&qid=1605010514&sprefix=devolo+dlan+s%2Caps%2C147&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNzhQSlI1WUtGQlJPJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTU1MTYxM1BPQlRITFFWRVZUWiZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMjgxNTk0MkJYWkJIVklIRkhDMyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=
Love i
Great love it my only negative comment is i worry its a bit front heavy saying that its better than my smaller one
Works well with WhatsApp
Much easier for long conversations than holding phone. Pity the WhatsApp contact list can only be accessed by adding to favourite list.
Love it. Great way to connect with family
Love it. Much better than zoom or teams for staying in touch. Really impressed with how it makes sure we are all in the frame even on opposite sides of the room either side of the TV. Then we just chat normally. It’s just like being in the room. Very easy to set up. Calls are via what’s app or Facebook messenger. You can hide the ones you don’t want and just have a short list of the people you want to call.
Love it. Great way to connect with family
Love it. Much better than zoom or teams for staying in touch. Really impressed with how it makes sure we are all in the frame even on opposite sides of the room either side of the TV. Then we just chat normally. It’s just like being in the room. Very easy to set up. Calls are via what’s app or Facebook messenger. You can hide the ones you don’t want and just have a short list of the people you want to call.
So far, so good
We have only used it a few times on a on-to-one basis so are really only just getting the hang of it. Next step will be getting the whole family using it in time for Christmas, which is why we bought one for each of them in case Covid prevents us from being together under one roof, especially as we now have our first grandchild.
So far, so good
We have only used it a few times on a on-to-one basis so are really only just getting the hang of it. Next step will be getting the whole family using it in time for Christmas, which is why we bought one for each of them in case Covid prevents us from being together under one roof, especially as we now have our first grandchild.
Great way to keep in contact with family when they are abroad.
I board this for my elderly parents when they travel to Spain. I did all the setup here in the UK so they only had to connect to the wi-fi when they got there. Once they were connected it all works a treat and it helps them feel connected with family all over the world.
Love my Portal
Had some set up problems but I’m no techie. Eventually sorted with a little help and it’s fab! Will ge great for Christmas to see the rest of the family in lockdown. Good Alexa connectivity.
One hint. Don’t leave the little remote where it can be accidentally pressed… It’s Very sentitive and has twice changed my viewing because I leaned on it!
All in all a great buy.
Love my Portal
Had some set up problems but I’m no techie. Eventually sorted with a little help and it’s fab! Will ge great for Christmas to see the rest of the family in lockdown. Good Alexa connectivity.
One hint. Don’t leave the little remote where it can be accidentally pressed… It’s Very sentitive and has twice changed my viewing because I leaned on it!
All in all a great buy.
Great gadge
Great product and one that DEFINITELY doesn’t insist on you having a Facebook account.
Some great functionality and the camera is brilliant.
Only negative is you need to buy an hdmi cable if you don’t have one as you need this to connect to the TV but it isn’t supplied.
Great way to see and keep in touch
Excellent product let’s keep in touch with our sons and families especially since the lockdowns,
Been a godsen in letting us see our grandchildren all together the three families.
Money well spe
Great way to see and keep in touch
Excellent product let’s keep in touch with our sons and families especially since the lockdowns,
Been a godsen in letting us see our grandchildren all together the three families.
Money well spe
OMG – thank you FB for creating such a simple and fantastic product as the FB Portal!! It has transformed our life!!
My 86 year old Mom, is deaf and suffers with Vascular Dementia; she resides in a Care Home and we have not been able to visit her since March 2020 when the UK went into lockdown
Purchasing the Portal was the very best thing we did! We speak to her multiple times a day now! Her friends and other relatives are now in regular contact with her and her mental health has improved significantly since she’s been able to see people again.
The quality of the audio and camera is superb. The volume goes really high, so Mom can actually hear us without us having to yell at the top of our voices!
The way the camera follows us around the room is a bonus as she gets to see the dog whom she misses terribly and she does’t miss out on the hustle and bustle of home!
I can’t recommend the Portal highly enough. Everybody should have one! It’s an absolute lifesaver for the elderley.
Worth every penny!
Good fun *****
The product is good brought one for the parents and In laws so we group chat. I found the set up pretty easy as long as you know your passwords for Facebook its pretty simple. I did think for the price of the product it would of at least come with a HDMI lead. But overall i would say it is very good and fun also can ring people who don’t have one.
Updated review: Getting better and more versatile with updates.
I bought it so I can communicate with my mother while I’m overseas (she gave up with the iPad almost immediately). And you know what’s it’s great for calling her and she can use it well enoughonce I setup a Facebook account. She talks and the camera tracks her. You just have to be aware of the limitations – no images or text just video and audio. Don’t buy the TV version unless you want low quality video (I have both and the camera on the mini is so much better). One tip is to use the app to control the photoframe function so you can add family photos from a distance.
Software update:
The Portal Mini update has added support for Zoom, Bluejeans and GotoMeeting, plus games and browser. Not Netflix.
The Portal TV update added Netflix, but no new video conferencing apps.
Very good quality
Brilliant sound and picture, love being able to see friends and family and them us but not all crammed around a mobile phone screen this lets you sit comfortably together on a sofa or fining table and moves if anyone moves so all can been see all the time you are on the call, we all love them I bought 3 and gave them out to family.
Very good quality
Brilliant sound and picture, love being able to see friends and family and them us but not all crammed around a mobile phone screen this lets you sit comfortably together on a sofa or fining table and moves if anyone moves so all can been see all the time you are on the call, we all love them I bought 3 and gave them out to family.
Require around 22Mbs Broadband connectio
When I first got Portal TV, I had 11 Mbps standard broadband, people we video called with same TVportal said the view of us was pixelated or blurred and the sound distorted. Those other people had internet connections of 36 Mbps or above and had no issues. I called Facebook for assistance and they said that 5 Mbps should be sufficient and advised me to check various other parameters on my network. This proved to be a waste of time. I upgraded from standard broadband to fibre which averages at 36 Mbps but often tests as low as 22 Mbps and now we can make video calls without the recipient seeing us as pixelated or blurred. They now see a high definition view of us with sound deterioration.
Really good when video calling with young kids!
Bought this to video call relatives as we live away and I’m happy with it. It’s really handy with young kids (who won’t sit still) as the camera automatically pans and zooms to follow you around the room. It works through Facebook Messenger and/or Instagram and is very quick and easy to set up. There are some good in call features (backgrounds and animated masks, etc) which keep the kids entertained. The reason for 4 stars is the software. Unfortunately there are a few bugs in the software still but all have been fixed by unplugging and plugging back in again. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and certainly wouldn’t put me off purchasing.
Really good when video calling with young kids!
Bought this to video call relatives as we live away and I’m happy with it. It’s really handy with young kids (who won’t sit still) as the camera automatically pans and zooms to follow you around the room. It works through Facebook Messenger and/or Instagram and is very quick and easy to set up. There are some good in call features (backgrounds and animated masks, etc) which keep the kids entertained. The reason for 4 stars is the software. Unfortunately there are a few bugs in the software still but all have been fixed by unplugging and plugging back in again. Hopefully this will be fixed soon and certainly wouldn’t put me off purchasing.
Works great.
Easy to setup and use. Shame there is no easy way to switch to the portal (from the TV) when there is an incoming call on FB messenger.
surprisingly simple
I love the cameras, the integration and the quality. the fact you can see people on the tv screen and not need to hold makes it so much easier as well
Was getting feed up of getting arm ache when our daughter who lives In Australia video called us, sometimes 2 hours holding an iPad so she can see both of us. Now we just sit and relax and chat away, sometimes it freezes a little ,but it’s much better, I panic a bit when it starts ringing to switch things off and switch to the portal.
I’m happy with my purchase.
Family friendly
Fabulous product we all have one in our homes, don’t bother using phone anymore between family, and so many extras built in. Grandchildren love storytime. Alexa built in, makes one less gadget.
Very happy with i
Instal very easy, very good quality. Ordered, 2 portal tv’s, delivered quickly.
Maybe privacy issues, unplug it when not using and while using, must be boring conversations for other people:)
Amazing alternative for living abroad and not being able to visit each other but still see family.
Very happy with i
Instal very easy, very good quality. Ordered, 2 portal tv’s, delivered quickly.
Maybe privacy issues, unplug it when not using and while using, must be boring conversations for other people:)
Amazing alternative for living abroad and not being able to visit each other but still see family.
Face to Face
The Portal TV is absolutely brilliant. We can see the family and talk to them as if they were in the room. I only wish we had this during lock down. I am well over retirement age and didn’t have the slightest problem setting this up. I can also view photographs and find things on Facebook also watch You tube and there are lots of other things I have not explored yet. So a very big thumbs up from me.
Face to Face
The Portal TV is absolutely brilliant. We can see the family and talk to them as if they were in the room. I only wish we had this during lock down. I am well over retirement age and didn’t have the slightest problem setting this up. I can also view photographs and find things on Facebook also watch You tube and there are lots of other things I have not explored yet. So a very big thumbs up from me.
Love this
I’m loving this. I can see my new granddaughter and my son and his girlfriend at the same time, plus they’re hands free, so you can continue to carry on what you were doing before, whether feeding the baby or cooking a roast.
Useful but pricey
As I have a son and his wife in Australia, using FaceTime on my computer was a pain as we were crowded around a monitor and confined to my computer’s location. Bought this to use with our TV in the living room where we can sit in comfort. For this purpose, it works perfectly. Can also ‘conference’ call with up to 4 others which is ideal for including other family members in a round robin chat. Alexa is built in but we don’t have much use for that in all honesty. It is quite expensive for what it is but felt it was worth the outlay – just!!
Perfect for my Mum
Bought this after discovering standard webcams dont work on smart TV’s, it was bought for my mum who is in her 80s and not very tech savy, so she could video chat with relatives on her smart TV. This is perfect as it comes with a remote so he can totally use this herself with a problem.
Set up was very straight forward.
Perfect for my Mum
Bought this after discovering standard webcams dont work on smart TV’s, it was bought for my mum who is in her 80s and not very tech savy, so she could video chat with relatives on her smart TV. This is perfect as it comes with a remote so he can totally use this herself with a problem.
Set up was very straight forward.
great invention for families apa
as we were in lockdown I tried to order the two portals one for my granddaughters and one for me it’s been invaluable to see grandad on television and we can talk to them
A must have for video calling
We purchased 2 of these as a fathers day gift during lockdown (1 for us, one for the inlaws). Its the best purchase this year!!! We can finally see them and not 1 arm and a nostril. The screen zooms in and out so you get a perfect view. I’m addicted to it. I use to workout with my sister via messenger (she doesnt have one but mirrors from her phone to her tv). Its perfect as it follows me so she can see what movements I’m doing. Alexa is a bonus and I use it to play music most of the day. It also connects to my ring camera so easy to see who’s at the door. Only downfall is you cant use for zoom but that’s a small tjing
Family fu
My partner bought these for his parents and sister to help keep the grandchildren and grandparents in touch. They like them
Perfect!! COVID lockdown savour!!
This has been a godsend during the lockdown. Simple to use which meant chatting to my Mum to keep her connected with family, at 79yrs old she’s not that technically minded but she had no problems connecting to family and friends to keep her company for the weeks she couldn’t get out.
The ability to chat but carry on you daily chores is brilliant as the camera follows you around.
Perfect!! COVID lockdown savour!!
This has been a godsend during the lockdown. Simple to use which meant chatting to my Mum to keep her connected with family, at 79yrs old she’s not that technically minded but she had no problems connecting to family and friends to keep her company for the weeks she couldn’t get out.
The ability to chat but carry on you daily chores is brilliant as the camera follows you around.
90 year old has almost worked it out!
I bought this for my parents during lockdown. I set it up for them and there have been times when they haven’t worked out how to use it, but I think they are getting the hang of this now.
It’s been great for keeping in touch remotely, but we haven’t managed to set it up with Whatsapp because you need a smartphone for that (and they haven’t got one, hence the portal).
So it’s only been used with Messenger.
My dad is blind, so he cannot see the screen to answer it, so the one thing that would be great is if he could answer it using the Alexa app, or he could call people on it using Alexa, We tried to setup Drop-in, but that didn’t work. That would really help if this functionality was added and I have to confess, I was surprised that DropIn wouldn’t work.
On the whole though it’s been good but you do need to be able to touch the screen to answer.
The other area which is annoying is that at the end of EVERY call, you get asked to rate it, which again can confuse an old person, so perhaps just asking occasionally would be better.
Portal
This is an excellent product. The video quality is brilliant. Multiple call feature is great and I like that it acts as a digital photo frame too. Use the Alexa function a lot and for music. Would definitely recommend.
Couldn't be without it now!
We bought these for both sets of parents and one for us and I can absolutely recommend it. Throughout the lockdown we’ve had great chats virtual lunches and birthday dinners with family making this time more bearable. It’s also been a very useful tool in keeping an eye on 3 x 90 year olds health and happiness. The sound from the music side of it is excellent too and love having Alexa as an added bonus!
Excellent gadget to keep in touch.
Brilliant idea for keeping in touch with friends and relatives – excellent quality sound/video/pictures – easy peasy to use – even 5 year old grandchild can use it – highly recommended.
A must buy item
Very pleased with this, clear screen and great sound .love that it zooms in and out if you move around.
Used daily to chat to my family.
Great to keep in touch
Bought two during lockdown – one for me and one for my parents who are in their 80’s. My Mom has never used technology, not even a mobile phone, but she can use the Portal and it’s been great to keep in touch. Have recommended to friends.
Great to keep in touch
Bought two during lockdown – one for me and one for my parents who are in their 80’s. My Mom has never used technology, not even a mobile phone, but she can use the Portal and it’s been great to keep in touch. Have recommended to friends.
Brillia
Bought for my mother who says away from Technology. This has priceless in value to us during lockdown in the UK. The way the camera zooms in and out on it’s own is excellent. We have been able to keep in touch with Mam and her dogs. The quality is like watching her on a high end reality show. Nothing make up for seeing her in person but wouldn’t have been able to cope without this. You also don’t need to have Facebook all the time but do have to set one up. If me you don’t like Facebook you can disable it and talk through Messenger or WhatsApp