Facebook Portal TV – Big Screen Smart Video Calling for Group Calls on Your TV
Portal comparison
 Portal TV |  Portal 10″ |  Portal+ | Portal TV | |
| Display | Connects to TV with HDMI input | 10″ HD adaptive touchscreen | 15.6″ HD adaptive touchscreen | Connect to TV with HDMI input |
| Input | Remote control or voice | Touchscreen or voice command | Touchscreen or voice command | Remote control or voice |
| Alexa built in | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Enjoy your favourite apps | Spotify, Netflix, Zoom & more | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more | Spotify, Zoom, Plex and more | Spotify, Netflix, Zoom & more |
| Available colours | Black | Black or White | Black or White | Black |
| Dimensions | 3.2cm h x 19.1cm w x 5.7cm d | 17.9cm h x 26cm w x 14.12cm d | 44.8cm h x 14.6cm w x 22.3cm d | 3.2cm h x 19.1cm w x 5.7cm d |
| Dimensions: | 3.3 x 5.7 x 19 cm; 762 Grams |
| Model: | 899-00081-13 |
| Origin: | China |
This is good to have as I can see and talk to my family in Australia
Being a Jehovah’s Witness we never missed a meeting or get together over zoom.Up to getting the portal I participated through my iPad or phone,now I can see and chat to everyone and see them clearly.I love it.
It’s so much better than talking to friends and family on small hand held device,
Kids love it , recommend this all day long .
Bought this for my dad who can’t use whatApp on his phone. He is now able to make calls and keep in touch with family around the world. He can also join zoom meetings and surf the internet. Brilliant.
Fantastic camera, easy to setup and works great, bought for my 79yr old grandad for his Birthday and he has no problem operating it to make calls to the family. Highly recommended.
So good for using to call family and they can follow the grandkids around the room without you having to reposition your phone constantly. Easy to set up. Not a very long battery life but easy to charge. Lovely wide angle viewing and decent picture quality.
I bought this for my 84-year father who is not tech-savvy. I needed to create an FB account, activate Messenger along with Spotify and Whats App. I needed to buy a phone as well to serve as a device that you could create these accounts on. This device was not easy to set up and should have been better as a standalone communication hub. Alexa does not work as expected and you have to use “hey portal” as a term to initiate instructions. The voice recognition does not operate well even when using clear UK English properly enunciated. It has successfully connected my dad with family in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Fiji and different parts of the UK via video call. Would suit a better level of tech knowledge to set up.
I bought this for my 84-year father who is not tech-savvy. I needed to create an FB account, activate Messenger along with Spotify and Whats App. I needed to buy a phone as well to serve as a device that you could create these accounts on. This device was not easy to set up and should have been better as a standalone communication hub. Alexa does not work as expected and you have to use “hey portal” as a term to initiate instructions. The voice recognition does not operate well even when using clear UK English properly enunciated. It has successfully connected my dad with family in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Fiji and different parts of the UK via video call. Would suit a better level of tech knowledge to set up.
This item brings video chat to a new level It zooms, pans, follows the speaker etc Biewers at the other end feel you are microphoned up like on TV it’s more immersive on the TV then watching a PC screen more friendly, relaxed feel The next stage of connectivity
I have had doubts as to whether it would be good or not. Yet, as per usual I’m outstandingly surprised and the quality of the camera and the camera body. Sturdy, sits perfectly on top of the tv extremely easy to connect. I do advise to get a HIGH SPEED HDMI cable. better quality image and sound. the Microphone is amazing, it takes away surrounding noises and yet amplifies voices. My family is in the UK and I live in the Canary Islands. I wish I had bought it earlier on during the Pandemic. Recommended Buy 10/10
I have had doubts as to whether it would be good or not. Yet, as per usual I’m outstandingly surprised and the quality of the camera and the camera body. Sturdy, sits perfectly on top of the tv extremely easy to connect. I do advise to get a HIGH SPEED HDMI cable. better quality image and sound. the Microphone is amazing, it takes away surrounding noises and yet amplifies voices. My family is in the UK and I live in the Canary Islands. I wish I had bought it earlier on during the Pandemic. Recommended Buy 10/10
Talking to family via Facebook messenger or WhatsApp without holding the phone for long conversations is amazing. Family can see what’s happening in the background like other family members playing or the pets running around which they are enjoying. I like the photo frame option a lot and you can also add a picture folder for photos from your phone to show randomly. I don’t use build in Alexa as we have Google home for years and we are so used to ask Google but it does work. Sound is also not bad and can connect to you Spotify.
Talking to family via Facebook messenger or WhatsApp without holding the phone for long conversations is amazing. Family can see what’s happening in the background like other family members playing or the pets running around which they are enjoying. I like the photo frame option a lot and you can also add a picture folder for photos from your phone to show randomly. I don’t use build in Alexa as we have Google home for years and we are so used to ask Google but it does work. Sound is also not bad and can connect to you Spotify.
For me help a lot to communicate with my family abroad and sounds very great.
I bought this portal incase we had another lockdown and I could communicate with my son. However my dad has been diagnosed with cancer and we use it to make WhatsApp video calls so he can see us and we can see him, he lives 4 hours away from us. It’s been absolutely priceless for us as a family. Really worth every penny .
I bought this portal incase we had another lockdown and I could communicate with my son. However my dad has been diagnosed with cancer and we use it to make WhatsApp video calls so he can see us and we can see him, he lives 4 hours away from us. It’s been absolutely priceless for us as a family. Really worth every penny .
Excellent product which we have been toying over for a while. The price was very good, as it had been reduced to 59. It was easy to set up and works very well. It will make video calling very easy in the future, plus you can close off the lens and mute the microphone so that it is secured privately. It works well with WhatsApp, which is a major plus.
Works extremely well with Zoom, Messenger and WhatsApp- they’re the apps we’ve used with it.
Very good wide-angle lens enables the whole family to sit on the couch and be clearly seen and heard. A far better experience than huddling round an iPad or computer monitor. Takes a title time to set up initially but worth the investment of that time.
A great product, very happy with it.
Excellent product which we have been toying over for a while. The price was very good, as it had been reduced to 59. It was easy to set up and works very well. It will make video calling very easy in the future, plus you can close off the lens and mute the microphone so that it is secured privately. It works well with WhatsApp, which is a major plus.
Works extremely well with Zoom, Messenger and WhatsApp- they’re the apps we’ve used with it.
Very good wide-angle lens enables the whole family to sit on the couch and be clearly seen and heard. A far better experience than huddling round an iPad or computer monitor. Takes a title time to set up initially but worth the investment of that time.
A great product, very happy with it.
What a great gadget. Although we used Messenger to talk to each other on a daily basis, I was either talking to my mums feet or the top of her head. Now I get to see the whole if her and my sister. Mum is 83 years old and mastered it straight away (although a friend had to do the initial setting up for her). Great buy
Loved the interface, but was purchased to enable big screen viewing when calling other Alexa devises.
Purchaed on a whim as it was at a reduced price – didn’t research much but as it has Alexa built in thought we could call other Alexa devises, but you can’t – you have to use messanger, whatsapp or Zoom.
Only wanted it for calling Alexa to Porta so no good for us and returned.
What a great gadget. Although we used Messenger to talk to each other on a daily basis, I was either talking to my mums feet or the top of her head. Now I get to see the whole if her and my sister. Mum is 83 years old and mastered it straight away (although a friend had to do the initial setting up for her). Great buy
Loved the interface, but was purchased to enable big screen viewing when calling other Alexa devises.
Purchaed on a whim as it was at a reduced price – didn’t research much but as it has Alexa built in thought we could call other Alexa devises, but you can’t – you have to use messanger, whatsapp or Zoom.
Only wanted it for calling Alexa to Porta so no good for us and returned.
Had this a few days now
I’ve mad many video calls and I’m more than happy contacted all my family miles away over new year flawless no buffering no interruptions just flawless video calls and the added bonus of having elexer but in having access to amazon music we haven’t had any time for TV would highly recommend portal tv
It’s a great thing to see Family and Friends when talking we had chats with them from all over, and it was great. When you got up to walk around the room the camera follows you by zooming in and out. The screen shows great pictures when not in use or you can just say Hey Portal Screen off and you have a blank screen.
Highly recommend
It’s a great thing to see Family and Friends when talking we had chats with them from all over, and it was great. When you got up to walk around the room the camera follows you by zooming in and out. The screen shows great pictures when not in use or you can just say Hey Portal Screen off and you have a blank screen.
Highly recommend
We bought this for our mother (in her 80s) so she can keep in touch with the family. She already had a Facebook account (and an Alexa to control lights around her house) and thus was not a great leap for her to start using this for video calling (and as an Alexa)
The voice commands do work for her (using UK English), I’m guessing there must of been an update since some of the other reviews on here.
Mum is able to ring the family easier than with her tablet, and will quite often phone us just for a chat whilst she does other things (she was doing her ironing last time I spoke to her!), She also is quite adept at receiving calls even when watching TV; the unit flashes light and there is a ringing sound.
Mum does not use WhatsApp do I cannot comment on that, however she does use Netflix and that works well for her – if it had a Disney+ app (and maybe Now TV) I would buy one for myself in a heartbeat!
Really good so far setup with WhatsApp and no issues at all. You can add filters and funny things for laugh. You can also read stories and things from dr. Seuss which is great for my nephew. It just needs the ability to play back music through the built in speaker and voice control for Spotify to get a 5/5. I can see these being in every home within the next few years especially with covid about. These are awesome to keep in touch.
Hopefully they keep supporting these and the Alexa features too.
I couldn’t believe there was no hdmi cable included! It should really be an add on item and made clear that one is not included instead of the teeny tiny little message on the back of the box. Otherwise it’s awesome
I couldn’t believe there was no hdmi cable included! It should really be an add on item and made clear that one is not included instead of the teeny tiny little message on the back of the box. Otherwise it’s awesome
I have been wanting to try this out for quite some time, but couldn’t justify the 150 for it. After finally seeing it on a huge discount, I bot the bullet.
I have family in Japan and a niece I have not yet met due to covid. And I always feel awful that during any celebration, my brother just gets passed along the family members on a tablet.
This year though, he was able to see everyone at Christmas and feel a part of the day. All my family members love it and especially my two toddlers.
I honestly think anyone deciding whether or not to get one…. DO IT. You will not be disappointed. Its absolutely amazing and so easy to use.
Everyone that has received a call from us has commented on how good the video quality is from their side too.
Amazing bit of tech.
We are always looking for ways to keep our family connected, this last two years more than ever, and Portal TV has given us the best way to stay in touch. It was super easy to set up (and I am not the most technically minded person!), link to my Facebook and Instagram accounts, and start chatting to our family and friends! The smart camera and sound is a godsend with four kids all talking over each other (three of whom can’t keep still!) and so I love how it tracks them all, widens the angle to fit them all in, and picks up on the speaker so their voices are clear. When speaking to elderly relatives this is so important!! The kids love the fun features, especially story time and the Harry Potter backgrounds, and we have been using it every day since we got it!
100% recommend as an affordable way to stay connected, we will be using it on christmas morning to keep our family close.
If you use messenger you need, nice to see the family abroad.
All parts of our family now have one. It is invaluable for keeping in touch when self isolating.
Easy to set up and use, and great to be able to keep in contact with friends and family especially those overseas.
I find this works great with Zoom and gives me easy access to online videos and music. I find the design a little awkward, with one stand to support the device but, overall, I would recommend it.
Does it’s job to the till. Wish it had a battery backup as it struggles to pan across the room. Missing MS teams is a big gap as it would have become the default mode for all of video calls and comma.
Does it’s job to the till. Wish it had a battery backup as it struggles to pan across the room. Missing MS teams is a big gap as it would have become the default mode for all of video calls and comma.
Excellent. Got this so we can have face to face contact with my Dad now he’s on his own. Cant wait to set his up his end now…. highly recommend
Present for my wife, who was initially unimpressed by the black box that she’d never asked for. Now permanently in use and loves it. One of my more successful present ideas!
I love this thing. It s working nice with my TV with amazing images and sound. I hope we will get updates in the future and maybe they will consider even more functions. The follow function and focus function is an amazing aspect. I am really happy with i
I had one bought for me and then bought one for my family so that I could see and speak to my granddaughter, it has been a great asset and is used regularly. Sometimes it stutters or connection fails but I don’t think this has anything to do with the portal itself.
The only concern I had is that I use it through Whats App and when I initially installed it all my listings of contacts I have on my phone were listed across the screen I had expected it to be just the people listed on Whats App
I had one bought for me and then bought one for my family so that I could see and speak to my granddaughter, it has been a great asset and is used regularly. Sometimes it stutters or connection fails but I don’t think this has anything to do with the portal itself.
The only concern I had is that I use it through Whats App and when I initially installed it all my listings of contacts I have on my phone were listed across the screen I had expected it to be just the people listed on Whats App
My mum is deaf and speaks using sign language i got this for her and she loves it she can now call me or any of her Facebook friends and talk to them fantastic gadge
Enjoying the quality of calls and when my granddaughter moves round the room the camera trackes her or anybody so always in shot. But disappointed the hdmi cable wasn’t included as I couldn’t set it up till I bought one.
This is an amazing bit of kit. As I stay in England and I have most of my family in Scotland I talk to them all the time on this. My kids absolutely love it when the animations that comes with i
Great we use it to be able to see and speak to our family in USA and to be able to see our grandchildren. My mother is 88 and disabled but we use it so she can see and speak to family
It’s absolutely outstanding.
Dead easy to set up. Videos are on YTube to help you. Super quick. You do need a Facebook account and what’s app on your phone.
You can put whatever photos you like on this. Off Facebook. Off Instagram or just off your phone via the portal app.
The sound quality is outstanding as is the visual quality. Phone calls are clear.
Alexa was a fiddle. It doesn’t work in British voice at all. I got the Alexa app and set up all my smart lights and sockets and cameras around the house. But like others report you have to change the language from English UK to English US. yes it means you’ve got an American talking to you all day but who cares. I get the portal to turn the tv on, the volume up or down, turn lights on and off, and I can view all the cameras around the house too.
The storyline feature is a fun gimmick. Love it. You can use Zoom on this and Facebook live. Etc etc.
Do your research before buying but trust me the portal 10″ frame is great.
Bought 2 one for my son and his family and one for my daughter and her family I already had one so now we can all sit comfortably in our own homes and have nice chat all together and sometimes a little cheeky drink together.
Reading the my grandchildren as part of home schooling, play bingo with them. Family quiz night. Just like being in the same room with them. Really didn’t expect to be so glad to have it, but I wouldn’t be parted now
I’m a tech informed person, researched this carefully, and bought one for me and my elderly parents in another country. Since user interaction is very easy, my parents (with hearing, mobility and tech limitations) can manage making and receiving calls. Once connected, we all sit on sofas or reclining chairs and just talk. That’s the best part. We can just chat together as a group (offer two people on each side) without tech getting in the way. There’s no dropping phones, getting disconnected, only seeing Mum’s ear when she can’t hear the phone’s speaker – only a comfortable chat among family. It’s truly as close to being in the same room we can get right now. We’ve shared milestone birthdays with cake and blowing out candles. Sadly one side can only see the cake but still it’s on the big screen and visible enough to almost taste it. Using any video chat platform on any smaller device just doesn’t compare. Even Airplaying or Chromecasting your phone to the TV still means the camera is subject to position the phone and it’s microphone until it falls over. Currently you do need a Facebook account to use Messanger or use WhatsApp. Minor issues of someone’s voice command not working and having to click a remote a couple times instead is just trivial. It’s not perfect, but neither is an iPhone after years of development. Having family and friends on the big screen with minimal tech complication is simply priceless. (I’m a private consumer with no other interest than connecting with family).
I’m a tech informed person, researched this carefully, and bought one for me and my elderly parents in another country. Since user interaction is very easy, my parents (with hearing, mobility and tech limitations) can manage making and receiving calls. Once connected, we all sit on sofas or reclining chairs and just talk. That’s the best part. We can just chat together as a group (offer two people on each side) without tech getting in the way. There’s no dropping phones, getting disconnected, only seeing Mum’s ear when she can’t hear the phone’s speaker – only a comfortable chat among family. It’s truly as close to being in the same room we can get right now. We’ve shared milestone birthdays with cake and blowing out candles. Sadly one side can only see the cake but still it’s on the big screen and visible enough to almost taste it. Using any video chat platform on any smaller device just doesn’t compare. Even Airplaying or Chromecasting your phone to the TV still means the camera is subject to position the phone and it’s microphone until it falls over. Currently you do need a Facebook account to use Messanger or use WhatsApp. Minor issues of someone’s voice command not working and having to click a remote a couple times instead is just trivial. It’s not perfect, but neither is an iPhone after years of development. Having family and friends on the big screen with minimal tech complication is simply priceless. (I’m a private consumer with no other interest than connecting with family).
This is an excellent product. I find it ideal for Grand Parents, who not have much IT knowledge to be able to keep in touch with their family and Grand Children.(You do not need a portal the other end, just a decent phone. turn it on it’s side for best results). I bought 7 Portal TV’s as Xmas presents for the close Family. and Starting with Xmas day, we have had several virtual parties parties since and these have quite events. I would now say they would make an excellent and much appreciated Mothers and/or Fathers day present for those who do have a household Modem. I am also considering buying another, to put on standby, now that the prices have dropped.
Brilliant bit of technology for putting Whatsapp, Facebook, Netflix and Prime Video on your TV. If your TV only has one HDMi port and you are already using it, then you may need a splitter.
What a great product. Follows you around the room so that the people the other end can see you all the time.
Works great with Wats App. We do quizes with four differnt family members all around the country.
Highly recommened.
Does everything it says on the box clips on top of tv. In the UK ste voice for on in UK and works a treat with voice activation. Now play games with family on it and hardly watch the TV now
Love it. We were able to see our grandchildren over Christmas
I managed to purchase 3 of the Facebook Portal TVs in March 2020 before we went into lockdown. (Plus an HDMI for each one) Over the last 12 months they have been essential for our 3 families to keep in touch across the country.
I set mine up for my elderly parents and they find it so easy to use – they can answer it when it rings and know how to dial out. They can sit on their sofa and see everything on a big screen which suits them perfectly.
At Christmas we played all sorts of virtual games and as the camera moves about so well, we could do all sorts of physical games in our own homes as well as normal board/card games. If you set the angle up properly the camera can see everything.
You can have 4 WhatsApp callers at once but we use Facebook Messenger normally as can have 8 callers and for some reason it seems clearer. I really do think these are brilliant and in our new virtual world – it’s well worth the money.
I managed to purchase 3 of the Facebook Portal TVs in March 2020 before we went into lockdown. (Plus an HDMI for each one) Over the last 12 months they have been essential for our 3 families to keep in touch across the country.
I set mine up for my elderly parents and they find it so easy to use – they can answer it when it rings and know how to dial out. They can sit on their sofa and see everything on a big screen which suits them perfectly.
At Christmas we played all sorts of virtual games and as the camera moves about so well, we could do all sorts of physical games in our own homes as well as normal board/card games. If you set the angle up properly the camera can see everything.
You can have 4 WhatsApp callers at once but we use Facebook Messenger normally as can have 8 callers and for some reason it seems clearer. I really do think these are brilliant and in our new virtual world – it’s well worth the money.
Wish we had bought this in lockdown 1. Best way to contact family via video call. Absolutely brilliant . Feels like the family are in our living room. We call every day and my family get to watch my children have fun and my baby grow up
Would have given 3 n half stars but its not poss. Its a brilliant idear, its very technical could have been made simplier but it needs a lot of tweeking. You cannot as of yet sync with your google calender. Im finding out as i use it things that it cant do that would be helpful.
The portal has its own comand thingy like alexa but try to say portal it dont understand very frustraitng… so i use Alexa… you need the Alexa app on your phone to set that up. It can seem overwhelming but with new devices you get there and there is support on facebook. I used portal to speak to my mother abroad, its easy for her to answer and it have execellent speakers . Set up facebook account if you dont have one and follow instructions. I had some sound distortion difficulties but i think facebook suport sorted it as family can hear me speak now. Picture is good… now and again it pixalates.
This is better than I dared hoped it would be. Bought for elderly Grandparent who are not very techy, so initial set up required a small degree of assistance by slightly savvy teenager. Usage after that very straight forward, Use of facebook and Alexa not required, can be setup purely for Whatsapp which is what we wanted, Clarity of camera, clarity of microphone both excellent. The follow me /zoom feature of the camera is ideal for older less agile grandparents who can sit casually in their own chair and have an almost normal conversation with grandchildren as if they are in the room with them. My 93 year old Dad thinks it is marvelous, far better than trying to prop up a mobile phone to talk to his grandson. The price could be a bit off putting, but the price has come down in the last few weeks and what price is the pleasure of grandparents seeing grandchildren, life size on the television in the corner, to talk to them like they are in the room.
This is better than I dared hoped it would be. Bought for elderly Grandparent who are not very techy, so initial set up required a small degree of assistance by slightly savvy teenager. Usage after that very straight forward, Use of facebook and Alexa not required, can be setup purely for Whatsapp which is what we wanted, Clarity of camera, clarity of microphone both excellent. The follow me /zoom feature of the camera is ideal for older less agile grandparents who can sit casually in their own chair and have an almost normal conversation with grandchildren as if they are in the room with them. My 93 year old Dad thinks it is marvelous, far better than trying to prop up a mobile phone to talk to his grandson. The price could be a bit off putting, but the price has come down in the last few weeks and what price is the pleasure of grandparents seeing grandchildren, life size on the television in the corner, to talk to them like they are in the room.
Fantastic product. My daughter and her wife were able to Face call family over Christmas with a newborn baby so we didn’t miss out. They could carry on with baby whilst opening presents and walking around the room and we didn’t miss a thing!
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.
Bought as a gift for family separated by Covid-19. They appreciated i
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
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
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.
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.
A great way to see your relatives during lockdown. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work in every country, including Dubai.
Like being able to move about more than with the smaller one
A GREAT PRODUCT,SHAME I HADTO BUY IT FROM ARGOS BECAUSE YOU FAILED TO DELIVER IT.
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
I am one very happy portal owner and i still have so much more to learn about i
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
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.
At this cost they could at least include an HDMI cable
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=
Much easier for long conversations than holding phone. Pity the WhatsApp contact list can only be accessed by adding to favourite list.
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!
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.
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 fine but there is a lack of any instructions. not a simple plug and play.
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.
Bought one for family in Australia for Xmas, had to purchase one when we got home as loved it so much. Can see whole family on tv screen, feels like we are all together.
Would highly recommend, very easy to use. Haven’t use additional facilities like story time yet as grandchildren are very small, but will as they grow.
Well, we’re in lockdown so this is brilliant! I get to talk to my nephew and nice while I can’t visit them. Sound and vision are fine. Setting up a 2nd person was a bit of a bind, but I got it working eventually. You can have favourites and have WhatsApp as well as messenger. I don’t have Alexa, but you can use that too.
I had to talk them through the set up (they are not that tech-savvy) but once it was all ready to go, the results are amazing. We can now have “living room to living room” group chats, they see the grandkids in the room, we can talk without holding a screen up to our face – the camera follows us around which is one of the best features.
The sound quality is OK – the main issue is if you need to turn the volume up on the TV then it can echo a little. Perhaps there is a better position but we’ve got ours on the TV cabinet below rather than mounted on the TV itself.
All in all, I am so happy I got these when I did as it will help prevent the potential feelings of isolation during these crazy times.
This delivers the goods when it comes to keeping in contact with distant friends and family. Easy to set up, and even easier to use, this is the next best thing to being in the room with the grandchildren. In fact, it’s even better, since their parents can’t nip out to the pub for the evening, leaving you to babysit the little darlings.
A little bit glitchy sometimes, but on the whole a lot better than holding a phone. It is great for talking to friends and relatives abroad, it is like being in the same room.
There are other features that you might find useful but at the moment we are happy .
Skype on TV built in webcam (Skype has now been discontinued)
Connecting laptop with Skye camera to the TV (have to arrange call beforehand so it’s all setup)
Windows stick PC that plus into the HDMI socket with USB web cam (painfully slow to use and subject to annoying Windows updates when you want to use it)
Mobile phone connected to TV with Chromecast (sound comes through the phone speaker and requires something to hold the phone in place so the camera is pointing in the right direction)
Raspberry Pi connected to TV with webcam (video worked but sound didn’t)
I think this is really the only option that works well on the TV.
The Portal TV was relatively easy to setup, although my Mum was unable to get it working with WhatsApp, but I had no problem with this.
Video and sound quality are good, although I wish the video quality was higher definition. Occasionally you do get some audio feedback where you can hear an echo of yourself. It seems to help if the other end turns their sound down a little. However, this has been an issue with everything else I’ve tried so far.
One great feature that works really well is how the camera keeps people in the frame. This makes a big difference to the call, and makes it feel much more intimate.
There are a lot of visual effects that can be applied which are a lot of fun for children but will probably not use much in the long run.
Overall very happy with this and would recommend for anyone wanting video calls over the TV.
Very easy to setup and to use.
Video tracking is very good. Zooming in and out and tracking u walk around the room
Messenger and WhatsApp
The only thing negative is that if you setup to English uk language you can’t use the portal voice commands But Alexa works perfect
But if you change to English / Canada language then portal voice commands work but the Alexa speaks in a American sound and doesn’t always understand what u are saying. So I keep mine on English uk language and do not use the portal commands. But I am sure it will all work together soon
I can ask Alexa to show me my front door camera with no problems.
Play my prime Alexa music
Etc
So very good but I’m sure it will get even better as early days
You can calll your own portal from your phone just download the app
It is easy to set up as well and easy to understand how to use it.
Altogether an amazing bit of kit, we are really impressed with the product and so far been using it on a daily basis.
The unit itself feels solid, weighty and very well made. Using the built-in clips, it sits securely atop my Samsung flat screen TV, and the power cable is impressively long. They know the box is likely to be placed on top of a TV, so could be some distance away from the nearest power socket, so that attention to detail is really appreciated and unexpected – I expected to need an extension lead, but didn’t.
I was a little frustrated that the box spent over an hour updating itself before I could actually start using it. It said the software update may take about 15 minutes, but ended up taking very nearly a full hour. It then rebooted, at which point I thought I’d be able to start playing with my new toy, but no such luck. It then started updating the remote control, which took a further 3-4 minutes, taking the total update time to over an hour. Only then could I start setting the box up.
It’s a pity the box is WiFi only, as using a wired connection would have been more convenient (no need to enter a WiFi Key) and probably would have sped up the update process.
Once I finally managed to start the setup process, this was really easy and intuitive, and only took a few minutes.
One slight annoyance is that the on-screen keyboards are not QWERTY – the “keys” are arranged alphabetically, which I found awkward.
During the setup process, I was offered a full-screen view of my own camera, so I could position the camera and play with the tracking feature and see what the picture was like. It would be nice to be able to recall this feature after initial setup, especially if I want to move the box to a new position, but I couldn’t see any option to.
My first call was a WhatsApp call to my mum, who has a fairly old Android phone.
The picture quality is very good, even in a fairly dimly-lit room, and the video tracking works extremely well – actually far better than I had expected! If you move to the other side of the room, sit down, stand up, do a dance, whatever, it follows you flawlessly.
When the other person turned their phone on its side, the picture filled the TV screen my end, and my picture flipped to horizontal and filled the screen their end as well – perfect!
Audio quality was crystal clear both ends. The call audio comes through the TV speakers, but there is also a speaker built into the box itself. This emits the ringing signal, even when the call is being initiated from my end, which seems a bit weird.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the volume buttons on the Portal remote adjusted the volume on my TV – how it knew how to control my TV is a mystery because I never told it, but it worked somehow!
My second call was another WhatsApp call, this time to a contact who has a new iPhone XR. Sadly, on this call, when they turned their phone sideways, while their picture flipped and filled my TV screen, my picture remained vertical and displayed as a pillarbox on their end. That was disappointing, but no doubt a bug that will be sorted out at some point. We flipped back and forth several times, but could not make the Portal box flip its image to horizontal.
I then tried a Facebook Messenger call to the same contact, and that worked much better – when they turned their phone to horizontal, both pictures flipped to horizontal so we had full screen both ends.
I have yet to try a Portal to Portal call, but I have no reason to doubt that this will work well.
This box’s primary function is to make video calls via a TV, and that job it does very well. I didn’t try any of the other features because, frankly, I couldn’t care less about them. Hopefully the landscape orientation bug will be sorted out in a future software version, then it’ll be perfect.
UPDATE – April 2020:
Since I bought the Portal TV around 5 months ago, the software has been updated.
The inset picture from your own camera is now placed in the bottom right corner of the screen instead of the top left, which is better, but I would still prefer an option to choose which corner to put the picture.
There is now an option to force portrait/landscape orientation, so even though the automatic switching still doesn’t work reliably, this can be manually overridden to provide a full-screen picture both ends.
There is still no option to check the picture from your own camera without starting a video call to someone, but I have discovered that if you go into the “Photo Booth” app from the home screen, you can see what your camera is seeing locally without starting a call.
WhatsApp does not work reliably. Incoming calls frequently don’t “ring” on the Portal, and after a period of time the Portal TV will stop working altogether with WhatsApp, complaining that my phone is not connected to the Internet (it is). You then have to delete your WhatsApp account from the Portal (which triggers a confirmation code sent to WhatsApp your phone, demonstrating that it really is connected!) and then re-add it again. Of course, this loses hidden contacts list, so you have to set this up again. I’ve since given up on WhatsApp, and now just use the Portal TV for Facebook calls, which seem to be much more reliable.
Portal-to-Portal Facebook calls work brilliantly, and the picture quality is excellent.
I have tried out the Alexa functionality, and this seems to work as you would expect, but it’s not a feature I use regularly.