TOPDON TC001 Thermal Camera for Android, Super IR 512x384 High Resolution, Thermal Imaging Camera, Thermal Imager - Optimized Temperature Accuracy, Works for Smartphones and Tablets & PC(not for iOS)

The camera is impressive. Well constructed and sturdy housing feels quality. The images are substantially better resolution than just a few years ago and the sensitivity opens up a wide range of applications. The software is what really makes it work. Images can be superimposed on the thermal image with a calibration method to match up the image from your camera to the thermal image. It logs thermal changes over time in a variety of ways and alerts can be set for it.I decided it's worthy of a dedicated phone just foe this. Even with that the cost comes in substantially lower than comparable full cameras.I use it primarily as a mechanic but already I can see many other possibilities. Would highly recommend at this price and time. I'm sure this tech will continue to advance as years pass so my recommendation is based on the current market.

The app for Android was very easy to find in the Google app store, just search for TC0001 to find it.The first time I plugged the IR camera into my phone, it asked if I wanted to auto launch the app Everytime I connect the camera, I selected yes so I don't even need to pin the app to my homepage, just plug the camera in and it opens the app. The app is also pretty easy to use and figure out the options on it. It can display in both ⁰C or ⁰F by changing settings in the app.The camera does work very well. I was even able to see the warm spot in the wall behind the hot water pipe for my water heater. And see how hot a battery charger was getting. The response rate on the camera is also impressive as well as the resolution of the pictures. So far I have only used it from about 18 inches away to over 20 feet away and it works great. I have not yet tested it for very close up pics, like on a circuit board.I also like that it comes with a USB cable that is USB C male on one end and USB C female on the other, with an adapter to USB A male so you can use a single cable to connect the camera to a phone or a PC. You could plug the camera directly into you phone, assuming you either don't have a case on your phone, or a very thin case. The only down side to the cable it comes with is it is a bit too long if you just need to use it to connect to your phone so you don't have to remove any case you might have, which makes it a little hard to hold both your phone and the camera in one hand. Although I did also buy a short 5 inch just USB C male to female cable that also works with the camera and makes it easy to use one handed.Overall I am impressed with it and it was worth the money.

It's really a good little thermal camera for the price. The thermals are good, the temperature seems accurate, the build quality is good. If you need an inexpensive thermal camera this is it.The good: It has a nice quality little case that comes with it, similar to a small hard drive case. Very protective. The build quality is good. It comes with an extension cord that's around 9" long (which you will need if you have a phone case that prevents the camera from seating all the way into the USB port). The image quality is good, and it seems accurate.The bad: It doesn't overlay a real camera image with the thermal image. That's a much more high end feature. The USB port length is not adjustable, so if your phone has a case on it that blocks the body of the thermal camera from getting close enough to the body of the actual phone, then the USB port won't plug in deep enough to work. That's why you get the short USB extension cord. The cord also keeps your camera easy to move around with your other hand.It's amazing what you can do with a thermal camera. You can look at your walls, windows and ceilings to see where cold air is leaking into your house. You can check for overheating electrical components. You can see if certain parts of an electronics board are failed and heated up (for PCM and motherboard repair, etc). On cars, you can look a cold car over in the morning and see if there are any warm spots. Warm spots indicate that some piece of electronics is running when it shouldn't be, causing a parasitic draw. You can spot bad bearings in a spinning pulley that are beginning to heat up. You can see if your brakes work evenly on both sides of the car, or if you have a bad wheel bearing. You can see if coolant is flowing properly thru a radiator, or if a thermostat is open and flowing water. It's really good for automotive diagnostics.If you are looking for a budget thermal camera, this is it!

This thermal camera is a very affordable way to be able to do some basic trouble-shooting, investigating, or just having fun. I originally purchased it in order to look for insulation problems in my ceiling. I had a hard time with that, as everything was more or less the same temperature so the camera didn't really find anything.Where it functions really well though is when looking at objects where there is a huge temperature difference. I looked at my computer, car's engine bay, A/C condenser, among other things. In trained hands, it can even be used to debug things like failed electronics, by being able to quickly pinpoint components that are getting hot due to short circuits, for example.The camera comes in a very nice plush case, and includes a USB-C extension cable for use with phone cases. I have a silicone skin on my Galaxy S22, and have to remove it if I want to use the camera without the extension cable.