Euvola
$299from geteuvola.com, list $399
- Camera No
- Microphone Yes
- Speakers Yes, stereo
- Connects to TV No
An 8 inch voice companion. Their own site says it has no camera. Good at conversation, but it cannot do a video visit.
Side by side
onn 4K Plus
$71.61Amazon reseller. Walmart launched it near $30
- Camera No
- Microphone Remote only
- Speakers TV's own
- Connects to TV Yes, HDMI
Great on the TV, and easy to use. It only has HDMI and the USB-C power port, so a webcam needs an adapter, which is hit and miss. 2GB memory.
Evermyth 10 inch tablet
$79.98Amazon, 4.7 stars from 241 reviews
- Camera Yes, 5MP front
- Microphone Not listed
- Speakers Yes
- Connects to TV Not claimed
Good price, with a touchscreen. Its "24GB RAM" is really 3GB plus 21GB of borrowed storage, and the screen is 1280 by 800. The listing talks about USB-C for charging only.
Generic Android TV boxes
$46 to $56Amazon, off brand models
- Camera Add USB camera
- Microphone Add USB camera
- Speakers TV's own
- Connects to TV Yes, HDMI
The right shape, because most have USB ports. But many have unknown makers and may not get updates, which I would not put in a health setup. Boxes with a built in camera exist, such as the Mecool KA2, but reviews call the picture poor.
What I recommend
+
onn 4K Pro plus Logitech C920s
About $115Box near $50 at Walmart, camera $63.99 on Amazon. Amazon resellers ask $98 for the same box, so buy it at Walmart.
- Camera Yes, if the box accepts it
- Microphone Yes, if the box accepts it
- Speakers TV's own
- Connects to TV Yes, HDMI
- The Pro has the USB port the Plus does not, and 3GB memory.
- The webcam has a slide shutter, so a senior can cover it by hand. That is a real comfort for them.
- It stays on the TV they already know, driven by remote and voice. Our SyncCare TV app is already built for this and already asks for the camera and microphone.
What this does not give us
- No touchscreen. The tablet stays the better choice for someone who wants to tap, or who has no easy TV.
- No SIM card. It needs Wi-Fi, so it depends on your network reaching the home.
- No AI on the device. The smart voice runs from our server. That is the $60 versus $300 balance we discussed on 9 October. If you want AI inside the home, the RK3588H box is the path to look at, and I would need its spec sheet.
Other ways that also work
A tablet already has the camera, microphone, speakers and touchscreen. The only question is the TV. These are the tablet routes, for homes that want them.
Low cost tablet that plugs into the TV
About $153 to $199Teclast T60Ai, reported launch deal and list price, plus a USB-C to HDMI adapter that also charges
- Camera Yes
- Microphone Confirm
- Speakers Yes
- Connects to TV Yes, by cable
The cheapest tablet I found with TV output on record, and it has a 12 inch touchscreen. It is a lesser known brand and I have not tried it. Check the current price, and test one first. A tablet with this ability does the whole job alone.
+$80 tablet plus onn box
About $110Both linked to the same SyncCare person. Walmart price for the box
- Camera Yes, on tablet
- Microphone Not listed
- Speakers Yes
- Connects to TV Separate box
The TV shows SyncCare, and the tablet handles touch and calls. Video visits stay on the tablet screen, not the TV. Two devices to set up.
Tablet alone
$79.98Or a carrier tablet at about $30 a month, which can carry its own data plan
- Camera Yes
- Microphone Not listed
- Speakers Yes
- Connects to TV No
Simplest of all, and it works in a bedroom or a home with no easy TV. Casting to the TV without a cable may work, but reports show delay and dropouts, so I would not count on it for a doctor visit.
One thing all the tablet routes add
The SyncCare Android app can start with no TV, and it reads Google and Samsung watches directly through Health Connect. So a tablet can collect the watch data itself. We have run this app on phones and I still need to try it on a tablet screen.
Can the tablet just plug into the TV?
Sometimes, and it depends on the tablet. You said on our 9 October call that you do this with USB-C to HDMI all the time, and on the right tablet it works well. The catch is that the USB-C plug looks the same whether or not video can travel through it. An adapter cannot add video to a tablet that does not have it.
- $80 Evermyth: nothing in the listing claims video out. I expect it will not work.
- Samsung Galaxy Tab A11+, about $250: owners report it will not drive an HDMI screen.
- Feonal 10.1 inch at Best Buy: a similar low cost tablet. What I could find lists its USB-C port for charging, with nothing about video. I would assume no until we test it, and I could not read the full Best Buy page.
- Teclast T60Ai, about $153 to $199: its USB-C port is reported to carry video to an external screen.
- Lenovo Idea Tab Pro, $359.99: a review confirms picture out to an external screen, and a retailer answer says USB-C to HDMI adapters work.
- Samsung Galaxy Tab S series: Samsung says these connect to external monitors. The Tab S11 launched at $800, or the $30 to $37 a month you were quoted on carrier plans.
So the tablet and TV path is real, starting under $200 if the Teclast holds up in testing. Most tablets under $100 will not do it. Any Android tablet you already use with an adapter is worth testing, and if you tell me the model I will check it.
About Euvola
On our 23 October call we talked about a companion with a camera and microphone, the RK3588H box from SunChip. Euvola is not that. The product on geteuvola.com has no camera, and they sell that as a privacy feature. If your unit looks different from their site, please send me a photo of the label.
Their site also says it is not for fall detection, emergency calling or medical alerts, and that family messaging is not available yet. Their seniors page lists family video calling devices as a separate category.
It could still sit beside SyncCare as a companion for lonely seniors. It just cannot be the telehealth device.
Questions for the co-owner
- Does any model have a camera, or can you build one?
- Can it connect to a TV?
- Can we install SyncCare on it, or is it locked?
- What does a distributor actually commit to in the partner program?
Cost for 100 homes
Device cost only, at the prices above. TV adapters for tablets are extra. Your watch, setup visits and any carrier plan are extra.
How we prove it first
I have not tested this exact pairing, and I found no report of anyone using this webcam on this box. Google TV boxes do not all accept USB cameras, and the microphone often fails even when the picture works. So we buy one set before we buy a hundred.
- Buy one onn 4K Pro and one C920s. About $115 for the pair.
- Install SyncCare TV on the box and plug in the camera.
- Make a real video call from the TV to a phone, across the room, at normal speaking volume. If the other side hears the senior clearly, this is our device.
- If the microphone fails, the fallback is the box's own microphones, or a different USB camera.