My favorite new gadget attaches to my keychain and goes everywhere I do — and it lets my phone see in the dark | Tom's Guide

Nov 12, 2024

Now I can see what critters are in my backyard

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One hobby I’ve taken up in the last year is astrophotography, which often requires me to go outside in the dead of night to put out one of my smart telescopes or phones to image any observable deep space objects in the night sky.

The problem I have is that there are quite a lot of critters prowling about in my neighborhood, like the trash pandas that raid my garbage bin, the foxes that scream like a person is being murdered or the groundhogs that startle me from out of nowhere.

I don’t have a lot of light in my backyard, so I’ve been leaning on the next best thing — a thermal imaging camera. That’s why the Thermal Master P2 is my favorite new phone accessory: because I always have it attached to my keychain, I can instantly use it whenever I hear strange noises approaching in the middle of the night.

I’ve tried other thermal cameras in the past, like Flir One Edge Pro or Flir One Gen 3, but they’re bulky in size and I also need to ensure I charge them every now and then — or find them drained when I actually need them. With the Thermal Master P2, I have none of these issues because it’s stored in a case that I connect to my keychain, and it takes power from my phone.

Thermal Master P2: was $259 now $199 @ Thermal MasterThis compact sized thermal imaging camera works in an instant to see in the dark by connecting it to your phone. I've used it to spot critters in the night while I'm doing some astrophotography, but I've also used the Thermal Master P2 to uncover suspicious cold spots around my home.Price check: $249 @ Amazon

When the time comes for me to use it, all I need to do is take it out of the case and connect it to my Android phone’s USB-C port. The Thermal Master P2 app instantly launches the moment it’s connected, so I love how quickly I can start using it. Other thermal cameras that require Wi-Fi direct connections take much longer from a cold start, seeing that they need to establish a Wi-Fi connection first.

When I tried astrophotography on my iPhone 16 Pro Max a couple weeks ago, I used the Thermal Master P2 to make sure my backyard was clear. Through the app, it’s like I have Predator-like vision because it visualizes the scene based on heat signatures. Hot spots show up in yellow and red, while cold spots are usually blue. I’ve found this to work effectively because the Thermal Master P2 is able to spot my tiny smart telescope outside from a distance of 50+ feet, when I physically couldn’t see it from where I was on my backyard deck.

There’s also a beach right around the corner from where I live, and I like to test out this thermal camera’s reach when I’m walking on the boardwalk at night. Looking out to the sand, it can be tough to see unless I’ve given my eyes sufficient time to adjust — but the Thermal Master P2 gives me instant vision to see who’s out there. From about 200 feet away, I could make out a pair of heat signatures that were moving. They ended up being a person walking their dog by the water’s edge, which shows exactly how sensitive it is to the faintest of heat signatures.

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However, this infrared thermal camera goes beyond just giving me vision in the dark since I’ve also used it for many other practical applications in and around my home. On the exterior, it was sensitive enough to make out a hot spot near a window in the attic — an exhaust pipe from my water boiler in the attic.

I know it’s a home improvement tool any homeowner can appreciate because of how it can sniff out cold spots around the home due to a draft or inadequate sealing around a window. I also used the Thermal Master P2 on a spot in my bathroom ceiling that unfortunately got water damage due to a leaky roof above it. I’ve since repaired that area and during the most recent rain storm, the thermal camera didn’t indicate any cool spots there.

I can go on and on about this, but I love most that I can carry around this thermal imaging camera on me at all times because it’s attached to my house keys. It’s also passive in the sense that I don’t need to constantly charge it like other gadgets I keep on me. In a moment’s notice, I can instantly use it to see in the dark.

John’s a senior editor covering phones for Tom’s Guide. He’s no stranger in this area having covered mobile phones and gadgets since 2008 when he started his career. On top of his editor duties, he’s a seasoned videographer being in front and behind the camera producing YouTube videos. Previously, he held editor roles with PhoneArena, Android Authority, Digital Trends, and SPY. Outside of tech, he enjoys producing mini documentaries and fun social clips for small businesses, enjoying the beach life at the Jersey Shore, and recently becoming a first time homeowner.

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