Tradies love a good scroll sesh as much as everyone, but now you can put that phone to good use thanks to Fluke.
For tradies who need to utilise thermal imaging — without needing all the expensive, clunky equipment — Fluke has delivered with its Fluke’s iSee Mobile Thermal Camera range.
These compact cameras plug into your smartphone, delivering trade-ready thermal imaging that any tradie can use to get the job done.
This includes tradie Jared Leiner, who helped us put the latest iSee TC01C camera – designed for USB-C ports used by newer iPhones.
The TC01A iSee camera is also designed for USB-C Android smartphones, with the TC01B designed for pre-iPhone 15 users with lightning connector.
Test #1: Seeing is believing
The image quality from iSee Mobile Thermal Cameras is more than equal to larger imaging cameras.
With a temperature range of up to 550°C, Jared could get reliable readings for all the tasks he’d use the camera for.
“I’d use this to detect water leaks, leaks in box gutters or missing insulation batts* which is a big thing – a lot of people move that around when they crawl through the roof,” he said.
“We’d also use it for underfloor heating, leaks in bathrooms — you will find them all with this.”
SEE MORE: Tradie Tough Tests
A crisp 256×192-pixel resolution as well as 25Hz frame rate also meant Jared could see everything clearly while he scanned his surroundings.
“It’s very easy to see if there’s any faults, everything it shows you is very detailed,” he said.
“For us, it’s a proactive approach in trying to find an issue before it becomes a much bigger problem, ideally before the homeowner even gets their keys.
“With leaks in box gutters, for example, you often can’t find these problems until it’s (water) coming through your ceiling.
“With this camera, it’ll show you exactly where it’s coming from so you’re not cutting holes in the wrong places.”
Test #2: Pocket power
Weighing in at just 22g, it’s easy for tradies to carry around an iSee camera and whip it out when needed.
Plug it in, and you’re ready to go.
“It’s literally plug ‘n’ play – not much more to it than that,” Jared said.
“Everything’s easily done with the press of a button, I can’t complain.”
The hardware isn’t the only thing that’s convenient about this camera, with Fluke’s iSee app allowing tradies to set up to five different spots, lines or areas for the camera to monitor simultaneously.
You can also set real-time alarms for when a temperature breach limit is exceeded.
Jared could also share any images quickly via the app for quick checks by either his tradie team or customers.
New filters
Jared was loving just how feature-driven this camera was, despite its small size.
It was able to do everything he needed it to do and then some, without having to lug big (and expensive) tech around his worksite.
“One thing that stood out to me was how well the camera picks up underfloor heating,” Jared said.
“It shows you every coil, I reckon the iSee is fantastic.”
Check it out
Check out here to learn more