Peteme PE220 1080P WiFi Security Camera
More Info and Purchase: https://tinyurl.com/y5d7hzr2
Blog: https://tinyurl.com/y54hbuly
This new camera from Peteme is typical of the new generation of stylish, easy to use and simple to configure reliable home security cameras. Like most current-generation cameras this one is simple to configure, easy to operate, works well and is bargain priced.
The Peteme PE220 arrived in an attractive and well designed branded product box. Inside was the camera itself, a wall/ceiling bracket, UK plug power supply, wall mounting kit, USB to micro-USB cable, and a simple, easy to read but rather basic User Guide. The build quality seems good throughout and although the camera is quite large it is well made and looks impressive if slightly old school.
On the front of the camera are the camera lens and night vision LED’s, the motion detector PIR and microphone, together with LED status indicator. Easily overlooked is the SD card slot which is on the front of the camera but visible only when the lens is tilted upwards. On the rear of the unit are the speaker, power input port, power status LED, Ethernet RJ45 connector and Reset button. On the underside of the base, there is the interface for the supplied mounting bracket or a standard tripod. Unlike with many of the Foscam clones that this resembles there is no interface for an external alarm system and there is no large external antenna. Also, no Ethernet cable is included perhaps for reasons I shall discuss later. The camera is powered by a USB adaptor and so can work with any standard phone charger if the one supplied is unavailable. However, a non-standard plug is used for the camera and so the device cannot be used with any USB cable.
To use the camera it is necessary to install the "YI IOT" app to your Android or iPhone and register it before use. Once registered just click the + button to add a camera with walkthrough instructions for Wifi (2.4Ghz only). You can use the app to add the paid for but optional cloud storage system to store stills and video or use a class 10 micro-SD card of up to 64GB (not supplied) to store the footage in the camera. The app will also receive push alerts from the camera when abnormal activity is detected. Like most similar devices it has motion detection for security use and this detection works well and is easy to configure. The user can customise the motion sensor sensitivity as well as configure scheduling so the sensor will be active during set periods only. However, it is not possible to define custom alert zones for selected parts of the image.
The camera has an IR cut feature which means the filter which is used for night time infrared use is removed during daylight to preserve colour fidelity, a feature some cheap Foscam clones lack. It has two-way audio which means it can work as an effective baby monitor as well as a security camera. It also has a Patrol Mode during which the camera will automatically pan to scan all areas in view. It is a pity however than an external speaker and microphone cannot be connected and neither can third party alarm systems.
One feature not mentioned for some reason on the Amazon page or user guide is that this camera works with Amazon Alexa using to allow full voice control, although you will have to delve into the settings panel to find it.
The 1080P@25fps video quality I found to be fine for the price, sharp, clear and with good colour fidelity. I have to say that it looks better on screen than it does from the SD card file. The camera offers full Pan, Zoom and Tilt control through the app. As my video shows there was little latency between the phone and camera Pan and Tilt movements. However, this was better than I have found using some cameras costing several times the price.
I found few issues with this camera. The lack of free off-site video storage – you can only save to the SD card – the need to register an account before fully using the app, no motion detection zones, non-standard power cable. That said, all the features most people will need are here plus a few more besides.
If you want a good quality and easy to use Alexa enabled security camera or baby monitor and at a very reasonable price then this would be an excellent buy.
The Good
Great price
Full PTZ control
iOs and Android apps
Two-way audio
Good image quality
Good build quality
Pan and tilt control in-app
In-app alerts
Night Vision
Motion detection with scheduling
SD card
In-app alerts
Works with Amazon Alexa
The Bad
No Audio out socket
No Audio In socket
Non-Standard Micro-USB socket
No 5Ghz network support
App needs to be registered
No Zone Support
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Music: YouTube Audio Library: Silent Partner: 7th Floor Tango
