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This £33.99 camera from ieGeek is typical of the new generation of home security cameras. It is budget-priced but high spec with better than FHD resolution, cloud storage (Paid For), SD card storage, in-app and email alerts, two-way audio, motion tracking. It is simple to configure, easy to operate, and works well.
The camera 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 but well-written Install 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 an infrared 9 Piece LED setup, and a microphone. Easily overlooked are the Reset Button and SD card slot on the front of the camera but visible only when the wide-angle lens is tilted upwards. On the rear of the unit are the non-removable antenna, micro-USB power input port and Ethernet socket. On the underside of the base, there is the interface for the supplied mounting bracket or a standard tripod. There is no interface for an external alarm system. The camera is powered by a USB adaptor and so can work with any standard phone charger if the one supplied is unavailable. I was pleased to see that unlike with some rivals, a standard USB to micro-USB cable is used.
To use the camera it is necessary to install the “YI IoT” app to your Android or iPhone and register an account with it before use. You can use a disposable email address for this. Once registered just click the + button to add a camera with walkthrough instructions for Wifi (2.4Ghz only)or Ethernet Cable. This is an easy enough process using the camera to scan the barcode generated within the app. There is no need for a hotspot network generated by the camera, a hit or miss method still used by many older devices.
You can use the app to configure the camera in detail including trigger alerts, notification, with audio or visual triggers. the camera has motion tracking to keep moving objects automatically in the frame. Captured video and stills can be downloaded to both the phone and the camera micro-SD card.
This camera offers c0lour night time video, unlike the black and white that most cameras support. Unlike most rivals, it has two-way audio which means it can work as an effective baby monitor as well as a security camera. It is a pity however than an external speaker and microphone cannot be connected and neither can third party alarm systems. There is support for Amazon Alexa and Google Home systems allowing for voice control and display on a connected TV or other screens.
The better than FHD 2304 x 1536 video quality I found to be first-rate for the price, sharp, clear and with good colour fidelity, perhaps due to the use of the latest H.265 file compression. I have to say that it looks better on camera 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 very little latency between the phone and camera Pan and Tilt movements. This was better than I have found using some cameras costing several times the price.
I found a few issues with this camera: the lack of free off-site video storage and the need to register an account before fully using the app. 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 security camera or baby monitor and at a very reasonable price and with a well above average feature list then this would be an excellent buy.
The Good
Great price
iOs and Android apps
Two-way audio
Better than FHD H.265 video quality
Good build quality
Pan and tilt control in-app
Night Vision
Motion detection/Motion Tracking
In-app and email alerts
SD Card Slot
The Bad
No Audio out socket
No Audio In socket
No 5Ghz network support
The app needs to be registered
