It is very common that surveillance cameras are installed not immediately, but after a few years after moving in. Then a number of questions arise: how to lay the necessary cables (electricity, internet), where to drill the walls, etc. Fortunately, these days you don’t have to do all that – there are great wireless IP surveillance cameras out there. In this text, I will review three Xiaomi cameras that I have tested: two for outdoor surveillance, one for indoor surveillance.
IP cameras using Wi-Fi connection are the most popular and convenient solution
IP – cameras working in the Internet network. A significant number of IP cameras are connected to the Internet network by cable, but the cameras described here – the Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro Set for the outdoors and the Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Pro for the interior – use a home Wi-Fi connection. The Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW300 camera can be connected with a network cable or use Wi-Fi connection.
IP surveillance cameras are called the most advanced and smartest by security professionals. Most often, modern optical and mechanical systems, artificial intelligence solutions are chosen for such cameras. Wi-Fi surveillance IP cameras are the most popular choice these days. They don’t need an internet cable, it’s enough to have the appropriate app on your phone, “tie” the surveillance camera to the network via Wi-Fi connection, and we can already monitor the environment.
Sometimes these cameras are criticized for cheap design solutions that have a big impact on image quality, camera sensitivity to light, and really, you can find very poor models on the market (mostly obscure, unknown brands) that benefit more from being attached to the wall of the house at all , and not because someone is watching and filming. However, a surveillance camera does not necessarily have to cost an exorbitant amount (in showrooms selling surveillance systems, as in bicycle shops, they always try to offer the most expensive option first).
There are offers where a low price and a high level of functionality are perfectly combined. This is exactly what the Xiaomi surveillance cameras presented in this article are. They are not expensive, but I was satisfied with their functionality: sharp image, good coverage, clearly visible image in the dark, accurate identification of moving objects. All three cameras have advanced data encryption technology and the MJA1 security chip to ensure that the video recorded by the camera is stored safely and will not be distributed on the Internet.
Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro Set Smart Home Surveillance Solution
Xiaomi’s home surveillance kit, which costs about 150 euros, consists of a camera and a base station. This camera doesn’t need any wires, you just attach it to the wall of your house and that’s it. It has a 10,000 mAh battery and solar cells are mounted on the top of the case to recharge the battery during the day and extend its life. After charging the battery, this surveillance camera can work up to 180 days.
The artificial intelligence of the “Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro” camera accurately recognizes various objects (people, animals, cars, shipping boxes), and after capturing them, starts recording the image and sends a message to the phone. Since this wide-angle camera covers quite a large area, you can limit its observation area – the camera will start filming and send an alert only when someone appears in the area you specify. This way you will save battery resources – after all, the camera does not necessarily have to react to every passer-by or passing car on the street.
The camera is resistant to rain and snow – protection of the strong plastic camera body from dust and moisture – IP66 class.
This camera has a 4MP image sensor and its bright lens (f/1.6) covers an angle of 133.3° horizontally and 58.7° vertically. Camera resolution is a very important selection criterion: if you don’t want your camera broadcast to look like 20-year-old YouTube videos, you shouldn’t choose cameras with a resolution of less than 4 MP. Higher resolution allows you to zoom in on the face and identify the person, while low resolution cameras will have a washed out, blurry image.
Night vision technology is also important. Two solutions dominate – cameras with infrared sources or LED lighting. Infrared rays help capture black-and-white images at night, and LED light sources shine similar to a smartphone spotlight. The Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro camera has both technologies: two infrared sources and four LED lights. At night, they turn on automatically, the images filmed in the dark are bright, clear, maintaining natural colors, instead of black and white.
The video is recorded in 2.5K resolution, the camera supports the HDR function (increasing the contrast ratio and color space).
The package also includes a small base station, where you can insert a memory card with a capacity of up to 256 GB. Records are stored in it. Very convenient and safe, because sometimes thieves peel memory cards from cameras in order to leave no traces. The station connects to the network via Wi-Fi and maintains a constant connection with the camera. Recordings can also be stored in the cloud.
The stand and camera have microphones and speakers, so the Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro can be used as a video intercom. Support for Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa allows the camera to be controlled by voice.
Like all other Xiaomi devices, the pairing of this camera with the phone is very quick – you scan the QR code of the camera in the Xiaomi Mi Home app, a few more clicks and after a few seconds everything is working.
Advantages of the device: full autonomy, large lens coverage angle, long battery life, dust and waterproof construction, intelligent object detection, high-quality filming around the clock, data storage in a station at home.
Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW300 – there are practically no blind spots
Although a battery-powered camera may seem very attractive because it does not require cables, experts say that the advantages of “cabled” cameras are continuous operation and easier maintenance. In addition, if the camera is connected to the Internet with a cable, it is resistant to external interference, which can also be caused by criminals.
The surveillance camera Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW300, which costs about 60 euros, is a dome camera. Dome cameras are often intended for indoor surveillance – they are not only compact, but also suitable for ceiling mounting – but such cameras are also used for outdoor surveillance. One part of the body of the Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW300 rotates horizontally and the other vertically, so the camera films everything around it, there are almost no blind spots. The camera holder is universal: the camera can be attached to the ceiling, walls and even poles – the most important thing is to decide what area the camera lens should “see”.
Although the dome camera monitors the area around it, it is not necessary to find a place in the house where the camera can cover a 360° angle – if you attach this camera to the wall of the house, it will have a useful coverage angle of 180°, but the camera will see and record everyone who passes by you home The dome cameras feature a wide viewing angle, and the dual-motor design allows users to rotate the lens in all directions with their smartphone, ensuring flexible and reliable monitoring. In addition, this camera is connected to the mains, so you can let it film anyone who appears in its field of vision.
A new generation artificial intelligence algorithm detects a person in the camera’s field of view. The camera then starts recording the image, sends an alert to the smartphone, and also follows the moving person.
The Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW300 camera has a 4MP sensor and records images in 2.5K resolution. High image quality is maintained even when shooting in the dark, and the image shot at night is not black and white – it retains the original colors. This is because at night the camera uses two infrared and two white light sources. Water and dust resistance of the camera body – IP66 protection class. Built-in speakers with microphone allow two-way communication.
The camera is controlled by the Xiaomi Mi Home app. With Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, the camera can be controlled by voice.
Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW300 can support the connection in two ways: by network cable, which ensures the camera’s stability and high data transfer speed, and by Wi-Fi connection. This camera requires a 12V power supply (power supply unit included).
The camera “compresses” the size of the video without compromising its quality, so the memory card (up to 256 GB) is used sparingly. Recordings can also be stored in the cloud.
Advantages of the device: minimal number of blind zones, dust and waterproof construction, smart human detection, high-quality filming around the clock, possibility of flexible control with the app.
Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Pro – you will know everything that happens at home
The third camera in this review is the Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Pro dome camera for home indoor surveillance, which costs about 70 euros. You can place this compact camera on a piece of furniture or attach it to the ceiling. Who needs a camera at home? Thanks to the video camera, you will not only protect your home, but also monitor your pets, you will know what they are doing when you are not at home. You can keep an eye on the children playing in the room, and if you have home insurance, video cameras can be very useful in obtaining compensation for lost valuables, damaged or destroyed property.
This camera transmits images via Wi-Fi
Xiaomi Smart Camera C500 Pro’s camera body rotates 360° around its axis, and the angle of movement of the lens in the vertical direction is 114°, so if you place this camera on a table or p[attachittotheceilinginthemiddleoftheroomitwillseethewholeroomAnotherinterestingnuance:ifyouareannoyedbythe”eye”ofthecamerawatchingeverythingwhenthecameraisnotinusebycontrollingitwiththeXiaomiMiHomephoneappyoucanmovethelensupsothatitiscompletelyhiddeninthecaseThemotorsthatrotatethebodyandlensunitaresoquietthatyoucan’thearthematall[pritvirtinsiteprielubųkambarioviduryjejimatysvisąkambarįDarvienasįdomusniuansas:jeijuserzinatarsiviskąstebintikameros„akis“kaikameranenaudojamavaldydamijątelefonoprogramėle„XiaomiMiHome“objektyvągalitepaslinktiaukštyntaipkadjisvisiškaipasislėptųkorpuseVarikliaisukantyskorpusąirobjektyvoblokądirbataiptyliaikadjųvisiškainesigirdi
The camera also has a motion tracking function: when it detects a person or a pet, its movements are actively monitored, and a message is sent to the smartphone – thus ensuring continuous monitoring and constant warnings about events. The camera also identifies noise (the sound of a blow, a child’s cry). You can set the camera to monitor everything around you, or set certain areas to be monitored.
The camera with a 5 MP sensor shoots in 3K resolution, so the image it conveys is bright and detailed. It remains so even when filming in the dark. HDR mode gives images extra brightness and contrast.
A built-in speaker and microphone allow communication, making this camera not only a surveillance device, but also a communication tool. The camera can be controlled by voice (Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant).
Advantages of the device: minimal number of blind zones, smart detection of a person, pet, reaction to sound, quality filming around the clock, possibility of flexible control with the app.
The author of the review is R. Kažimėkas.
