Table of Content
- Why You Should Buy Smart Appliances – Benefits for Homeowners
- YI and Kami cameras in this review
- Setting up the Camera in YI Home App
- Canary All-In-One Home Security Device
- Wyze Cam V2
- Ring Spotlight Cam Battery
- Competition: You’ll spend more on advanced features
- What’s different about YI Home Camera 1080p HD?
You can use a micro SD card for local storage, or you can simply set the camera to record six-second clips of motion that are saved under your Alert settings in your phone. Neither of those options requires paying for a monthly subscription, which is another perk with YI. So I bought a four pack for $119.00 with moderate expectations. Let me tell you I'm super impressed with the picture quality of these cameras. Purchased 32 GB SD cards for all of them so I didn't need to use cloud storage and it's been working great! I have them set to record all motion and I usually have about 7 days of history on each camera.
Person detection is a great way to prevent pets and other objects from triggering too many notifications. We had trouble getting person detection to work with the free cloud storage, but it seems to perform okay when you use a microSD card with the camera. The YI Outdoor Security Camera is one of the most affordable outdoor cameras you can buy. We like it for its clean bullet camera design and powerful night vision.
Why You Should Buy Smart Appliances – Benefits for Homeowners
Sadly, the YI Home Camera's two-way audio rarely worked, and when it did, the sound kept cutting out—on both sides. Considering an affordable security camera like the YI 1080p Home Camera? You might like its easy install, smart detection, and smart cloud search. After several days of testing, I realized that the camera wasn’t differentiating between human shapes and other movements.
But it has no web portal, it limits its alerts to once every 10 minutes, and its app is so streamlined that it stints on features. Camera settings include Image Rotation, a Lens Distortion Correction option that reduces pincushioning, a Speaker on/off option, and three HD settings (, fps, ). The camera offers a Gesture Detection feature that lets you initiate a 10-second video recording you can send to friends or family. To begin recording, simply extend your hand out at shoulder height with your palm facing the camera.
YI and Kami cameras in this review
Unfortunately, trying to play back the clips from these thumbnail images worked only about half the time. You can also fast-forward video up to 32x normal speed to search through it quickly. This camera can detect the difference between humans, animals, and other motion, helping you discern between pets, friends, and foes. Stay updated on the latest products and services anytime, anywhere. Best Prepaid Cell Phone Plans of 2022 Prepaid cell phone plans make sense if you know how much data you'll use in... As I mentioned before, I couldn’t tell the difference between human motion or any other motion the camera captured.
But the camera also generated a Baby Crying alert when we dropped a piece of metal on the floor. Still, this is an important feature for parents to have to supplement any baby monitors, especially when leaving a child in someone else's care. Tapping on a Home screen snapshot reveals each camera's page, which contains a live view and icons for sound, video capture, microphone, snapshot and enlarge. Tap on the live view, and the icons are replaced by a timeline. The live view also has a pull-down menu to switch among auto, HD and SD video, and displays the data-streaming rate.
Setting up the Camera in YI Home App
To get an idea of how it works, I used the YI Camera to monitor my apartment for a few weeks, watching my 7-month-old golden retriever puppy and cat. The YI Dome Camera U won't win any contests for video resolution or innovative features. Unfortunately, YI's cloud storage plans aren't competitive with other major camera manufacturers, but the microSD card slot should be enough for most folks. To further enhance the privacy shutter, you can lock the YI Dome Camera U behind a custom PIN code in the mobile app. Only family members with the code can use the camera or adjust its settings.
We also like YI's sound-detection feature, which sends you a notification whenever sound levels exceed a certain threshold. So you can use the unit as a baby monitor while working in the garden or taking a nap of your own. Because the sound detection relies on the loudness of a sound, you can make it more sensitive to listen for breaking glass or other signs of a break-in while you're away from home. Its wired power source means you have fewer placement options, but it saves having to recharge batteries like on the Kami Wire-Free. At least the power cord is 10 feet long, which means the power outlet doesn't need to be right next to the camera.
YI lets you adjust your settings and customize your recording notifications the way you like them. Most security cameras are quite pricey, retailing for $100 or more, which is why the YI Dome Camera is a steal at $39.99. It’s a clear and reliable camera that will let you keep tabs on your home, fur babies, or real babies.
You need the internet to set up the cameras, but they can record automatically without it—as long as you install a microSD to store video locally. But you do need to pay a monthly fee if you want more cloud storage, especially on cameras that lack a microSD slot like the Kami Doorbell Camera. Both explain how to set up the cameras and offer some troubleshooting tips but in a better format than you'll find in the Kami Help Center. The emergency service on the Plus plan uses Noonlight monitoring to put you in touch with first responders, similar to a home security system. Unfortunately, it costs two to three times more than matching options from Arlo and Wyze. The Free plan limits clips to six seconds and stores them for up to 24 hours.
That said, it's lacking some of the useful features you get with our Editors Choice Icontrol Networks Piper nv. Or you can save some money and pick up the Ezviz Mini HD, which delivers solid 720p video for nearly half the price. Utilitarian is the best word to describe YI and Kami security cameras.
There are even options for motion detection and alert frequency. The YI Home Camera 2 ($129.99) is a second-generation Wi-Fi security camera, but it feels and functions like the new kid on the block. It has some nice innovative features, such as crying-baby alerts and gesture-recognition video recording.
Honestly, whether you choose YI or Kami comes down to whichever has lower prices. There's also a support chatbot in the app and when you select Customer Support on the Kami website. The bot doesn't accept any questions beyond the ones it presents you. This makes it useful for looking up quick answers about some common issues but not for anything else.
The YI is easy to set-up, has redundant data storage, and a plug-in power source. Camryn Rabideau is a product reviewer for The Spruce Pets who has tested numerous pet products for publications such as Reviewed and Forbes. Camryn graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rhode Island and was awarded the University Academic Excellence Award.
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