Wi-Fi connected cameras that keep an eye on the inside of your home aren't anything new but now these monitors are heading outside.
Google-owned Nest recently announced its latest security camera called the Nest Outdoors and now it's got some serious competition.
The all-new Netatmo Presence may look just like a standard security light but it has a tiny camera tucked inside that beams footage straight to your smartphone.
As long as you already have an outside light, set-up is reasonably simple and, having installed it ourselves, the whole process takes under 20 minutes.
Once up and running you'll get real-time alerts with the camera even able to tell the difference between animals and humans wandering by.
You can also fully control the Presence remotely from your smartphone, allowing you to flood your garden with light or see what's going on outside, even if you're on the other side of the world.
Another nice feature on the Presence is being able to set Alert-Zones.
This allows you to select specific areas for detection alerts.
For example, you can tell the camera to only send you a message when someone goes near your shed or a parked car on a driveway.
This feature works well and is especially good if you've placed the camera where people regularly walk or drive by and you don't want a million false alerts arriving on your phone.
Although there's a very bright light included on the Presence it also features powerful infra-red night vision, so you should never miss anything going on outside your home.
We've been using this device for the past few weeks and have been left pretty impressed by its features.
The camera produces a decent image which can be recorded on your phone or sent straight to your Dropbox.
And, if you've ever been burgled, it offers piece of mind that your home is being monitored without having to install expensive CCTV.
The fact the camera includes an outside light is also a great bonus, especially as it can be switched on and dimmed from your smartphone.
However, like most internet connected cameras the Presence isn't perfect and we have had a number of rogue alerts arriving on our phone.
Sometimes it's mistaken a cat or tree for a human and we've also found it randomly disconnecting from the internet.
Getting the camera online can also be tricky as the signal needs to get through your outside walls - we had to buy a £20 Wi-Fi booster to get our Presence working properly.
The Presence also costs £250 which is expensive when compared to a standard security light and it won't actually stop thieves breaking.
However, even with these niggles, the Presence offers a more affordable way to monitor what's going on outside of your home.
And should mean you get a nice mugshot of any crooks that decide they want to help themselves to your precious belongings.
Related articlesSource: Beat the burglar - new outdoor camera beams video of your house straight to your phone
No comments:
Post a Comment