I provide honest ratings and reviews on tech, toys, and consumer home goods that I've purchased and used. Reviews are based on hands-on testing and personal observations. All opinions and comments are my own.
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Takeaway: Compact, clear HD video and audio, wide angle view; easy to set up and download footage w/ plenty of basic dashcam features.EXCLUSIVE 40% off code below!
Takeaway: Compact, durable, takes clear photos at night and during day, motion capture, long run time. I was pretty excited to try out this game trail camera as I wanted to use it as an outdoor wildlife/security camera in my backyard. Setting up the camera was easy and straightforward using the 'Setup' mode, Menu key, and menu navigation keys. There are two modes, hunting and security. Hunting only takes photos while security takes photos and video. Both are triggered by the motion sensor and do not record continuously. The unit consists of a plastic waterproof housing that has the camera and controls inside a gasket sealed chamber. You'll also need to install 12 AA batteries inside which are not included with the purchase. However, you can use either Alkaline or re-chargeable Ni-MH batteries. The unit has several mounting options including using the supplied 6 ft nylon strap, a tripod, or another standard 1/4"-20 threaded mounting system. There's a mount hole on the back and at the bottom. I also liked that you have the option to power the camera using a wired DC connection as there is a port on the bottom covered by a rubber door. The camouflage exterior makes it blend into the background when strapped to a tree and the camera triggers silently and without any lights. It accepts a full size SD card up to 32 GB and you can transfer files directly to your computer using the included miniUSB cable.
On front is the camera, a motion sensor, and infrared lights. The infrared lights allow the camera to capture photos and video at night in the darkest of conditions. The images are black and white though and if the subject is very close to the lens, it just shows up as a white shape. It photographs best when the subject is 6 or more feet away. It rained overnight during my first test run with the camera strapped to a tree outside, and the camera is still working great. Overall this camera has all the features that I wanted. It's portable, durable, waterproof, and takes good photos during the day and at night.
Takeaway: Durable all-metal locks, easy to change the combination, smooth rolling tumblers. You'll receive a pair of identical TSA007 combination padlocks and an instruction sheet. The lock is solidly made from an all-metal housing and shackle and weighs about 2 ounces. The standard tumbler allows the TSA to open it with a special key to inspect your luggage without cutting/breaking non-compliant locks off. I've made the switch to TSA locks as the last time I was using an older suitcase with a built-in zipper lock, and they literally cut the zippers off my bag (even though they didn't have to) rendering it useless for future travel. Not only did I have to get a new suitcase, but I made sure to get these compliant locks to go with it.
The initial combination code for the locks ‘0000.' The numbers each roll smoothly and gently 'click' into place. To change it, pull on the shackle to open it, turn it 90 degrees towards you and press down until it clicks. Then just turn the tumblers until your desired code is lined up on the side with the little arrow and re-lock the shackle. These locks are light duty but enough to keep the zippers on your bag from opening, preventing easy access theft. However, note that these probably won't hold up to a bolt cutter or a hammer if your entire bag gets stolen.
Takeaway: Keeps your stuff dry w/o any leaking. Floats for easy retrieval. The 10L dry bag comes with a smaller smartphone dry bag and a 40" adjustable shoulder strap. The cylindrical shpaed dry bag measures 18.5" tall and has a 12" diameter. It is made from a thick waterproof vinyl and has a clear window so you can see its contents. The should strap attaches diagonally so the bag can be worn cross-shoulder like a knapsack or duffel bag. Using the drybag is easy. Once you place the items you want to keep dry inside, close the opening and roll it down 3 or 4 times before snapping the clasp together. This creates a water and airtight seal. The capacity of the bag is about 10L and if you leave some amount of air in the bag, it should float when placed in water. The waterproof cellphone bag works in a similar way. It's got 3 press seals like a ziptop bag and after you seal them, roll them down the opening three times and clip the bag shut with two snap buttons. The cellphone bag is clear on both sides so you can see the phone's screen. You can even use the touchscreen through the clear window. It also floats if you leave some air in the bag and it has a 21" adjustable neckstrap. The cellphone bag measures 9" x 6.5" which is large enough for any cell phone and could even fit a small tablet. Overall, both the dry bag and the cellphone bag worked well for keeping their contents dry, and I didn't experience any leaks with the bags being left in water for 10 minutes nor being splash/sprayed directly with water at close range.
Takeaway: Fairly easy and quick setup, clear HD video (no audio), handy mobile app, instructions could be better. The NVR unit comes with a quick installation guide, a pack of 4 hard drive screws (for 3.5" HDD), a remote control, an A/C adapter for the main unit, a USB mouse, a 3 ft CAT5 Ethernet cable, and 4 individually packed wireless cameras with A/C adapters. The only thing you'll need to provide is a SATA hard drive up to 6GB for recording the video footage. I used a Western Digital 500 GB 2.5" HDD, but because it's smaller I had to use different screws than the ones that were included to mount it to the NVR housing. On the back of the NVR are two 7 inch wireless antennae and along the bottom is the VGA outout, HDMI output, WAN port, USB port, and power port. In front, you have some on-board playback controls and menu selection keys as well as various indicator LEDs. This model does not have a front USB port so only one USB device can be used at a time e.g. mouse, USB thumb drive.
Each camera comes with a 7" antenna, waterproof housing for the Ethernet connection, a pack of wall mounting hardware, and A/C adapter. On the front under the lens is a light sensor so that the camera can detect when there is low light to activate infrared night vision. The camera can pivot 90 degrees and to set the angle at the joint use the small Allen wrench in the hardware package to loosen the adjustment screw. Rotation can only be set at the point of installation when you drill the holes to mount the camera. The camera body is made of metal and very durable for weather-resistance. Setup is basically plug and play. The power cable connects to the barrel port on the extending cable. The other connector is for an optional LAN connection but does not need to be used (no cap is included to cover the unused port). Once plugged in and powered on, the camera will be transmitting a live feed, so all you need to do is turn on the NVR unit.
When connecting the NVR to my TV via HDMI for monitoring the output resolution is HD at 1080p; each camera when viewed indivually also supports 1920x1080 resolution. Once booted up, the NVR will search for the 4 cameras and connect to them automatically which takes a few minutes. You do have to format the hard drive before it can record to it, and I found it easiest to navigate the menus using the USB mouse since the cursor is tricky to maneuver with the arrow keys on the remote. The remote control which requires 2 AAA batteries which are not included. In the settings you can change the network settings, schedules, and triggers for the camera for recording. You can also monitor the cameras using your smart phone by downloading the CamView Cloud app from the Google Play or Apple store. The app requires you to sign up for an account to use it. The instructions don't tell you how to add the NVR to the list of device in the app, but in the app, tap the '+' icon in the upper right and select "Add device by ID." Then use the "Cloud ID" found in the bottom right corner of the monitor screen (hook up NVR to TV) and provide the default login of 'Admin' and a blank password.
After adding the NVR to the list of devices, you'll be able to see the four camera feeds live on your phone. Tapping one screen will zoom in on it. The infrared lights allows you to see everything in total darkness as if it were daytime, but in black and white. On the phone, the video image appears slightly washed out, but the color representation and resolution are actually decent on a TV/computer monitor. In the app, you can playback and save previously recorded video and capture still images. You can also download videos directly to a thumb drive on the NVR with a USB thumb drive, though you won't be able to use the mouse the navigate the menus while the thumb drive is plugged in.
Overall, the security camera system is pretty quick the setup, and it's easy to use. The instructions could be clearer on how to add the NVR to the mobile app and it doesn't tell you the default login for the menu is 'admin' with a blank password. However, once you're up and running it's dead simple to check on the cameras and review or save recorded video.
Takeaway: Clear and crisp HD video, wide angle, decent features, okay night footage. The dashboard camera comes with a suction cup mount with integrated GPS, cigarette lighter adapter w/12 ft cable, 40" USB cable, CPL filter, 32GB microSD card, and a user manual. The camera is compact measuring 3.75"W x 1.75"L x 1.25"D including the lens. It is powered via miniUSB and has mini HDMI output. The screen on the back has a 2.5" diagonal. The CPL filter is optional and can be installed on the lens to help reduce glare, darken bright skies, and cut down on reflections.
The camera setup is simple and straightforward. There are plenty of settings and options in the menus that aren't explained too fully in the manual but could be useful if you play with them a bit. I particularly like the time lapse parking mode and different HD resolution sizes. On the back of the suction cup is the GPS receiver which is integrated and cannot be removed. The GPS will still be on if the cable is plugged directly into the camera body, so if you don't want to use the GPS features like location and speed tracking, turn it off in the settings.
The camera has a number of different resolutions and all of them are HD. The highest resolution is 2560x1080P which is super wide angle at 170 degrees. The lower resolutions have tighter fields of view. I like the 60 fps 1080p resolution because for me the video looks smoother and clearer. During the day the video quality is high def and captures a lot of detail; you can read license plates off the car in front and in adjacent lanes within 1-2 car lengths. At night the video is a bit harder to see, perhaps even somewhat blurry depending how much ambient light there is. But the quality is not bad, and you can see enough detail that the footage could be helpful in the event of an accident.
The player downloaded from Seydi's website shows a map of the trip (per clip), speed, and direction of travel when using the GPS. It'll also show you G-sensor info. Overall, the camera is easy to install and use. It has some of the highest video quality that I've seen for a unit this size in this price range and has a decent feature set.
Takeaway: Okay video, good interior/exterior view, lacks some functions, good viewer app. This unit comes with the dual camera DVR, a holder bracket, 3-axis suction cup mount, 11.5' cigarette lighter microUSB power cable, a 4-pin GPS antenna with 5 ft cable, and 3 extra adhesive sticky pads. Note that it does NOT come with a microSD card, which you must supply in order to record any video. The manual recommends Class 6 card or higher up to 32 GB. You won't be able to enter menu settings or view the live video feed without a card installed.
The unit measures 5"W x 2"H x 1.25" D. It is made of a plastic shell with a thin powdered aluminum finished front. While I like how it looks, the finish scratches easily, especially from the plastic mounting bracket when you put it in or take it out. On the side of the device that faces the windshield you have a 140 degree wide angle forward lens that can pitch up and down 20 degrees and a speaker. On the side facing into the car you have the 2.7" LCD, power button, menu navigation and mode buttons, the inside facing camera, the OK button, and a microphone. The ports are o nthe right hand side under a rubber door and includes: 4-pin port for the GPS, microSD card slot, and microUSB charging port.
Assembling the unit and mount was straightforward. Make sure to insert the microSD card with the contacts facing toward you. The suction cup is pretty firma dn I haven't had it fall off my windshield yet. The one thing I didn't like about this design is that with all the cables plugged in, the rubber door just kind of hangs there in the way. I would prefer exposed but flush with the surface ports over that.
With a new card inserted into the unit, the camera will need to format it first. This step is required since the camera loads some software on the card called X2Player, that you run on your computer to view the video files. When the camera starts up, it will begin recording automatically by default and I didn't see a way to switch this to manual only. You can, of course, always stop recording manually and start it again when you want. For whatever reason, my unit was not in English when I first powered it on. If this happens to you, to change the language, press the menu button then scroll down to the icon with the person and speech bubble; click 'OK', then select English and click 'OK' again.
In the menu you can set the various options like date and time, audio recording, and g-sensor sensitivity to lock videos from being recorded over in case of an accident. You cannot set the loop length for the videos which is about 90 seconds long per video clip. Each clip on dual camera recording takes up about 125 megabytes but you can choose to record only one camera at a time instead of both.
On the LCD screen when the camera is running, you'll see the live feed from the recording, the date and time, the current speed, and the direction of travel. If the GPS is not hooked up, you will not see speed or direction. Note also that GPS location, speed, and direction will not appear in the video during playback, but you'll be able to see that information when using the software to view the video. The program for viewing the videos, X2Player, is pretty cool. You'll see all the aforementioned data, can choose to view side-by-side dual feeds or only one feed at a time. You can even toggle on a map that tracks your trip based on the recorded GPS location data points, though in general, the path is not exact and tends to misplace you a lot. Each trip is logged as a single line in the bottom left quadrant of the window, but is then broken out into the smaller 90 second clips on the bottom right quadrant. The software also allows you to save the video clips off the card piecemeal or all at once.
The video quality is decent but not high definition. There's definitely some graininess to the video and even within one car length, the license plate of the car in front of you will be unreadable. Despite the low resolution and relative darkness of the videos, they're still useful in case of an accident and the inside facing camera may be useful for car share drivers like Uber and Lyft. This is overall a fairly nice dashboard DVR but it lacks some features like motion detection, parking monitor, loop length, and a still camera mode.
Takeaway: A basic low-res video camera peephole/doorbell with monitor. The materials used for the peephole and LCD monitor are mid-grade, about what you'd expect from a low-cost unit. There's a protective film on the LCD so at first it may look hazy, but once you peel it off, the screen is clear. The manual indicates that the unit comes with 3 AAA batteries, but none were in my package, so I bought my own.
Installing this on a door with an existing peephole is straightforward; if you don't have one, you'll have to drill a hole in your door. This camera is only activated when a visitor presses the doorbell button on the unit or if you use the viewing panel on the inside; it does not have a motion detector. Keep in mind that this means that no video will be captured if your visitor uses any other existing doorbell that you may have. A five second video is ONLY captured when someone presses the doorbell button (w/o audio). While you can manually turn on the camera from the inside by pressing any of the buttons, it will be in "view only" mode and does not create a recording. You can also manually activate a 10 second audio recording from the panel (w/o video).
Setting the date and time is easy, but I found that it resets when the battery runs out and when new ones are put in. The LCD panel can store up to 2 GB of data which is a lot since each video file is only 2-3 MB and each audio file is 0.5 MB. When the memory card is full you can format it, but you cannot transfer them to your computer without opening up the viewing panel to remove the memory card. While you can review each recording using the panel, you cannot individually delete them.
This camera/monitor is simple and basic. My main concern would be that the battery will run out and without a normal glass peephole, you might lose the ability to see who is at your door. While reviewing recordings to see who stopped by is nice, you will only know who rang your "doorbell" on the unit. Folks who knock or use a different doorbell will not be recorded as there is no motion sensor. If you want a basic camera/LCD viewer and are on a budget, this unit functions as advertised. A device like this could be more useful with a few additional features, but certainly you would pay more for them.
Takeaway: For a light this size, it can output so much light! This brightness is rated at 100 lm. I tested this unit in a pitch black hallway at night and was able to see down to the other end of the hall, about 30 ft. However, since it is solar powered, it should actually be used outdoors, but this should help give you a sense of the amount of light that it puts out.
A vast improvement over the previous version is that this light has a diffuser, since this softens the light without diminishing its brightness. I also like that the light is directed "down" instead of out. This means that you won't have to look directly into the LEDs when it's on, unless of course you are standing under it and look straight up. By positioning the light in this way, the light spreads and fills one area and doesn't put off a glare when you're facing it. The only drawback to this configuration is that the solar panel sits on top, so this means that you can't install this under an awning or overhang as this will block its solar panel's access to direct sunlight.
The features are very useful. The battery in it is solar powered, it detects ambient light and only comes on when it's dark out, the motion sensor detects up to 10 ft away, and it shuts off automatically after 30 seconds. It was very easy to setup, install and operate. Because the solar panel is flat on top of this light, you'll want it to be at the highest point on the south side of whatever you're attaching it to, otherwise cast shadows will limit the amount of light that hits the solar panel. If you install this in a shady spot or on the north side of your house, shed or garage, be aware that it may not get enough sunlight to fully charge its battery.
Takeaway: This camera has a number of decent features that you'd expect to find in a security camera. Features: motion detection, IR night vision, occlusion detection, alarm trigger capabilities, email notifications, remote access/control from anywhere on the web, two-way audio, and is wireless, except for the power plug.
Build quality: The construction is a hard-shell, lightweight plastic with a glossy exterior. It's solid, but you'll want to make sure this is firmly mounted to the wall or ceiling because it probably won't tolerate a fall onto hard surfaces. With that in mind, also note that this camera can only be used indoors and is not weatherproof for outdoor use.
Video/image quality: While the images are captured at a decent resolution of 1280x720, the image and video compression make it look like a blown up lower resolution picture, so I hesitate to use "high-definition" here. The quality is fine for Closed Circuit TVs, baby monitors or security systems where you're not looking for super fine detail.
Setup following the instructions was straightforward but a bit tedious. The driver CD did not work out of the box, I had to download three utilities to set up the camera on HooToo's website. I was surprised to find that the web browser viewers had more functionality than the stand alone Windows program and mobile app. But here, too, there were parts of the web app that didn't function, like Zoom and Focus. I also wasn't able to get it to work in Firefox of Chrome, only Internet Explorer. Recording video from the web app sometimes yielded video with dropped frames, skipping audio and mixed bit rates: random parts of the video played back in fast-forward, some slow-mo, and the audio was not synced properly.
It has a nice range of functionality and options. I like that it can rotate to get nearly every viewable angle and that you control it remotely; though note that the panning and tilting controls can be jerky. I also found it useful that you can listen in on the audio or send audio to the camera through its built-in speaker or separate audio output. However, the microphone doesn't pick up sound more than a few feet away and it tends to sound hollow and far away. The speaker in the camera isn't terribly loud and there's no volume control on it; it also has a tendency to sound boxy and staticky.
The infrared works well. You can see everything in the video in total darkness. I didn't test the alarm feature since I don't have one for it to hook up to, but you can set the camera to trigger an alarm or even send you an email, say if the motion detector is set off. There's also and occlusion monitor in case someone tries to cover up the camera lens that can trigger events as well.
It works and does the job of a security camera, but isn't best in its class and its software could use some much needed patches and updates.
Takeaway: For the size of this light, it really outputs a lot of light. I tried this out in an upstairs hallway with no windows, at night, and it went from pitch black to me being able to see all the way down to the other end of the hall (about 30 ft). Of course, since the battery is solar powered, this wouldn't be a great application as it would never get charged! But hopefully that gives you a sense of the amount of light that gets output by this unit.
I wasn't a huge fan of the angle of the LED direction, since it points at your face when it's just above eye level. This makes the light uncomfortable to look directly at when it is on because it's so bright. This is worsened by the fact that the light doesn't have a diffuser, so it is just a bit too intense to look at. Basically you'll want to make sure the light is well overhead and to your back. If you're facing it at all, it's pretty blinding, which, defeats the purpose of having light (so you can see!).
The other features are solid. It recharges itself with the power of the sun, it has an ambient light sensor so it only comes on when it's dark, it has a motion detector that senses to about 10 ft, and a 30 second shutoff timer. Easy to setup, install and operate. If possible, position the solar panel to face south so that it can get the maximum amount of sunlight. If you're installing this in a shady spot or on the north side of your house, shed or garage, be aware that it may not get enough sunlight to fully charge its battery.
