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J**C
No idea how they do this for the price!
Your browser does not support HTML5 video. Earlier this year, unfortunately, one of my neighbours was burgled. This prompted me to review my home security and to start to invest in security cameras. For ease of installation I bought and fitted a number of battery powered devices – front, back garden and porch - but my wife was concerned that the videos from the front and back garden, whilst very good quality, all showed a very wide, and thus small, image.Already owning a Voger ME720 camera I trusted the brand so looked first at what they had in something that would give a bigger and better image and ended up buying this VG360 for its narrower field of view (110° vs. the 160° of my other cameras = larger image) and the intriguing pan, tilt and image tracking capability.Unboxed it impressed right away, both in size and quality. It’s a lot bigger than my battery powered units.I did the initial set up on my desk, which was quick and easy, but beware of the sound it makes when it first powers up – it’s LOUD!Because it draws its power via a USB cable I had to make a hole in the wall then get up a ladder to fix it to the outside wall – which is the only downside I’ve found so far especially as I am going to have to get the ladder out again to make a change to the installation – I forgot to install an SD card!Make sure you can install it somewhere close to a power socket as you’ll need to plug in the (fixed) USB cable to the supplied mains power unit, and where you have a good Wi-Fi signal. The unit has an Ethernet connector which I presume would allow you to connect via an Ethernet cable if your Wi-Fi signal is poor, although this would mean running a cable to your hub plus possibly making a bigger hole through the wall.One comment for Voger here – why do you not supply a cover for the Ethernet socket which will otherwise remain exposed to damp (albeit inside the camera support bracket)?This camera is controlled via an app called TuyaSmart. Downloading and installing it on my phone was simple and straight-forward. (FWIW I much prefer it to the Cloudboom one that’s required for the Voger ME720 camera).Second comment for Voger – why don’t you standardise the apps needed to control these cameras?(I will in due course see if the ME720 camera can work with TuyaSmart app.)The camera and app combination work really well, and quite intuitively.Motion generated alarms are sent promptly to the phone and appear in the apps Message Centre or Photo album. It is also possible to initiate recordings manually, and take still photos. Motion tracking can also be enabled and works well, albeit resulting in slightly jerky movement of the camera. I’ve included both day and night examples of the cameras motion tracking in a video attached to this review.The quality of the video on my phone screen is superb, so I apologise if this isn’t apparent in my video. I’ve noted that the videos stored on the phone are in a folder entitled ‘Thumbnail’, which can often translate into ‘compressed file size’ and mean poorer quality. As said earlier I need to get a ladder out so I can get back up to the camera to install an SD card. It’ll be interesting to see what the video quality is like when taken off the card.The pivot and tilt functions are motor driven and controlled through the app, either directly by running your finger up and down or side to side on the phone screen, or via a the app’s direction radio button. Zooming, however, is not motor driven and is managed by ‘pinching’ the image on the screen.All in all I am very happy with this camera. In fact, I'm amazed by it! It offers a lot for the money, even more so as the very good price can (currently) be reduced further using a voucher found on the product page. It does give a larger image which satisfies my requirements, is easy to use and also offers (through the app) access to additional features, including operation via Alexa or Google Assistant, IFTTT and in my case, Samsung SmartThings.Hopefully once I’ve installed the SD card, and explored more of the camera and app functionality I’ll be back to update this review.
V**N
Picture quality is excellent
Your browser does not support HTML5 video. This camera was bought to use on the outside of our property and I was concerned the WIFI wouldn't reach the garage wall where the camera is mounted, but it does. Everything you need is in the box, including a little screw driver to get into the compartment for the SD card and the reset button. It connected to the WIFI very quickly, which I did inside the house, then took it outside to see if the connection would re-connect automatically, which it did. The camera alerts my phone when it detects motion. You can replay and then record from the replay. That is how I managed to catch my husband falling off his bike!!! You can see how good the camera quality is on the film. For the price, I would recommend this camera.
M**R
Easy to install & use
I've previously had good experiences with Apeman products and Voger is a sub-brand of Apeman. I've now had this camera for 2 days.This camera arrived really quickly in a bigger-than-expected box, which had good protection from couriers!The box contained the camera, a separate antenna, a UK USB plug/adpater, three screws & wall plugs, and a small cross-headed screwdriver. There was the usual multi-lingual instruction booklet - sadly printed grey on white in small print - if you're like me, you will need an illumiated magnifier if you are not used to Tuya Smart installation.I'd suggest that you should always attach the antenna even if you are using the wired / Cat5 connection in order to prevent water ingress.There is a Cat5 connector if you want to use this as a wired camera (which is what I'm doing) and a very long (possibly 2m) USB cable with a micro USB connector. There is no SD card - if you want local recording you need to buy a suitable SD card.This camera works well with the Tuya Smart Life app. This app is essential but can only be installed on phones & tablets - there is no Tuya app for Chromebooks (grrr). It was quick & easy to register the camera to the app (once I'd checked the instructions!)I've put this up in a temporary position - as shown - to check the functionality. It works well, but the first SD card I put in it (there's a waterproof 'plug' on the back protecting the slot) wasn't working properly. It's just as well it wasn't at the top of a ladder! Wherever you put it you do need to ensure that there is access to the great-indoors for the USB cable (and possibly the Cat5 cable if you choose to use it).There is an obvious red glow from the camera at night. The app allows for motion tracking. The resolution in both SD & HD mode is excellent. The movement detection is very sensitive (and detects to steam from my boiler - so I need to move it).I was provided with this camera for review but it has exceeded my expectations and I'd have no hesitation recommending it to anyone based on my short experience of setting up and using the camera.This is an excellent mid-price camera and can be used as part of a larger smart home system.
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