Intelligent cameras have become a common smart product in the home, and application scenarios such as nursing homes, caring for the elderly, caring for children, and viewing pets are inseparable from it. Nowadays, the smart camera products on the market are rich and the prices are different, is it to choose products with high sales with the flow, or to carefully select the ones that suit your needs? If you have this question, you may wish to take a look at our shopping guide, which may help you choose the product you like.
Pay attention to differentiate brand differences
At present, there are many smart camera brands on the market, mainly divided into two categories: traditional brands and Internet brands, and the corresponding product attributes of these two types of brands are also different. Traditionally, hikvision, Dahua and other security brands are the mainstay, and the products of such brands are mainly used in commercial fields, such as corporate factories, shopping malls and residential areas.
Internet brands are mainly based on Brands such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Le Orange, and Fluorite, which are mainly based on household products. At the same time, for the use of household needs, the functions of such products are more abundant, such as the linkage between many smart home products can be realized with the help of intelligent ecological platforms. In addition, the price is also relatively cheap, and there is no need for installation and post-maintenance costs. In addition, there are some unknown brands, such as xiaovv, Zhongwo, etc., which are mainly based on public models, which is what we often call OEM. The product characteristics of this type of brand are cheap and can be controlled through the App, but the functional experience of the product is not as good as that of the big Internet brands, and the quality can only "luck".
▲There are many brands of home smart cameras, and the prices and functions are not the same.
For daily home use, we recommend that we prefer big Internet brands such as Xiaomi, or brands endorsed by traditional security brands, such as Dahua's home brand Le Orange and Hikvision's fluorite.
The higher the resolution, the better, but it doesn't have to be deliberately pursued
At present, home smart cameras have three different resolutions: 1920×1080, 2560×1440 (2304×1296), 3840×2160. Theoretically, the higher the resolution, the sharper the picture quality will be. For home cameras, in fact, the resolution of 1920×1080 or 2560×1440 (2304×1296) is completely sufficient, there is no need to choose 4K resolution.
Because 4K resolution requires more storage space, even in H.265 encoding format, a single file is still much larger than a file at 1080p and 2K resolutions. Coupled with the fact that home smart cameras require 24 hours of uninterrupted recording, and usually use Micro SD memory cards (maximum support 256GB), it is impossible to store too many video files. Therefore, videos from many days ago may be overwritten.
▲ A home smart camera that supports 4K resolution has very high requirements for storage space and write speed, and can only output 4K@15fps screen, is it really a high-performance sensor?
Products that support multiple storage are preferred
Speaking of storage, it is necessary to talk about the cloud storage capabilities of many products now. Usually cloud storage is paid to use, and the price is not low, such as a brand of smart camera to provide cloud storage functions are 23.9 yuan a month (30 days of rolling storage), a year is 299 yuan (30 days of rolling storage, 7 days of rolling storage is 129 yuan per year). The cost of use is higher than the hardware itself, and our recommendation is that home users do not need to activate cloud storage unnecessarily, and uploaded video files will also occupy broadband resources.
▲ Users with high requirements on storage capacity can choose products that support NVR hard disk storage, with hard disk recorder use cost is lower, a single disk can be connected to 4-way camera recorder is not more than 100 yuan. With the addition of a 1TB hard drive, the total price of storage is less than 400 yuan.
So if you need to store more days of video, is there a cost-saving solution? Of course. Nowadays, many intelligent cameras already support NVR (Network Video Recorder) storage function, and when used with hard disk recorders, more video files can be stored. In addition, if you have a NAS device at home, you can also access the NAS for storage.
▲ The price of cloud storage is not low.
Select the focal length according to the usage scene or directly select the gimbal version
I believe that many users in the choice of intelligent camera, the page will appear to select the focal length, the focal length of 2.8mm, 3.6mm, 6mm a variety of different types, so how should users choose? The smaller the value of the focal length, the greater the range of scenes seen, and vice versa. If the user needs to monitor a wide range of scenes, such as courtyards, they can choose a version with a small focal length of 2.8mm or 3.6mm. If you need to monitor some small scenes or want to see more details, such as supervising your child's homework, it is recommended to choose the 6mm large focal length version.
▲Different focal lengths are indicated.
If the use of the scene is not fixed or too lazy to choose a different focal length, then you can directly choose the PTZ version, the so-called PTZ version refers to the camera can be rotated up and down, left and right at multiple angles, to achieve no dead angle monitoring. Generally speaking, the smart camera of the PTZ version will be more expensive than the ordinary fixed camera, which is because the PTZ version has two more motors that can be rotated, and the cost will increase.
Support shimmer full color picture quality is better
In terms of functions, many smart home cameras support basic functions such as two-way voice calls, motion tracking, humanoid detection, intelligent vigilance, and timed cruise. These functions can actually meet the needs of the vast majority of users, and users can focus on whether to support low-light full color in terms of functions. Many low-cost smart cameras are limited by cost, and videos taken at night or in low light environments will become black and white, and it is easy to appear a black phenomenon. If the camera supports the low-light full-color function, it can also shoot full-color pictures in low-light environments.
Nowadays, many homes have replaced dual-band routers that support both 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands, of which 5GHz transmission speed is faster. It is recommended that users also choose products that support dual-band Wi-Fi when purchasing smart cameras. In addition, if the product supports abnormal sound detection is also a plus.
Having said all this, I believe you already have some understanding of the purchase of home smart cameras, if you are too lazy to compare the choices, we have several product recommendations.
Xiaomi Smart Camera PTZ Pro
Reference price: 299 yuan
Xiaomi Smart Camera PTZ Pro has 3 million pixels and a resolution of up to 2340×1296, which is clearer than the ordinary 1080p resolution and is completely enough to meet daily home use. In addition, it uses an F1.4 large-aperture 6-slide lens, which can increase the amount of light entering, and can obtain better picture detail even in low-light environments. The lens of 6 slides can also effectively reduce the loss rate of light, so that the imaging effect is better. Xiaomi smart camera PTZ Pro also built-in a 940nm infrared fill light, there will be no red exposure in the night environment, with a high-sensitivity image sensor, even in a low-light environment can also present a full-color image. It is worth mentioning that it not only supports humanoid monitoring, but also supports face recognition functions, which can mark the identity of family and friends, and can distinguish acquaintances and strangers on the next visit. In order to ensure the privacy of users, Xiaomi Smart Camera PTZ Pro supports one-click physical masking of the camera, and the camera lens can be automatically turned to the inside of the shell through the App to ensure privacy and security. Finally, the Xiaomi Smart Camera PTZ Pro supports dual-band Wi-Fi, has 3 storage methods, and links with other Mijia devices to make it easy to use and fun.
Resolution: 2304×1296
Video encoding: H.265
Product size: 122mm×78mm×78mm
Storage: Micro SD card (32GB and below), NAS storage, cloud storage
Wireless connection: 2.4GHz/5GHz, Bluetooth 4.2
Lens angle: 110°
Fluorite C6 4MP
Reference price: 469 yuan
The Fluorite C6 4MP uses a 400W pixel CMOS, which has a slight increase in resolution compared with ordinary 300W pixel products, reaching 2560×1440. Its aperture is F1.6, and it is equipped with two high-power infrared lamps, supporting night vision in the range of 10m, and with the help of a starlight-level image sensor, it can also present a clear full-color picture in the night shimmer environment. In terms of security protection, Fluorite C6 4MP also has the following characteristics: support directional pickup, you can also filter noise, with CNN convolutional neural network module, so that it has "perception ability", such as viewing the surrounding environment, will automatically intelligently analyze the people or things that appear in the picture, so that you can filter all kinds of key information; support face recognition, if you detect the appearance of strangers, it will automatically recognize and focus on the image enlargement, so that users can see the face clearly; through the analysis of recorded video, It can also intelligently generate daily small videos for users to download and watch; the appearance adopts a spherical design, which can be rotated up and down, left and right, and the lens can also be shielded with one click to protect privacy. In addition, the Fluorite C6 4MP also supports pet monitoring, abnormal sound perception, different light perception, and firework perception, which means that it can not only "see" but also "hear", and even "smell".
Resolution: 2560×1440
Product size: 100mm×96.5mm
Storage: Micro SD card (256GB and below), cloud storage
Wireless connection: 2.4GHz/5GHz
Lens angle: horizontal 353°, vertical 133°
Le Orange TA3
Reference price: 199 yuan
The Orange TA3 has a resolution of 2560 × 1440 with 4 megapixels, and with a high-resolution image sensor, the picture quality performance is clearer. At the same time, it also strengthens the intelligent algorithm of infrared night vision, built-in an infrared lamp with an 850mm wavelength, compared to the same power of 940mm infrared lamp, the induction performance can be increased by 3 times, in the all-black environment night vision effect is stronger, can make it in the low light can also present a color picture. In addition, the Le Orange TA3 is equipped with a horizontal and vertical dual motor head, which can achieve 360° all-round video recording. Of course, it also supports humanoid monitoring and automatic tracking, when the function is turned on, the human body movement is detected, the movement trajectory will be automatically tracked, and the video of the motion trajectory will be recorded. However, it does not record all the wind and grass pictures, through the intelligent algorithm for the rapid recognition of the contour in the picture and humanoid screening, automatically filter the light changes or plant shaking and other invalid actions to improve the recognition accuracy. In addition, if you turn on the active defense mode, when a moving object appears in the screen, it will automatically issue a high decibel warning sound and push the picture to the user through the App. Finally, Le Orange TA3 also supports abnormal sound detection function, which can quickly identify abnormal sounds such as baby crying and object breaking, and notify users of the recognized sounds through the App in time.
Product size: 80mm×80mm×110.4mm
Storage method: Micro SD card, cloud storage, NVR
Wireless connection: 2.4GHz
Lens angle: horizontal 355°, vertical 90°
PCI TL-IPC44GW
The Pulian TL-IPC44GW adopts a binocular camera, and the two lenses are like two eyes, which looks more cute. Its lens supports zoom function, supports 3x zoom magnification, and can capture local close-ups. In addition, it adopts a wide-angle lens with a focal length of 2.8mm, and the field of view angle can reach 108°, which can reduce the blind spot and cover the distance within 10m, which is easy to meet the needs of the family. Although the PLC-IPC44GW looks like a fixed smart camera, it is actually equipped with a horizontal 343° and vertical 95° gimbal, which can achieve all-round monitoring. At the same time, its CMOS sensor has a pixel value of 4 million, which can record 2560×1440 resolution video, and the picture quality is clearer. Not only that, the full-color picture at night is also an important function of the TL-IPC44GW. It has a built-in infrared LED light and a warm light, and when a picture of human body movement is detected, it will automatically enable the warm light to record the picture in full color mode. Of course, functions such as automatic tracking, sound and light alarm, App message push and other functions have not fallen, and also support dual-band Wi-Fi and three storage methods, which can improve the speed of the connection and facilitate the user's choice.
Product size: 98mm×94mm×118mm
Lens angle: horizontal 343°, vertical 95°
Mercury MIPC352-4
Reference price: 129 yuan
The Mercury MIPC352-4 is a very cost-effective 2K resolution smart camera that supports a 360° rotating bi-directional gimbal and a vertical rotation of 108°. Although the price is cheap, it does not discount in terms of image quality and function, such as the same low-light full-color function, in the absence of light can also turn on the infrared light, infrared illumination distance of 10m; support mobile monitoring function, suspicious people within the monitoring range, will automatically issue a warning sound and push information through the App; support multi-person, multi-platform sharing screen, users can share the monitoring screen through the App to their families through the social platform, and support setting passwords and sharing time and other viewing permissions Support two-way voice intercom. As a 100-yuan intelligent camera, mercury MIPC352-4 supports micro SD card, cloud storage, NVR three storage methods, users can set up a multi-channel monitoring system through hard disk recorder. It is a good choice for users who do not have high household needs.
Product size: 82mm×82mm×111mm
Lens angle: horizontal 360°, vertical 108°
Chuangmi Xiaobai intelligent camera youth version
Reference price: 119 yuan
Chuangmi Xiaobai intelligent camera youth version is a full HD resolution product, although the resolution is not high, but through the intelligent noise reduction algorithm, it can effectively reduce the picture noise, to cope with the daily monitoring needs of the family room without problems. Although the price is only about 100 yuan, it is equipped with a dual motor gimbal, which supports 110 ° vertical rotation up and down and 360 ° horizontal rotation left and right, which can achieve all-round monitoring. In terms of basic functions, the youth version of Chuangmi Xiaobai intelligent camera can also be remarkable, such as the humanoid monitoring function, when the humanoid movement is detected, it will automatically record a 10-second monitoring video and push it to the user to view; for example, by filtering the light change, it can avoid invalid alarms, so that the monitoring accuracy rate can be increased to 95%. It is worth mentioning that it also supports three storage methods: Micro SD card, cloud storage, and NAS, and cloud storage can back up 10-second alarm video for free. Finally, the operation of the youth version of Chuangmi Xiaobai intelligent camera is simple, after installing the corresponding App, scanning the QR code at the bottom of the product can quickly complete the distribution network, and it is also connected to the Mijia platform, which can be linked with other Mijia products.
Resolution: 1920×1080
Product size: 80mm×80mm×115mm
Storage method: Micro SD card, cloud storage, NAS
Lens angle: horizontal 360°, vertical 110°