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  • SPECS
  • THE GOOD
  • THE NOT SO GOOD
  • Design and setup
  • Video and audio
  • App and features
  • Determination

Y'all don't have to wait far to discover a dwelling security camera with big names like Logitech, Google, and Netgear all offering up systems for keeping an heart on things. There are as well some newer players with cameras you might want to consider. For example, the Xiaomi-funded Yi Technology. This Chinese firm has released a few home cameras, merely the new version of its Dome Camera stands out from the crowd. Unlike other cameras, this one can actually rotate to get a full 360 degree view of a room, and information technology has born motion tracking. Different the old Dome Camera, this 1 as well shoots 1080p video.

There are certainly some things to like about the Yi Dome Camera, and I tin fathom use cases where it makes more sense than a Nest or Circle, but there are also some odd caveats you might consider deal breakers.

SPECS

Camera  1080p
Field of View  112-degrees
Night Vision  Infrared
Audio Microphone, speaker
Ability  AC merely
Connectivity 2.4GHz WiFi
Local storage Yeah
Measurements 110x64x93mm, 230g
Cloud storage vii-days complimentary, thirty-days $10/month, threescore-days $fifteen/month

THE Practiced

Price Only $80 for a 1080p security photographic camera.
Rotation You can meet the entire room, if positioned well. Also includes motion tracking.
Local storage There'south a microSD card slot for local video storage without a cloud plan.
Audio Very loud and clear audio with about no lag. Cool easily-free mode.
Free cloud storage You get a week of motion detection videos saved in the deject for free.

THE Non So Proficient

Pattern Larger than other cameras and not the most attractive object. Not suitable for utilise outdoors.
Setup Information technology talks to yous during setup. I establish this pretty abrasive.
Rotation again Information technology doesn't tilt downwards at all and volition rotate up so far that the cowling blocks the shot. The mechanism is as well loud.
Video The field of view is but 112-degrees.
Panoramas It's a neat idea, just the results are lacking.
Notifications Not enough options; for instance no geofencing, SMS, or electronic mail. Strange notification delays.
Plans They're rather convoluted and don't offer much across longer backups. Continuous recording plans but support one photographic camera.

Pattern and setup

The Yi Dome Camera looks like a larger, clunkier Logitech Circumvolve. I suppose that'southward unavoidable to a degree. It needs all the hardware to move around, whereas the Circle and other cameras but remain pointed in the aforementioned management until y'all movement them. The housing isn't weather-resistant, so this device is only for indoor use. I also think information technology feels cheaper than many of the other cameras I've tested.

The photographic camera itself is in a spherical section at the tiptop with a cowl around it that contains the motors. Unfortunately, the motors brand a fair flake of noise when the camera moves; it's like a grinding audio that'southward loud enough to hear in a reasonably quiet room. Information technology rotates 115-degrees vertically and 345-degrees horizontally. When yous factor in the angle of the lens, you lot can see everything around the camera. I will note, however, that it doesn't tilt downward at all. That'south weird considering many of the promo images testify the photographic camera angled downward. That means placing it on a high shelf is not going to be platonic. It does tilt up very far. And then far that it actually slips nether the cowling, which doesn't do you lot whatever good. It seems like someone screwed up here.

The Dome Camera can be placed on a flat surface with the built-in stand up, or yous can utilise the included mounting bracket to attach it to your ceiling. You tin technically mount it on a wall, but I wouldn't recommend it. Every bit presently every bit you rotate left or correct, the image won't be correct-side-upwards anymore. If you choose to put the Dome Photographic camera on the ceiling, there's a 180-degree flip in the settings that sets everything correct.

On the back of the unit of measurement is a recessed panel with a reset switch, microUSB power, and microSD card slot. I appreciate the inclusion of local storage, which is rare on consumer security cameras. I thing you lot won't detect in the Yi Dome Camera is a battery. When it's unplugged, it stops working. This is something most of its competitors take. Existence able to place your camera someplace else for a few hours is very handy, and so I can only assume Yi was looking to keep the price down.

The setup process was non the worst I've seen, but it was far from the best. I fabricated the error of plugging the camera in before I had the app open. The camera then told me (in words from the speaker at loftier volume) that it was waiting to connect. I had to create an business relationship, verify my email, and so log in before I could get information technology to stop. The app produces a QR lawmaking for pairing, which yous testify to the camera. I wasn't certain how close I needed to be for the camera to recognize the code (information technology turns out pretty close). It took about x seconds to register, and then another 30 seconds to come up online. It's of import to note this camera only works on ii.4GHz WiFi.

Video and audio

The version of the Yi Dome Camera I've been testing is the newer 1080p one. The 720p tin can be had cheaper if you want to salvage some cash. The video quality is overall very good, but not as crisp as what I'1000 used to seeing on the Circle. I experience like it'southward more than compressed than other cameras, but it'll get the task done in good light. Still, the viewing angle is merely 112-degrees. That's substantially narrower than other cameras. So, information technology'due south a proficient affair it rotates. The exposure isn't bad, just information technology seems a little decumbent to blown out light areas. The lag between existent life and the feed is about a second, which is similar to other wired security cameras. It does seem to take longer to connect after starting the app than I'd wait; perchance 3 or four seconds.

There's a ring of IR LEDs effectually the camera lens that flip on in low lite. They're capable of illuminating 15-xx anxiety in front of the camera, which should be enough for about rooms. IR brightness seems a bit uneven, focused more in the heart. The video compression is more than obvious in the dark, simply there'south nonetheless sufficient contrast to make everything out.

The audio seems solid to me—sound from the speaker is loud and the microphone is very sensitive. At that place are two dissimilar modes available on the Dome Camera. There's standard intercom mode you get with almost cameras where you press the push button to speak, and so release and listen to the respond (merely 1 party can talk at a time). Hands-free mode lets you open a line to the camera and merely starting time talking. Both parties can talk freely in this mode.

App and features

The Yi Domicile app works with all the company'south home security camera products, so you tin mix and match dome cameras and the regular stationary version. The main screen shows your cameras in a vertical list with a navigation bar at the lesser. It links directly to the camera listing, alerts, album, and your account. The navigation bar changes when y'all open the camera interface, simply the alive feed is ever at the meridian of the screen. The navigation bar just changes what'south shown on the bottom half. You get the directional controls, location bookmarks, motion tracking settings, and alerts. It'southward overall a very efficient interface.

In the directional command panel, you lot accept a virtual joystick that can be used to movement the photographic camera around manually. It'll do that by itself if you activate motion tracking, but merely if in that location's something moving in the narrow field of view. The machine-prowl style helps with that by spinning the camera effectually from time to time. This feature tin be set to only activate at certain times of the day as well.

Notification options are defective compared to other cameras. You tin turn on move and crying baby detection independently, but not simple sound triggers. At that place's also no geofencing, and then you'll have to use time-based scheduling if you don't desire the cameras pushing alerts all the time. You can at least set a notification cool down period so you lot aren't bombarded. The notifications are but pushed via the telephone; there's no SMS, no phone, and no email option. Push notifications are besides substantially delayed for me sometimes (this is unrelated to the cool down).

At that place's ane other distinctive feature here: panoramic photos. The photographic camera spins around and captures a total 360 caste panorama of the room. It's a neat idea, just the execution isn't not bad. There'southward a panorama below every bit an example. You tin can see several places where the epitome isn't stitched together properly and it has issues with exposure consistency.

The fashion Yi's deject plans work is a bit confusing. If you don't have a subscription, only your recorded events will exist uploaded. They're bachelor for 7 days, but videos and photos y'all capture from the photographic camera manually are not uploaded (they are saved on your device). For $10 per month you get unlimited uploads of motion detection events that are stored for 15 days, and $15 gets you 30 days of storage. At that place's also a premium tier with 15/30 twenty-four hours storage for a full video feed. That's $10/$twenty. The trade-off is that you can merely accept one camera on that plan whereas the standard issue-merely version allows five of them. I don't think these are the most attractive plans, but at that place is the microSD bill of fare slot if you but want to store video locally.

Conclusion

The Yi Dome Camera has some undeniably cool features you don't become in other cameras. If you can set it up in a good place, information technology literally sees the entire room with its rotating stand. I wish information technology wasn't so loud, and the disability to tilt downward is annoying. Y'all might exist able to run into almost as much with a well-placed stationary camera. Plus, the necessity of a ability cable and no battery mean the Dome Camera can't be placed merely anywhere. The panoramic image capture was also a disappointment for me due to poor stitching.

Yi Technology says you can mount the Dome Camera on a wall, simply I found the app isn't smart enough to rotate the video properly in that instance—looking to the side means your video will be sideways. Ceiling mounting is fine with the assistance of a 180-caste flip setting. The included mounting subclass is like shooting fish in a barrel to install besides. When yous choose a spot, the video looks squeamish in daylight and night vision.

The notification options and plans aren't every bit compelling as what you go with more expensive cameras, but the Yi Dome Camera is competitively priced. You're looking at $lxxx for the 1080p version, and the Logitech Circumvolve (my electric current favorite for indoor cameras) is around $150 each. If you're interested in a upkeep security camera and accept a good place to put the Dome Photographic camera, information technology'due south not a bad choice. Just keep the drawbacks I've mentioned in mind. Y'all tin can pick the Dome Camera up on Amazon.

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