So I was pretty brutal of this deal and decided to bite the bullet and buy one. At least i'd be able to test it.
Anyway, so i set it up on the front of the house. Comments below on setup/unboxing
- box was well packaged, all white. Comes with the camera module, mount, usb cable and a us plug which was quickly binned.
- Setup is now reasonably easy, you install the app (which is now in chinglish), and create an account with either mi or xiaomi. You can use google chrome translate to help you.
- You plug the device in, and it starts speaking chinese, start the app. As you heard the voices click pair and follow the prompts.
- The app allows you to view the camera through your android tablet, and look back through periods through a very sketchy timeline scroll bar.
- the footage records onto the micro SD card located on the device. That is the only storage option
Positives
- The camera records 1 minute segments to the SD card when movement is detected.
- I originally had it near a tree branch which recorded quite a lot, moved it and it recognises movement well. Not many false positives now
- I think it's very good at night (despite NOT having IR), it records cars going past
negatives
- It needs a constant internet connection to set up and operate properly.
- The device needs a good wifi network (i'm going to have to reposition as it's current setup location isn't working)
- the new firmware locks you out of accessing the RTSP stream. They password protected it and they're not releasing the password for "security reasons".
- To view the footage, i think it's bouncing off the chinese servers before going back to me. The footage is incredibly slow and grainy when using the app. It doesnt seem to realise i'm on lan and just send it straight through.
Major negative
- During broad daylight someone was able to walk to my door, place a brochure on it and walk away without the camera recording anything. I know the time period it occurred, I've got before and after recordings, but alas, no recording.
So what's next?
I'm going to reposition the camera with a better wifi signal, downgrade the firmware, and try with a different power source. The currently supply is 5v 750ma rather than the Xiaomi one which is 5v 1a. So i'll report back.