Netatmo Smart Outdoor Security Camera Review
Many of us consider installing a security camera but put it off because it can seem a complicated and difficult procedure. The Netatmo (previously called Presence) Smart Outdoor Security Camera (with siren) offers for £319 a straightforward installation and solution to alert you when strangers, vehicles and other subjects enter its gaze. With immediate wireless access to your camera, plenty of customisation options and Apple HomeKit integration, it might just be the ultimate solution in outdoor smart camera security.
Design & Installation
From out the box Netatmo give full and detailed instruction for the self-installation of their all-metal construction IPX7 waterproof outdoor security camera. Firstly we made sure that our Wi-Fi network stretched to where we wished to place the camera, and that can simply be done by holding a smartphone in the position required and checking for WiFi access. As it happens, we had to extend our WiFi network for the purpose, but this was not a problem for our Ampli-Fi system. Once we knew there was a suitable WiFi signal, mounting the camera was exceptionally simple. There is a single mounting strap, to be secured to weatherboarding in our case, but it could be to any wall, and is even suitable for use within an existing electrical connection box. Once the strap is in place Netatmo supply a wire tie which enables you to hang the camera from the strap whilst you are connecting the wiring. This is very simple but extremely useful, and they also supply a protective envelope of foam for the camera at this stage to stop it becoming scratched or damaged whilst fitting! We were able to take the mains wiring from an existing outdoor light circuit (encouraged by Netatmo) and bring it in next to the mounting strap, so wiring and finishing the mounting of the camera literally took minutes. Once mounted, we ran some silicone sealant around the top and sides of the mounting surface to keep out the weather. All finished and looking good.
App Setup and Apple HomeKit
Immediately the camera was turned on we were able to locate it utilising the supplied QR code card via the Presence/Netatmo Security App. This is available for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, so you cannot set it up from your computer. The camera can be easily integrated with Apple's HomeKit using a unique HomeKit QR code to be placed in front of the lens to be scanned, this is supplied with the camera and once done the connection setup is complete.
Adjustment to the camera angle can now be made by looking at the live picture on your smartphone whilst manually moving the camera. It is easy to adjust in any direction. Importantly can have to choose exactly where the alert zones within the picture are to be and if you . This means that where a road might be in front of your property you can still see the road, but the camera tracking software won’t be triggered every time a car goes past - something that would be extremely annoying. It is however worth remembering that the Apple HomeKit integration and the Netatmo App both use separate alert zones and need to be independently set.
Surveillance, Recordings and General Use
The camera offers live full colour 1080p at 24 fps video of the area you are surveying during the daytime to detect objects at a distance of up to 20 metres and infrared detection during the night hours which detects a smaller radius. Zooming into the footage has acceptable detail in the day to determine what the subject is, but does get noisy. It also has an inbuilt microphone that picks up nearby sound quite well, but when it’s raining the sound is quite muffled. At night the adjustable in brightness security flood light can optionally be triggered by movement or by low light and during day and night the camera will automatically record events surrounding any movement within the area if stipulated to do so. Our model has the additional feature of a siren, which can be manually trigged to sound a very loud 105dB alarm, that will certainly help deter anyone who heard it from staying around. Both the Netatmo App and the Apple HomeKit notify you that the camera has detected movement. The assured object recognition informs you whether it has spotted a person, animal or car - and in our experience it is near always correct - we have more cats wandering around our property than we ever knew, as well as crossing pheasants and other nocturnal creatures. It is very useful that the recording automatically backdates to just before movement is detected, so each event is has a complete timeline. The Netatmo Smart Outdoor Security Camera mostly records back to just before a vehicle appears in our car park, or someone or thing enters on foot, which is what you want for accurate records. There are however occasions when it begins recording and sending notifications when a person gets out of vehicle and ignores the movement of the vehicle coming into our driveway prior and we can’t work out why.
An internal micro SD card stores footage within the camera and you can adjust how long this footage is stored on the SD card for, etc. Where this gets interesting is with the Apple HomeKit integration, which enables unlimited iCloud+ storage of all captured footage accessible by all family members if they’re in the same family sharing group. The interface via the Home App is easy to use and makes navigating previous timelines and dates an absolute doddle and is our preferred method.
We have had the camera installed for over three months, long enough to give it a good test and find it works very well in all weather conditions. When away from the property the App continues to notify and we see and hear when the postman arrives or other people approach even when not there ourselves, thus giving a good deal of security.
To Sum Up
The Netatmo Smart Outdoor Security Camera is a neat looking outdoor camera, which has a compelling bundle of useful features that actually work really well, including a security light and alarm, is easy to install and we find works very well used either via its own App or within the Apple HomeKit system. It is just the thing to keep you alert for both wanted and unwanted intruders.
