abode Cam 2
Good things come in small packages. The abode Cam 2 can be used inside or out with an IP65 weatherproof rating. View live & recorded HD video day and night with full-colour night vision. Enable person detection to receive an alert and capture a clip every time your camera detects a person (coming 2022).
I like how the Cam 2 integrates with the Abode app. This means I only have to have one app on my phone. The worst thing for me is multiple apps on my phone for different devices. The fact the Cam 2 has to be plugged in is a big plus for me, as it means I can set it and leave it without having to worry about charging it.
abode Cam 2 Review
The “Smart” detection (which is specifically labelled as in Beta) that is supposed to differentiate between humans and other motions is completely unreliable. I have walked through the field of view multiple times without it catching me, yet it thinks lights going on and off are a person.
If you are on the basic plan, you still have to pay Abode an extra £10.40 per month to get access to 24/7 recordings. Without this added subscription, if the Abode motion sensor or Abode Smart detection (whichever you have selected) missed something you have no possible way to review that video. This might be new, as I think there was a time when accessing limited recordings was part of the existing ProPlan, but perhaps not.
The app is annoying. The detection zone is limited. If you want to zoom in on something, you lose the playback bar, as it stays in the lower portion of the video.
The video quality is really bad at night. General things that are not moving appear sharp, but I cannot recognize a person that is 10′ from the camera – their face is just a blur. It captures animals at night and I can’t tell if it is a cat or a rat.
The detection zone is limited to one square. Since you don’t have a custom shape and can’t create one via multiple overlapping squares, you have to either include areas outside what you want in the zone, exclude areas you want, or figure out how to set up your camera so that the detection zone is an exact square with the edges perfectly aligned with the camera view (unlikely).
Overall, the abode Cam 2 is a cheap option for security monitoring. But the monthly cost, and poor hardware makes for a not fun experience.
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