Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera
The hardware and build quality of the Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera appear to be good and it feels sturdy. It is bigger than I thought it would be, which is good because it should act as a deterrent. The electrical and mechanical installation was easy to do. I did need to tap into an AC power supply, as the old camera was powered via the DVR. Thankfully I had an AC junction box on the other side of the wall which I could use. The camera can be tilted up/down and left/right, but the bolts should be loose until you have the camera active to allow final adjustment before tightening the 3 bolts.
The connectivity and software are what really lets this camera down. I spent a half hour with the initial phone setup. After downloading the APP, you are guided through the setup. I skipped the home kit part, as I don’t use the Apple homekit. The APP setup is not straightforward and is frustratingly slow and confusing.
Connecting to Alexa was a bizarre experience. As is usual, you need to add a new skill, but the Netatmo skill connection almost stopped me in my tracks. When asked to log in on my phone, the keyboard would not display the email address or password. When long pressing the screen, there is a camera option. The camera happened to be pointing at the Netatmo box and was picking up some text, so I had a lightbulb moment. I typed my email and password on the computer and used the phone camera to read them. I could then sign in and connect the accounts.
Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera Review
So, how does it work on Alexa? I have a Show8 device and asked Alexa to view the camera. It worked! However, the delay from real life to the screen is about 7 or 8 seconds and the WiFi is strong with the modem/router only being 8 or fewer meters from the camera. My EV car charger is a little further and that shows a string signal, so WiFi is not the problem. I checked the Natetmo APP and the delay is similar. I then tried with the Alexa APP on my phone and the voice response told me that the device is not supported on my phone (iPhone 14 Pro).
Recordings are typically around 90 seconds and can be easily downloaded to your phone for safekeeping.
The image quality is actually worse than the hardwired system I installed 14 years ago. I got a DVR and 2 external and 2 internal cams for similar money to the Netatmo cam. It’s not bad, but I expected a lot better. Vehicle registration plates cannot be determined outside of the 12-meter range (not important for me). I have not seen the night quality, but I would expect it to be reasonable with the floodlight activated and less good in IR mode. I will update this review if my expectations don’t match reality. The microphone picks up everything. It’s not well calibrated and the background noise is constant.
Overall, if I hadn’t gone through the trouble of installing the Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera, I would be returning it. However, it does serve the primary need as a deterrent and can record events which will serve me for the time being.
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