This review will be done in 4 parts – features, set up options, usage impressions, and Pros/Cons.
Features:
The HD Wi-Fi camera is a well-featured Wi-Fi camera with a security orientation. Features include 1080p HD video, 2 way-talk, private local storage via up to a 256 MB MicroSD card (a 16 GB card is included), IR night vision up to 33 feet, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, 112° wide-angle field of view, person detection, and on the go connectivity via the Lorex Home App. Finally, the device can be used with Alexa and Google Assistant (not reviewed here as I don’t use those services).
The following items are included in the package with the Wi-Fi Camera – a magnetic wall mount, a pre-inserted 16GB MicroSD card, a power adapter, a camera mounting kit (screws, plastic anchors, mounting template), and the literature pack featuring 3 quick start guides (English, French, and Spanish), regulatory and warranty information, and 2 window stickers for Lorex 24 HR Protection/Video Surveillance.
Set-up/ Installation
The quick start guides have sections for package contents, camera overview, instructions for connecting to Lorex home (see below for more), camera placement guidance (how to avoid interference), wall and ceiling mounting instructions, an overview of the Lorex Home app device page (since you can have multiple devices linked to one’s account), safety precautions, where to get help, troubleshooting, and LED behavior for the LED on the camera.
Set up begins by plugging in the camera to power near the location you select for this camera to monitor. Next, one installs the Lorex Home app on your iPhone® or Android™ phone. Once you have created your Lorex Home account you connect to the camera by scanning the QR code located in the rear of the camera. The account and the camera both have passwords to help secure them.
Usage Impressions:
Once installed the camera monitors the area it can see. It can be configured to alert you to people in your home. You can then use the features to record the area, talk to the person in your home, or even capture still images. Each device can be configured to send you notifications as the camera senses people in the home – this can be continuous or on a schedule of your choosing. You can also designate the zone in which you want the camera to detect within its field of view via the Motion Zones feature. You can also set the camera to record when it detects sound about a designate decibel level (90 dB being the default setting.
One nice feature of the camera is that it records in HD, but can stream in both HD and SD, with SD being the default to reduce bandwidth requirements of live video. When monitoring live you can watch and/or listen via the camera’s microphone.
Overall, I like this well-featured camera. It has very good features and capabilities for a device with an MSRP of $59.99 and available for as low as $39.99 - $49.99 based on a quick web search it is priced well and makes a great first impression with the included features and capabilities. One item that I did have some issue with is that the initial card got corrupted within a few hours of activating the camera. I was able to replace it with another card and to date have not had any further issues but it was a concern for me that there might be a possibility that the replacement card would go bad as well.
This camera has several use cases above and beyond the basic security and alerting features. First, it can be used as a monitoring system for those that have pets or family in the home that one would like to keep an eye on. It can also provide peace of mind if you were going on a trip and could not remember if you closed the front door or not (it happens) and were far enough away that returning to check was not a viable option.
Pros: Features, Ease of installation, Lore Home App, Price.
Cons: The included card went bad.