Is The Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 The Best Budget Wi-Fi Security Camera?
Kent might be best known in India for its range of water purifiers, but the company has also expanded into a diverse range of home appliances, including kitchen appliances, air purifiers, vacuum cleaners, and security cameras. The Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 Wi-Fi Security Camera, priced at Rs. 2,999 in India, is a solid contender in the budget home security camera market. It promises quick and convenient access to a video feed using Wi-Fi connectivity and a dedicated app, and also offers pan-tilt functionality for a wider view of your home. But is the Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 the best low-cost home security camera you can buy right now? Let’s delve into its design, features, and performance to find out.
Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 Design and Specifications
The Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 directly competes with the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt Home Security Camera in terms of features and field of view but boasts a unique design. The camera sits inside a ball-like module that allows it to look up and down, while the entire plastic casing rotates on a fixed base. This gives it a more aesthetically pleasing look compared to the traditional dome-shaped security cameras.
On the back of the camera, you’ll find a microphone and speaker which enable two-way communication along with the video feed. This allows you to talk to people in your home while watching the live feed. The camera also features a status LED on the front, indicating its power and connectivity states.
The Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 has a fixed base with a rubberised surface for grip, and the camera rotates on that base. A socket on the underside allows you to mount the camera on a tripod, wall, or ceiling. However, no mounting kit or bracket is included, so you’ll need to purchase that separately. The sales package includes a wall adapter and a USB Type-A to Micro-USB cable for power.
On the base of the camera, you’ll find the Micro-USB port for power and a MicroSD card slot that supports up to 128GB capacity cards. The Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 features a 2-megapixel camera sensor capable of full-HD video recording at 1080p resolution. The camera also boasts a horizontal rotation range of 350 degrees and a vertical rotation range of 65 degrees, providing a wide field of view of your surroundings. The horizontal field of view is specified as 120 degrees, and the vertical field of view is 95 degrees. It also comes equipped with six infrared LEDs to enable visibility in darkness, providing a clear picture even in low-light conditions. You can connect to the camera using only a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network as the 5GHz band is not supported.
Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 App and Features
Like other Wi-Fi enabled home security cameras, the Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 comes with a dedicated companion app available for iOS and Android. This app allows you to monitor the live video feed, control the camera, access stored footage and manage various settings. You can even control and monitor multiple Kent CamEye cameras from the same app.
After registering and creating an account, you can link the security camera to your home Wi-Fi network. The app is user-friendly and provides easy access to essential features. With a single tap, you can activate two-way communication, take snapshots, or adjust the camera angle using the D-pad. The app also offers quick responsiveness, usually displaying the live video feed within two to three seconds of activation.
The app features a privacy mode that disables the camera and prevents it from recording footage. You can also access your saved recordings and images and view a list of alerts generated by the camera based on motion or noise detection. The alert sensitivity is customizable to reduce the number of false alerts triggered by minor movements or sounds. For example, you can adjust the sensitivity to minimize alerts from pets or moving objects in the background while still capturing significant events.
One of the key features of the Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 is its cloud storage option, allowing you to upload event-triggered video clips to the company’s cloud platform. However, this comes at a cost. Subscription plans start at Rs. 150 per month or Rs. 1,500 per year, allowing you to store up to seven days’ worth of video clips triggered by events like motion or sound. These clips are usually around 12 seconds long. The paid tiers go up to Rs. 400 per month or Rs. 4,000 per year, offering up to 30 days’ of video history. A one-month subscription is included with each purchase.
Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 Performance
The performance of a home security camera is crucial as it needs to work reliably when you need it. The Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 consistently performed well for me on a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi network. The camera was quick to connect and start recording, and the app functioned smoothly, providing easy access to essential features.
The full HD video feed captured by the camera is sharp and detailed during the day, displaying in vibrant full color. As the light fades, the camera automatically switches to monochrome using its infrared LEDs. This transition is seamless and reliable, with most details and faces identifiable even in low-light conditions. On a few occasions, the camera took a couple of seconds to recalibrate the video feed after a change in lighting, but this did not significantly impact the overall experience.
Although the video feed recorded by the camera is generally clear and detailed, quick movements can cause some artifacts, particularly when recording footage of fast-moving objects. But even with these artifacts, the video feed still provides sufficient detail to recognize faces, clothing, and smaller objects, like boxes or packages.
To improve video stability and clarity, especially with slower internet connections, you can reduce the resolution of the video feed to HD or SD. However, this can affect the legibility of text on items like boxes and packages. Faces remain recognizable even at SD resolution.
The camera’s pan and tilt control allows for a wide range of motion. With 350 degrees of panning, you can view almost the entire area the camera is positioned. While the camera takes a second or two to respond to pan and tilt commands, the movement is generally smooth and precise, satisfying most needs.
The speaker on the Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 is quite loud. When the siren mode is activated, it can be quite noisy. The chimes are also loud enough to be heard from different parts of the house. Two-way communication is clear and convenient when standing near the camera. The microphone picks up ambient sounds but captures speech clearly when someone is talking near the device. You can also activate the microphone without the speaker for discreet listening.
The motion detection feature effectively captures video clips of human movement, but it cannot track a moving object or person. However, the saved clips are clear enough to recognize faces and objects.
Verdict
For a budget-friendly home security solution, the Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 offers a great all-round experience with no significant flaws. While it faces competition from similar products like the Godrej Spotlight Pan-Tilt camera and Mi Home Security Camera 360, the Kent CamEye HomeCam 360 sets itself apart with its user-friendly companion app, diverse features like two-way communication, optional cloud storage, and reliable performance.
The camera offers good value for the price and is definitely worth considering for your home security needs. However, be aware that the mounting kit is not included, requiring a separate purchase.
Price: Rs. 2,999
Rating: 8/10
Pros:
- Wide range of motion for comprehensive coverage
- MicroSD and optional cloud storage for event-triggered recordings
- Performs well in all lighting conditions
- Excellent and user-friendly companion app
Cons:
- Mounting kit not included in the box
