BT offer a number of security products for sale on their web store, some of which are their own branded products. One of those being their Smart Home Cam, a new indoor security camera, build for the masses. We got one sent over, so lets take a look.

Features & Spec:

  • 720p HD video streaming inc night vision
  • 30 day free cloud storage for snapshots
  • Motion alerts
  • Record clips to your smart device or via local micro SD card (upto 32gb)
  • 120 degree viewing angle
  • Two way audio
  • Wall mountable
  • Safe and secure – secured with AES 128 bit encryption

Design & Contents

The camera is relativity small and very lightweight. It’s constructed from plastic and the camera itself sits on a plastic stand. The camera tilts forwards & backwards, and also the camera face rotates clockwise/anticlockwise. The camera doesn’t swivel on its base, which does limit it’s flexibility and needs to be considered when positioning. The cam can be ceiling mounted if desired.

To the front of the camera is the lens itself, aswell as a small PIR, which is not very commonly seen. To the rear of the camera is the on/off switch, plus a pairing button, power in and a microSD card slot. There is also a small speaker to the rear, allowing for two way audio. Within the box is the camera itself, some instructions and the power cable.

bt_smart_cam_2

Set Up

Set was a breeze and is fully detailed within the instructions provided. It’s a matter of installing the free BT smart controls app to your smart device, setting up an account if you dont already have one and following the on screen instructions. Very straight forward, took me just a couple of minutes.

As for using viewing and controlling the camera, this is all done via the app on your smart device. Within the app, you can select which camera you want to view, so yes you can have multiple on your network if desired. Once a camera is selected, there are a number of options you can select straight away, including taking photos or recording footage buttons, play a lullaby, turn mic on so you can access the two way audio feature, and if you tilt your device landscape, you get a larger image. You can pinch and zoom on the larger image to see whats happening. Within the options you can change details, adjust notifications (PIR or motion), recording options, volume, quality, night vision, plenty of options to try out.

Performance

Performance was fairly positive across the board. The video footage was smooth, with a reasonable FPS and the night vision worked very well. Although the resolution was only 720p, the footage was still clear enough for what I needed and it picked up faces etc quite clearly. The motion detection worked well, both via the video feed and the built in PIR, which I’m still a little confused by, was it really needed? I set the cam up in my daughters room, as a baby monitor and one feature that I really liked was the playback of sounds. Those sounds being lullably type songs, which is a nice touch, especially for getting the little one to sleep.

The app worked well, it was quick and responsive, and the options were easy to navigate & select. Storing footage to the cloud was easy and you get 30 days free storage for snapshots, or store locally via the SD card.

Verdict

Mixed feelings over the BT Smart Cam, it’s not a bad little camera, with most the features I’d expect but I probably wouldn’t buy one. Why? Because of the price. At £59.99, I feel you’re paying a premium just for the BT logo, and I know for a fact there are cheaper, smaller cameras on the market, offering better video footage. I would recommend the Neos Smart Cam, if you’re in the market for one.

For more information on the BT Smart Cam and to purchase, visit the official BT web store. Visitors to the BT shop can save £29.98 on a pair of Smart Home Cams as they are currently available for £89.96 (Usually £119.94).