Home security is important. Prices are coming down, CCTV cameras are becoming more advanced, so we decided to delve into the world of home security, by checking out the new EZVIZ Husky Air outdoor security camera.
The EZVIZ Husky Air is an outdoor smart Wi-Fi security camera with an integrated siren and strobe light. It’s completely feature packed with things that will aid in the protection of your property.
Inside the box itself you get the camera, and bracket for the wall installation, you get a few screws, raw plugs, a power extender and some housing for a wired Ethernet connection.
On the camera itself are two antennas which promise an extended signal reach. For me, the camera is positioned on another building on the property, well away from the main house. It can still find my Mesh network no problem thanks to its extended range and the signal is showing clear on the app too.
Setting up the camera onto your mobile phone was extremely simple, I was actually surprised. I downloaded the EZVIZ app and followed the on-screen instructions. I connected the camera to my WiFi mesh network and it fired up straight away. There are even speech notifications that give you instruction on what to do next.
Attaching it securely to your wall though was another matter, and I’m sure it would be fine if you have the right tools. But I’m tight, and didn’t want to spend money on a massive drill bit for one camera. To clarify, I only had to go through one layer of brick to install. The power cable getting from outside to inside was simple enough and required a small hole to feed through. However, the Ethernet port on the camera is chunky. It needed a much bigger hole, which is where the bigger drill bit would come in handy. I’m using the camera wirelessly, so it would have been great if I could have unplugged the Ethernet adapter from the camera all together, rather than jamming it behind the camera’s baseplate. The baseplate itself needs three screws which were easy enough to get into the brick, and fit snug to save rain water from collecting inside the plate. Don’t worry though, the camera is fully water and dust proof and should survive the elements, although it is spring time now and rain is infrequent so we couldn’t really test this. The bracket can be securely fastened into place once you have the right angle, and it’s tight. The camera isn’t moving anywhere without unfastening the bracket first.
Once you’re inside the app, you’re greeted with a number of options you can select including changing the sensitivity, adding and scheduling notifications and when the alarm goes off. Oh, did I not mention there’s an alarm? Well there is, and it’s loud. Enough to scare anyone off your property. It can hit a maximum volume of 100db and will also strobe, which should be enough to deter any unwanted visitors to your property. Of course if you didn’t want to be too obnoxious, or your neighbours start to get a little tiresome of an alarm going off every time someone walks by your house, you can turn it to a single beep or even off all together, without impeding on your notifications.
To aid with this you can zone useful detection points, which I have done for the front garden and steps. It means that any cars driving past or people walking their dogs on the path aren’t going to be disturbed by the camera, and I’m not going to receive a notification every time either. It’s a simple process, and easy to set up. Take note though, that if you keep your sensitivity high, then chances are, like mine, the camera will pick up EVERYTHING! Test it yourself once you’ve installed, to see what works best for you. Mine is set half way for the garden space I have at the front of the house.
Depending on your WiFi capabilities and internet speeds, you are able to stream up to Ultra HD quality, which is great to capture as much detail as possible in the frame. However, this is a 1080p camera, so I think their wording is a little off. I’m not sure the image is full 4K. In terms of actual quality though I was mega impressed with the camera. I have mine facing the front of the house, and my entire front garden can be seen. When switching it to the Ultra 4K setting, the detail even in the grass is astounding for a security camera. Even at night when the camera switched to its IR mode is impressive. It can clearly display images up to 30 meters, and as you can see, the whole front yard is clearly visible in frame.
The two-way audio that’s included is a very clear – on the camera side. The feedback I was given was that people could hear every word that was said. However, problems start when listening through my mobile to people speaking back. The camera I installed is quite high up on the side of the house so voices are a little muffled anyway. Plus you have to factor in the wind too, which is picked up quite easily by the camera. I live in the UK, and it’s not the calmest of countries when it comes to the weather.
In terms of storage options you have two choices. The first and one that most people I see will likely go for is a microSD card. This slots into the bottom of the camera, and can support up to 128GB. The second is cloud storage provided by a company called CloudPlay. This requires a subscription service – which will set you back £4.99 a month or £49.99 annually – but it does mean that your footage is protected if your camera was to break, or get stolen. If movement is detected, then the camera will take a snapshot. From here you will receive a notification. The camera will also record a short clip of the action, but for this you will need a memory card in the camera or a subscription to the cloud.
The EZVIZ Husky Air Outdoor Wi-Fi Security Camera is jam packed with features that will ensure the utmost protection for your home. I’m super happy that they have decided to include a memory card slot because not everyone wants a new subscription added to their list of already long subscription services. Installation of the device was pretty easy depending on if you have the right tools, and the image quality is absolutely superb in my opinion. The EZVIZ Husky retails £99.99 here in the UK on Amazon, and if you need any more information on the product, head to the EZVIZ website.
