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As part of our reviews and articles on smart homes and home automation we have been given a HD wireless internet security camera from Ucam247 to review.
Consumer CCTV has had a boom over recent years with lower costs of camera and most home owners having fast home broadband with WiFi, as well as increasing mobile data connections.
IP cameras come in a wide variety of forms and complexity to set up and the UCam247i is aimed squarely at the regular consumer that does not want to spend ages setting up a complex home CCTV system. This particular camera is for the indoors only so is ideal as a baby camera, or to keep an eye on the house (and/or kids) while you are away.
The cameras features include
- Plug & Play Smartphone Viewing
- Free iPhone and Android Apps
- No Port Forwarding Required
- No DDNS Required
- No Router Access Needed
- High Resolution Video
- Multiple Video Streams
- Infrared Night Vision
- True Colour IR Cut Filter
- Motion Sensor
- On-board Video Recorder
- 2 Way Audio
- Secure Video Access
- Create Guest Viewers
- Long Range WiFi 802.11b/g/n
- Secure WiFi (WEP & WPA/WPA2)
- Live view on iPhone/iPad
- Live view on Android devices
- Live View on PC or Mac
Set up of the camera could not be easier we literally plugged the camera in, downloaded the software from the Play Store, took a photo of the QR code and we were good to go! The camera has Ethernet and also supports 802.11a/b/g WiFi.
Once the stream was up and running image quality was excellent with the camera shooting in 1080p, and it also comes with a microphone built in so you can see and hear what is going on in your home. We were also able to use a IP scanner on our PC to find the cameras IP address then login to via the stream via a browser.
With the Android App we found the app would crash randomly, and when exiting the app it would also crash, we were informed that this should be fixed in the new year and the exact response regarding the problem was:
“Yes, the HTC issue is a problem related to the Nexus 4 issue in that some phones are unable to support the constant stream of p2p traffic and the app stops/crashes when the phone is unable to process incoming video data. This is not a generic issue and indeed we have tested with a number of other Android phones and the app has no issues.
As you know, unlike iOS, Android can vary wildly between one make of phone and another and once you test on an iPhone you will see that the issue does not affect iOS users.
The other thing to bear in mind is that due to the way the p2p stream operates it can time out depending on latency and when there is a long period of latency it will also cause the app to drop the stream – something iOS devices again handle better than Android ones”
With the PC stream we had to install Quicktime which is not ideal for us, as we generally not a big fan of it, but this is personal preference and not necessarily a problem with the software.
One of the other main selling points of this camera compared to its competitors is that it has a microSD slot which will allow you to record your stream to any card you put in there but also play these recordings back remotely. So if you are away and have left teenagers at home you can easily check to see if they have got home when they said they did!
Overall, while the camera did have some glitches we found it excellent. Costing £99 via Amazon it is one of the cheapest cameras on the market so it is well worth it.
Buy your Ucam247 IP Camera today
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.