Had it a week, I cannot put into words how pleased I am having looked for several hours every day for a week for a camera. And the only thing that deterred me from this one was the privacy issue. Look people, this camera works as good or better than top of the line nest or blink. I’ve had literally zero issues so far. Easiest setup ever and I’m using it without the 32gb chip or the cloud. I just get notified whenever there is movement. Unbelievable. If you purchase ten other branded cameras and get one to work as good as this one on the first try it would be a Christmas miracle. I’m in shock, I totally expected to have to troubleshoot at least one thing. Maybe I got lucky. My mom and sister saw it and now they are getting them too. Will update if anything bad happens with theirs or mine down the road.
Edit: had the yi for about 9 months and it’s still going strong. I avoided the firmware update until I got a new phone and then it made me upgrade. No problems though. The pan and tilt still works perfect. I get alerts on movement within about 2 -4 seconds (cellular or WiFi it doesn’t matter) - which is the fastest alert out of all the cameras I’ve tried - by far. Still no need for cloud or saving onto a 32gb drive although I probably will do the SD card eventually. I’ve got to say that this WiFi camera is one of the best purchases I’ve made in my life - it’s that cool. Oh and yi never once hit me up about reviewing anything, I don’t get spam from them either. As for the privacy hypothetical concerns - every app these days asks for those permissions. I read the EULA front to back and there is nothing in there that is eyebrow raising at all. If you’re concerned about your privacy then disconnect everything from the net - that’s the only way to get privacy. Although those reviews stating privacy concerns seem legit, I still question their motive because this isn’t the first app to ask for these permissions. If you’ve got Facebook on your phone then one more data mining app isn’t going to kill ya.
There were two things that annoyed me about the software: there was no way to turn off the speaker, and I couldn't get the microphone toggle to stay in the off position (it would turn the toggle back on, which is concerning). I decided to open it up, and was really surprised by what I found inside. First, a really clean PCB that was pleasant to look at. Second, everything has a solderless connector of one kind or another (even the Wi-Fi antenna).
It took seconds to find the speaker and mic connectors, which are helpfully labeled on the PCB. I thought I was going to have to go in and snip some wires (which, admittedly, would have made it difficult to turn the microphone back on). I'd still like it if the software toggle worked, but for those of you would prefer to disconnect the microphone permanently, check out the attached photo.
If I could put more than five stars, definitely I would
Feature Product
- 720p High-definition, 112° wide-angle advanced glass lens combined with 345° horizontal & 115° vertical rotation range create a complete 360° coverage. Advanced night vision with 8 built-in 940nm infrared LED beads extend the viewing distance to 3 meters in pitch dark with no light pollution, so your baby or pet will not be disturbed by LED glare.
- Responsive and advanced microphone with a built-in anti-noise filter for a clear 2-way Audio experience. Intercom Mode: one party to talk and listen at a time or Hands-free Mode: both parties talk and listen freely for maximum flexibility.
- Receive real-time Activity Alerts while you're out. 10-sec motion tracking records and centers the moving object. Bookmark your favorite positions (up to 8) and return to them at the tap of a button. Select Auto-Cruise to survey the area 360° horizontally or cruise your bookmarks, suitable for large areas that need a quick scan (and tracks moving objects).
- YI Dome integrates with your YI Home family in one simple interface. User-friendly and intuitive app to customize your settings: activity alerts, auto-cruise, bookmarks, camera sharing, customize schedules, and more. Supports connectivity to a large number of devices with the same app/account for maximum convenience. Available for iOS and Android.
- Supports YI Cloud to avoid the risk of losing footage from an SD card, ensure all your videos are safe, secure and protected. We provide the most efficient compression and the highest protection of data, so you can be sure that your footage is safe and secure. Reliable Wi-Fi connectivity to access your camera with YI Home App on mobile device, and YI Home App on PC at anytime, anywhere. Built-in support for 802.11b/g/n 2.4Ghz (5Ghz currently not supported) Wi-Fi band.
- Note: the firmware version must match your camera version. You can flash a Chinese version camera with any other version of firmware and power-on it, but it can never be paired.
Description
360° Complete Coverage Smart Home System
YI Dome Camera is your 360° complete coverage smart home system. With YI you are in touch with your home wherever you are.
Rotation:
Bidirectional rotation supports a 345° horizontal rotation range, and 115° vertical rotation range. With a 112° wide-angle lens, YI Dome Cam captures the full scene with practically zero blindspots. Automatically returns to "Auto-masking" mode for extra sense of security ensuring no recording without your permission.
Store up to 8 positions as bookmarks and easily return to them at a touch of a button. Choose to auto-cruise horizontally 360° or make pit stops at your selected bookmarks.
Protection:
YI Dome Camera keeps you connected with your family always. Check-in with your family through 2-way audio by connecting to live video. Take quick snapshots and easily record videos. With a 360° viewing angle, every spot is covered. Enhanced night vision stays awake while you sleep: With 8 Built-In 940nm (non-invasive) infrared LEDs, YI Dome Cam Night Vision can shoot in the dark for a range up to 3 meters
YI Home App:
Monitor your home with YI Home App. View YI Dome Camera along with your other YI Home Camera family in one integrated app. Our Motion Detection Algorithm is YI Dome Cam's safety hallmark. Movements can be accurately picked up and activity alerts are immediately sent to the App. 10 seconds smart motion tracking keeps up with everything, so you don't have to.
Ease of Use:
Quick and versatile installation. Place YI where it suits you best: Vertical, Wall Mount or Ceiling. Simple and Flexible Storage Options: Local and Cloud (to be available soon)
--Package Include--
1 x YI Dome Camera
1 x Adaptor
1 x USB Cable
1 x Base Tray
2 x Screw
1 x Manual
This camera is amazing! I do not care about the "privacy terms" that you have to accept on the app, I get to check on my Year and a half old dog who just started having seizures last week. I can be at work, turn the camera on using my iPad, and work away keeping tabs on her. If she has a seizure, I will be able to see it, leave work for a bit and care for her. My mind and heart are at ease because of this camera.
Thank you!
We live in a tightly circular townhouse complex. Each door represent a separate property. Residents are not supposed to double park but they they acted like the rules didn't apply to them. They calmly do what they want. Her little dog would run free and poop everywhere and never picked it up.
She'd frequently drag her trash all the way over to another unit's property and then deny doing it. She didn't even bag it properly. Her poorly tied, paper thin trash bags would constantly spill chicken bones and smelly liquids.
In the video she is dragging all her trash past her adjacent neighbor's unit, past a vacant unit and then almost all the way past yet another vacant unit, at the edge and into our property, as you can see our black car in the forefront. No wonder people don't want to live in a tight townhouse like ours with pigs like her.
Pros
Unit is less than $40 and usable without subscription
You get a free convenient timeline to scroll through footage (Arlo you have to pay for a timeline)
You can scan through past footage easily (on your phone and with desktop app)
Surprisingly SMOOTH motion for 20 fps which is better than 15fps in the 1080 version
You can delete multiple notifications simultaneously
Works great through window during day although infrared creates too much glare but you can turn that off
You can control direction of view with phone
You can see past footage easily with your phone
Super easy set up
Easy to use
Can hold a 32g SD card which is probably more than enough for a week of motion tracking
Low battery usage for my OnePlus phone at least
Motion tracking is very good. Usually no interruptions in recording activity: You can see someone walk all the way to your front door and all the way out of sight.
You can manage frequency of alerts which you get on your phone through the app (you don’t get emails though)
Decent basic footage
Cons
It's frozen several times which means you need to access the camera, unplug, reset, then put your phone in front of it so that it can access the scan code
Time stamps are annoying in UTC format ie midnight = 4am EST
If it's too sensitive for insects you can lower the sensitivity but then it will not record complete movements of things you want
I have to close one Yi spam window before I can get to camera (not really a big deal, just bad advertising attempt)
On rare occasions recording stops prematurely before movement ceases completely
Only ONE user can control camera and access past footage
Shared users can only see LIVE footage
You cannot email a video clip like Arlo (you need to access SD card physically OR use a screen capture app with Yi desktop app)
If someone steals the camera, all your footage is gone unless you pay for a cloud subscription
Sometimes alerts are delayed
Infrared is not good through glass (bounces off pane and causes glare) but works OK with it turned off in low light
Low light footage through window (with infrared turned off) is not great but still useful
You definitely won’t be able to read a license plate with this footage unless it's very close
I don’t think it is true 720p. Footage isn’t great but again, price reflects this.
Automatic swivel does not track up or down, only side to side
If I’m not on my wifi network (away from home) I cannot access the camera and I do not receive any alerts. I have not tried accessing someone else’s wifi to see if it would work in that instance however. Perhaps a subscription would make it possible.
Static doesn't capture as much as Arlo Q
Improvements I'd like to see:
Ability to download certain segments of footage with phone or desktop app
Better image quality (with a higher price of course)
EST time stamps
Longer video clips
PS I obtained this video clip through the desktop app with a screen capture program so quality might actually be slightly clearer without it. I did it this way because it's difficult to capture specific segments without a screen capture and video editor.
I’ve got 4 Yi cameras now and I love them. My others are 1080p but I have no problem with one 720p. I’m not shooting a major motion picture here. Easy to set up and link to your WiFi. But yes you’ll need WiFi to be able to use these cameras. I can monitor all 4 cameras on any of my Apple devices or PC from anywhere. The software app is available free for IOS or Android. But be sure your WiFi is 2.8 or they won’t function. My modem/router runs both 2.8 and 5.0 simultaneously so my cameras link to the 2.0 and my other devices are connected by the 5.0. And I love the pan and tilt functions and they will follow the moving object if you have the motion detection and follow options on. The infrared doesn’t have the range I’d like for night vision but that’s the only shortcoming I have with them but if there’s just a little light avaible they work great. They’ll take up to a 32gig micro SD card which actually captures about 7 days of 24/7 coverage. Or you can buy a subscription from Yi with unlimited coverage but strangely only on one camera.
This Camera is Awesome!!!! We have been using it for a little over a week and it is great!!!! The picture is so clear!!!! Down load the app and It's basically plug and play...so easy to pair with you phone and I didn't realize it had 2 way talk!!!! I am overwhelmed with the price and the quality!!!! We are so happy with this camera I just ordered another one!!!! Two thumbs up on this purchase!!!!
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