Samsung SmartCam HD Plus Review - Review 2022

When nosotros reviewed the Samsung SmartCam Hd Pro ($279.09 at Amazon) home security camera dorsum in 2022, we were impressed with its overall image quality and its local storage capabilities, but not with its large size and lack of integration with home automation devices. The new SmartCam HD Plus ($189.99) is also a solid performer, and it's much smaller than its predecessor, simply it even so doesn't interact with other devices. Moreover, its setup process is more than difficult than information technology should exist, and yous'll demand a Google business relationship to receive electronic mail alerts. Our Editors' Choice, the Piper nv ( at Amazon) , remains a better bet.

Design and Features
The SmartCam Hard disk drive Plus looks a lot like the Nest Cam ($199.00 at Google Store) and its predecessor, the DropCam Pro ($299.99 at Amazon) ; it sports the same black finish, and the 2.6-by-1.iv-inch (HW) puck-shaped photographic camera unit is effectually the aforementioned size. A big bracket knob holds the camera in identify on its stand up, which has a hinge that provides around 300 degrees of tilt maneuverability. You can place the stand up on a desktop or shelf, or mount it to a wall using the included screws and anchors. Likewise included in the box are a USB power adapter, an 8-human foot USB ability cable, and a Quick Starting time guide for Android and iOS devices.

The 1,920-by-1,080-pixel camera has a 2.8mm focal length, a 130-degree field of view, and a 4x digital zoom. It uses fourteen infrared LEDs for night vision, and comes equipped with 802.11n Wi-Fi circuitry, a movement sensor, and an audio sensor. The photographic camera also supports push-to-talk two-style audio communications. Just above the lens is an ambience light sensor that tells the camera when to enter night vision mode, and below the lens is a born microphone and a status indicator for power and Wi-Fi connectivity. A microSD card slot is embedded in the right side of the photographic camera housing, and in that location's a speaker effectually dorsum along with Reset and Wi-Fi Directly (for connecting to your smartphone) buttons. A mini USB ability port is positioned along the lower edge.

The SmartCam Plus HD offers 3 recording options; you can prepare it to continuous recording, transmission recording, or have it tape only when motion or audio is detected. All video and notwithstanding images are stored locally on the included 16GB microSD bill of fare (the camera supports cards with upward to 128GB of storage capacity) or on your telephone (although your phone is limited to xxx-second clips). You can also have the Hard disk drive Plus send push button and electronic mail notifications when ane of the sensors are triggered, merely you must utilise a Google account for these alerts.

Samsung SmartCam HD Plus

The mobile app is the aforementioned equally the one used with the SmartCam HD Pro and SmartCam Hard disk drive Outdoor ($359.49 at Amazon) models. Information technology opens to a list of all your installed cameras. Tap on your camera of selection to view live video in portrait or mural mode. In that location are several buttons along the bottom of the page. Two of them enable manual recording with options to save the prune to your phone or to the SD menu, some other takes a still prototype, and a push-to-talk push that initiates ii-manner audio between the phone and the photographic camera. Additional buttons let you choose a resolution (Low, Medium, Loftier), adjust the brightness level, change the image orientation (horizontal or vertical), select a specific zone for motion detection, and play a pre-recorded sound through the photographic camera'south speaker. The app comes with three preset sounds (Constabulary Siren, Alarm Siren, Dog Barking) and you can add upward to ten custom sounds or messages.

The app offers a General folio for camera settings where you lot can conform speaker and microphone volume levels, enable or disable night vision, and enable the Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) option to compensate for vivid backlighting. There's also a Network settings screen where you tin change your Wi-Fi settings, a Time screen to select a time zone, an Event screen where y'all tin enable alerts and adapt sensor sensitivity, and an SD Carte du jour screen where you tin can enable continuous recording and format the SD card.

Installation and Performance
Connecting the SmartCam Hard disk Plus to my Wi-Fi router was easy enough, only I ran into problem when setting up motion and sound alerts. To connect the photographic camera, I downloaded the app, created an business relationship, and tapped Register to enroll the camera. Following the app's instructions I tapped Wireless Setup and powered up the camera. I went to my phone'southward Wi-Fi settings, continued to the camera, and returned to the app to reconnect with my home Wi-Fi. I tapped the Connect button, waited a few seconds for the camera's Wi-Fi status light to turn greenish, and created a proper name and countersign for the camera. I enabled motion and audio alerts, and was fix to go. Or so I thought.

While I was able to view alive video and manually record video, I wasn't receiving push notifications and the camera wasn't recording when audio and motion were detected. I called tech back up and was told I had to log in to the Web panel to make sure motility and sound were checked off. After several failed attempts, the support tech mentioned that I should be using Internet Explorer considering the console doesn't work with Chrome, which is odd considering you need to have a Google business relationship to receive email alerts. It'southward worth mentioning that none of these steps were documented in the Quick Start guide. I tried again with IE and was promptly faced with a bulletin stating that I had to download a plug-in to utilize the browser. I downloaded it, checked off the required motion and sound boxes, and finally started receiving push notifications on my phone. The entire process took around 45 minutes.

Samsung SmartCam HD Plus

Once everything was up and running, the SmartCam Hard disk drive Plus performed wonderfully. The camera delivered well-baked 1080p video with rich colors and excellent contrast in my tests, and dark vision video was precipitous upwards to around 30 anxiety. At commencement, move and audio alerts were coming in fast and furious, merely a quick sensitivity adjustment resolved the issue. Recorded video appeared as every bit sharp and colorful as the live feed, and the 4x digital zoom showed skillful detail.

Conclusions
The Samsung SmartCam Hard disk drive Plus lets you lot monitor activity in your home using your smartphone and delivers abrupt 1080p video both solar day and night. Information technology records video when the move and sound sensors are triggered and stores information technology on a local SD carte, which means you don't take to subscribe to a cloud service. That said, you won't get email alerts unless you have a Google account, and the photographic camera doesn't offer integration with any abode automation devices. Additionally, the installation process could apply some tweaking.

If yous're looking for a camera that does more than just record video and transport push alerts, consider the Nest Cam; it works with the Nest Learning Thermostat ($214.73 at Amazon) and the Nest Protect smoke/CO alarm, and will tape video when these devices are triggered. If y'all don't mind its larger size, the same SmartCam HD Pro is nevertheless bachelor, and connects with the Samsung SmartThings Hub ($49.98 at Amazon) (we program to retest the camera to see how this functionality fares, but it could be a better pick if y'all already ain the hub). For the about robust solution, our Editors' Choice for home security cameras, the Piper nv, is still your best bet. It's a bit more expensive than the SmartCam HD Plus, but it contains a Z-Moving ridge radio that lets it interact with and control home automation devices such as LED bulbs, smart switches, and water sensors.

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