Protect access to your home from the outside
Developed by Y-CAM, the HomeMonitor HD Pro Outdoor Security Camera (model HMHDE05) offers to provide your home with a degree of security. This kit comes with the claim of being the only camera that stores the seven days footage in the cloud for free with no subscription required. The main camera unit, which does need to be wall-mounted in an appropriate position, comes with the required wall mount, screws, rawl plugs and tools for attaching the kit. Included in the box are an Ethernet cable, power lead with various adapter plugs, a wi-fi antenna and Quick Start guide.
The camera, rated at IP66 for waterproofing and weatherproofing purposes, is white in colour with a cylindrical shape. Emerging from the base of the unit is the power lead. The camera has a ¼" CMOS 'FarFocus' lens that can deliver HD720 content at a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels with H.264 compression. Arranged around the front of the camera are 24 infrared LEDs which come into their own during pitch black conditions as they enable the camera to pick up activity at a distance of 10 metres.
While the camera, with the addition of a supplied antenna, will support wireless connectivity, in common with certain printers this device requires an initial Ethernet connection prior to the wi-fi link being established. As part of the initial process you will need to create a HomeMonitor account before moving to wi-fi. When creating this account, which requires a username, password, email address and camera ID, I did encounter a problem. According to the supplied instructions, the camera ID is meant to be on the back of the camera but I was unable to locate it there. Fortunately the ID was on the front cover of the quick start guide.
Before switching to a wi-fi connection, you will need to screw the supplied antenna to the camera. This task requires the removal of a small silver cap to reveal the screw access point for the antenna. With a wi-fi link you can assign an appropriate name, select the relevant time zone and view a live feed enabling you to set up two prime areas that are covered by the camera’s motion detection feature.
It is advisable to experiment a little with the positioning of the camera in its outside location before deciding where to fix the camera mount permanently. There are a number of factors to be considered, not least the possible movement of children and pets that could cause accidental or false alerts. With outside locations you also need to take into account the effect that reflections from moving cars and direct sunlight could have on the camera in certain circumstances.
The output can be monitored using the HomeMonitor website or via downloadable apps are for iOS, Android and Roku platforms. With these various means of access, your HomeMonitor account will provide live viewing with unlimited downloads from content stored for a period of seven days and alerts regarding detected events. An option is available to increase the storage period to 30-days with an annual subscription of £30.
Image quality is reasonable, especially in daytime, but I can't say whether this standard would be acceptable as evidence in any legal cases that might arise from captured content. Michael Fereday
Adds an extra layer of security to your home’s protection.