With over 4800 burglaries in USA every day, maybe a home security camera can help you get some really valuable peace of mind, protection and serve as a powerful deterrent. Something that’s affordable, has easy setup (great if you’re not technically gifted like me) and is versatile like the Yi Home Camera for instance.
Back in 2010, I was partying hard, like most other twenty-five-year-olds. The night seems hazy now like it was someone else who went through this and recalled the story to me.
I remember fumbling with the lock on the front door and walking into my apartment. I turned and locked it behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my bedroom light was on. I thought I was so careless for turning it on, not even noticing.
Entering, I felt the cold air on my face, I didn’t open the window, I didn’t leave the drawers open, I didn’t empty my clothes onto the floor. All at once the realization of what had happened hit me.
If I had 2017 technology then, and maybe if I wasn’t so complacent, thinking that a burglary couldn’t happen to me, maybe I wouldn’t have had to experience what I did.
Now I always want peace of mind and I always want to know that if someone ever breaks into my home again, they’ll be arrested.
So if you ever feel utterly helpless, worry for your kids, the jewelry you gave to that special someone, or even your playful lil corgie, protect it, don’t stand idly by.
Table of Contents
Yi 1080p Dome Camera
Before we move forward, if you’re living in a gated community with great security, already have a surveillance system in your home or apartment or require commercial functionalities, then this product isn’t for you.
If however, you do want to see what’s going on in your home, apartment or office then I think you’ll love the Yi 1080p Dome Camera.
It’s small, records up to 1080p with great vision in both day and nighttime so let’s check it out more.
There are many cameras like this on the market today, but how do you know which is the right one for you?
Yes, I know it seems like a daunting task but let’s simplify it.
Wireless security cameras compete in 8 main areas which we’ll check out individually to see where the Yi Home Camera measures up and where it doesn’t.
Main aspects of this product:
- Full HD resolution (1080p)
- Complete 360 degrees coverage
- Starts recording on motion detection
- Nanny cam function (detects crying baby)
- Day and night automatic switch for better detection
- Infrared lights for enhanced night vision
- Charge with a standard micro USB cable
- Up to 80 hours of continuous footage
- Vertical, ceiling or wall mount
- Control via free YI Home APP
Wireless Capability
Yes, it’s 2017 our cameras have wifi too. But seriously, using the Yi APP you can access footage in real time and even have peace of mind knowing that the footage is being saved to the Yi Cloud so there is no loss if the memory card is full. But get a sufficiently large memory card just in case (the 1080p version can support up to a 64GB memory card).
One of the benefits of a WiFi capable camera is that it’s less susceptible to being disabled as there are no signal wires to cut.
This camera runs well through wifi providing you have a reasonably strong signal which is good news as most of us do. You can view and make adjustments such as zoom and pan via the easy-to-use app without having the need for wifi signal on the viewing device, just keep an eye on your mobile data usage.
Field of view
While there is a small blind spot, the wide angle lens coupled with the range of motion ensures that the blind spot remains just that, small.
This little camera actually gives close to a full view of a room depending on where it’s set up so you might want to think about the most suitable location for it.
The field of vision is actually on par with cameras that are way more expensive but as with anything some improvement, especially in night mode, would be welcome.
Movement
The Yi Home Camera can move to allow nearly full 360-degree motion. This is great if you’re using it to see what the kids are up to or even to visually check doors and windows from the APP.
Technically speaking, the Yi camera has what the manufacturers describe as 345-degree horizontal motion as well as 115-degree vertical motion.
This means, mounted from a corner position or any other suitable vantage point you’ll be able to see almost the whole room.
When changing viewing positions, however, some users have reported a short gap where the only audio is that of the unit moving. This is minor however and doesn’t interfere with any other functionality of the camera.
Night Vision
Surprisingly for a value camera, the night time recording whether it’s 720p or 1080p is crisp and clear, perfect for baby-monitoring or security duties.
The night vision IR sensor with LEDs means that kids won’t be awoken by glare and pets won’t go mad with it either.
The range of view is approximately three meters in pitch black darkness, with quality that’s on par with fixed, wired cameras like Swann and the Lorex Dome falling behind in comparison.
Resolution
The resolution of this little Yi home camera unit is what some users might call fantastic, we’ll just call it great in the interest of objectivity. It’s sharp and clear, day or night thanks to the unit design which generally prevents glare and other visual interruption.
The 1080p (1920×1080) is definitely higher quality than the 720p as is to be expected but both offer great viewing.
Sound Quality
As previously mentioned, there’s the little bug the unit has where the noise from the camera moving “pollutes” the audio feed, but this is not of major concern and only occurs when the unit is repositioning the camera.
The actual sound quality on recordings is of good quality, as you can clearly hear what people in range are saying. As if that wasn’t good enough there’s an ‘intercom’ feature as the unit has a built-in microphone and speaker so you can both talk and listen to whoever is close to the camera. Yes, you can yell “Bad dog!”. It works.
Motion Detection
The motion detection on the Yi Home Camera unit is very sensitive, which means you may have to set it to medium in order to avoid getting unnecessary alerts.
It’s could be my previous experience but I would rather a unit be too sensitive that not enough and being able to dial it back is a big plus.
There is also automatic motion tracking with the detection feature which works great for recording purposes.
Bonus Feature: Baby Monitor and Nanny Cam Capability
For parent’s of infants, there’s no need to wake up every hour to check on the little one as there is the built-in baby monitor feature which turns the Yi Home Camera on as soon as crying is detected. When this happens an alert is automatically sent to your phone.
These features come in really handy for use as nanny cam too so you can check up from time to time just to make sure the kids are alright.
Really convenient, right?
The small non-intrusive size, lack of visual glare produced by the unit even in night mode and its ability to track movement make this camera one enviable baby monitor indeed.
Compared to dedicated baby monitor systems you really get bang for your buck there are units that provide none of the other benefits of this unit but are similarly priced.
Price of the Yi Home Camera
From a purely budget point of view, this unit is one of the best on the market. If you were to purchase a standalone camera, run wires, get a DVR and do the technical setup, the cost would far, far exceed the cost of the Yi 1080p Dome Camera at Amazon.
That alone puts this unit ahead in my mind even though there are other units within the same price range. This is simply because none of them offer quite the same combination of benefits which I can get from this unit.
Alternatively, you can look at models similar to this by Swann, Lorex, and Amcrest all great makers, I just think that this unit delivers more than others in the same class.
Conclusion
You know a unit like this can help, whether it’s to check on the baby or to make sure the only people coming through your doors are your loved ones. Don’t let fear and worry win, take a decisive step to ensure that you protect what’s yours.
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I have over 15 years of knowledge in the technology field. Studied IT systems administration and now installing security cameras and smart home devices into user’s homes and offices.