06 Feb
Blog

Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell Review: Aiming Too Hgh

Netatmo video doorbell mounted on brick

Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell

"The Netatmo Smart Video Doorbell is a great video doorbell with a few small flaws and one big one – the price."

  • Intelligent A.I. Camera detection

  • Clear video day and night

  • Expensive

  • Narrow field of view

  • Blocky design collides with some decor

When asked to review the Netatmo security camera a few months ago, I was impressed with the functionality but not impressed with the design. Fortunately, Netatmo has made some progress in this category with its Smart Video Doorbell. The wired doorbell from Netatmo brings person recognition and the known functions of artificial intelligence (A.I.) to a thankfully smaller form factor.

Netatmo hasn't quite shaken off its blocky roots yet, however, as the design of this doorbell reminds me of something you might see in Minecraft. The doorbell consists of three squares stacked on top of each other. The top square has the camera and Netatmo branding, the middle square has a loudspeaker grille for bidirectional communication, and the bottom square has the button with a bell symbol. Overall, the aesthetic works for me. It looks modern so it looks a little different on a brick home, but you can go upstairs well.

Installation first

The installation is very easy. Netatmo even included a silicone lock that you slide the doorbell wires through for additional sealing. It's a nice touch that I haven't seen before. You can also use a 25 degree offset to see if your house is mine and the door is set back from the brick siding. A carillon module is included in the scope of delivery, which you must also connect to your transformer. So make sure you know where that is. Netatmo also includes an additional backup, which is a first in my career as a doorbell checker. Better to have it and not need it, I suppose.

Netatmo

The video feed is very good. My backyard in Chicago is currently a snowy landscape so I can't comment on the color rendering, but I can tell you the white balance is spot on. A fish-eye effect can be seen at the edges of the field of view with a diagonal of 140 degrees. The infrared image is also quite good at night. There's a lot of camera in this doorbell.

Netatmo has some work to do on its aesthetics, but this is a solid step in the right direction.

The speaker built into the camera is loud and clear. Netatmo doesn't list an official speaker volume specification, but it is certainly clear enough for a conversation to take place. Both the two-way conversation and the video feed are pretty lag-free, so you don't get those awkward pauses where you say something and then wait for the voice to go through.

Return home

The doorbell also works with Apple's HomeKit, although I mainly used the Netatmo Security app for my tests. After my review of the Logitech video doorbell, it was a nice change of pace. Netatmo is still doing smart things with A.I. like focusing and cropping on the motion themes in the thumbnails of saved events. In the first few days, of course, a floodlight in the frame was identified as a person, but that's why detection zones are important.

The software has some special features that are difficult to reconcile with one another. For example, to view the live camera, you need to press a phone icon in the middle of the screen. To terminate the connection, you must also press a hang-up key. While watching the live feed, you can unmute the speaker and microphone on the doorbell to have a conversation with whoever is there. I've got the thinking behind it – you "call" the camera to have a conversation with whoever is at the door.

Screenshot of the Netatmo Security App.

Netatmo doubles the "phone call" metaphor when the doorbell rings. The app not only rings your interior, but also initiates a call between you and the doorbell. Other doorbells, like our recently tested Wyze video doorbell, simply send you a notification and you can choose whether or not to respond. This feature follows the Netatmo video calling metaphor, but just because I can streamline it doesn't mean it's a good idea.

One of the few that support HomeKit

The addition of Apple's HomeKit brings a nice new level of automation that we explored in the Logitech video doorbell. You can use the motion sensor on the doorbell to trigger other actions around the house, although I haven't found one that makes sense yet. The video feed also works more intuitively through HomeKit. You don't have to ring the doorbell to see what's going on outside. With the Netatmo app, Android users can also enjoy the doorbell.

Our opinion

Overall, this is a solid entry into the video doorbell space. Netatmo has some work to do on its aesthetics, but this is a solid step in the right direction. To be honest, the blocky doorbell doesn't suit every type of home. Integration with Apple HomeKit is easy without excluding Android users. The video feed is great and has a slightly narrower field of view than others on the market.

As a stand-alone doorbell, this is exactly the right thing for you. It does everything a video doorbell needs and uses Smart A.I. to find out what's important in a particular clip. I would love to test this out in a non-winter month to see animals running across my deck so I could really say that A.I. Through my steps, however, my review of the Netatmo video camera gave me a good idea of ​​what to expect. When putting your smart home piece together piece by piece, this is a good addition as long as you like the look.

Is there a better alternative?

The Netatmo video doorbell does a lot of things right, but Netatmo is charging nearly $ 300, and there are other options worth considering. From a design perspective, I prefer the rounded look of the Arlo Video doorbell or the Nest Hello. From the point of view of the field of view, 140 degrees is the center of the road. Doorbells like the Vivint Doorbell Camera Pro give you full 180-degree top, bottom, left, and right angles. Simply put, for its price point, the Netatmo should be the best of all, and it really isn't.

Will it take?

The Netatmo video doorbell works between -10 and 40 degrees Celsius and is IP44 compliant. Netatmo products are guaranteed for two years. The silicon barrier helps keep water out of the electronics, so I see no reason why this doorbell shouldn't last long.

Should you buy it?

No. At $ 300 there are other options that do a better job. See the Wyze Video Doorbell at 1/10 the price. It is true that Netatmo does not charge a subscription service and that all videos are stored locally on an included SD card. However, at this price point, it's hard to recommend, especially when video doorbell prices are generally falling.

Editor's recommendations




24 Jul
Blog

Netatmo Outdoor Camera With Siren Review: Bright, but flawed

Netatmo camera with siren on the wall.

Netatmo outdoor camera with siren

"Smart A.I. hindered by outdated hardware and software limitations is a difficult purchase."

  • Bright floodlights

  • Smart A.I. and app implementation

  • Loud siren

  • No recording packages, clips saved for free

  • Narrow field of vision

  • Difficult to install

  • No 24/7 recording

One of the great things about smart home technology is the ability to build your own systems. Companies like Netatmo allow you to choose your home security devices based on your needs. The Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera with Siren ($ 350, available in Europe, coming to the US later this year), which was announced last fall, is one such device and connects the smart doorbell and the indoor camera to the Strengthen smart home product line from Netatmo.

We have to talk about the hardware straight away. The Netatmo outdoor surveillance camera looks like a device that someone thought in 1995 that surveillance cameras would look like in 2020. We saw this design for the first time in 2016 and it hasn't improved. It is large and rectangular and in no way subtle. While many surveillance cameras prefer the understated look these days, Netatmo is not worried that it is a camera and floodlight and you will love it or otherwise.

installation

The Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera requires a hardwired connection to your home, similar to the Ring Spotlight Cam Wired. While this has the advantage that batteries never need to be charged or replaced, it also makes installation more difficult than other devices in its field. What makes digestion easier is the fact that you can use the camera's floodlight to replace another outside light like a veranda light.

As soon as you have removed the existing lamp (or installed a new electrical box – your call), the Netatmo Smart outdoor camera comes with almost everything you need to install it. There is a wiring harness, a bracket, screws and a cover box. The only thing missing is the recommended sealing or silicone to make the cover box waterproof on the wall. This is not surprising, but it is good to know beforehand. Once installed, use the app to connect the camera to your WiFi and you're ready to take part in the races.

The camera covers a disappointing 100-degree field of view, the smallest of all the cameras we tested, but can identify objects with a long field of view. In our tests, the range was limited to around 10 meters, which the camera covered admirably, and a total of 20 meters was advertised.

Light it up!

The built-in headlight can be switched on automatically when it detects motion, or it can be switched on and off via the app. It is also dimmable in the app. At full brightness, the floodlights are very bright and cover a wide area. It could easily replace an existing floodlight in your home. The built-in night vision is also quite good, but without the same range of 20 meters.

It could easily replace an existing floodlight in your home.

When the camera detects motion, the A.I. enter the game. The camera can distinguish between people, cars, animals and other movements. When an event occurs in the app, icons indicate what type of object has been detected. In addition, a thumbnail not only shows you the object in question, but the app cuts the object intelligently to give you a clear view of it before you even open the clip. For example, if a cat crosses the corner of the camera's alarm zone, the thumbnail will be trimmed to the cat even though it is not in the center of the frame. It would be easy to just crop in the middle of the frame or reduce the entire screen to a thumbnail – neither would be helpful. Netatmos A.I. With this function you can quickly see why the clip was recorded.

Go to the zone

Screenshot of the Netatmo app.

Speaking of the alarm zone: you can adjust where the camera tracks movements, but the implementation is not the best. You are limited to rectangles in the frame, but can have multiple rectangles. If you have a diagonal area that you don't want to recognize, you'll need to create multiple rectangles – that's a little annoying.

When motion is detected, the clip is saved on the included 8 GB memory card, which can be expanded to 32 GB. According to Netatmo, 8 GB cover about a hundred clips. That sounds like a lot, but in my back yard, where cats are everywhere, it's only three or four days. When the card is full, the oldest records are deleted. You can also add personal cloud storage for recordings. Options include Dropbox or a private FTP server. Other than that, the only way to gain space is to swap it for a larger microSD card. You can't decrease the resolution, and to be honest, you don't want to.

In addition, there is no way to record around the clock or search the footage one day. You can only view the recorded clips if something is recognized. You can also view the live view of the camera. Most of the time this is enough, but if you are someone who wants to return at a certain time, this camera is not for you.

The siren on the Netatmo is quite loud at 105 decibels.

The siren on the Netatmo is quite loud at 105 decibels. You can trigger the siren via the app. There is no automatic siren setting. That is probably the best. If you want to upset your neighbors, it is a good idea to make sure you have to.

The camera works with Google Assistant and Alexa. You can ask a wizard-operated smart screen to show you the camera and it shows the live feed, which is great.

A disadvantage is the resolution resolution and quality. While Netatmo promotes full HD recording, there is a fairly big problem with pixelation, even when playing back recorded clips. This could be a function of my home network setup, but cameras installed by Vivint on the same network do not have the same problems. The camera also has a problem with the sky. It is difficult to distinguish the outline of my shed from the bright sky, which is not the best experience.

Our opinion

The camera was attached to a cream-colored wall.

This is a good implementation of a three-in-one outdoor security solution, but there is still some work to be done. Even if you consider the depth, a narrow field of view is not particularly good for a camera. You don't worry about what someone is doing 20 meters away. You are worried about your house.

During the A.I. does some wise things with clips and thumbnails, the lack of a 24/7 recording is a failure. That way, Netatmo can say that the service is "free at any time," which is great, but I wouldn't mind paying something for 24/7 recording every month. The fact that it has to be firmly connected to the existing electrical system makes the installation almost so tedious that almost a specialist is required.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes. This camera has some good ideas, especially in the A.I. Implementation. With the Ring Smart Outdoor Cam or the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight, you get similar features in a more attractive package for $ 100 less.

Will it take?

The structure of the Netatmo is solid and if everything is installed correctly, I can not imagine a reason to be concerned even in bad weather. The camera comes with a limited, multi-year warranty, depending on the region and location where you buy.

Should you buy it

No. Smart outdoor cameras are a crowded category, and there are too many other (and cheaper) options.

Editor's recommendations