Netatmo Outdoor Camera With Siren Review: Bright, but flawed
Netatmo outdoor camera with siren
"Smart A.I. hindered by outdated hardware and software limitations is a difficult purchase."
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Bright floodlights
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Smart A.I. and app implementation
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Loud siren
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No recording packages, clips saved for free
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Narrow field of vision
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Difficult to install
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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
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
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.
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