When it comes to home surveillance and protection there are many solutions available to today’s consumers. Criminals are always looking for ways to take what does not belong to them. For this reason, I recommend that everyone should invest in IP cameras for their home. I already own several IP cameras from another vendor so I was anxious to review the EZVIZ Mini to see how this camera compared with others.

Disclosure: I received one complementary EZVIZ Mini IP camera from Brand Definition for the purpose of this product review. All opinions and reviews are my own.

RECEIVING THE EZVIZ MINI IP CAMERA

Upon receiving the camera, I noticed that the packaging is both attractive and informative. The front of the box displays a picture of the camera and all sides of the box are loaded with important information about all the built in features.

Upon opening the box, I could see that the camera was well packaged and protected, with a clean layout so that consumers can see all the necessary components. The camera is attractive and easy to connect so that it’s up and running in almost no time. Just plug in the USB cable from the camera into the USB power supply that is provided and that’s all the assembly that is required. The swivel base allows the camera to be easily mounted anywhere and point it in any direction. The base is also magnetized so you can stick it onto any metallic surface such as a metal filing cabinet. I really like that because it doesn’t even require screws.

EZVIZ MINI IP CAMERA MOBILE APP

The EZVIZ Mini is completely app controlled for easy setup and management. I like that the app has bank-level security. That makes me feel more at ease with my privacy. That means there is less likelihood of hackers breaking into the video stream from the camera.

The next step was to download the smart phone EZVIZ app. It is available for iPhone and Android smart phones. I installed the app on my iPhone 6. When I launched the app it asked me to setup an account with my email address or phone number. Then I scanned the QR code imprinted on the back of the camera. Make sure that your phone is connected to your home Wi-Fi before you scan the code. As soon as the app scans the QR code, it is able to communicate with the camera so that the Wi-Fi password can be entered for your network and then the camera is able to connect and send images to the app on the phone. The whole procedure took me less than 5 minutes. Simple and hassle free. Just the way it should be!

TESTING THE EZVIZ MINI IP CAMERA

At this point the camera is fully operational and sends live video and photos to the phone app. If the user desires, they can tinker with some of the other features and settings such as activating online storage of the videos and images. No MicroSD card was provided with the camera that I received, so I borrowed an extra one I had laying around and that worked as well.

I did not activate and test online storage. I captured video and photos locally. To have the camera act like a security camera turn on Alarm Notification. Also, to use the camera in the dark the IR light must also be enabled. The phone app can show up to 4 ip cameras for someone with multiple cameras.

After the account and settings are the way you like them, place the camera anywhere on your property within range of the Wi-Fi network. The camera is small and easily portable. It is not unattractive and bulky like some other IP cameras so I was more comfortable with placing it in areas where it would be visible since it is not an eyesore. I decided to try the Mini in the window near my front door.

In daylight, the camera takes decent video and photos with a maximum 720p resolution.

It can be configured to record at lower resolutions if you don’t need 720p. I set it to standard picture mode because that was enough resolution for me, and it saves space and is able to store more pictures at lower resolutions.

First, I tested the motion sensing capability by walking in front of the camera. The Mini detected my presence and it took pictures and stored those for me to read as messages on the phone app.

In low light conditions, the EZVIZ Mini camera can’t take good photos or video, much like the human eye. But with flood lights illuminating the area in front of the camera it can see well enough.

I was very pleased with the photos and video that this little camera recorded in normal lighting conditions. So far so good!

To perform a comprehensive review, I then took the camera down to my basement to test its night vision. In complete darkness, the camera automatically detected that it should switch to night vision and it turned on the IR light so that it could see. The camera performed well and it was able to see pictures hanging on the wall about 8-10 feet in front of it. About 12 feet away to the right side it could see a door. Once again I was pleased with the Mini camera in night vision mode.

I also tested the zoom function in the dark. The picture above was normal magnification. Below you can see the same view with 2X, 4X, and 8X magnification. Everything worked as expected.

I also tested the microphone. I asked my daughter to stand near the camera in another room and speak in a normal voice. With the app running, I could hear her clearly on my phone. She had a lot of fun laughing and making noises for me to hear on my phone.

The camera can also be mounted upside down from a ceiling and there is a virtual button to flip the image vertically so that it looks normal. I’ve seen this method of mounting in some retail store security cameras.

BENEFITS OF THE EZVIZ MINI 720 WIRELESS CAMERA:

• Photos and videos are of good quality.
• Camera is highly portable (small and compact) and pleasant to look at.
• Works in daylight and night vision modes.
• Records audio.
• The lens has a wide viewing angle of 115° horizontally and 130° diagonally.
• Motion sensing works well and will automatically take snapshots which appear as messages on the mobile app that tell you it was a motion detection alarm photo along with the date and time the photo was taken.
• The app has bank-level security encryption which makes it difficult to hack into the video stream of the camera.
• A MicroSD slot is on the camera. Insert a MicroSD card (not included) to store extra photos and videos in the camera. It also has the option to store photos and videos online (in the cloud).
• The base is magnetized so you can stick it onto any metallic surface.
• Easy setup.

The camera can become warm so i recommend placing it in a location with ventilation and not in direct sunlight. I did not find any flaws with this wireless camera. It seems to be well designed and thoroughly tested hardware and software. I like this little camera and would recommend it to anyone on a budget who needs to be able to remotely view or monitor their home or office. At the time of this review, the EZVIZ Mini wireless camera is priced in the $75-80 range and it is a good value for the price.