EZVIZ C6CN is a motorized indoor internet camera which supports single unit usage as well as NVR, local storage, cloud storage, over-the-internet remote viewing and has video management software for Android (you’ll get on Google Play) and Microsoft Windows (EZVIZ Studio is the name of their Windows app). EZVIZ is a sub-brand of HIKVision to deliver “smart” cloud-based security cameras.
You can pan, tilt this camera over-the-internet to view near 360 degrees. Most home security cameras can not physically pan, tilt and track motion. EZVIZ offers decent-quality video, motion tracking that worked well with their Android and Windows app. You can use just one unit of EZVIZ C6CN or multiple C6CN units (up to four) with or without their supported NVR. If you buy their NVR, four EZVIZ C6CN units and subscribe to their cloud storage then you are using a quite good system within a practical budget. You can watch the “live thumbnails” with their Windows application like any NVR based IP camera or CCTV. These features together are present in top-notch security cameras not among the commonly found “cloud-based security cameras”.
Supported video resolution of this set is 1080p at maximum, the field of view is 340 degrees, night vision is enough good for indoor with 2 infrared LEDs, it supports only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and has an RJ45 port for ethernet connection. It supports Google home hub, Amazon Alexa, has two-way audio, status LEDs (which are helpful), SD card slot etc. It is practical to mention – the micro USB power cord is 2 meters long. The most salient feature is motion tracking – it can physically pan 340 degrees and tilt 120 degrees to keep a moving object within the frame. EZVIZ Studio (the Windows client app) will make you happy offering professional-grade options.
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Setup is easy. First, download the EZVIZ app for Android. You then create an account. Then you power on the camera and use the app to scan the QR code on its rear. You need either one router and one smartphone or two smartphones to set up the camera (one smartphone as a hotspot). After a minute or so, the app will show the live video feed from the camera. Then install the EZVIZ Studio (the Windows client app) on your computer (it will ask some code printed on the label as password which I could not find but the “I forget” helps to reset/know it). You need to install at least a microSD card for real-life usage. Using NVR is optional.
The catch points are three – the build quality is strictly for indoor usage, the camera and electronics are like Xiaomi or Vivo, not like Samsung and no free cloud storage is provided. Without the cloud storage, it is like an inkjet printer cum scanner without ink! There are not many things to complain about. At $70 this is a good IP camera which is difficult to steal! Intruders commonly tend to find the blind spots and simply put a rug over the lens. The motion-sensing decreases that risk. The intruders will tend to throw stones to break it. Our challenges are :
- Power disconnection by the intruders
- Internet disconnection by the intruders
- Splashing of liquid & solid by the intruders
Thieves tend to find out the source of AC distribution and short-circuit at the source to stop all kind of alarms. As the MCB trips, the main power supply becomes off. Physical security of this location is important. You can avoid the problem by using solar and inverter system with a proper plan of power supply. It is difficult to short a rechargeable DC power supply (your smartphone is not easy to halt by short-circuiting). A properly planned electrical system will give you 8 hours to get drained. To avoid internet disconnection, you need a “load balancing router”. In loadbancing routers, we can use multiple internet connections as “input” like one 4G LTE connection and one cable internet connection. To prevent splashes and stones, the camera needs to inside an enclosure.
The mentioned tricks are not cheap to deploy. EZVIZ C6CN provides enough security as long as you can patch the common exploits deployed by the intruders. Obviously, at $70 price tag, you can not expect a perfect motion detection – there will be some lag, some false positive, some confusion of algorithm and so on. But, the most expensive security camera is useless till the basic flaws are not addressed. EZVIZ C6CN provides nice alarm but physical human security required to mitigate the intrusion. The intruders always have a better plan to reach their goal. Our target is to capture some videos and transfer to the cloud storage.
