Review on ecobee SmartCamera – Indoor WiFi Security Camera, Baby & Pet Monitor, Smart Home Security System, 1080p HD 180 Degree Field of View, Night Vision, Two-Way Audio, Compatible with Apple HomeKit, Built-in Alexa by Maurice Branch

I have to say I really like the SmartCamera. The video is sharp, the night vision works well and the 180° field of view is really nice. Virtually panning while following a person's movement gives the impression that the camera is actually tracking them physically (when "Human Detection" is enabled). The camera integration with Haven (for storing and viewing recorded video) is really good. I had no problems with that at all. Uploading seems to work fine (I have good WiFi coverage and a fast connection to/from home). Playback is fast and without lag. Haven allows me to get notifications on my phone when it detects motion and view past saved clips (as little as 2 minutes) in the history view. The nice thing is that the thumbnail in the history view is taken from the motion/people detection point, even though the saved video starts about 5 seconds before. However, sometimes I see the thumbnail appear about half a second earlier - I have a group that only shows the person's hand (as it came into view), while half a second later the whole person would be in the frame. The downside is that the camera seems utterly useless without a monthly Haven subscription. I used it this way for a week before activating the Haven 1 month trial. It seemed I had no other choice than looking live at the camera. Maybe it would be nice if at least Haven wasn't used and the last detected activity was available. I am planning to renew my Haven subscription beyond the free month so I can again compare the features available without it. For example, I'm pretty sure the activity tab didn't appear in the app until after I activated Haven. I was also very surprised that the ecobee.com account portal (not the app) does not contain a camera at all. That means the camera can only be viewed through the phone app. The built-in Alexa is fine, but we don't really use it. The camera is in the hallway and sometimes it caught me talking to Echo in the kitchen, so we muted Alexa to avoid that. 2 small disadvantages: (1) the camera gets quite hot. It draws about 3.5 watts continuously while observing (during the day; I don't have night vision measurements). (2) It makes a loud clicking sound when the infrared night vision lights turn on and off. Turning on a light near the camera will cause the IR LEDs to turn off and make noise. Depending on where the camera is located, this noise can be annoying. I also had a small problem with the camera setting. When my phone switched to the temporary Wi-Fi SSID created by the camera, it recognized the lack of internet access and switched to phone data, causing the setup to break. Just make sure that your phone doesn't (turn on Airplane mode, then turn Wi-Fi back on, then set up your camera). what is causing the installation timeout. Just make sure your phone doesn't (turn on Airplane mode, then turn Wi-Fi back on, then set up your camera). what is causing the installation timeout. Just make sure your phone doesn't (turn on Airplane mode, then turn Wi-Fi back on, then set up your camera). what is causing the installation timeout. Just make sure your phone doesn't (turn on Airplane mode, then turn Wi-Fi back on, then set up your camera). what is causing the installation timeout. Just make sure your phone doesn't (turn on Airplane mode, then turn Wi-Fi back on, then set up your camera).