Review on YI Security Surveillance Monitor Android by Joe Campbell

Good day! This camera was purchased in July 2015 on the AliExpress website, but due to the seller's problems in sending, the delivery came after 2 months, when the camera was no longer needed. I wanted to set up a camera at the time of departure for my own peace of mind and control of the state of my home environment. About the camera itself: The camera with stand has the following dimensions: width/height/depth - 8/11.5/3.2 in centimeters. It looks compact, I thought for a long time where to adapt it. As a result, I put my wife among the jars and all sorts of bottles near a chest of drawers with a mirror, from where the whole room and two entrances are visible. Among all this goodness, the camera is not noticeable at all (if you turn off the blue LED in the settings). The camera's viewing angle is 111 degrees diagonally. When properly installed, it captures a large space. Good quality shooting both day and night (I took the camera with night mode). Very easy camera connection. To connect, you need to download the YI Home application for IOS (there is also an application for Android, alas, I won’t tell you the name). Further, everything is clear intuitively - you can connect either by the QR code, which is located on the other side of the camera, or in the device discovery mode via WiFi. For real-time access, both the camera must be connected via WiFi and the device from which the access is made must have an Internet connection. By connecting to the camera remotely, in addition to viewing the video in real time, you can control its functionality, namely: turn on / off the blue LED (when the diode is on, you can see when the camera is working); update the firmware, set the date / time, set the time when the motion sensor will respond and record a short video on the memory card simultaneously sending a notification to the connected device (that is, you can set the time when you are at work, and when you come home, the motion sensor will not respond to you and record accordingly). In addition, it is possible to record the video on a memory card, if it is, of course, and view the recorded video. I have a memory card for 16 GB class 10, the recording is excellent. The manufacturer writes about support for cards up to 32 GB. The camera has a built-in microphone and speaker, so that the recording is carried out with sound and it is possible to transmit sound from a smartphone or tablet. Just connect to the camera, press and hold the microphone button and at that time the speaker on the camera turns on. Everything you say from the device is heard from the camera. Xiaomi Yi Smart Camera does not have built-in batteries and works only from the mains, so you need to have a power outlet nearby. Or you can connect it via USB interface to a computer / laptop / portable battery. The camera comes with a small power supply. It has an American plug, so you need to purchase an adapter to connect through an outlet. Of the minuses: the motion sensor reacts to switching the camera to day / night mode, so it actively sends notifications in the morning and evening; It's a pity that there is no built-in battery. General conclusions: a functional and easy-to-use home ip camera with small dimensions and an excellent price / quality ratio.