Hey Guys, it's time for another blog post. Like most of the things posted on the blog, this post is about another product I received for free in exchange for a review. I received the product from EsiCam through Tomoson. Check out EsiCam by clicking here or Tomoson by clicking here.
The product itself is advertised as a "hidden" camera (as well as a sports and surveillance) camera, but I think that was just a keyword to reach specific demographics. The camera is small, but it's not small enough to really hide anywhere without having to build a structure of some sort to house it. So, it's perfect for just regular home surveillance, or for use as a body came (see pictures for various functions). Below is a picture of everything that came in the box.
The instructions show you how to set up the app and then pair with the camera so that you can view what the camera views at any given time. It was a little harder to set up than I anticipated, but not so difficult that I needed customer service to help out. I was a little leery about this step because user reviews on the app are terrible. However, as of the writing of this post I did not encounter any issues, and I did not see any threatening notifications (some users reported their virus software flagged the app as malicious).
I was pleasantly surprised to see that the lens is pretty wide and the picture is clear. The audio is a little low unless you're right on top of the camera, but the low audio is expected for a device that is more designed for picking up images. Check out the video below for how it looks.
There are also a bunch of various settings that can be accessed directly from the app, and the one I think is the coolest is the alarm feature. I did try it out, and basically it's a motion activated alarm that rings on the app when the camera detects motion. So, if you're using as a home surveillance camera, that's perfect. I haven't checked yet to see if the camera will automatically start recording when the alarm is triggered, but even if it does not do that, the app will notify the user and the user can than begin recording.
I haven't checked to see how far the range on the motion detector goes, but if any one is curious just let me know and I'll check. My wife wants to use this to spot porch pirates, so we may put it to the test ourselves.
The package came with a number of ways to use the camera: 1) mounted, 2) strapped to clothing, 3) on your wrist, 4) plugged into computer using goose neck.
1) The mount is magnetic and strong enough to work even if you have the clothing strap attached, and the package came with a number of adhesive circles so that you can place the mount at the location of your choosing. I haven't used the mount yet so I don't know how well the adhesive works yet. Pretty standard looking so I didn't take a separate picture.
2) The strap piece can be snapped onto the camera and then you can slide it onto your pants or on a shirt pocket. It is heavy, so I don't advise putting it on clothing if you will be doing any sort of drastic movement (i.e., running).
3) The wrist thing worked when you placed the magnetic (wireless) charger to the back. Then you slide that into the wrist strap. This is probably the best option for exercise, as it's secure on your wrist. HOWEVER, since it's attached via a magnet, you still would have to be relatively careful, as the magnet could detach if you're moving too much. The magnet is pretty strong so I doubt normal jogging would be dangerous, but that depends on how much you swing your arms.
4) plugged into the computer is my favorite, as the goose neck cord provides versatility in the angle while keeping the camera secure where you want it. Plus, it's plugged into a power source so it won't die (battery is reported as being 60-90 minutes of use time.
So far I like this camera, and for the price point it's a pretty good bargain. Click here to find it on Amazon. It's got pretty good reviews on there. As mentioned before, the problem most people seemed to have was with the app, but I haven't encountered any issues with it yet. Here's a break down of pros and cons. Pros: versatile, good picture quality, small, easy to use, multi-faceted and free app, no mandatory charge for cloud service. Cons: app drains battery and tries to run in the background, isn't always recording (when on it's live streaming, but you have to hit a button to make it record), small battery life.
If you're in the market for a versatile camera but don't want to spend an arm and a leg, then give the EsiCam a try.
