Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i Review: Feature-Packed Yet Affordable

Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i Key Specifications

• Camera Sensor & Resolution: 2MP, 1080p
• Lens Angle: 360° horizontal view, 108° vertical view
• Storage- MicroSD card (up to 32 GB supported)
• Cloud Storage Support:  Yes (Free seven-days motion triggered videos)
• Video Encoding:  H.265
• Wireless Connection- 2.4GHz, (No 5GHz Support)
• App Support- Yes, Android 4.4 or iOS 9.0 and above
• Product net weight: 254g
• Operating Temperature: -10°C~40°C

 

How To Setup Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i

The Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i can be installed upright or in upside down position. Thanks to the rotation base, the camera can be placed on a table, window, ceiling, or wall. Make sure you install the camera at a spot where it can make a full rotation to give you a 360-degree view for better house surveillance.

Since the camera unit doesn't come with any water/splash resistance ratings, you must install it indoors or under proper protection from any possible water damage. The lack of IP ratings surely restricts the security camera's functionality for outdoor surveillance.

Once you have installed the camera unit, setting it up takes less than five minutes, provided that you are installing the camera in a stable Wi-Fi connection zone.

Follow the below-mentioned steps to the Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i

• Scan the QR code placed at the bottom of the camera unit. In case, you can't reach the website, directly install the Mi Home app from the Google Play Store.
• Sign in with your Mi account, or create one if you don't have a Xiaomi account.
• Connect the microUSB cable to the camera port and plug in the adaptor to the power source.
• Open the app and follow the on-screen steps. If the app couldn't recognize the camera by default, tap on the '+' icon at the top-right corner to add a new device.
• Make sure the camera and the smartphone (with the companion app) are in the same stable Wi-Fi zone.
• Select the camera once it shows in the app and give it a name and set a location (Living room, bedroom, balcony, etc.)

Once you have set up the camera, you can start accessing its features and different functions. There's a long list of features that this pocket-friendly camera supports. Below are some of the features of the Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i.

Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i Features

• The Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i supports human detection, two-way real-time calls, and can see in darkness, thanks to the 940nm infrared LEDs.
• The Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i also works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Once connected, you can simply ask the security camera to start video recording or take a snapshot.
• The security camera can be remotely controlled by the Mi Home app. You can check the footage, set preferred recording times, customize the camera sensor angle, and view historic recordings on the app.
• Xiaomi also offers a PC/desktop app for the new security camera. All you need to do is download the .exe file of the app from the mi.com app page. Install and login with your Mi account and the linked camera will appear on the app's home page. The desktop app also allows you to record videos, take snapshots of the video feed and control most camera features.
• The security camera supports three storage methods. You can use a microSD card (up to 32GB), use NAS storage to save gigabytes of data, or can use Xiaomi's cloud service. The company is offering a free 7-day rolling cloud storage of motion-triggered video clips.

Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i Video Recording Performance

The 2MP camera sensor is capable of recording 1080p videos with good overall picture quality. Colors are captured well and the footage shows enough details to help you make out human faces, clothes patterns, and other important details from a surveillance perspective. You can also enable the 'Wide Dynamic Range Mode' from the image settings in the companion app to experience better colors and overall exposure with uneven lighting.

Since the camera unit has a dual motor head, it can capture a full 360° horizontal view as well as a 108° vertical view giving you a full view of the entire room or of the specific location the camera has been installed to monitor. You can even zoom in and out on the real-time footage to check any particular spot in the frame, which comes in very handy during surveillance.

Night Vision Mode

Additionally, the camera has invisible 940nm infrared LEDs that make it possible to capture decent night-time footage. The WDR doesn't work with the night-time footage but the black and white feed looks clear and shows decent details.

Moving on, the human detection mode works pretty well and sends a notification on the app whenever the security camera detects a human figure. Lastly, you can also make two-way voice calling on the camera with the help of a connected smartphone via the Mi Home app. The audio quality is decent but could have been better.

Verdict

The Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i is a no-brainer at its asking price. The pocket-friendly home security camera is packed with several features that are usually offered on high-end surveillance cameras. The easy installation and setup process is the icing on the cake. If you are looking for an affordable home surveillance solution, the Xiaomi 360° Home Security Camera 1080p 2i is your best shot.