INTRODUCTION

   If you follow one of the large news organizations like CNN, FOX and BBC (either from their own sites or in social media like Facebook) then you've probably seen numerous videos recorded by home security cameras. Unfortunately, these are our times and with crime rates rising all over the globe people have more need today than ever before to feel safe, especially in their homes. Now the good news is that countless manufacturers have noticed this as well so there's a very large number of security cameras available around for everyone. This includes both expensive and inexpensive models and even though the latter may not offer the same video and audio quality as the former (nor the same features) they just might be exactly what people on tight budgets are looking for. Today's review is about one such security camera and more specifically the HM302 Smart Wi-Fi model by HeimVision.

   Here at HeimVision, we believe that everyone of us deserves a safer world, to smile freely and to share willingly. We aim at making the world a safer place by providing exceptional home security solutions - This has always remained the core motivation that kept us moving forward and our products evolving. Up till now, we have gained recognition from many of our happy customers. Our HM241 NVR system and HM211 outdoor camera were certificated "Best Seller" on major e-commerce platforms - We are grateful for all these and can't wait to put smile on more faces. Covering two product categories for the moment, we put full dedication to new product innovation just to make the world a safer place.

   The HeimVision HM302 is a compact IP camera that features a black glossy plastic enclosure which houses a motorized head (350 degrees pan/100 degrees tilt function), 3 megapixel 1/3" full color CMOS sensor (2048x1536p resolution/110 degrees viewing angle/f:3.6mm/8x digital zoom), single IR LED (night vision up to 10 meters/32 feet), micro SD card slot (compatible with cards up to 128GB in capacity) and both a speaker and a microphone (for two way audio/communication). Unlike many similar models however the HM302 features both wired (RJ45 10/100Mbps) and wireless (2.4G 802.11b/g/n) connectivity for every situation. The camera can be controlled from your smartphone and/or tablet via the MIPC Android/iOS app and is compatible with Amazon's Alexa.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

As expected at the front of the box we see a product picture, the company logo and the main product features.

The proper topology and two 2D barcodes for the MIPC app are located on the left side.

The complete features list is located on the right side of the box.

Printed at the rear of the box are the contents of the bundle along with several certifications.

Once you open up the box you will find the HM302 Smart Wi-Fi Camera, plastic wall mount with screws, RJ45 flat cable, micro USB cable with power adapter (EU in our sample), thank you paper, coupon for your next purchase and the quick start guide.

THE HM302

The black glossy plastic body of the HM302 Smart Wi-Fi Camera measures roughly 121mm in height and 86mm in diameter.

With a viewing angle of around 110 degrees, 2k resolution and a single IR LED the HM302 may not compete with expensive models but should be plenty for "basic" in-house use.

The microphone is located on the lower right of the camera whereas the speaker is located on the left side.

Moving at the rear we see the micro USB power port, micro SD card slot, reset button and the RJ45 LAN port.

The base is perforated and here we also see 4 small round rubber feet, wall mount port, two screw holes again for wall mounting (strangely enough the screws in the bundle don't fit) and a sticker with the user name and password for the web interface.

MIPC APP

The MIPC is a unified app which in this case means it can be used with numerous products (and not just by HeimVision).

After you choose the model from the list and follow a couple of steps you will need to choose the desired connection (strangely enough regardless of the type video quality remains the same - still for stability wired connectivity is always best, if available).

In order to complete setting up the camera you will need to place your smartphone next to it as seen above.

The settings menu is very easy to use so from here you can adjust the time and date, check and perform firmware updates, restore factory settings, change the password, choose the desired recording mode, adjust the sound and face detection feature, enable/disable the microSD card slot, use a cloud record box (if available - to my knowledge HeimVision doesn't have this in their product lines), check the status of the ethernet and Wi-Fi connections, adjust the information shown on the screen, set the speaker and microphone levels, change the frequency, adjust the motion detection sensitivity and enable/disable the device power on LED (useful if you want people to think the camera isn't operational).

Just in case some of you are wondering this is how the web interface looks like (has the same number of settings as the MIPC app, just not as easy/fast to access/use).

IMAGE QUALITY

As with past in-door cameras i placed the HM302 at home and as you can see from the above picture image/video quality is relatively good (still with the bitrate/bandwidth hardly ever climbing over 600kB don't expect miracles).

By touching once on the screen of your smartphone/tablet the options will pop and from here you can mute audio, record what you see, grab a snapshot, speak, ring the alarm and open the video settings.

You may need to play around with the settings a bit as i did to find the optimal video results.

By touching the 3MP area of the screen you will be able to switch video quality (i found no reason to do this during tests mainly because the bitrate differences are very small between the presets).

Here you can see how the single IR LED performs at night and with no light sources in the room (distance between the camera and the opposite wall is roughly 6.5 meters).

CONCLUSION

   First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room and so the HM302 Smart Wi-Fi Camera is obviously a product which you may also find under other brand names (I did but HeimVision offers it for a much better price). This of course is not bad since it’s been happening a lot in the electronics industry (especially lately) but I feel that I need to point this out prior to moving forward. With this out of the way as you clearly tell from the image quality pictures the camera offers nothing exceptional in this area (i hope HeimVision can improve this with a firmware update), it’s good and should be more than enough for indoor use but If you pay way too much attention to detail this is clearly not the product for you. Same with the night vision mode since again the camera performs as expected from a single IR LED model. However, because of the rather low bitrate/bandwidth this camera produces there are almost no delays in picture no matter how (wired or wirelessly) or where you access it from (locally or remotely). Some delay does exist when trying to use the pan/tilt feature but that’s to be expected (has happened to me with much more expensive models). Unfortunately, in order to access the saved data on the micro SD card you need to download the SDTool software from the MIPC website and really that’s hardly convenient (not like this tool is linked somehow to your account and thus can’t be used by another person).

   As mentioned earlier HeimVision offers the HM302 Smart Wi-Fi Camera for less compared to other brands and so currently you can find it for just USD49.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 49.99Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). Yes you can probably find lower-cost models with similar specifications (focus on the similar part cause most are 2MP and not 3MP ones) but I do think that the HM302 offers a very good price/performance ratio which is why I strongly recommend checking it out if you’re in the market for an affordable indoor Wi-Fi camera.

PROS

- Pan/Tilt Function (350/100 Degrees)
- 3MP Sensor
- Wired & Wireless Use
- Easy to Use App
- Cloud Recording Service Available (Extra)
- Price (For Some)

CONS

- Overall Image Quality
- Software Required to Access Recordings