INTRODUCTION

   The electronics industry is a non-stop rollercoaster so you can always rely on its countless people to design, develop and introduce new and innovative products to the market. Take for example IP cameras, not only did they make them more compact and PoE compatible to further simplify installation but right now there are even 8K resolution models available, some of which are even using A.I chips to accurately identify people, cars and animals. Still, what has impressed me even more is the somewhat recent introduction of outdoor floodlight camera models which can be used in dark areas both as means of illumination and of course surveillance (a far more effective one however compared to regular cameras). Netatmo released their very own smart outdoor camera line back in 2020 and today I’ll be testing the flagship model.

   Netatmo is a leading smart home company that creates simple and smart products for a safer, more comfortable home. Since its launch in 2011, Netatmo has been committed to designing products that are: 100% inclusive: no subscription fees or extra costs, 100% secure: data protection and privacy guaranteed and 100% upgradeable: free upgrades and features added regularly. To date, Netatmo has launched 13 smart home devices and accessories. Helpful and easy to use, these products make everyone’s daily life easier while improving well-being at home. In addition to its consumer product lines, the company collaborates with key leaders of the building industry through its “with Netatmo” program to develop smart solutions that integrate into the home’s infrastructure. In 2018, Netatmo joined the Legrand Group, a global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Netatmo, same home, just smarter.

   The smart outdoor camera line by Netatmo includes two identical models (available in black and white colors) one of which also sports an 105dB siren which as expected can be used to deter someone from breaking into your property (or alert people that someone's already inside). Aside the siren both models feature an 1080p (Full HD 1920x1080) resolution 4MP CMOS sensor with a viewing angle of 100 degrees (8x digital zoom - H.264 encoding), 12W dimmable LED floodlight (equivalent to a 120W halogen floodlight), IR night vision (15m/49ft), HZO nanocoated aluminum enclosure (UV and water proof, -20/+50 degrees Celsius working temperature), integrated microphone, microSD card slot (supports class 10 cards up to 32GB for local recording and no subscription fees) and 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz Wi-Fi (WEP/WPA/WPA2-personal - public hotspots are not supported). As with similar models the smart outdoor camera with siren is compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple Homekit and Google Assistant and via the Netatmo security Android/iOS app you can adjust all aspects of the camera including its recording resolution (216p 0.30Mbps/360p 0.84Mbps/720p 1.48Mbps/1080p 3.41Mbps), motion sensor sensitivity, LED floodlight intensity and various other recording preferences. So, let's see if the Netatmo Outdoor Camera with Siren is the ideal security system to install on your property.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

A large product picture is placed at the front of the box surrounded by the main product features and right over the company name.

The product specifications are printed on the left side in 6 languages.

Netatmo showcases the main tab of their app on the right side.

The main product features are also mentioned at the rear of the box.

Two thick foam spacers ensure that the camera is safely packed inside its box.

Along with the smart outdoor camera inside the box you'll also find 2 video surveillance warning stickers, 2D barcode paper (for app installation), card with reset code, mounting bracket, bag with screws, Allen key and the user guide.

\

THE SMART OUTDOOR CAMERA WITH SIREN

The aluminum enclosure of the smart outdoor camera with Siren measures 200mm in height, 110mm in depth and 50mm in width/thickness (the wall mount/cover is made out of plastic).

Behind the glass cover at the top of the floodlight there's a grand total of 10 small LEDs.

The camera lens is located underneath the floodlight and as mentioned later Netatmo has used an 4MP (megapixel) CMOS sensor that can record up to 1080p video (3.41Mbps max bitrate).

As expected, the siren is located at the rear of the enclosure right behind a mesh area.

Another plastic mesh area is located at the base of the enclosure.

You can remove this to access the microSD card slot.

When launched the Smart Outdoor Camera with Siren model came with an 8GB microSD card but as you can see it now has an 16GB one.

Just like every other floodlight out there (at least the ones i know of) the Netatmo model requires hardwiring to a 100-240V AC line.

NETATMO SECURITY APP

Installing the Netatmo security app is very easy as is adding the smart outdoor camera with siren in it (just pick it from the list an follow the steps pointed by the app).

Once you finish adding the camera the app with search for available firmware updates (this may take a few minutes to complete).

From my home menu you can change the alert and recordings settings, add a cloud account, add guest access and add more Netatmo products.

The alert and recordings tab allows you to adjust how the device should behave when detecting people, cars and animals (you can also set biometric authentication for accessing the Netatmo security app).

From the live feed tab, you can enable the siren, enable/disable monitoring, set alert zones and turn on/off the LED floodlight.

Inside the camera settings you can change the feed orientation (if you mount the camera upside down), enable/disable microphone and set an security code for when you enable/disable monitoring.

You can check the firmware version and Wi-Fi signal from the main settings tab.

Finally, there's an option which allows you to change the intensity of the LED floodlight.

AUDIO / VIDEO QUALITY

Due to the fact that i had no exterior spot to mount the smart outdoor camera with siren by Netatmo i decided to test it the same way i do internal/interior models. Unfortunately, because i had to store some things at home (screens placed in black bags) there's not quite the same amount of light reaching the camera from the window (as did with other models) so although day image quality is not very good it's also my fault (still, i was clearly expecting better results).

During the night the camera can be used with 2 different ways, either with the built-in IR LEDs or the LED floodlight. The IR LEDs do a descent job as you can see from the above pictures and should easily illuminate an area of 10 meters (perhaps as much as 15).

On the other hand, the LED floodlight is quite sufficient to fill a large room (if it was placed higher, you’d see it better). Yes, it’s not the most powerful out there (12W can’t do miracles after all) and for some strange reason Netatmo decided to use warm temperature LEDs (around 2700k if i had to guess, perhaps even less) but it gets the job done (and is obviously better to have it than not at all).

Also, worth pointing out is that you can also add custom alert-zones on the live feed.

CONCLUSION

   Netatmo released their Smart Outdoor Camera with Siren model just over 2 years ago and even though back then it was a very strong product right now i really think it's in need of two minor upgrades. For one even though the 4MP CMOS sensor is more than sufficient for such a camera as you can see in the previous page the end result could be a lot better. Now i don't know if that's due to the resolution (although for a wireless model 1080p is still the preferred resolution even for the latest models), the chip itself or the tiny lens but improving on this should be the manufacturer's highest priority. Using a 2700k LED floodlight (at least that's what i think they used, could be slightly less) may be softer/gentler on the eyes but for me it just doesn't look nice so this is also not something i was expecting, not when most recent floodlights use over 4000k (some even allow you to adjust the temperature to your liking). Of course, this is just my personal preference but a user adjustable light temperature would probably attract more potential buyers. That aside video quality is satisfactory, audio quality is better than most similar models (the ones I’ve used anyways), the LED floodlight is quite strong (you can also adjust its intensity) and the siren is really annoying, even from 10 meters away (so it gets the job done). The available motion sensor settings however are not something I’ve seen in the past, not in such degree/detail (different recording and LED parameters for cars, people, animals and general objects) and so i expect many people to like this as well. Local recording is always a good thing but that’s something most models feature right now as well.

   Price is something i really hope Netatmo looks into especially since currently the smart outdoor camera with siren retails for no less than USD331.66 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and 317.57Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de). For some people this may not be an issue but based on what you’re getting in return (and at least until and if Netatmo improves on the product itself) i really think they should on it. That being said however i am generally satisfied with the performance of this product, it could had been better yes but it’s still a very good outdoor camera model and for that it gets the Golden Award.

PROS

- Good Video Quality (1080p / 4MP)
- Motion Sensor Sensitivity (Can Detect Humans, Animals & Cars)
- HZO Weatherproof Aluminum Enclosure
- 12W LED Floodlight (Adjustable Intensity)
- Built In Siren (105dB)
- Microphone Clarity
- Micro SD Card Slot (Local Recording / 32GB Max)
- Netatmo Security Android / iOS App

CONS

- Overall Video Quality
- Floodlight Temperature (For Some)
- Price (For Some)