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Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 - Test of the completely wireless security camera

Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 - Test of the completely wireless security cameraScore 96%Score 96%

It doesn't need twenty, it doesn't need a wired network, you just screw it up and it works!

Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 - Test of the completely wireless security camera


 

Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 Camera - Introduction

Ever since I’ve been dealing with security cameras, many have asked if they could solve the installation of the camera in a place where no cable can be unplugged, and it’s also important that the camera remains discreet.

The latter is important because cameras with solar + battery power have already existed, but for these, due to the size of the solar cell, discreet placement was impossible from the outset. But now here’s the solution, the Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 camera solves every problem in one fell swoop.

The installation is simple, no external power is required, the battery is ticked for months, and of course it is connected to the Internet wirelessly. Security camera problem checked.

As an introduction, it is good to know that the manufacturer has hacked the money for this camera on the Indiegogo portal, which means that many people have pre-financed development and production due to its capabilities. Well, I’ll tell you so much in advance that they didn’t have to be disappointed, it got really good!


 

Packaging and accessories

Recently, we have become accustomed to manufacturers not pampering us with accessories. This is not a problem somewhere either, because things packed next to the products are often unnecessary, so they end up in the trash after a few years in a drawer.

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However, Xiaomi did not pack unnecessary things next to her camera. In the eye-catching, high-quality cardboard box, outside the camera, you will find a UTP cable, a USB cable, a charging head, a base for the equipment, the counterpart of which we have to screw or glue where we want to place the camera. There is also a 3M double-sided adhesive sheet, which is written on it as a gift. Thank You!

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There is also an English description, screws and dowels (very attentive) and last but not least a white box called the Gateway. I will talk about the role of this later.


 

Appearances

Let's start with the looks! The camera is compact as it measures just 14 x 7,3 x 4,7 centimeters and weighs only 270 grams. The outer cover is plastic, of course, but we get real Xiaomi quality for grip and feel. At the front of the camera (where elsewhere…) is the optics, and below it are the motion sensor and the infrared light source. Below these is the status LED.

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At the bottom, under a tilting, waterproof rubber cover, you will find the charger's USB connector, because this is something that sometimes needs to be charged. True, not too often, according to factory data, the built-in 5100 mAh battery ticks up for up to 3 months on a single charge.

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On the back of the camera is the screw thread of the wall mount and a speaker.

In terms of capabilities, it is important that the viewing angle of the optics is 120 degrees and the captured images are in full HD, i.e. 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution. The stream is compressed with the H.264 codec, it supports b / g / n standards from wifi connections.


 

Operation, commissioning

One of the most important features of the camera is that in the package (at least if we bought a good one), we also find a box called the Gateway next to the camera. In Hungarian it is called a gateway. Its role is to provide a connection between the camera and the local network, to make the signal flow more stable and uninterrupted.

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This Gateway is also a wireless-capable unit, but the manufacturer doesn’t accidentally add the UTP cable. It is recommended that you use this, not a wireless connection, to achieve the best possible quality. I would add to this that they are right, but if the wifi signal strength near the Gateway is good and we only use one camera, then wifi will be enough.

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You will already need the cable for more cameras. And here we come to the other very important thing, the IMILAB set can even work in four-camera mode. That is, a Gateway can handle four separate cameras. So you can already understand why you need the UTP cable in the package.

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It is important that the camera has IP66 water resistance, so it may be exposed to rain and snow, which will make it work.

The camera is easy to set up, it can be understood in the English description, it is described in kitchen language, what we have to do, so if you speak the language a little, you will understand things. I also describe it in Hungarian, after all, this is why the article was written so that you can decide whether or not you need the camera.

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So, like any Xiaomi smart device, you’ll need the Mi Home app on your phone, which is the hub of Xiaomi smart home. You install it, you create an MI Account (you register in Hungarian), then you start the program.

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The first step is to set up the Gateway. You turn on the power and press the power button on the back until the small LED on the front starts flashing yellow. Then in the MI Home app, you click on the plus sign at the top right and the program will search for the device. A few more clicks, you select which room the Gateway will be in (you can add new rooms with a Hungarian name), then you wait a few minutes for this to appear among the installed devices.

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The next step is to turn on the camera and press the power button until the small LED at the beginning starts blinking blue. You will then open the Gateway settings on your phone, click add camera, and the program will install the camera or cameras. You're ready!

There is not much to adjust after setting up the camera. Make sure human detection is turned on, if you want to record with a memory card, put a card in the Gateway's butt, if you need it, turn the send alarm feature on or off, and that's it. Our camera works!

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Again, the gear is not a big iron. The counterpart of the base can be screwed into place with two screws or with the supplied self-adhesive sheet, after which we just have to snap the camera with the base. Be careful when choosing a location for the camera to place it in a place that cannot be reached without a ladder, otherwise it is a loose movement and the burglar will already take it with you. True, there’s a good chance a portrait of him will be made in front of him, which we’ll see on our phone, but even then, I’d rather not take it.


 

Experiences

I’ve only been using the camera for a few days now, and in the first round I only ordered a one-piece set because I felt like in vain Xiaomi, I would rather try it first. For now, everything is okay, so I suspect I’m going to upgrade two more cameras, of course they won’t need Gateway.

As I wrote above, the equipment is a simple, roughly 5 minute stunt all around, and if we’ve already done the installation on a desktop beforehand, the camera can be used as well.

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Due to the cable-free, small size and easy installation, we can put the camera in places we have never thought of in our dreams. Even to the tree opposite our window, if you like, and from there the camera can see everything.

The obvious, or at least to me, was that a battery-powered camera isn’t for us to look at its image at 0-24. The great virtue of this camera is precisely its ability to run on a battery for months, however, it took some clever improvements to be able to do so.

One is that recording is made only when a person is detected. This practically means that the built-in artificial intelligence detects when a person is in the field of view and start recording. This obviously only works if one doesn’t get dressed as, say, a horse, so there are still gaps.

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The other important thing, at least according to the manufacturer's descriptions, is that using the Gateway results in a much more stable connection than if the camera were connected smoothly to the wifi network. This also has the advantage that fewer data packets have to be sent to the network, thus operating more economically.

I haven’t written yet about what recording options we get next to the Xiaomi IMILAB camera. Well, I mentioned above that we can use a memory card, but that’s the worse solution. It’s much better than that, the manufacturer provides us with cloud time for life time, and it does it for free. Okay, not free, the price of the camera is built in, but even then, it’s a frank thing because the recording will never be lost. Never in this case means roughly a week, approx. enough storage space is enough to store that many recordings. Pay attention to this if you want to archive one of the recordings and do not use a memory card!

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Once you have the recording. The image quality is good. The aperture is f / 2.6, which is a pretty good value, letting in quite a bit of light, so the images are usable (I almost wrote enjoyable) quality. Night shots are not bad either, because of the eight built-in infrared LEDs, the faces remain recognizable, of course not as much as in daylight.

A few words about the mobile app! The program, I mean the basic MI Home app I use every day, is still seamless. As is, of course, the camera software. From the fact that the battery operation was not invented for the 0-24 observation, we can even watch a live image on our phone if we like. We can hear the noise around the camera, and we can also talk through the camera through the built-in speaker. I note the volume is not very human.

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What I still tried was how long the distance between the Gateway and the camera could be. According to the manufacturer, it could be up to 100 meters, but it is suspected that the focus here will be on the word. It came to me at about 65-70 meters, at which point the signal was still stable. I note that this distance should be enough in most cases, because that way, with the help of the centered Gateway, we can place the camera anywhere within a 140-meter circle.

Of course, everyone should note that different landmarks, trees, walls, and more can reduce the distance available!


 

Summary

Xiaomi products are guaranteed to be disappointing, and there is no difference with the IMILAB EC2 security camera. Easy to install, easy to use. No need to adjust network settings, open ports, it just works.

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The camera image is of good quality, it is a great thing that we get free cloud service as well. Anyone who doesn’t have enough of it and wants to keep the recordings for a longer period of time can insert a memory card into the indoor Gateway.

This camera is not made for industrial purposes, but so that we can camera our home, our house, our immediate surroundings, and it is excellent for this task!

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The single-camera package can now also be purchased from a European warehouse for HUF 38, but if it is not urgent to arrive, we can buy it from the Chinese warehouse using the Email700 coupon code a bit cheaper. The coupon can also be used for a set of 5-2 or four cameras, or for a camera without a Gateway if you want to expand your existing system.

Buy here:

Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 camera set from EU stock

Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 camera set from Chinese stock

For a Chinese warehouse, choose EU Priority Line duty-free shipping!

 

 

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Evaluation

96%

Evaluation The Xiaomi IMILAB EC2 for home is the most practical solution if you are looking for a security camera. Easy to install, easy to install, easy to use, plus not too expensive. What more is needed?

External
100%
Knowledge, skills
95%
Usability
100%
Price
90%

About the Author

s3nki

Owner of the HOC.hu website. He is the author of hundreds of articles and thousands of news. In addition to various online interfaces, he has written for Chip Magazine and also for the PC Guru. For a time, he ran his own PC shop, working for years as a store manager, service manager, system administrator in addition to journalism.