If you buy a security camera, your first decision may be to choose between a wired and a wireless model. Both have their advantages. A wired camera offers security in that, once it’s installed, you won’t need to worry about changing and charging batteries. However, it may require professional installation. At the very least, you’ll need to be prepared to put in some time and effort to set it up.
Wireless cameras, on the other hand, are often cheaper and easier to install.
The Cell 3C is a wireless, outdoor camera that’s been designed to provide the best of both worlds, for home security you can rely on. It’s made by IMOU, a smart home brand founded in 2015 that specialises in innovative home security tech. Here’s what the Cell 3C can offer – and all for a phenomenal price.
Quick installation
The Cell 3C can be installed in just three minutes – and you don’t need any specialist tools or knowledge. All you need to do is screw in the camera bracket and then fit the camera. You can install it anywhere: roofs, walls or poles (the latter with the use of nylon bar tape). All you need is to ensure that the camera is within range of your home Wi-Fi network.
IMOU
The camera is waterproof enough to withstand a strong spray of rain, and IP66 weatherproof, which means it’s fully sealed against dust. It can comfortably operate in temperatures from -20°C to 50°C (-4°F-122°F).
IMOU
Inside is space for an SD card, in case you don’t want to subscribe to IMOU’s cloud service. If you do opt for the subscription, IMOU’s cloud storage package allows you to filter alerts for vehicles, pets, and other targets.
A reassuringly detailed view
If you’re used to the view from a standard, 1080-pixel camera, the Cell 3C’s 2K image quality – a much higher 2304 x 1296 pixels – will remove a lot of fuzz and uncertainty. You’ll be able to identify people much more easily and you can use the digital zoom to enlarge an image and see more detail.
When it gets dark, you can choose from one of four night vision modes to tailor the view to your needs and ensure you maximise battery life without missing a thing.
In smart mode, you’ll get black and white night vision, but when the sensors detect suspicious movement, the spotlights will switch on and you’ll get a full-colour view of what’s happening. In colour mode, the spotlights remain on, lighting up your outside space and giving you a constant, clear view of events. There’s also an infrared mode that uses advanced IR algorithms to provide clear black and white imagery, even in total darkness. You can also opt to switch off the spotlights and night vision.
Fewer maintenance worries
The camera’s large 5000mAh battery can last for up to 120 days, which means you’ll only need to charge it three times a year. The camera’s energy use is accurately monitored, and you’ll get an alert when the battery drops to 20%, 10% and 5%, so you’ll be notified when the battery level is low. This will give you plenty of time to charge it so it’s ready to protect your home if you’re going to be away.
In August, the Cell 3C Kit will become available. This pairs the camera with a solar panel to provide another layer of protection and almost endless power, as the camera is always supported by solar energy charging. The kit helps to make the Cell 3C more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly.
Fewer false alarms
Thanks to its PIR (passive infrared) technology and human detection system, you won’t get an alert every time a tree branch waves, or a fox crosses the garden within the camera’s range. Instead, the PIR wakes up the camera when abnormal heat sources are first detected and then uses an algorithm to filter out non-human heat sources, so you’re alerted only when you need to be, and not when the camera catches a bird or an insect. The detection distance is up to 9m after correct installation and its accuracy is more than 95%.
There are also options to tailor what the camera sees – and what it doesn’t. If you want to protect your privacy, for example, when your children are playing in the garden, just turn on Privacy Mode. You won’t be bombarded by alerts and your children’s activities won’t be recorded.
IMOU
You can also customise the camera’s detection zone in the app, so that when these key areas are triggered, you’ll receive alerts right away. If, for example, you set your swimming pool as the detection zone, when someone breaks into the pool or falls into the water you’ll receive an alert immediately. If you set the gate and garage as the detection zone, you will be alerted when someone approaches or breaks in.
There’s also the option to schedule the times of day when alerts occur, so you can begin to receive alerts once you’ve gone to work, or after the children have left for school.
Another layer of protection
The Cell 3C is more than just a camera. It features two-way talk, so you can speak to visitors to your home or garden. You can use it to talk to your children in the garden or tell a courier where to leave a package. You can even use this feature remotely, so no one knows if you’re home or not.
But you don’t need to speak to visitors as yourself. Instead, you can choose a male or a robotic voice to obscure your identity – a reassuring feature for anyone in the house alone.
IMOU
You can also choose to pre-record a greeting to welcome visitors to your home or warn intruders to leave. The camera is also equipped with a loud 110dB siren and a spotlight to deter intruders.
Finally, we come to the price, which is very competitive for its feature set. You can buy the IMOU Cell 3C now from Amazon for only £39.99. The Cell 3C Kit with solar panel will be available from August.
