Baseus N1 review: This security camera could be smarter

At a glance

Expert's Rating

Pros

Cons

Our Verdict

The N1 Outdoor Camera is a decent start for this new security brand, but it needs significant improvements to compete with the likes of Arlo and Eufy.

Price When Reviewed

$199.99

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Retailer Price

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The Baseus N1 Outdoor Security Camera is a two-camera kit from the new brand Baseus Security. The system, which includes a hub with onboard storage, promises comprehensive security coverage with crystal clarity.

In testing, though, the N1 displayed some issues that indicate it is still a work in progress.

Design

Taking obvious design cues from similar products by Arlo and Eufy, the Baseus N1 Security camera is compact and cube-shaped, with a matte white finish and black face. It features a 145-degree wide-angle lens with a 3-megapixel sensor and records in 2K resolution with an 8X digital zoom.

The N1 is designed for outdoor use, with an IP67 rating indicating resistance to dust and water (read more about IP ratings). This makes it capable of withstanding various weather conditions, from rain to extreme temperatures ranging from -20°C to 50°C.

Each camera is powered by a 7800-mAh battery that promises up to 210 days of operation on a single charge, minimizing the need for frequent maintenance. The feature set is basic, including only motion detection, black-and-white and color night vision, and two-way audio.

Baseus

The Homestation serves as the control hub for the Baseus N1 Security Camera. It comes with a built-in 10,000-mAh battery, providing backup power during outages, and 16GB of built-in eMMC storage expandable up to 16TB, which mitigates the lack of a cloud storage offering. The Homestation can manage up to four cameras simultaneously, offering centralized control and monitoring through the Baseus app. However, Baseus doesn’t currently sell add-on cameras and hasn’t indicated when they might become available.

Setup and installation

Before installing the two cameras, you have to set up the Homestation and sync each camera to it. You’ll need to plug in the Homestation and connect it to your router with the supplied ethernet cable, then download the Baseus Security app and register an account.

There’s a sync button on the back of the Homestation you press to initiate the setup process, and the app takes over from there, scanning for the device and prompting you through the setup steps. You follow a similar process to sync the cameras to the Homestation.

Should you decide to expand the Homestation’s storage with an external hard drive, you’ll want to complete that step before connecting it to your router. It’s a simple procedure that requires a screwdriver to remove the hard drive enclosure, secure the drive, and put the enclosure back in place.

After the cameras are paired, you can mount them in your desired locations. Each camera comes with a bracket that can be mounted on wood, concrete, stucco, or brick, and then screwed into the back of the camera.

Baseus

Performance

The N1’s image quality is generally solid but distorts significantly when using digital zoom. After mounting the cameras to monitor my two backyard gates, I simulated several intrusions by walking through them. The distance from each camera to the gate is about 20 feet, far enough that I had to zoom in to get a close look at my face, but my features were too pixelated to identify, as was the writing on my t-shirt.

The issue was compounded when black-and-white night vision was active, with facial features becoming a grainy blur. Only when I captured footage within a couple of feet of the camera did I feel confident I had good enough forensic detail to turn over to the authorities, and that’s a bit too close for comfort.

The N1 detects only general motion and human movement. There’s currently no support for vehicle, package, pet, or facial detection, though that could change with future updates. You can create motion zones and adjust detection sensitivity in the app to minimize the frequency of false alerts.

At the default detection sensitivity—3 on a scale of 1-5—I found the N1 to be vigilant enough without bombarding me with alerts. But the accuracy of the N1’s object recognition varied widely, depending largely on proximity to the camera. The farther away I was, the more likely I’d be identified as a generic “moving object.” I had a better chance of being recognized as human if I was within a couple of feet of the camera, although the AI was still inconsistent.

Mobile app

The Baseus Security app has a simple, straightforward layout that allows you to easily find what you need without having to rummage through multiple menu layers. Camera controls are clearly labeled beneath the live feed and video recordings are accessed through a calendar icon. Clips are displayed in a list with the most recent at the top.

Michael Ansaldo/Foundry

The camera settings menu lets you adjust video and audio settings, manage battery power, and calibrate motion detection. Given the N1’s rudimentary feature set, you’re limited to 2 or three options for each of these.

Should you buy the Baseus N1 Outdoor Security Camera?

With a $200 asking price and no cloud subscription fees, the N1 is undoubtedly an attractive outdoor security solution. But there are some clear areas where it needs to be improved. Motion detection is too limited in what it can recognize and far too finicky about correctly identifying what it can. The image quality can use some tweaking, as well, to bring it up to par with other 2K cameras.

Judgment should be tempered a bit because this is a new camera from a new brand and these issues can, and probably will, be resolved in future updates. If you don’t want to take that chance though, there are plenty of ready-for-primetime options in our home security camera buying guide.