Table of Contents
Netatmo Cameras Review: In-Depth
These cameras are packed with all kinds of innovative security features. Their face recognition system is the one that stands out the most, but there are plenty more. Explore all of them in this Netatmo review.
Key Features: What Makes It Stand Out
- Video motion detection
- Face recognition review
- 1080p resolution video
- Event-triggered recording
- Dropbox compatibility
- Integration with other platforms, like Amazon Alexa
Background Information
This is a French company that has been providing intelligent home solutions since 2011. Fred Potter and Jean-Pierre Dumolard founded the video company. Its products vary from security cameras and smoke detectors to thermostats and weather sensors.
In 2018, it was acquired by Legrand, another French group that wanted to get into the automation market. They have kept the original name of the brand because of its great reputation in the security field.
Their most popular products in 2021 are their best intelligent cameras and sensors. They have perfected a face recognition algorithm and automation technology, which makes these products among the best in their fields. But the company actually started selling weather stations, which they still do.
Face recognition software is one of the features that make this brand stand out. It is among the most accurate in the field, allowing to boost a house’s security.
Features in Detail: More Than Expected
This company offers deals on some of the best devices in the field. They cover all the basics required to provide good security, as well as include some more advanced features. Explore below all this system has to offer.
Monitoring: Good Performance
The Netatmo smart indoor camera is ideal for those who want to monitor their homes on slow connections. Even if the Internet works at only 2.5 Mbps, one can get footage at 720p.
There may be some lag of a few seconds, but it usually does not go above 10 seconds. The good part is that it does not stutter when showing the video.
On the negative side, there is no native option to take a screenshot or record as one watches, which makes the monitoring quite limited.
Design: Blends Seamlessly
The design of the Netatmo smart indoor camera stands out because of its simplicity. It is 6 inches tall and less than 2 inches wide, and weighs only 14 ounces. This makes it one of the lightest and most compact in the market. It has a cylindrical shape, which makes it very good looking and helps it combine with the rest of the home.
It has the cam on the front, in the upper half, and a small hole with the mic inside in the bottom quarter. Its muted golden colour makes it fit in almost any space and match the rest of the gadgets.
Performance: Sharp and Smooth
The overall performance of the Netatmo smart camera is quite good. It captures a lot of detail with daylight and plays very smoothly if the connection is strong. It can even pick up on grains of sand on the floor.
The night vision is quite sharp too, but it only works in black and white. While the footage is live, there usually is a little lag, but nothing too bad.
Face Detection: Works Every Time
The Netatmo cameras review faces and say who they belong to if the person has been saved. When it detects a new face, the app gives the option to save it, forget it, or indicate it is not a face if that is the case.
If the user creates a new profile, one can set its profile pic, its name, and tweak different settings. For example, the owner can set the Netatmo smart indoor camera to start recording or send a notification when a specific person arrives at the place.
This is very useful in case someone suspicious has moved into the neighbourhood, for example.
Home Integration: Rather Limited
This is the area where the Netatmo smart indoor camera does not perform as well. It is compatible with the IFTTT app, and it allows users to create some of their own triggers and actions and Amazon Alexa. Yet, it only permits this in a limited manner. There are many things that cannot be done with this or any other app.
Those who aim at having a completely intelligent home should know that some other competitors do better in this regard. While this one is compatible with some tools, it is rather limited.
It also includes integrations with the Facebook Messenger Bot and Gideon. But these apps are not designed to help with monitoring, so they are of little use in this regard. Hopefully, the brand will expand its list of integrations in the future.
Storage: Enough for Most
Every recorded footage goes into a microSD card. The best way to be able to keep more recordings is by having many memories at hand, which can be found on Amazon. It already comes with a card of 8GB, but it can support up to 32 GB. When it is full, it will start overwriting old videos. So, make sure to change the memory before this happens.
The Netatmo smart outdoor camera also deals with some space on the cloud to save the screenshots it takes every time it detects a face. And videos can also be saved to one’s own Dropbox account if necessary.
Dropbox Uploads: A Useful Addition
This feature is a favourite of those who do not want to be changing one SD card after the other. It is very simple to set up and utilize. After signing in, people have the option to select at which quality the recording of the Netatmo smart outdoor camera should be saved.
It is also possible to indicate if the videos should always be uploaded or only when no one is at home. In this way, clients can save some could space.
Smartphone App: Know Everything on the Go
If the Netatmo security camera detects something suspicious, it will send a notification to the owner to let him know. These alerts are only used when necessary, and they are easy to see and understand on the go. It can even say who the person that entered the apartment if they are registered is.
Equipment Installation
The brand not only offers the Netatmo camera. There are plenty of other products in their catalogs that are well worth checking out. To know what every device in their store has to offer, read on.
Indoor Camera: High-Quality Protection for the Inside
In contrast to most other devices in this field, the Netatmo smart indoor camera detects intruders, not only movements. This is to say that it reviews if the person that activated the cam is someone known or not. In this way, one does not get scared unnecessarily just because the dog walked in front of the sensor.
This means better privacy too. Since it will not send an alert every time a member of the family does something, everyone can just do their things without feeling like part of “Big Brother” or the news.
It is also compatible with many different devices, including tablets and phones with different operative systems, like Apple and Android.
The cam’s extra-wide 130-degree field of view will allow recording almost everything that goes on in an ample space. Yet, the image may get a bit distorted towards the edges of the frame.
This camera is prone to adding a “fish-eye” effect that may affect the quality of the recording. While this adds a wider field of view, it also deforms the image a bit.
- Camera: 4mpx
- Resolution: 1920×1080
- Compatibility: iOS 10 and Android 5.0 and above
- Size: 1.8 x 1.8 x 1.6 in
Outdoor Camera: Sturdy and Reliable
The Netatmo smart outdoor camera was designed to help protect people’s homes from the outside. It includes its own lighting to help get better image quality and also sends alerts if it detects movements. Whether it is an unknown person or a car, the user will receive a notification on his phone letting him know about it.
The light it includes is useful not only for low light settings but also illuminate one’s path when going home. The Netatmo smart outdoor camera complies with HZO, which means that it will last for a long time.
No subscription is needed to store the videos locally, which means that it is not necessary to pay any fees. Also, the cam can be installed in under one hour, which indicates that it is very easy to do.
- Resolution: 1080p Full HD
- Detection up to 65 ft
- Digital zoom x8
- Night vision up to 49 ft
Smart Alarm System with Camera: A Bit of Everything
This system includes an HD cam that reviews every suspicious news that goes on at home in detail and deals with it. As soon as it detects something out of place, even an apple, it will send the news to the phone of the owner. There are two types of devices, one for indoors and the other for outdoors.
Smoke Alarm: Fires Stay Away
This gadget includes a photoelectric smoke detector for more accuracy. As soon as a fire starts, the alarm deals with it by going off and sending a notification straight to the Apple phone.
This allows every owner to help get the fire put off by calling the firefighters or a neighbour, even if one is not at home.
Smart Video Doorbell: No More Missed Packages
The Netatmo doorbell alarm reviews the surroundings and permits seeing who is at the door, even when one is not home. It even allows talking to them from one’s phone. This is particularly useful when the homeowner is about to receive a package and wants to give instructions to the mailman to avoid missing the delivery.
Smart Indoor Siren: Scare Them Off
By increasing the Netatmo presence in the home with this device, it is much easier to scare burglars off. As the siren teams up with the camera, it will know when an unknown face goes into the house and triggers a strong 110 dB alarm.
The brand assures that the siren does not go off because of family members, pets, or any saved face.
Smart Door and Window Sensors: No One Breaks in
These detectors will send an alert even before the intruder can break into the house. They know when someone is trying to get into the house and notifies everyone about it so one can prevent it.
It will also let people know whether the doors and windows are shut or not, which comes in handy when one deals with this while being away.
Installation and Performance
Setting up a Netatmo camera is super simple. It can be done from any iPhone or Android phone. The steps are
- Downloading the app.
- Create an account with an email address and a password.
- Follow the instructions on the screen.
This will take no more than two minutes, and after it, the cams will be ready to be used. The best part is that one can set up both a cellular connection and Wi-Fi for better connectivity.
Once all this is done, one should go and connect the account on the computer. In this way, he will be able to access all the footage from the browser.
Just bear in mind that the device could take some time to show up on the web app. So, if it is not there from the beginning, do not despair and wait for a few hours for the system to sync.
Netatmo Cameras Price Packages
Though this brand offers a wide variety of products, the two more popular ones are its cameras. These have their own features that make them ideal for different situations. For example, the one prepared for the outdoors is more sturdy and deals well with the weather.
But the one designed to be on the inside has an ampler field of view. Discover below the other main differences.
| Smart Indoor Camera | Smart Outdoor Camera | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199.99 | $299.99 |
| Resolution | 1080p | 1080p |
| Megapixels | 4 | 4 |
| Weather-resistant | No | Yes |
| Compatibility | iOS and Android 5.0 | iOS and Android 5.0 |
| Field of view | 130 degrees | 100 degrees |
| Face recognition | Yes | No |
| Night vision | Yes | 49ft |
| Detection range | 65ft | 65ft |
| Siren | Add-on | No |
| Integrated lighting | No | Yes |
Smart Indoor Camera
The Netatmo smart indoor camera was designed to protect homes from the inside. This is why it was equipped with a powerful face recognition system to avoid sending alarms every time a member of the family passes by. In this way, everyone will feel more comfortable in terms of privacy.
Pros:
- Field of view of 130 degrees
- Cam of 4mpx
- Resolution of 1920×1080
- Compatible with iOS 10 and Android 5.0 and above
Cons:
- Not very sturdy
- Distorted image towards the edges
Smart Outdoor Camera
The Netatmo smart outdoor camera was specifically prepared to guard the house regardless of the weather conditions. For this, it was prepared to withstand rain, wind, and snow.
It also includes a set of lights to help illuminate one’s path when getting back home and to surprise burglars who may try to sneak in. Yet, it does not include a siren. So, besides trying to scare them off, there is not much more this cam can do, like alerting the neighbours.
Pros:
- Weather-resistant
- Lighting system
- 1080p resolution
- Night vision
Cons:
- No facial recognition
- No siren
Equipment Prices
This brand lists many more gadgets in its catalog besides the security gadgets. They are all quite reliable, but usually a bit pricey. Check out below what each has to offer.
Smart Alarm System with Camera – $399.99
This package includes all the necessary products to protect one’s home. Get the door and window alarm, the indoor and outdoor devices, together with a siren. In this way, the house will be protected from any angle.
Smart Smoke Alarm – $99.99
This highly durable alarm has a battery that lasts for 10 years for better protection. Every time it detects a fire, it will set off an 85 dB alarm and send notifications to the phone of the owner and his family to let them know.
Smart Indoor Siren – $99.99
Sometimes, detecting burglars is not enough. One may also need to scare them away. This gadget is ideal for that. As soon as someone breaks in, it will go off and alert anyone closeby so that the thief gets scared and runs away.
Smart Door and Window Sensors – $129.99
This device is set up next to every possible entry point. It detects every movement that takes place so that, if someone tries to break in, they will find themselves in problems due to loud sirens that may go off. The owner will also receive a notification on their phones.
Smart Weather Station – $179.99
The weather station will provide detailed info about the home’s climate measurements on a smartphone. It will analyze all the info coming from indoors and outdoors and send alerts if something out of the ordinary is going on.
Ease of Use
The system is very simple. The setup process takes less than one hour, and then the rest is done automatically. The Netatmo cameras review everything that goes on at home and send an alert if a suspicious face enters the frame.
The cams work together with the siren and the sensors to ensure no one can break into the home. And if they do, the owner will know straight away. The only thing for him to do is call the police.
Customer Experience
The company is among the best-regarded in its field. In contrast to some competitors, they do not aim at squeezing their customers with high monthly fees. Yet, the pricing of the equipment is rather high. But most people do not care much about this due to the quality they offer. To see what they have to say, read on!
Terms and Guarantees
The company does offer refunds if one is not happy with the product and says so within 60 days after receiving it. When this time passes, it may be possible to get the money, but only under some circumstances. First, they will try to get the customer to accept a replacement. If the problem was some broken part, this would work well. But, those who want their money back will have to insist a little.
The other case in which they reimburse the money is when the product is not delivered within 30 days. When that happens, the client is backed up by the law, and he can get the same exact amount he paid.
Customer Support
The main way that this brand has to give support to their clients is through their help center. There, they have compiled the most common questions that customers have together with some useful articles. If the client wants to get in touch with a representative, he will need to log into his account and contact the support service from there.
Reviews
Past clients usually praise the quality of this brand in terms of face recognition. They claim that it usually recognizes all the faces right. Besides, the image quality is sharp and accurate.
There are only two things that some people say could be better. One is that the image gets distorted towards the edges of the frame due to the ample field of view. And the other one is that the app sometimes sends too many alerts if there is a party at home and most of the faces are unknown.
FAQ Section
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Is This Brand Any Good?
Yes, it is. Most clients praise its image quality and detailed footage. Its alerts seem to work very well, and so does its face recognition system.
The quality of the equipment makes it last for years thanks to its sturdy build. So, overall, the user experience with this device is among the top in the market.
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Does the Company Work With Google Home?
Yes, it does. Many of the devices designed by this brand are compatible with Google Home. Cams and thermostats are the best examples. Users can control the gadgets using only their voices to stream the footage on the TV, turn on the lights of the outdoor devices, and more.
In the case of thermostats, the temperature can be tweaked at will by saying the desired number.
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How Do I Connect My Presence to Wi-Fi?
This process is quite simple. Just follow these steps:
- Open the security app.
- Go to the Settings section.
- Tap on Wi-Fi and select the desired network.
- Enter all the login details, and it should start working.
Note that for this, the cam will have to be already connected to the device through the QR code. Also, this will only work with private networks.
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How Do You Use the App?
The app is very simple to use.
- Download the 2021 version of this application from the store and set it up.
- First, it is necessary to connect it to the devices with the QR code. Scan it, and the gadget will do the rest.
- Once this is done, just start tweaking the cam by going to the settings and changing how the recordings are stored, for example.
Netatmo Cameras Pros & Cons
Before committing to a device of this sort, one should be aware of its strong and weak points. Fortunately, everything from the Netatmo smart outdoor camera to the weather device delivers what they promise. To help with the decision process, these are its strengths and flaws.
Pros:
- State of the art face recognition technology
- Super high footage quality
- A great ecosystem of devices
- Precise motion detection
- No monthly fees
Cons:
- The image gets a bit distorted towards the edges
- Pricey equipment
Is It the Best in the Market?
This company is definitely among the top brands in the home security field in 2021. It has one of the most advanced face recognition algorithms, together with super-accurate motion detection.
Those who get the Netatmo smart outdoor camera will also be happy with the floodlight it includes.
