The world of security cameras has evolved for years. Certainly in the positive, and from different points of view. They no longer cost a fortune, are much more versatile than before, and offer immediate and intuitive home security solutions. Today on test VACOS SE, the smart camera with an integrated battery, which can also last indefinitely.
Vacos CAM SE was born as a Kickstarter project and has finally taken shape with the release to users. The appearance certainly does not want to be original, on the contrary, it proposes a form seen and revised.
At first glance, it would be hard to recognize it compared to the Arlo. Entirely covered in white plastic, except for the completely black front “nose”, it offers an extremely simple and minimal look, which goes well in modern environments. It is a room, which in addition to being used indoors, is also optimized for the outdoors, thanks to the IP65 certification.
Unboxing
Let’s start with the sales package. Indeed from the packaging. Yes, because in addition to the camera, we also tested the solar panel, sold separately, whose use is certainly optional, and which connects to the camera via Micro USB, so as to recharge it without the need for a socket. electric. Obviously, this use is reserved outside.
The sales package is pretty standard. Beyond the camera, there are also two wall brackets. The first is traditional, with a screw, while the other is magnetic, which represents a really convenient, minimal, and convenient connection and disconnection solution, considering that it is a battery-powered camera, on whose excellent longevity we will return to later. In the package, there are also screws for fixing to the wall and to the Micro USB cable to recharge the battery. The latter is not removable.
The second unboxing, on the other hand, hides a small solar panel, with an attached micro USB cable to be connected to the camera, to ensure non-stop power. Also in this case, in the package, there is a bracket for connecting the panel to the wall, in addition to the screws necessary for correct fixing.
How it is made
As already mentioned, the camera has a rather traditional shape for similar peripherals. It has soft shapes but at the same time decisive, with a narrower front and a wider rear. What surprised us is the weight, which is really light when compared with other rooms of the same type. In the first place, we thought of a strong downsizing of the battery. It will certainly be like this, but the autonomy does not seem to be affected, because on the card a single recharge will be enough to put it in function for about 3 months.
It is very minimal and modern, and the absence of wires makes it even more pleasant when fixed to the wall. Beyond the small button on the back, which is used to reset/pair the camera to the smartphone, and the photo for attaching it to the wall, the camera has only the hole for the charging input, and nothing else. It cannot accept micro SD, but it has a built-in memory of 16 GB eMMc.
Configuration and use
The room requires the use of the app Vacos Smart, available for free on the App Store and Google Play. The combination is among the simplest and most immediate. Click on the “+” buttons for the first pairing, select the room to be paired, enter the credentials of your WiFi router and frame the QR code that appears on the smartphone screen with the camera itself. The game is done. We paired the camera twice, first trying it with a portable router, then with the fixed one at home, and in each of the situations, we didn’t have the slightest problem.
As usual for the type of app, the main screen of the app offers the room panel in the foreground, but without a live feed. In order to access the video stream, you need to click on it, so as to start the live broadcast. The camera offers 1080p quality, with clear, sharp, and fluid images, both during the day and in the dark, thanks to the black and white night vision, which still allows you to clearly distinguish the various details present inside the room. . This is a resolution which, quite frankly, we believe to be absolutely good for a vault of this type. We also tested cameras with higher resolutions, but after all, considering that the video feed will almost always be watched from the small screen of the smartphone, Full HD is a good compromise between quality and price containment.
Of course, it is possible to activate push notifications for movement, so as to be notified in real-time of any movement recorded by the sensor. Fortunately, during our tests we never saw any problems: the notifications were always punctual, both with the phone on and on standby. All without having to configure anything on Android. Often this type of room requires you to set permissions on Android for automatic startup and for the use of the app in the background. In this case, however, it was not necessary to perform any setup: the camera is ready for use, even for what concerns the notifications.
There is no siren in the room, too bad, but you can choose different parameters for smartphone notifications. For example, you can choose whether to activate these notifications only during the day or at night, whether to activate them at scheduled times and days, and whether or not to activate an interval of 2, 5, and 10 minutes between an alarm and another.
Furthermore, the room also offers a two-way audio system. It is, therefore, possible to listen to the sounds recorded by the peripheral, but also to send audio messages, as if it were an intercom system. The speaker in the room does not have a particularly high volume but allows you to send messages in case there is no too invasive background noise. Instead, the microphone installed on the camera is very powerful, and from the smartphone, you will be able to hear everything that happens in the house. As already noted, it is equipped with IP65 certification, therefore suitable for outdoor use, without having to worry about the rain, as well as being able to work in extreme temperatures between -20 and +50 degrees.
Furthermore, the camera supports Alexa and Google assistants, allowing you to see the video stream on a smart display. We tried to connect it to the Google platform, but at the moment we get the message that “no room is connected to our account”. The pop-up itself informs us that it could be a momentary problem. We will try again and, if necessary, update this article.
Solar recharge
There is no doubt that it is a perfectly usable room indoors, but the presence of a solar panel makes it perfect for the outdoors. This is because, in addition to the possibility of conventional recharging via an electrical socket, recharging via a solar panel is also possible. In this way, placing it next to the camera and connecting the MicroUSB cable supplied, you can forget about the electrical socket, having a non-stop recharge, which will eliminate any kind of worry about the lack of power. This will allow you to install the room in any external corner of the house.
Conclusions
VACOS CAM SE has many arrows in its bow. From an aesthetic point of view it is pleasant, light, minimal, and modern, with a magnetic wall attachment system no longer original in the panorama, but always interesting, comfortable to use, and beautiful to look at.
Other points in favor are the total absence of wires, and the possibility of recharging it via a solar panel, which ensures almost infinite longevity. Furthermore, the punctuality in notifications when it detects movements makes it a certainly reliable tool. On the autonomy we cannot confirm the declared longevity of 2-3 months, otherwise, we would have had to postpone this review for several days, but in the test week, the remaining battery percentage decreased by just 10 percentage points.
PRO
- Modern and minimal aesthetics
- System magnetic coupling
- Notifications are always on time
- Video quality
- Solar recharge possible
AGAINST
- No microSD support
- 7 only free days of cloud storage
- No built-in siren
It costs 99.99 euros on Amazon, but thanks to the discount code DNG9BUGY you will pay 79.99 euros; if you have to install it outside, the advice is to also combine the solar panel, which costs just 29.99 euros. It can also be purchased on the official website at a price of $ 99.99.