review – We’ve all had the uneasy feeling of letting water run through and forgetting to close the garage door? Do you have theft phobia, afraid of stealing that important package from your door? Want to calm your nerves? SwitchBot’s pan/tilt camera to the rescue!
What is it?
The SwitchBot Pan/Tilt Cam is a wireless, indoor, app-accessible 1080P resolution camera with an integrated motorized stand that allows remote or automatic repositioning.
Hardware Specifications
- 1080P video, model W1801200
- Power supply: 5V, 2A
- 1080P resolution
- 264 video compression
- 88° angle lens
- Operating Temperature -15͋ to 45°C (5° to 113°F)
- Relative humidity: ≤95%
- Motion alerts/push notifications via the SwitchBot app
- Movement Ability Horizontal 360°, Vertical 115°
- Record video to internal SD card (not included), up to 128GB, FAT32 format
- two-way audio
- Eight infrared LEDs for night lighting
- Support 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
- HTTPS encrypted video streaming
What’s in the box?
- Pan/Tilt Cam
- according to
- Mounting screws
- USB adapter
- reset pin
- 2m (6’7”) micro USB cable
- User Manual
Design and Features
Home webcams have been around for several years and are becoming commonplace, especially with the rise of online shopping and “porch piracy.” My home already has multiple ring cameras, inside and out, and I use them every day. I value being able to know when a package arrives, check on my pets, monitor my 3D printer, or relieve stress when I need to ask myself if I forgot to close the garage door.
SwitchBot’s Pan/Tint cameras come in their familiar red and white boxes and are well packaged. No damage whatsoever.
The manual is typical of other SwitchBot products – informative and useful, but small in size.
A powerful 2000mA USB power supply is included.
The 2-meter power cord plugs into the micro-USB socket on the camera.
Includes mounting plate and screws.
A red LED indicates that the camera is ready to be added.
If you want to keep video and still images on-board, the camera features an SD card slot that supports up to 128Gb. For my needs, I installed a 64GB SD card.
Formatting the SD card can be done in the app.
The cameras communicate via the SwitchBot app. Adding a camera is easy. Clicking the “+” opens the device icon.
After selecting “Pan/Tilt Cam”, enter the SSID and password of the Wi-Fi network. The app then provides a QR code that is saved in front of the camera for initialization and connection. After the camera reads the code, it will beep to indicate that it is ready to use.
The camera appears in the SwitchBot “Devices” menu. Once connected, tapping the camera will start streaming data immediately.
Camera pointing can be done by swiping across the image. At the top of the camera page, there are buttons to toggle the video definition, turn audio on and off, and go full screen.
From left to right at the bottom of the screen, buttons toggle landscape mode, take still images, enable two-way audio, start video recording and access the settings menu.
I like the directional control.
Two-way audio allows communication through the camera’s internal speakers. It’s push-to-talk, so the camera only transmits audio from the smartphone’s microphone when pressed. Audio from the camera is always on (unless muted using the Speaker button).
The camera menu contains a playback calendar for recorded video and still images, a gallery for manual shots, a toggle for Privacy Mode, a Night Mode selector, a Motion Tracking selector, and a Motion Detection selector. Motion Detection can push notifications to your smartphone.
If enabled, Playback and Gallery are where videos and still images are accessed.
Privacy mode turns off the camera and tilts the camera lens into the housing, so there’s no chance to capture an image.
Night mode can be turned on or off, or automatically toggles and enables infrared LEDs around the lens. When activated, the camera only captures monochrome images. In very dark conditions, I can illuminate objects about 30 feet away from the camera with no problem. LEDs appear as red dots to the naked eye, but most of the light they produce is beyond the reach of the human eye, so it’s effectively invisible.
The Motion Tracking button turns the camera’s auto-aiming system on and off. When it is off, the camera position will remain stationary unless moved manually. When turned on, the camera detects motion and points the camera accordingly. In my testing, motion tracking was effective in the range of about 3 to 15 feet. Any closer than that, it’s hard for the camera to keep up with fast-moving objects. Also, the camera didn’t detect anything. Overall, I am satisfied with the performance. The camera makes some very faint whirring noises when moving, but it certainly doesn’t interfere with most people’s sleeping levels. Sound is barely audible even in the same room, but you’ll hear it more clearly in recorded video or when you move the camera during Live View.
There is an extensive list of settings.
“Cruise” automatically moves the camera while recording, and can be programmed to scan at specific times if desired.
Another really cool feature is the ability to point the camera in a specific direction based on a trigger input. For example, if a contact switch connected to a door is activated, the camera can automatically point to the door and start recording. In my case, I have a sneaky cat that likes to use my rabbit’s litter box rather than her automatic litter box. I plan to add a motion sensor to determine when she’s naughty and trigger the camera to capture her actions. I hope I can figure out her schedule and eventually encourage her to use the proper facilities.
Since I’m interested in home integration, I perused IFTTT but didn’t find an option for the Pan/Tilt Cam to trigger or respond to other products. If you have an Echo Show with a screen, Amazon has more, responding to “Alexa, show me the Pan/Tilt Cam.” As the product evolves, I have high hopes that new features will be added. Having said that, at this point, I’m happy with the options included in the SwitchBot app.
If you want offsite storage, SwitchBot offers a cloud-based solution for $7.90 per month or $79.00 per year. The biggest advantage over local storage is that if the camera is damaged or stolen, the footage can still be accessed remotely.
what do I like
- Cheap
- Excellent camera mobility
- excellent night vision
- run quietly
- Full 1080P video
- many functions
- Tons of integration options
what would i change
- Eventually, I’d like to see more integration options (Alexa, Google, IFTTT).
final thoughts
I am impressed with SwitchBot products and their gimbal camera is no exception. It’s full-featured, easy to set up and use, and integrates well with other SwitchBot products. I like to know that my cat is behaving, that my door is secure, and that my package is protected. Thank you, Switch Robot!
price: $39.99
Where to buy: Amazon
source: The sample for this review is provided by SwitchBot.
