Y-cam HomeMonitorHD Wi-Fi Camera Review

Does Y-cam's latest HD upgrade to their popular HomeMonitor WiFi camera tick all the boxes?

by Greg Hook
Tech Review

11

Recommended
Y-cam HomeMonitorHD Wi-Fi Camera Review
MSRP: £149.99

Introduction

Thanks to the increasing availability of wireless internet and more importantly broadband in the modern home, it has opened up a whole world of possibilities for devices that offer solutions to problems that previously were very expensive or difficult to solve. One such problem has been finding a cost effective and easy to manage camera system for protecting your home. The answer has come in the shape of the IP Camera. Replacing costly CCTV systems, the IP cameras available today come in a wide variety of guises that include night vision, motion detection, online storage of videos and Apps for Smartphones.

The latest product for review comes from London based IP Camera specialist Y-cam Solutions Ltd. Founded in 2006 Y-cam was created to make video monitoring technology simple and accessible for everyone and they have a range of IP Cameras to cover most budgets. Their latest release is the Home Monitor HD. Promising HD 720P video quality, night vision, motion detection and much more with an RRP of £149.99. We're very interested to see how this fares, particularly when compared to our recent review of the excellent wireless Netgear VueZone system. Read on to find out...

Design and Connections

The Y-cam HomeMonitorHD comes as one unit, rather than the separate base station and camera as with the Netgear VueZone system. This does make the camera unit larger than the tiny cameras that came with the Netgear system, but those didn't offer HD recording or night vision. Even so the HomeMonitorHD is still a fairly small unit. Measuring 85mm x 85mm x 30mm with a weight of just 150g it's an all white unit with a small plastic antenna on top for the wireless reception. Personally we would have preferred a black unit as that would fit better in the surroundings and seem less obtrusive but it's currently only available in white.

The build quality feels solid with no loose connections and the camera mount is solid in terms of setting and holding the camera at the right angle. The connections are very basic with just a power connection and Ethernet port to the rear along with the air vents. The unit does get reasonably warm after a prolonged use but not excessively so. To the front we have the wide angle HD lens, 30 infrared LEDs, microphone and light sensor. A small status LED will light up green indicating if a connection has been established to the wireless network and flash green if the unit is sending video to the Cloud. Lastly to the side we have a small reset button.

Y-cam HomeMonitor HD

Setup and Features

We approached the setup and installation of this Y-cam product with great interest, due to the effortless setup of similar products from Netgear; we had high hopes that Y-cam could follow suit and they most definitely have done so. The overall setup and installation is extremely simple with an easy to follow guide provided in the box, it barely took a couple of minutes before the camera was fully operational.

Firstly you connect the camera to the power and to your router via the supplied Ethernet cable, connect to http://www.homemonitor.me to create your account and follow the simple steps for connecting the HomeMonitor to your Wi-Fi. Once that has been completed you disconnect from the router, unplug the camera and then position it in your desired location and plug back in. The simple online setup will continue, giving you the options of naming the camera, setting up the motion detection areas and alert notification options. Once completed the system is now live. A very simple setup and one we had no issues with at all. The camera can be used standalone or can be fitted with the stand/ceiling/wall mount for better positioning.

Y-cam HomeMonitor HD


The options to view the camera are impressive with apps available for the iPhone and iPad plus Android and even Windows Phone. It can also be used with AirPlay and there is a dedicated app available for the Roku platform. The motion detection and notification options are equally impressive. The camera can be configured with two motion detection zones, a high level of detection on a doorway for example with a lesser area in the rest of the camera's field of view. There is also a 7 day hour by hour schedule you can configure for when you require the motion detection to be active.

One of the most important factors with a camera such as this is the notification system. A camera is no good if you don't get a notification instantly and again the Y-cam HomeMonitor HD has excelled here. During our testing when we triggered the motion detector, within barely 5 seconds our iPhone and iPad had pinged a notification to us, along with receiving an email telling us which camera detected the motion, an image and the option to watch the video clip recorded on the desktop or mobile. The notification options can be configured to only send a push notification or email, or both along with disabling the image in the email notification and you can setup an additional 3 email accounts to receive the notifications as well.

Y-cam HomeMonitor HD


Unlike other Cloud camera providers, Y-cam are one of the few to offer free storage of the recordings. Granted that is only for 7 days (extendable to 30 days for £30 per year) but it's a nice touch that you don't have to pay ongoing fees to get the best out of the system (we are looking at you Netgear). The recordings can also be downloaded to your PC for you to keep as long as you want. The recordings are in MP4 format and as an example of the size, a 1minute 42sec recording clocks in at just 7MB.

Performance and Testing

The camera in the HomeMonitor HD is full colour with a 1 Megapixel 1/4” CMOS lens giving a 720P (1280 x 720) resolution. During our testing we found the image quality to be very good and the resolution is decent enough to identify faces if need be, both in daylight and using the impressive night vision. This utilises 30 infrared LEDs (which are invisible to the naked eye) and testing this in complete darkness we received a very clear picture. The screengrabs below from a couple of videos clearly identifies a dodgy looking character and the detail is there to see. The audio quality is also excellent and thanks to the level of audio and video quality it does suggest several other uses for the camera other than security. A baby monitor or keeping an eye on your cats for example.

Y-cam HomeMonitor HD


Y-cam HomeMonitor HD


The Wi-Fi in the unit is 802.11 b/g/n and in several different test locations via our BT Home Hub 5 we found the reception range comparable with our current model iPad. Our house is extremely harsh on Wi-Fi signals for some reason, but we had no issues where the camera failed to get a signal. Regarding the excellent notification system that we mentioned above, bear in mind that the camera is not always recording, it only records when motion is detected. Once the motion has been detected the camera will then start sending the video to the cloud, so it is recommended to make sure you have a strong wireless signal to maximise the speed and decrease the time it takes for the video to be ready to view.

This is where we identified one flaw with the HomeMonitor HD. Once motion is detected and the camera starts sending the video to the cloud, if the camera is found quickly enough and unplugged, the full video will not be uploaded. We triggered the motion detection and after 5 seconds had unplugged the device, whilst we still received a notification and email with an image only a few seconds of video was available to view. When the motion detection is live the camera must always be recording a few seconds loop as the video you receive always starts a few seconds before any movement is seen. Thus in this scenario all we saw was a few seconds of nothing before it went dead. We are probably being harsh here as we unplugged it within a few seconds and probably far quicker than any intruder would be able to do, but it does highlight the need to keep the camera out of easy reach and in a place that isn't immediately noticeable. That's one of the main reasons why we would have liked to see a black version of this camera.

Conclusion

Pros

  • Very easy to setup and install
  • Excellent Audio quality
  • Good Video quality
  • Superb Notification system
  • Night vision quality

Cons

  • Only available in white
  • May not send video if turned off quickly enough following detection

Y-cam HomeMonitorHD Wi-Fi Camera Review

This review was our first experience with Y-cam products and it was definitely a positive one. Similar to Netgear the setup and installation is simple, with an easy to follow guide provided in the box, whilst the online setup procedure matches this with straightforward instructions. Providing you have your wireless key and a free electrical socket in your chosen location, the camera will be ready for use within just a couple of minutes.

As for value, the HomeMonitorHD is not widely available online yet but can be found for slightly less than the RRP at £142.53 from Amazon. We consider this good value for money when comparing it to other available solutions such as Netgear's VueZone which is truly wireless with 2 cameras but only a much lower 640 x 480 resolution for £245 and a very similar system albeit with 1080P video but without the free online storage from EyeSpy247 for £137.99. As the wireless receiver is built into the camera and not as a separate item, adding a camera to the system requires you to buy the whole unit again. If you are looking for a multi-camera system then this could get expensive but for a single or even dual camera system the HomeMonitorHD should fit the bill.

The 720P video quality is very good with a high level of detail; faces can be easily identified if needs be in both daylight and at night using the excellent night vision. The camera can be accessed via apps across all the formats - iOS, Android and Windows Phone, along with on a PC or Mac and also an app on the Roku platform. Similar to the Netgear VueZone system, there's a motion detection and notification system, and the different configuration options are superb. Within a few seconds of motion being detected you get a notification on your phone, along with an email with an image and a link to view the video.

The wireless works well, although should you not have a decent signal Ethernet can be used and the camera is compatible with HomePlug technology too. Our only minor issue is with the failure to receive the video should an intruder unplug it quickly enough but unless you have the camera in plain sight and within easy reach this may not be too much of an issue. A version in black would be useful too. Weighing everything up, particularly the (currently unique to Y-cam) free 7 day online storage of videos and the excellent system in general with the notification that works perfectly across multiple platforms, we found the HomeMonitorHD from Y-cam easily deserving of the AVForums Recommended award.

Scores

Build Quality

.
9

Connectivity

.
.
8

Ease of Use

10

Connection Speed

.
.
8

Value for Money

.
9

Verdict

.
.
8
8
AVForumsSCORE
OUT OF
10

Our Review Ethos

Read about our review ethos and the meaning of our review badges.

To comment on what you've read here, click the Discussion tab and post a reply.

Related Content

ASUS ZenWiFi Pro XT12 WiFi 6 Mesh WiFi System Review
  • By Greg Hook
  • Published
ASUS TUF-AX5400 Dual Band WiFi 6 Gaming Router Review
  • By Greg Hook
  • Published
TP-Link RE605X Wi-Fi 6 Range Extender Review
  • By Greg Hook
  • Published

Latest Headlines

Ring video doorbell users facing a 40% price hike
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
Samsung officially unveils the S24 smartphone series
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
CES VIDEO: Sony Stand Tour
  • By Phil Hinton
  • Published
Wi-Fi Alliance introduces Wi-Fi Certified 7
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
Apple Vision Pro set to launch in February
  • By Ian Collen
  • Published
Back
Top Bottom