We tested a new indoor camera IMILAB C21. It brings 2.5K resolution, traditional design, improved night mode and there is also the detection of motion or unusual sounds.
The IMILAB brand has several security cameras in its portfolio. So far, we have had the opportunity to test the IMILAB Home Security Camera Basic and IMILAB A1 interior models. The exterior cameras were IMILAB EC2 and EC3. How did the novelty pass our test? You will find out in this review.
Where to buy IMILAB C21?
It offers the IMILAB C21 interior security camera official store of the manufacturer IMILAB on the well-known shopping portal Aliexpress.
Current coupons for IMILAB C21 camera
Technical specifications
Model designation | CMSXJ38A |
---|---|
dimensions |
108 76 × × 76mm |
Weight |
249 g |
Distinguishes |
2.5K 2560 x 1440 px |
Angle of view |
105° |
Clone |
f / 2.0 |
Night Vision |
4 * 850 nm infrared LEDs |
Connectivity |
2.4 GHz WiFi |
Sound |
two-way audio |
repository |
cloud or MicroSD (max 64 GB) |
Content and quality of packaging
The IMILAB C21 indoor camera came to us in a traditional package, which is almost identical to all indoor cameras from the Xiaomi ecosystem. In a small, white box measuring 160 × 90 × 90 mm with a sticker showing the basic features of the camera, there is a small box on the top. It contains a charging adapter, cable, manual and a set for wall mounting.
Below that we find the camera itself in white foil stored in a cardboard reinforcement. The packaging is so standard, but sufficient to protect the camera from damage during transport. A nice bonus in the package is a voucher for a free 2-year warranty, which can be claimed by registering according to the instructions on the voucher.
Quality of processing, layout of elements
The camera has almost the same design as the basic and affordable one of the most affordable models, the IMILAB Home Security Camera Basic. It is a classic interior camera design in white. It differs from the basic model only in appearance by the gold frame of the lens in the front part.
There is only a rechargeable micro USB port on the stand and above it the lens itself, which has holes for a loudspeaker in the back. The memory card slot is under the lens and can be accessed by rotating the camera to the top position.
The camera is made of plastic and is only available in white. However, the quality is good and the camera makes a good impression.
First turn on and pair with the application
The IMILAB C21 will turn on automatically when connected to the mains. You will be greeted by a pleasant and understandable voice that informs you that the camera is waiting to be connected.
Since both IMILAB A1 and Home Security Kamera Basic cameras worked with the Xiaomi Home application, we assumed that we would add this novelty to it as well. Since the camera was not found by the Xiaomi Home application, we reached for the instructions, where we found out that in this case we need another application, which is a great pity. This is the IMILAB Home app, which has a pretty bad rating in the Google Play store. At the time of writing this review was 2.3 out of 5 stars.
To use the application, you need to register via email or phone number. However, registration for the number did not work for us, as we did not receive a verification SMS code.
After successful registration and login, the application automatically found the IMILAB C21 camera near the smartphone and the subsequent pairing was very simple. In this case, it was not necessary to scan any QR code, but you will find it on the bottom of the camera. Just select the WiFi network to which the camera should connect, enter the password and the rest will be done automatically.
The added camera is displayed on the home screen of the application, from where it is always available.
Application environment and camera control
The application environment is the same as with other cameras from the IMILAB brand. At the top you can see online video from the area that the camera is shooting, and below it are the controls and settings.
Everything essential is on this main screen. Just below the video, we have the option of switching the camera to hibernation mode, setting the video quality (2.5K or 360p), turning the sound on or off, taking a photo, recording the video and full screen mode.
We have two options for controlling the movement of the camera. The standard is a classic controller with arrows in all four directions. A less traditional way is to create a panorama.
During its creation, the camera rotates in all directions, up and down, and creates a panoramic image of the entire space. To change the shooting area, simply select the part of the panorama to which the camera will automatically rotate. However, this method is less practical as it makes it impossible to rotate upwards and downwards. We prefer the classic control using the directional buttons.
The mentioned application screen also contains a bar at the bottom. Here you will find quick access to videos from space monitoring, recording on a memory card, cloud, album and voice control.
Notifications and detection of persons
As it is a security camera, there must be an active monitoring of the area and a warning in case of movement in the field of view of the camera. Space monitoring is disabled by default, so it must be activated in the settings.
However, the monitoring settings are very simple and we will not find many options here. There is just turning on / off human movement tracking, setting the push notification interval and setting the types of notifications. Here you can choose whether you want to receive notifications when people are detected, whenever they move, or even when they capture sounds. All 3 component options can also be turned on. There is a choice of 3, 5, 10 or 30 minutes for the push notification interval.
That's all the space monitoring settings have to offer. We will not find here the settings of the length of the captured video or the choice of the time when we want to monitor the space. Space monitoring settings are thus significantly poorer compared to Xiaomi Home.
Image quality and notifications
The camera captures 2.5K with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 px. The image is very good for the proportions of such cameras and you can easily zoom in the application. You can watch the real video captured by the camera here:
Of course, the IMILAB C21 also works without a memory card, but recording is not available. The only way to get continuous recording without a memory card is the cloud, which is paid. At the time of writing, the prices are as follows:
- 1.99 USD / month or 12.99 USD / year - 7-day archive
- 4.99 USD / month or 49.99 USD / year - 30-day archive
Unlike other cameras that send short video notifications even without a memory card, the IMILAB C21 sends only a photo in the motion notification, without a short video. If there is no person in the photo, it is difficult to estimate what caused the camera to detect movement.
Worse, even with a memory card, we did not receive notification videos, but only photos. In each photo there is also a link to purchase the cloud, so if you want videos in the notifications namiest photos, you probably need to purchase a cloud solution.
Test of notifications and recognition of persons
As is customary in our reviews, we have actually tested the camera's reactions to various movements in the monitored area. In addition to the classic motion detection, the IMILAB C21 camera also has artificial intelligence, which should be able to distinguish whether a person is moving in the field of view or not. It can also alert you if it picks up sound within range of the camera.
We placed the camera on a shelf in the living room and walked around the monitored area several times. We tried it too simcapture unexpected movement by throwing an object into the space in front of the camera.
In 90% of cases, the camera detected movement and was able to correctly determine whether a person was moving in the space. In this case, we received a notification with the text "Person detected". If an object moved in the monitored area, we received a notification with the text "Motion detected". This way, person recognition works reliably.
The camera also sent notifications about the captured sound, when it alerted us with a notification with the text "Sound detected". However, the sound was not always very intelligible and the spoken word from the recording was sometimes not well understood. However, after clicking on the notification, the notification photo is not displayed. The IMILAB Home application always opened for us and we had to go to the notification photos manually.
Two-way audio transmission
The IMILAB C21 indoor camera has a microphone and speaker, so it supports two-way audio transmission. This is activated by the phone button in the application interface.
We were convinced of the quality of the speaker during the pairing with the application, when we received instructions from the camera. The sound from it is really very good. Voice transmission from the speaker is clear and does not chop.
However, it is worse with the camera microphone. The voice of the person speaking in front of the camera can be heard relatively quietly and up to a maximum distance of 3 meters. Unfortunately, audio transmission in this direction is sometimes intermittent and not entirely intelligible. The microphone is not very good.
Night Vision
The camera offers color and black and white night mode. Of course, color is only available in twilight, not in complete darkness, so it is not a breakthrough. As for the image quality during the night, it is good. Some cameras have a slightly more illuminated image, but the quality is good and objects in the field of view are clearly visible.
You can watch an example of a video during the night in the following video:
IMILAB C21: Final evaluation
The IMILAB C21 indoor security camera offers decent image quality, whether during the day or at night. The video has a 2.5 resolution of 2560 x 1440 px. It has the function of recognizing people and sounds near the camera and sends notifications of captured events quite reliably.
It can also monitor human movement in the 360 ° range, supports color night video in low light conditions and two-way audio. However, the quality of the microphone degrades this function, when the soundtrack is not very good in the recording. We also perceive as a negative the choice of the IMILAB brand, which decided for its own application, in contrast to older products cooperating with the popular Xiaomi Home application.
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