EZVIZ C8C review of this excellent budget security camera
I am quite a security-conscious person, not because I live in a bad area, just because I know that everywhere has thieves and avoiding being the target is key! When we recently moved house I was keen to get a security camera up and when EZVIZ got in touch with what sounded like the perfect device for us (EZVIZ C8C), I couldn’t resist.
This camera was gifted to me in return for an honest review however all opinions are my own and those of the electrician who helped me fit it.
What is the EZVIZ C8C camera?
Quite simply this is a security camera that is designed for home use but similar in design to commercial ones in the way you can pan, tilt and zoom the view giving a 360° viewing area.
Of course, you are unlikely to need the full 360° unless you fix it to a pole or similar as turning to look at the bricks of your house is pretty pointless! It is however nice to have the option of full movement.
Finding where to fix your camera
When looking for where to fix your camera consider the following points. They could make a huge difference to the number of times the sensor is set off accidentally!
- Avoid where the sun will shine directly into the camera.
- Position away from bushes or plants that are close to the side of your house or birds can easily set it off!
- Be considerate of neighbours’ privacy.
- Ensure it is high enough to not get tampered with easily but low enough to fit safely, no balancing on your roof!
- Be sure to check it will cover the area you need to cover with no obstructions blocking key points if possible, eg lamposts.
Fixing the camera to your home
The camera comes with pretty much everything you need apart from the drill! There are screws, rawl plugs and a drill template to help you.
It is advisable to have two people fix this up so you can pass wires through the hole to another person and keep safe on the ladder.
How easy is it to wire up the EZVIZ C8C?
I am pretty rubbish with DIY and had an electrician here anyway doing some other jobs so asked him to help. That being said, once I read the guide, all I needed him to do was go up the ladder and drill the hole! I hate ladders so this was definitely not a job for me!
The camera does not need to be mains wired and simply feeds cables through a small hole in your wall and plugs into a normal household plug socket. It works on WiFi, however, can also be connected by Ethernet if you prefer.
Don’t panic if you do not have Ethernet points in all your rooms, simply use powerline adapters! They are really easy and give you a wired connection if needed. We have them for mine and Stuart’s office computers but just used WiFi for the camera which is more than adequate with our signal.
Once you have fixed the camera to the wall and passed the wires through to plug it in it is really easy to set u-p the camera with the instructions included and takes around 5 minutes at the most.
Be sure to have your WiFi password handy as well as your Amazon Alexa password and IFTTT password if you wish to connect either of those.
It took me around 10 minutes to get it working with my phone and Echo Show, most of that because I kept forgetting the name I had given to the camera or password!
How good is the EZVIZ C8C home security camera?
Have you watched crime programmes and fuzzy camera footage and want something clear? I can assure you from my experience the EZVIZ C8C is very clear.
I have zoomed in on the Electricians’ van above (then enlarged and cropped for this article!) so you can see how easy it is to read the text as well as show you the usual view from the camera in the image below.
The camera also picks up the audio and the playbacks we have heard are really clear!
Features of the EZVIZ C8C
There are so many features of the camera I think you should know about!
- WiFi and Ethernet connectivity
- Audio pick-up
- Supports a Micro SD card but not essential
- Cloud storage available
- Water and dustproof with IP65 certification
- Full HD
- Full 360° coverage
- AI-powered person detection
- Colour night vision
- Remotely control from your smartphone or tablet
Night vision with the EZVIZ C8C camera
I was very impressed with the night vision on the camera, it shows well anything that happens and you can choose to record in black and white or colour. I have selected the setting where it is black and white until movement is detected then switches to colour.
Viewing saved videos
In the app, it is really easy to see all saved videos and they are set up as shown in the image below so that you can view thumbnails for each video and watch any that concern you.
Would we recommend the camera?
We are very impressed with the camera and feel that the price is good for a system that is easily set up, accessible on phones and can be added to if needed with further cameras. We would definitely recommend it if you are looking for a pan, tilt and zoom home camera that anyone can fit (unless, like me, you hate ladders!) and set up easily.
Our electrician was surprised by how easy it was to fit and set up the camera but also how good the images and videos recorded were.
Where can you buy the camera and how much are the running costs?
The EZVIZ C8C costs around £89.99 and is available from a variety of stores including Currys.
There is a cloud subscription service which allows you to view videos for 3 days, a week or 30 days after they are taken. This is great if you notice something has happened to your car but have not checked your videos for a few days. The camera comes with a free trial of this so you don’t need to decide immediately!
The costs vary from 3-days history with only one camera at £29.99 a year or £2.99 a month. We selected the 7-day plan which is £44.99 for the year. It gives us that reassurance that we shouldn’t ever miss anything and if we are unsure we can download videos to keep forever.
Footage can be viewed on your mobile phone with the app on Apple or Android and downloaded or screenshot if needed for any kind of evidence.
Extra thanks to Tri-Lek Electrical Services for saving us from having to go up a ladder!
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