When you picture CCTV or any kind of security cameras, you probably imagine the old grey boxes which are eyesores and produce black and white footage to some dusty control room, offering little actual value and looking bad doing it.
Thankfully the times have moved on and a new wave of smart cameras is here for your home, work, or anywhere else.
A shining star in this new breed of cameras is Xiaomi and its range of smart cameras that all look sharp and modern, record in perfect clarity, and leverage the latest tech to make compelling products in small packages.
Below see a selection of Xiaomi’s smart cameras and what they can offer you.
Xiaomi Smart Camera C200
The Xiaomi Smart Camera C200 is a shining example of what you can expect from modern smart cameras from Xiaomi: compact, modern, nice to look at and capable of creating footage that’s also nice to look at in full 1080p. With crisp 1920 X 1080 recording the days of grainy footage are long gone, instead replaced by this new higher quality of recording.
The design here isn’t just to look good, but hides the functionality of movement. The dual motor head can rotate a full 360 degrees horizontally, and 106 degrees vertically. This movement, combined with AI human detection, means that this camera doesn’t miss anything.
Xiaomi Smart Camera C300
The Xiaomi Smart Camera C300 represents an upgrade in sheer visual quality, now offering 2K recordings. With a resolution of 2304 X 1296, you will be getting much more than you can ever imagine when compared to regular 1080p.
This bump in visuals means that fine details that are important to security – like faces and vehicle licence plates – are so much easier to see.
The upgrade also means that you can maintain visual clarity when zooming in, another important factor of security footage. You can’t “zoom and enhance” like in the movies, but with great footage to start with, you can zoom in with no worries about the picture becoming blurry.
Xiaomi Smart Camera C400
At the top of the pile when it comes to resolution, you are now looking at a whopping 2.5K picture, with a resolution of 2560 X 1440. Also sometimes referred to as 1440p, you may have seen this resolution in PC monitors that are used for hardcore gaming and content creation. This is because 1440p is seen as the new king of resolutions to supplant regular 1080p, and now you can enjoy this revolution with your own security cameras.
The C200, C300 and C400 all share features of Xiaomi’s smart camera platforms and due to their similar designs, they won’t look out of place when mixed and matched in different parts of a home or business. The different resolution options also mean that you can decide where you need the increased clarity, and where you don’t.
Xiaomi Outdoor Camera AW200
Our favourite of the bunch when it comes to pure aesthetics, the Xiaomi Outdoor Camera AW200 is a real treat for anyone who loves their tech with a minimalist design. Home designers and engineers will also love the small footprint and unobtrusive design of the AW200, which can be used to create a surveillance net around any building without being an eyesore.
Also expect great features for outdoor recording, such as ultra-low light, full-colour night vision, IP65 water and dust resistance and much more. These units can even be used to make two-way voice calls thanks to the speaker on the back, making it the perfect accompaniment to a front entrance.
Consider this article merely an introduction to the Xiaomi’s smart camera family. Click back to Hypertext in the coming weeks for spotlight articles on these cameras and their features which can revolutionise the way you view security cameras, without breaking the bank.
Right now, however, you can shop at Takealot, Makro, and Incredible Connection.
