Ezviz CS-C8C

Terrific camera - It would be good if this model also talked - but it doesnt - however it detects and it scans the whole area - I luv that it doesnt miss much

WHAT SECURITY – Although I bought these units a while ago they were only installed a few months ago, due to issues with recalcitrant software updates and not being able to register more than 1 camera. I almost wish I hadn't bothered. The softare is less than obvious to use, for example who goes to battery in the menu to set the detection modes? Not that there are really 'Modes'. In my experience there are really only 2. The first requires to be connected to a mains power source constantly, which is kind of stupid for a wireless battery powered security system. The next one is high performance, followed by Power Saving, then Super Power Saving. I haven't tried the last mode since things can only get worse. For detection you can choose PIR OR Human Body Shape. The former will detect both, but more on that. The latter cannot, or does not detect vehicles, so somebody using my driveway doesn't register. You can set the PIR sensitivity too, but the most sensitive triggers on small birds, cats and even waving leaves. By the time you've dropped the sensitivity to get rid of these hundreds of false triggers you can't see anything until its almost on your doorstep. How about a detect human shape and vehicle? Most other systenms seem to manage this. However this isn't the real issue. The real issue is the very poor options to record. There are basically none other than full on and miss most everything. The lower power modes, to use their strange choice, all result in pretty much the same thing. short clips of a few seconds, typically 10 to 20, where, by the time the camera has woken up, the triggering object is often gone. Often I will get 7 or 8 short clips, and not see anyone approach the house, but I get a quick glimpse of them as they leave. Detection along the side fence is even sketchier. As somebody walks along they will trigger multiple times as they get obscured by a leaf, or duck their head and I get multiple clips with nothing on.How hard would it be to allow the user the ability to set the recording time from first trigger, and then a minimum time that the trigger is lost before the recording stops. As a design engineer of both hardware and software for over 50 years I can tell you, IT IS RIDICULOUSLY SIMPLE. i AM USED TO IMPORTED ELECTRONICS HAVING POORLY WRITTEN OR NON-EXISTENT MANUALS, AND USER INTERFACES THAT MAKE VERY LITTLE SENSE AT ALL, BUT SURELY THE BASIC FUNCTION OF A SECURITY system is to record enough of an event to be able to recognise it. Apologies for caps bum key, gumby fingers in my dotage.