Orion Grid Connect 3MP Smart Outdoor Pan And Tilt Security Camera

This camera takes a few days to learn and then customize it to your specific situation. It does a decent job for the price but you should keep your expectations low and approach with maximum patience. WIFI - works well, I was expecting to need an ethernet cable but it gets the wifi even through a few brick walls and 20 metres or so. CONNECTIVITY WITH APP - works decently. There's a lag of about two seconds.

VIDEO PLAYBACK = this requires an SD card. The camera can be set to either a) record constantly or b) record "events". In the latter case it will stop recording 30seconds after movement finishes. You can watch the playback on a crude timeline/calendar. Without the card inserted you only get a still image for each event. So the card is very useful..s

NIGHT VISION / LIGHT = there's a good infrared camera that comes on automatically at dark. The camera can also automatically switch the light on when it senses movement. This could easily scare the pants off the trespasser. You can also turn the light on manually.

MOTION TRACKING = the camera will actually follow movement around the yard. So a person will be tracked and it's very intimidating to look up and see a camera moving as you move! Afterwards teh camera returns to it's original position. However there's no way to limit motion tracking to humans. It will follow cats, dogs, insects, birds, leaves blowing in the wind.

AUDIO = yes, you can optionally hear what's happening. There's also a speaker and you can talk directly to the area by pressing the call button.

RECORDING TO PHONE = you can easily record still images or video to your phone

MOTION ALERTS = this is obviously one of the core features of the device but at time of writing it does not work well (See my experience at the end of this review). There are three sensitivity settings and a human filter. You probably want to spend a while getting this right, depending on your environment.

NOTIFICATION SOUND = once it detects either motion or a human (depending on filter) it sends a notification to your phone, and also potentially starts recording to the card. Unfortunately there's no way to alter the notification sound, at least not that I've found so far (on Android). It's relatively subtle, like a door chime. It probably wouldn't wake you up at night. Ideally you would be able to change it to a proper alarm sound.

MANUAL MOVEMENT = you can manually move the camera around by scrolling the video or using the direction pad. However it's very clunky and fine adjustments are impossible. The lag doesn't help.

SITES = you can set the camera to remember certain positions. This is very helpful if you want to point around a yard for example or put certain things out of frame. It's easier than trying to move it manually.

SCHEDULE - You can set the camera to record continuously for certain times of the day (ie all night). You can also turn the alerts on or off by schedule, so that it will only alert you if there's movement during the night for example.

MY EXPERIENCE AND CRITICISM :-( ____________________________________________________________________ Unfortunately the human filter is NOT compatible with either motion tracking or manual movement. This seems to be an epic programming fail. Moving the camera either manually or automatically sets off the alert about 50% of the time. So if the camera moves to follow a flying insect it will incorrectly trigger a human alert. It's very frustrating because it appears that the good features of the camera have been sabotaged by abysmal software design. Hopefully they fix this on a future update of the app.

The human filter itself is also very unimpressive. It might have been considered good in the 90s but in 2025 it is laughably crude. Over about a week I tried every combination of settings - all the sensitivity settings, disabling and enabling motion tracking and the human filter. I also tried pointing the camera at different places in the yard, ie very low so that there were less trees and shadows. Unfortunately there was no setting that did not produce at least one or two false alerts per day. Sometimes the false alert was a cat, bird or insect. Other times the false alert appeared to be nothing at all. Maybe something flew past the lens in the split second before recording started, or maybe it was a gust of wind. No way to tell what triggered the alert.

Also worth mentioning that after using two cameras for about a week, one of them seemed to develop a hardware fail with the light sensor. The camera did not automatically enter IR mode at darkness. Instead it glitched out and produced a disintegrating image. I was able to take the camera back and get a replacement.

So are they completely useless? No. I am able to tolerably utilize the cameras by turning off the notification sounds(etc) on my phone. In this way the notifications still come through but do not distract me. The camera records events to the card and I can review them later (ie once a day) to see if anything suspicious has happened.

I also got into the habit of turning on and off the cameras at the mains switch. There doesn't appear to be any drawbacks to doing this and it's better than using the "privacy mode". The camera retains all previous settings when it comes back online and always shows up as expected in the app. However when you turn the cameras on you hear a loud "welcome", which is pretty funny because you're probably in the process of leaving the area.

CONCLUSION: These cameras are obviously not very expensive so I guess in terms of money value it's still a decent product. In terms of being a satisfying user experience though I'd give them a one out of ten.

Great idea - terrible SD implementation – The camera hardware is as one would expect for the price. I have been impressed with the low cost but effective implementation of Grid Connect functionality. As these Orion cameras only support 2.4GHz wireless networks (I guess due to the range required) you may find in built up areas that connectivity is sketchy due to co channel interference. The 2.4 band these days is simply overcrowded in urban areas. In that case you essentially need to “blast” them with your SSID meaning they need to be impractically close to an access point/router. I have deployed a fairly grunty AP with a massive antenna array close by - and connectivity is acceptably stable. HOWEVER. The attraction to these cameras was the on board SD video storage. No cloud storage subs - in exchange for the risk a clever person lifts the SD card with footage of their acts. I have had no end to the drama with SD card dependability. This erodes ALL value as there is no other way to preserve events. I selected SanDisk high performance SD cards for my Orion cameras. These cards are designed for high rate constant write abuse in cameras. These are very good cards. 4 weeks after installing, when accessing the live feed I got an SD card error, prompting me to reformat the card before it can be used. At this point it had been recording 24/7, the card was full, and it had been overwriting per design just fine. Go to format the card using the app function and I get the result a number of other reviews call out for various Orion cameras - the format function shows a progress indicator that jumps to 30%, stays there for a minute or two, jumps to 80%, stays there a minute and then flashes up “operation failed” dropping you back to the screen you were on (live feed, or memory card option within the camera settings). The memory card screen is now blank (iOS). It continues to throw the SD card error all through the screens for this camera. I changed the SD card for a known good one - same result. I returned the camera to bunnings and got a replacement. For completeness I also installed a brand new card. All good - 4 days later same issue, exactly the same. This is a new camera and a new SD card. The original SD card that I removed - I examined with my PC and the camera has made an utter mess of the card structure. I tried to format this card in a different model Orion camera. Lo and behold I get the same 30%>80%>Op failed behaviour. I recommended this camera to a friend before this drama. They went and got one. Different brand SD card - 4 days of operation and boom - precisely the same issue. I have tried every user actionable troubleshooting step and no success. I cannot even reformat the affected SD cards in my PC - the card subsystem recognises the hardware and the presence but it refuses to interact with the card. Other cards from the same batch that haven't gone near an Orion camera perform flawlessly even under terrible PC abuse (walking 1/0 loop, over and over and over and over). All I can conclude is that there is a serious design flaw in the SD card system/FW on these cameras. It is an utter shame as they are otherwise good. I am going to try a few more things, then I will give up and replace the Orion firmware with something else and turn it into a dumb NAS camera. Anyone else out there find a workaround for this terrible SD card issue? I am glad I am not alone - there are SO many reviews online that state the same issue. Are Orion seeing these???? I tried to email them to get in contact with the Product team as there are some very easy bugs in the apps that are super annoying hit can be fixed with a few lines of code. I was happy to help them pro bono so we could all enjoy low cost, bug free security. I got radio silence.

Great price for a feature packed security tracking camera – I recently had the opportunity to try out the Orion Grid Connect Outdoor Pan and Tilt Tracking Security Camera, and it left me with both positive and critical impressions. Design and Build Quality: The camera boasts a sturdy and weather-resistant design, making it suitable for outdoor use. The pan and tilt functionality provide a wide coverage area, and the construction appears durable enough to withstand various weather conditions.The sun and rain on the lens can be a problem if not placed under a eve.

Installation: Setting up the Orion Grid Connect camera was relatively straightforward, thanks to clear instructions provided by the manufacturer. The grid connect feature enhances ease of use and connectivity. I used WiFi although there is a cable option attached extra wire and a plug will need to be purchased if going down that track Video Quality: The camera delivers crisp and clear video HD quality, capturing detailed footage during both day and night. The infrared night vision is particularly impressive, providing a reliable surveillance solution even in low-light conditions and the spotlight can be set to times or when it senses human movement

Pan and Tilt Tracking: One of the standout features is the pan and tilt tracking capability. The camera follows motion smoothly, providing a dynamic range of coverage. This feature enhances its surveillance capabilities significantly. You can set up 6 sites you want the camera to move to as a preset if using it manually

Connectivity: The Grid Connect technology facilitates seamless integration with home security systems and mobile devices. The ability to remotely monitor the camera feed adds to its convenience and practicality.

App Interface: The accompanying mobile Grid Connect app is user-friendly and offers a range of customisable settings. Live streaming and playback & recording options are easily accessible, making it convenient for users to manage their security footage remotely with or without alerts and a two way voice speaker is built in if needed

Price: While the Orion Grid Connect Outdoor Pan and Tilt Tracking Security Camera offers advanced features, the price point is good at around $120 . However, the investment could be justified by its comprehensive set of functionalities.

Overall Impression: The Orion Grid Connect camera is a reliable outdoor security solution with advanced pan and tilt tracking capabilities. Its sturdy build, excellent video quality, and seamless connectivity make it a strong contender in the outdoor security camera market. However, potential buyers should consider their specific needs and budget constraints before making a purchase. Personally its now my goto camera for the front yard.