Monitoring My Home, One Camera At A Time

My wife and I live in the country, on several acres, have a pack of protective dogs, and we’re almost always home. That being said, I’ve still been wanting some security cameras but being a procrastinator, I’ve yet to make the effort or willing to undergo the expense of some of those options out there.

As luck would have it, a couple of companies sent me a variety of cameras lately and since it looked to be the most simple as far as installation, I started with the EZVIZ C6 2K+ Smart Home Camera.

As avid readers of the site know, my wife and I are also disabled and it’s a bitch and 3/4s to install or put together anything that is labor intensive. Sure, by first look it’s easy to tell that the C6 doesn’t require extensive hardware or a degree in engineering for the installation process but it never fails that the simplest electronics seem to give me the most trouble.

That wasn’t the case at all with the C6.

Seriously, it couldn’t be easier. Open the box, place the camera where you want, plug it in, download the EZVIZ app and give it the appropriate permissions and connect it to your Wi-Fi, scan the QR code, and VIOLA, you’re ready to rock and roll.

Cool! I can honestly say that this was the easiest gadget setup I’ve dealt with in quite some time. I seriously expected to have to spend a good bit of time getting the app installed and figuring out the controls and features. Well… it took all of three minutes to have it completely ready for use.

I’m really impressed with the color image quality and the 360° panoramic view and of course, I’ve already been teasing my dogs via the two-way talk feature.. not to mention aggravating my wife with things like, “what’s for dinner?” and “hey can you bring me a Dr. Pepper, please.”

She has threatened to use the C6 to take an up close look at my colon though, so I shall no longer be using it to summon her. Especially since she figured out that the C6 has Waving-Hand Recognition & Control that automatically makes a video call to the app (on my phone) whenever it detects a waving hand. I guess as they say, “payback is a bitch.”

Anyway, aside from having some fun at the expense of each other and the dogs, this little baby comes with some great features.

Dual-band 2.4/5GHz Wi-Fi support
Auto-zoom tracking – automatically zooms in up to 4x to follow a moving object.
AI-powered human shape detection – enable the AI option to detect and track human movements specifically
Pet detection – receive real-time mobile notifications when your pets are captured on camera.
Color vision with starlight lens
2K+ resolution
360° panoramic view
Waving-hand recognition & control
Supports MicroSD & EZVIZ cloud storage
Privacy shutter
Abnormal sound detection – alerts you if the noise level suddenly changes
and of course… two-way talk

See.. this camera has some really nice features but backing up for a sec to that color image quality… the C6 renders every detail in sharp 2K+ resolution, still provides color imaging even in extremely low-light conditions and effectively reduces image overexposures.

What all this means for us is that we can set it in the living room while we pick up groceries so we can monitor the dogs in real-time while being immediately alerted to any human detection. With the dogs being so territorial and one of them a rather scary-when-she’s-mad German Shepard, we’re not really worried about break-ins. However, we do have the occasional family member pop in unexpectedly and it’ll be nice to have a head’s up before we get home.

The C6 2K+ smart home camera from EZVIZ is also very reasonably priced ($129.99 at Amazon) and while I don’t really have anything to compare into at this point, I’m impressed with it. If you’re looking for a way to monitor your pets and home while you’re away, this is definitely a great option.

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The EZVIZ DB1C Video Doorbell

Since they were sending me the C6 2K+ Smart Home Camera, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to also check out the EZVIZ DB1C. This sucker is a weatherproof WiFi video doorbell with two-way talk, night vision, a 180° vertical field of vision, PIR motion detection, and free 3-hour cloud storage.

Naturally, I said “sure, send it on over.”

This is one addition I’ve wanted to add to my home for a long time. We get a ton of packages delivered (I have a tendency to shop after a late night with too much whiskey) and some of the drivers just leave them in the driveway or even at the side of the highway by our mailboxes.

While the EZVIZ DB1C may not be able to help me identify which one(s) are doing this, it DOES let me see when they approach the door. This means that when I’m alerted that a delivery has been received, if my doorbell didn’t alert me then I know they ditched it somewhere and I need to go on an Easter egg hunt.

So, as I may have mentioned a time or two hundred, I’m not the handiest of Geeks in the world. Especially when it comes to electronics. Even smart lightbulbs tend to give me crap and take me at least an hour to set up properly.

Don’t judge me, my Geekness lies in other fields.

Anyway, this video doorbell did require me to bribe my buddy with BBQ to come over and install it for me but that isn’t EZVIZ’s fault at all. There’s the aforementioned non-tech-Geek drawback but I’m also disabled and not able to stand for long. Besides, my BBQ is so good that he can hardly resist.

Unfortunately, we didn’t have a doorbell of any kind before this. My wife’s dad built the home and I guess since it was all family around the property and everyone just walked in whenever they wanted, there was no need for one. So, my buddy did get into a little more than I had described but luckily for me, he’s a handy enough guy that he did some drilling and wire-pulling and got it all fixed up in a short while.

That being said, in addition to finally being alerted to deliveries and visitors, it comes in handy in a variety of ways. While I’ve used the speaker to scare my wife and say “thank you” to delivery drivers, my favorite thing to do with it is to run critters off the porch that are attempting to find tasty morsels in the trashcan. Possums are especially fun to scare.

As mentioned in the above section, The EZVIZ app is incredibly user-friendly and after using it to set up the DB1C, I was immediately impressed with the image quality. I can see the entire front porch in crisp color and when someone is walking up, they are clearly recognizable. The night vision is equally as clear and the doorbell quickly alerts me whenever it detects one of those bothersome critters. The 3-hour cloud storage also lets me view anything that I may have missed.

Sure, it takes me a while to get on board and equipped with some of the latest technology advantages out there but I definitely know what I like. While this was given to me so that I would consider reviewing it, I won’t write one up unless I actually like the product.

I mean, what company wants to get a bad review on something they gave away for free? LOL

So… that means that I do indeed like this camera. It has helped us feel safer and more secure while ensuring that we know who is at the door at any given time. If you’re considering adding a video doorbell to your home, this affordable alternative could be the perfect solution.