Ezviz Mini Cube home camera scans either outdoors or inside
The Ezviz Mini Cube Wi-Fi camera lets you see what's happening right outside the front door or within your home's walls.
The Ezviz is meant to live outdoors.
In terms of keeping an eye out for events inside the home, especially when you're not around, it's hard to beat the peace of mind that comes with owning a Wi-Fi camera. The majority of these gizmos, however, are built for duty indoors and aren't tough enough to withstand exposure to the elements. Enter the $110 Mini Cube from wireless camera maker Ezviz. Despite the company's playful name, it plans to pack a lot of sophisticated technology into the Mini Cube such as HD resolution, a rugged and moisture resistant exterior, night vision, plus a battery pack for increased portability.
The case for placing this camera outside
You're probably asking why would you need a camera outside your house? Frankly there are many compelling reasons. A connected camera placed just outside the front door could send you alerts anytime a visitor comes calling or when a package arrives. Likewise if said package is delivered but is later pilfered by unknown culprits, a camera on guard duty could help authorities identify and track down the perpetrators.
Other helpful skills Ezviz claims the Mini Cube brings to the table are both night vision and motion sensing abilities. Indeed according to the company the Mini Cube will have the power to see in the dark at a distance of up to 30 feet. An integrated motion sensor will also act as a virtual tripwire and wake the camera within the blink of an eye (600 milliseconds to be exact).
And because of this cooperation between the Mini Cube's motion sensor and imaging systems, the machine says Ezviz will be quite efficient, allowing the camera to function in a deep standby mode and only rarely take small sips from its battery. Of course if you have an outdoor AC power socket handy, you can supply the Mini Cube with electricity this way as well.
Thanks to an internal battery you'll be able to put this camera in more places.
A future that's a little fuzzy
Aside from some of the Ezviz Mini Cube's top-line specs, other important details about the camera remain out of focus for the moment. For example, judging by its name alone I expect the Mini Cube to be quite compact. Ezviz has offered up some numbers for the device's physical dimensions, it's essentially a perfect cube measuring 2.2 inches (55 mm on all sides). Of course I can't confirm until I get my hands on it personally.
The same is true concerning the camera's chamber which holds four CR123A batteries (disposable not rechargeable) which Ezviz explains will power the machine for as long as 2 months. Real-world run time could vary greatly depending on how much action the Mini Cube sees.
Predicting when the Mini Cube will hit store shelves is the most unclear piece of the puzzle since the company hasn't released availability dates either. It is likely that product will share the launch date of another of Ezviz's new cameras, the Ezviz Mini IQ which is expected to ship by May 2016.
Specs for the Ezviz Mini Cube
- Rugged enough for outdoor use
- Wide angle 135 degree view
- Wi-Fi
- 1020p HD resolution
- Night vision mode
- Battery pack