Philips Hue Secure Wired Camera review 

Product title: Introduction

• Kind: Indoor, Outside
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 2.4 and 5GHz
• Ecosystems: Alexa, Google House (upcoming)

If you consider good lighting, Philips Hue might be one of many first corporations – if not the primary – that enters your head. It’s famend within the good lighting area, not just for delivering glorious good lighting options, however an enormous vary of choices too, from strip lighting to numerous bulbs. 

It’s maybe a bit stunning due to this fact, that it took so lengthy for Philips Hue to make use of this status and develop into different areas of the good house. Nonetheless, it did it will definitely and the primary of those areas is the Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera, which was revealed in August 2023.

Having lived with Nest Cams in my house for a number of years, can the Safe wired digital camera compete?

Design and set up

• Integrates with Philips Hue lighting app
• Weatherproof for indoor or out of doors use

The Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera isn’t too dissimilar from Google’s Nest Cams and on first look, you’ll be forgiven for complicated the 2. Nonetheless, a bit like telephones, there actually is just so many locations you possibly can take the design of a safety digital camera so it’s not too stunning units from completely different producers have similarities. 

The Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera is available in white or black color choices, each of which have a premium outer shell with a rounded again and a round aspect on the entrance housing the digital camera sensor and lens.

I opted for the wired digital camera with Desktop Stand for my evaluation unit, however you possibly can select the choice with out the stand or purchase the stand individually at a later date (although that is an costly factor to do).

There’s a battery mannequin too, which is just about an identical in look to the wired mannequin with a barely longer physique, however each have an IP65 ranking, making them appropriate for indoor or out of doors use.

Within the Hue Safe wired digital camera with desktop stand field, you will see the ability cable, Safe wired digital camera, the Desktop Stand and a magnetic mount. You’ll want to put the digital camera into the magnetic mount first, then route the ability cable by way of the underside of the desktop stand earlier than inserting the digital camera into the stand and connecting the cable.

It really works properly sufficient – the bottom is strong and the magnets holding the digital camera head to the bottom are sturdy – however it feels a bit high heavy and the ability cable could possibly be higher integrated.

Nonetheless, it’s all comparatively easy to piece collectively and the one factor to actually take note is that you simply’ll should be shut sufficient to an influence outlet. You’ll additionally want the small card with the QR code on it that can be within the field, and required to attach it to the Phillips Hue app.

The remainder of the setup is simple sufficient too – you’ll want to make sure you’re the fundamental account holder and you’ve got the appropriate permissions so as to add units to an current Philips Hue account – and also you’ll additionally should be a bit affected person. 

The Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera takes a few minutes to enter pairing mode the place an LED gentle above the digital camera lens will flash blue. It can begin with the color purple if you first flip it on however you gained’t be capable of connect with it till it turns blue so seize a espresso and simply wait.

As soon as it’s blue, you’ll join by way of Bluetooth initially, use the QR code to attach it to the Hue app after which join up your Wi-Fi. 

You’re then just about good to go. It would suggest an replace, and if it does, then be sure you don’t press “Come again later” in the course of the replace as it will cancel the updating somewhat than permitting you to only depart the Philips Hue app and the replace proceed within the background.

The final a part of the set up and setup course of is including the Safe wired digital camera to your Philips Hue house setup, selecting to incorporate – or to not embody – sound in movies and giving your digital camera a reputation. You’ll additionally must make a remark of the distinctive passphrase you might be given throughout setup as you’ll need it if you wish to view your dwell feed from one other machine.

This passphrase isn’t one thing you’re prone to keep in mind off the highest of your head so be sure you screenshot it or element it someplace simply accessible. It is possible for you to to entry it within the Hue app too however chances are you’ll not have your telephone or pill on you for this if you want it.

Options

• Two-Method Discuss, Constructed-in Siren, Black Out Zones, AI for distinction between objects
• Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant assist coming

The Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera has end-to-end encryption, as you would possibly anticipate from a safety digital camera, however it additionally has a spread of extra options. You’ll discover two-way speak with each a microphone and speaker constructed into the digital camera and that is good and clear in use.

There’s additionally synthetic intelligence (AI) on board for distinguishing between individuals, packages, animals or autos, and you’ll decide which of those you need alerts for, although that is so far as that goes with no acquainted face detection such as you’ll discover on Nest Cams.

Additionally, you will want to join a Safe subscription to entry these options and additionally, you will want the Safe subscription for clip historical past and zones, which isn’t too dissimilar to Nest and Ring, each of which require subscriptions to entry greater than the fundamental options.

If you happen to do signal as much as the Safe subscription plan, you possibly can outline areas of your video feed to obtain particular alerts nevertheless, which is useful. The Hue Safe wired digital camera guards the again of my house the place we’ve got two units of bi-fold doorways and whereas they appear pretty, they’re a weak level when it comes to safety.

I due to this fact setup each as zones so I used to be particularly alerted if there was movement detected close to them, somewhat than getting a notification every time the canine walked out and in of the sitting room. It’a additionally potential to setup what Hue calls Black Zones for areas you don’t need filmed in any respect at any level, providing privateness.

Elsewhere on the options entrance – and the place the Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera stands out – is the way in which it really works with the remainder of the Philips Hue system.

When you’ve got Philips Hue lights – which I believe you will have should you’re contemplating this digital camera over some others available in the market – they work in concord with the Safe digital camera and it’s an amazing expertise.

On one hand, you should utilize the digital camera as a movement sensor to set off lights, whereas alternatively, you can even select to ‘Arm’ your property, with two choices on provide: Armed: House and Armed: Away. The previous is for when you find yourself house and the later is for when nobody is house, as their names counsel. 

Inside these Armed choices, you possibly can arrange an alarm which may contain all of your Hue lights flashing brightly, in addition to the digital camera’s built-in siren going off if movement is detected. The alarm could be customised so it is likely to be that you simply select the siren to solely come on in case you are away from house somewhat than simply if somebody in your house comes downstairs in the midst of the evening.

It’s additionally one thing you possibly can set off manually with a Take Motion possibility showing when your Philips Hue digital camera detects movement, and it’s potential so as to add a contact so you possibly can name them straight from the Take Motion display too, must you wish to. 

When it comes to assist with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and HomeKit, the previous two are coming however not right here but, and the latter isn’t at present on the playing cards.

Efficiency

The Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera provides 1080p video from its sensor and the standard is respectable if you take a look at it in your telephone or pill.

It’s clear, detailed and you’ll see options with out a problem so if there was an intruder, the standard would enable you to distinguish sure traits with out a problem.

It does turn into distorted if you zoom in nevertheless, whereas the Nest Cam has a 4K digital camera sensor to permit for higher high quality when zooming and Arlo’s Professional 5 safety digital camera has 2K footage, for instance.

There’s little or no lag within the Hue Safe digital camera nevertheless. Typically when viewing a dwell feed of a safety digital camera, there could be a delay of a few seconds however the Philips Hue Safe is just about prompt.

That is extra reassuring than you would possibly suppose as if somebody is breaking in, you already know the notification gained’t be too far behind and the siren and Hue lights will kick in shortly to try to deter the intruder.

The siren is 80 decibels which isn’t so loud that it’s going to get up the entire neighborhood, however it’s loud sufficient that somebody shut by will get a bit freight and hopefully be delay coming into if they aren’t welcome. 

Night time imaginative and prescient high quality on the Safe video digital camera is nice too, making it potential to differentiate between faces and objects – one thing you’ll hope a safety digital camera might do even at evening.

The Safe digital camera’ area of view can be fairly respectable, clocking in at 110-degrees, which implies for me, it covers many of the again of my home with out having to be on present in the midst of the room. 

The opposite aspect I significantly get pleasure from concerning the Safe wired digital camera is that it really works throughout the Hue app somewhat than requiring a separate app.

The very last thing all of us want is extra apps to regulate parts of the identical system so whereas there are a few additional clicks to get to sure menus and settings, I’d somewhat that and have it beneath one roof so to talk, than need to open a separate app to view my Safe’s dwell feed.

That mentioned, I would love the dwell feed to look straight within the House tab somewhat than having to faucet on the digital camera within the safety listing. It’s potential to Arm House or Arm Away straight from this display however you need to faucet to see the feed and the historical past.

When movement is detected and a notifications is distributed by way of to your machine, you possibly can select to Mark as Protected or Set off the Alarm.

If you wish to take motion, manually, you need to faucet in your Safe digital camera beneath the safety part and faucet on the alarm icon within the high proper nook earlier than swiping to set off the alarm and flash the lights – or no matter setup you may have chosen. 

You may faucet within the three dots within the high proper too if you wish to entry safety settings. From right here, you possibly can choose an arm/disarm delay so that you don’t set off the siren by simply leaving your property for instance, and you can even filter notifications and setup a characteristic known as Mimic Presence, which can flip your lights on and off mechanically when you may have armed your property, or begin it manually.

To entry digital camera settings, which is the place you alter issues like movement sensitivity, including a blackout zone to maintain a part of your digital camera feed personal, and specifying what objects set off alerts, you need to head to the dwell feed after which faucet on the three dots.

I believe these settings could possibly be simpler to entry on the entire, however there are some respectable options inside these settings so the commerce off is appropriate total.

Ultimate ideas

The Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera appears to be like nice when it comes to design and it packs in some respectable options too, although there’s nonetheless some work to be finished to make it as full and well-rounded as among the different options available on the market.

I just like the blackout zone possibility, having a siren constructed into the digital camera and the truth that it additionally works in concord with Hue lights makes for an amazing beginning expertise.

If you have already got Philips Hue lights and also you’re searching for an honest safety digital camera so as to add to your property – whether or not inside or outdoors – the Hue Safe is properly price contemplating.

The app could possibly be refined to make some settings and options simpler to entry, a couple of options aren’t fairly right here but and among the core options sit behind the subscription paywall, however that’s fairly commonplace for safety cameras as of late.

Sensible safety cameras is a area with quite a lot of choices – and cheaper ones too – however the Philips Hue Safe wired digital camera is nice for these already invested within the Hue system and searching for one thing with a premium end, premium options with extra coming, and a superb total expertise.

How we check

After we publish our opinions, you possibly can relaxation assured that they’re the results of “residing with” long run checks.

Sensible safety cameras normally dwell inside an ecosystem, or a spread of merchandise that – supposedly – all work in concord. Due to this fact, it’s unimaginable to make use of a safety digital camera for every week and ship a verdict.

As a result of we’re testing good house equipment all day, on a regular basis, we all know what issues and the way a selected digital camera compares to options that you may additionally be contemplating.

Our opinions are complete, goal and truthful and, in fact, we’re by no means paid on to evaluation a tool.

Learn our information on our evaluation course of for good safety cameras to study extra.

FAQs

Full product title: Specs