Aqara’s E1 indoor safety digicam is the little sister of its wonderful Digicam Hub G3, geared toward those that do not want all of the bells and whistles or the best worth. However do not let that idiot you! The E1 Pan and Tilt Digicam is a sturdy indoor safety digicam with a wonderful characteristic set and stable video efficiency in each day and evening eventualities. I solely have one minor criticism. We’ll contact on that shortly.
Aqara E1 Digicam: Worth and Availability
The Aqara E1 Indoor Safety Digicam is presently out there solely by Amazon.com for $59.99. Though worth drops on this unit do not occur usually, it was $44.99 in December 2023. On the time of writing, Amazon is providing a ten% off coupon within the US.
Aqara E1 Digicam: Specs and Options
Aqara’s Digicam Hub G3 is one among their greatest indoor cameras, however if you happen to’re investing in Apple’s ecosystem, an Aqara hub might not be what you are in search of. That is the place the E1 indoor safety digicam comes into play. For $50 much less, you get a lot of what the G3 gives and a few up to date options in a smaller, 4-inch-tall package deal.
The E1 helps Wi-Fi 6, whereas the Digicam Hub G3 is Wi-Fi 5. The E1 improves on the G3’s robust privateness options by including masking zones. You may add a black block to your video stream, in order that these areas are actually blacked out. That is along with an automatic privateness mode, which lets you set particular occasions when the digicam will pan and level towards a wall or different privacy-focused space. The privateness choices are an ideal characteristic since you’ll see every part fairly clearly with this 2K, f/2.0 digicam, which seems nice in each good and low mild circumstances.
Linked to Apple HomeKit, the E1 has Safe Video help for storing incident movies within the cloud. Nonetheless, you may also file domestically as a result of it has a microSD slot for as much as 512GB of native video storage. That is particularly helpful if you happen to allow the digicam’s 24-hour recording with time-lapse mode. Accessing that slot is easy; Merely slide the digicam’s tilting lens up, revealing a microSD slot on the backside.
One of many options I beloved taking part in with is the two-way telecommunications system. There’s a speaker and microphone constructed into the E1 so you need to use it as a telecommunications system to speak to whoever is on the opposite aspect of the picture. Your youngsters, your companion, your pet, discuss to everybody!
Aqara E1 Digicam: Construct and Look
The Digicam E1 feels properly constructed, though it is largely plastic. It is small, measuring 4 inches tall by 2.68 inches vast, so it ought to simply match on a bookshelf shelf or most different locations. It might even be mounted on the ceiling after which you’ll be able to entry the Aqara House app and reorient the video.
The digicam stays out of the way in which with an infrared backlight, which you will not discover when there are not any lights if you happen to’re in a bed room. The motor is quiet, so you will in all probability by no means hear it turning.
Aqara E1 Digicam: Ease of Use
Establishing the Digicam E1 is easy, because the Aqara and Apple House apps do it with a QR code. In case you have every part you want, you will be up and operating in only a few minutes. On this case, having every part you want would imply you will have an influence adapter as a result of the E1 does not include the brick within the field, simply the USB-C cable.
Establishing the privateness options within the Aqara House app may be very easy, and though there’s a little bit of a delay, the handbook pan and tilt capabilities work properly. You must know that when you hyperlink the digicam to HomeKit, or if you happen to select to forego Aqara House and solely use HK, you’ll lose entry to many privateness options, in addition to handbook pan and tilt management. It’ll nonetheless monitor people and detect movement, however you will not have the ability to set these privateness positions and you will lose the flexibility to set as much as three occlusion zones. For privateness options, you will first must set them up in Aqara House as scenes, that are then uncovered in Apple House. You may then activate them utilizing automation in Apple House while not having the Aqara House app.
An essential facet of privateness options is that they’re processed domestically. The E1 has a built-in neural processing unit that permits detection of individuals and sounds on the system.
As I discussed earlier within the article, my solely criticism with the Aqara E1 indoor safety digicam is that the automated pan and tilt human monitoring is finicky. I discovered that location impacts its monitoring potential, as does the Digicam Hub G3. When the digicam is positioned at hip top (I am 6 toes tall), I discover it a little bit gradual to pan with shifting objects, that’s, me. Place the digicam increased up the place your AI can seize faces and your human monitoring will enhance.
Aqara E1 Digicam: Competitors
The pan and tilt choices that help HomeKit Safe Video are few, however there are two different cameras value trying out. We reviewed and appreciated Eufy’s 2K Pan, which is now the 2K E220 indoor digicam and proper now its worth cannot be beat: simply $35.99 on the Eufy website and Amazon.
VOCOlinc Opto HomeKit Indoor Digicam There’s additionally a decrease price possibility, out there on their website for $49.99. It additionally has pan and tilt performance, however solely runs 1080P video, which is okay given HKSV’s limitations when linking 2K cameras just like the E1. HomeKit downscales 2K video to 1080P on Apple House and for movies recorded within the cloud.
Aqara E1 Digicam: Do you have to purchase it?
You can purchase this if…
- You need pan and tilt at an ideal worth
- Privateness options are important on your use case.
- You do not want all of the options of Digicam Hub G3
You should not purchase this if…
- You have to mount it on a vertical floor similar to a wall.
Aqara E1 Digicam: Verdict
With the Aqara E1 indoor safety digicam, you get numerous digicam at an ideal worth. Built-in particular person and sound detection and robust privateness options make this an ideal alternative to be used instances the place what’s on the digicam at sure occasions is a priority. Wi-Fi 6 means you will have entry to extra dependable dwell video streams in properties with dozens of different Wi-Fi units, and 360-degree rotation means you’ll be able to see virtually every part.
There aren’t many pans and tilts at this worth with this characteristic set, so the E1 digicam must be in your brief record if you happen to’re in search of PT performance. Even if you happen to do not want the hub however PT is important, take into account trying on the Digicam Hub G3, which has extra dependable monitoring, built-in facial recognition, and an alarm uncovered in HomeKit.
Aqara 2K E1 Indoor Safety Digicam
Powerful act to comply with, nevertheless it follows you!
It does not have dozens of pan-tilt cameras that help HomeKit Safe Video, however of people who do, the Digicam E1 is without doubt one of the greatest.
