- Abode is a DIY home security brand
with a lot of bragging rights.
We recently tested the Abode iota
and now we're trying out the Abode Cam 2,
the brand's standalone indoor/outdoor camera.
Off the bat, there were a few things I really liked
but after a few days of testing, I wasn't a fan.
Features like its live recording, color night vision,
and even the mic and speaker weren't reliable
and caused me a bit of a headache.
After getting to know it,
the best word to describe this camera is inconsistent.
Join me as I dive into the world of the Abode Cam 2
for better or worse,
but before we get into it,
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All right, let's get into it.
First, the basics.
the Abode Cam 2 is this teensy little camera
that works with the Abode security systems
or smart speakers like the Echo Show or Google Nest Hub.
It fits almost anywhere in your home
and works as a nice little extension
of your security system.
A few of you asked in our Abode iota review
if Abode works with other security systems like Ring,
Unfortunately, it doesn't,
but you might be able to make them play well together
through a smart speaker app like Google Home or Amazon,
Let us know in the comments if you want us to make a short
and show you how.
For this review, I tested it on its own.
The Abode Cam 2 lands on the more affordable side
of IP cameras like it.
I was excited to see its color night vision in action too.
It also has this clever design that makes mounting
to the wall a lot easier.
(uptempo cheery music)
The Aide Cam 2 shoots in 1080p,
which is the standard HD resolution
for security cameras like it, and it's fine.
I like to think of it this way.
1080p is like those comfy sweatpants
you put on after a long day at work,
they aren't the nicest things in your wardrobe
but they're familiar and they get the job done.
Here's some footage I caught in my test.
The Abode Cam 2 has a 120 degree field of vision
which translates to about 10 and a half steps
across the room.
Straight on, it's not a lot, but at an angle,
this little guy was able to see most of my living room.
This tiny camera works, indoor and outdoors.
So naturally I took it outside,.
Here I've got it set up on my front porch for the afternoon.
One issue that was consistently inconsistent was recording,
and accessing live video.
That spinning blue wheel became a familiar site
after a couple days of testing,
and it seems to be everywhere.
Wanna watch live feed? Blue wheel.
Wanna watch a past clip? Blue wheel.
Need to record, guess who? Blue wheel.
That last one was especially frustrating,
because it's really unclear
of what you're actually getting recorded.
There were several moments where I tried to capture testing
from the Abode Cam 2, but the clip didn't finish
at the right time or it failed all together.
I suspect it's the Abode app behind all of these issues,
because I had similar problems while testing the iota.
But whatever the issue, it was a serious problem.
I haven't run into to something like this
from other cameras, at least not on the app side of things
To say that the Abode Cam 2 has color night vision
doesn't feel totally accurate.
It's more like low light color vision.
I ran into this issue before with other cameras
that make this claim.
Turns out, there needs to be at least
some kind of light source in the room or area
for the color to kick on.
After turning on two lights in my living room,
the color finally showed up.
For reference, here's what the room looked like
from my phone.
Now, compare that to the Abode Cam 2, in total darkness,
I was disappointed at how unreliable this feature is,
and was hoping that I could get
that full color HD experience.
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Like many of its competitors,
the Abode Cam 2 has two-way audio
which means that you can talk through the camera
or listen in on what's happening
while watching the livestream.
But during my audio test,
I got really frustrated with this feature.
The volume changed on the microphone
and speaker several times
leaving me talking through my phone
with nothing coming out of the camera.
After several attempts
I managed to capture the Abode Cam 2 speaker
on full volume.
This is what it what it sounds like.
This is what the Abode Cam 2 sounds like.
Not great.
Audio from recorded isn't good either,
but it's hard to know how high the mic was turned up
for these clips.
And speaking through the camera on the app
sounds super garbled and gross.
I've done quite a bit of complaining about this camera.
The about cam two is well priced and well sized.
And there were basic features that I liked about it.
Like the motion stones that were super easy to set.
But I think that if you're looking
for an extra camera somewhere inside or outside your home
you can find a better, less frustrating option.
The Abode Cam 2 was so inconsistent
with its many important features
that it's hard to recommend this strongly between the mic
and the speaker volume changing on their own
the disappointing color night vision
and the frustrating video capture.
I can't say I'm a fan.
Like I hoped I would be
I like what a Abode does as a DIY home security brand.
It blends smart home integration with affordable
usually pretty easy to use equipment, but when it comes
I just think a Abode can do better.
I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed..
I'm just disappointed.
I'm hoping that as the Abode evolves
the brand will make its app a little more user friendly
and come out with a better stellar camera down the road.
But for now, the Abode Cam 2
was just a little bit of a disappointment.
Hey, if you're part of the 10% of people
who watched this far or my parents, thanks for watching.
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Thanks for watching and stay safe.
(uptempo cheery music)