Hello youtubers! Today I'm going to be reviewing the Maximus camera floodlight
with motion integrated LED also referred to as the Maximus motion activated
outdoor integrated LED camera floodlight that is used in conjunction with the
Kuna smart home security app by Kona systems. First I'll talk about the
features, what I like and dislike, then the app, then I'll cover a few other
specifications, and finally I'll briefly talk about installation. I want you to
know beforehand what it is you're signing up for and I mean that literally.
That way you'll know whether this product is right for you. See the
information section below if you want to jump to different sections of the video.
Just note that I do not show you how to install the fixture in this video. Let's
start with the features. The Maximus camera floodlight is another innovation
in DIY security and lighting. I think of this product as a combination outdoor
motion sensing light, security alert system, and kind of a video doorbell. The
camera shoots full color HD video in 1080p. "Full color video even at night?," you
ask. Well, while this camera doesn't have night vision it has a motion sensor
which turns on the floodlights and illuminates the yard like a Hollywood
movie set. It's all "lights, camera, action"... only in your yard;
hence, full color HD video at night. And using smart detection the camera begins
recording 10 seconds before an event is triggered. That works because while
the camera's viewing angle is 155 degrees, the sensor has potentially a 270
degree detection angle, but I'll get to that in a moment. The LED lights are
bright providing 2400 lumens of output and they have a color temperature of
5000 Kelvin... that's a cold white leaning towards blue on the spectrum. It's like
the color of snow on the ground at night with a full moon after it stops snowing. Anyway,
in my opinion, 5000 Kelvin leans a bit towards the lighting used in interrogation
rooms, but it's likely the trade-off required to get full color HD video at
night sows'll let that slide. The LED lights are dimmable and programmable using the
kuna app, so you can program a weekday or weekend schedule, or simply dusk until
dawn, or is it dawn until dusk? Oh dusk till
dawn, yeah, or have the lights activated by motion. Now the detection range of the
sensor is 70 feet; however, if you're not
mounting the fixture at the recommended height above the ground, which I'll talk
about in a moment, you'll lose 15 feet of detection for every 5 degree change in
the sensor's angle. The recommended height is 7 feet according to the box
and 8 feet according to the instructions. Huh?,
but either way at 7 or 8 feet above the ground these lights will likely blind
guests welcomed or not. So luckily the brightness can be adjusted in the app.
And I don't know about you, but I think 7 to 8 feet above the ground for a floodlight
seems a bit low. Usually floodlights are mounted above a garage or porches
under the eaves. In my case I mounted this fixture 16 feet above a porch which
meant angling the sensor down so I'm not gonna get 70 feet of detection range.
Also keep in mind that while the detection angle is 270 degrees, which is
for corner mounting, most of us who put this on the side of a house or garage
will get 180 degrees of detection because the thing can't see around
corners... unless you mount it on a corner. Now the app and fixture used together have
many somewhat useful features. For example, from the app you can do two way
talk, trigger a 100 decibels siren alarm, or upon sensing motion you can
have the light chime, bark like a dog, or play pre-recorded greetings likely to
confuse welcomed guests, delivery people, and strangers alike. That's sarcasm!
In my testing of the 2-way talk feature I experienced significant latency in the
signal even though the Kuna app was telling me the fixture had a good Wi-Fi
signal. I should point out that the app can tell you the fixture's Wi-Fi signal
strength; however, you won't know how good until the fixture is installed, powered
on, and you've performed setup in the app. I know! Kind of bass-ackwards right? Now
the ability to trigger noises or greetings when motion is
detected seem like a cool feature to me, but in practice, I found they got
annoying pretty quickly. I don't want to hear something like this every time I
walk out of the door. <> Luckily you can adjust the speaker volume and turn on
and off greetings and chimes in the kuna app.
There are a few features the security camera does not have that I would find
useful. First it does not have the ability to pan from the app. This is a
stationary camera. During installation you set the direction of the eyeball by
gently pushing it in with your thumb and directing it. Secondly, unless you pay to
upgrade to Kuna's premium AI smart detection feature, the sensor does not
have the ability to ignore motion in specific areas of the sensors range. It's
sometimes referred to as a block out feature and many higher-end security
cameras have this for free. A block out feature is handy if there's a tree, or in
our case a tree and an umbrella, in the detection range which triggers motion.
Because I'm not willing to pay for additional services, my phone lights up
like a pinball machine every time the wind blows the tree or
the umbrella. And if that fixture is set to chime or play greetings, my neighbors
are gonna start texting me to shut up. I can adjust the motion sensitivity in the
Kuna app and turn off or snooze alerts, but because I've got the sensitivity
sensitivity super low, I actually miss what I would consider important events.
Let's talk about the kuna app. After installing the fixture, but before
turning on power, you go to the App Store and download the Kuna smart home
security app. You select and set up your device in the app. And I'll admit that
because the kuna app is made to accommodate multiple devices there is a
learning curve to navigating it. After setup in the app you can view live
video, do 2-way talk, play pre-recorded messages, sound an alarm, call 911,
view real-time video, review past video, download videos to your phone, adjust
speaker volume, set lighting programs, adjust brightness and motion sensitivity,
turn on and off or snooze alerts, among other things
Now here's my biggest gripe with this company and perhaps it's my own fault
for not visiting the www.getkuna com website and doing the proper due
diligence beforehand. Nowhere in the packaging did it mention
where videos are stored or for how long they're stored, or that there is an
additional subscription charge involved to review and download videos older than
two hours. Here's how I discovered this. Upon
installing the app I was given a 14-day trial of some of the premium features.
Most importantly the trial allows you the ability to review, rewind, and
download an unlimited number of video events during the trial period. Once the
trial period is over and you're being spammed with kuna emails, you can only
download three videos per month and there's only a two-hour window to review
motion trigger events... that is unless you buy an annual subscription package.
Two hours?!?! What if I'm in a three hour meeting when someone breaks into the
house and steals the cat. Anyway, here are the packages available at the time of
this video: $4.99 per month billed annually for one camera with seven-day
look-back, unlimited downloads, and a few other things seen here; $9.99 per
month billed annually for up to four cameras, 14 days look-back, and unlimited
downloads with few other goodies; and $19.99 per month billed annually for up
to eight cameras and thirty day look-back, with unlimited downloads plus
other goodies. I feel like this is a classic bait-and-switch, but again, I
didn't do my homework. After the 14-day trial period,
if you don't want to pay annual subscription fees, this is what you get.
Perhaps I wouldn't have such an issue with this if I was taking a DIY approach
to home security and had more than one camera, but this is not an inexpensive
product and to have to pay additional subscription fees is kind of annoying.
Specifications and other things to note. The kuna smart security app is
available on the Apple iTunes Store or Google Play, and can be voice-activated
with Google assistant and Alexa. The fixture's input voltage is rated for
100-277 volts 50 60 Hertz and it works with 2.4
and 5 gigahertz Wi-Fi frequencies. It's suitable for wet locations... it is an
outdoor light after all right? But I should point out that it's made of
plastic which may or may not hold up in harsh weather conditions over the long
run. And while I haven't experienced this
problem, another reviewer reported water making its way into the camera, which
caused hazing. Strangely for the price it only comes
with a one-year warranty. The fixture has an integrated LED so the bulb should
last a long time even though I take issue with integrated LEDs in general
because once the LEDs go the entire fixture is junk and then needs to be
replaced. But let me share one thing I know about sensor lights.... it's usually
the sensor that dies first. The sensor gets sun-faded, bleached out,
and the plastic breaks. Is this sensor replaceable? Doesn't say. Also I don't
know the quality of the camera's electronics, but I've had two inexpensive
security cameras that cost a little over a hundred bucks and both lasted
about a year. I'm just saying time will tell. Regarding installation,
it's straightforward. Not 15 minutes as stated here on the box, but I'm also not
an electrician. Installation isn't bad though. Also keep in mind if you install
the camera floodlight into a fixture that is connected to a light switch, when
someone accidentally turns off the switch, the camera and lights go off.
Makes sense, right? Overall this is a decent product for a DIY security system,
but you'll need to determine if it's right for you given all the extra money
you'll need to shell out for the added features. I hope this video has been
helpful. If it has, please do me a favor and "LIKE" it and most importantly please
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Thanks so much for watching!!!