Is There A Zmodo Fix For Night Vision

Customer Service

6.nine

Value

eight.i

Equipment

vii.4

Features & Technology

6.8

Ease Of Apply

7.2

SecureScore™

7.3

How Nosotros Review

Plus: Our Team's Featured Picks

Cheque out more recommendations from the SafeHome team:

Earlier we begin with our hands-on review of Zmodo security cameras, we have a riddle for you.

What's small, beautiful, and takes really practiced pictures?

Zmodo cameras on display

Other than yours truly, of course.

It'south Zmodo, the Shenzhen, People's republic of china-based electronics powerhouseone that offers crisp 1080p HD video, 65-foot night vision, motility alerts, and optional cloud recording in their affordable indoor and outdoor security cameras. They also make a really intriguing torchlight camera called Torch 360.

For our review, nosotros purchased two Zmodo cameras: the standard 1080p HD, plug-in, outdoor Wi-Fi camera Zmodo is known for, and the Sight 180 C, an indoor/outdoor model with a broad field of view and a slim design.

Zmodo security cameras

While these cameras aren't going to knock your socks off in features or blueprint, we think you'll see that there's much more to these Zmodo cameras than meets the eye.

Stick around while we get to know Zmodo!

PROS

Low-Toll Cameras
Simple, Unimposing Design
No Paid Subscription Required
Articulate 1080p Video Quality
Numerous Indoor Camera Options
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
thirty-day Money-Back Guarantee
ane-year Warranty

CONS

Limited Features
Simply 1 Outdoor Camera Available
Some Delay on Wake Time in App
No Built-In Siren or Ii-Manner Talk with Outdoor Cam

Unboxing Zmodo

Zmodo's cameras are among the easiest we've had the pleasure of installing. Overall, this is pretty typical with cameras in this price range – zero besides circuitous or technical, and setup takes no more than than 10 minutes. This isn't all that different from the experience nosotros had testing Glimmer'southward indoor and outdoor cameras.

FYI: If you're looking for a camera as affordable as Zmodo, but with a more fashionable look, consider YI, a relative newcomer to the market that makes a not bad little $20 camera. We covered that and more than in our hands-on YI camera review, if you're interested.

All we had to practice was find a good spot, line upwardly the camera then it's fixed in exactly the position we wanted it, and – a few screws and a little elbow grease afterward – nosotros were upward and running.

Zmodo 1080p

We do have 1 give-and-take of caution, though. While we were installing our outdoor camera, nosotros noticed that it's very superlative-heavy; we knew nosotros had to secure our photographic camera very advisedly to ensure it wouldn't lose its position, or worse, fall and break.

We double- and triple-checked to make certain our photographic camera was secure earlier we went back inside, simply in case. And nosotros recommend that you practice the same.

Did You Know: DIY photographic camera installation is usually like shooting fish in a barrel, only keep in mind that security cameras are vulnerable to theft, especially when they're outside or otherwise prominently displayed. Exist certain to secure your cameras with whatsoever anti-theft or security hardware included in the package.

After that, we turned to our side by side camera: the Sight 180 C. This camera immediately reminded u.s.a. of a stripped-down Lorex doorbell camera, primarily considering of its long, flat shape. Conspicuously, this camera was made with versatility in mind; the attached support stand is adjustable, and its size and weight go far like shooting fish in a barrel to mountain to a wall. And, if you lot want the option of moving your camera effectually the house, you can only identify the photographic camera on a surface, on its back up stand up, without any mounting at all.

Zmodo Sight 180 C

With both cameras in place, nosotros turned to Zmodo's app to continue with the setup procedure.

Our Experience with Zmodo App

Ah, the app. We dearest having i centralized platform to view our cameras, and access all of their features. Keep in heed that setting upward security cameras these days almost ever requires downloading an app, and this was no different.

From there, we followed the prompts to set each camera in the app'southward dashboard.

Zmodo app device addition

This is where things got just a little clunky – for a infinitesimal.

The app told us that in order to set up our devices, we had to put in our Wi-Fi network login and countersign. Pretty easy, right?

Zmodo app Wi-Fi connection

Except that this process was a picayune different. When we accidentally put in the wrong Wi-Fi password the first time, the app moved to the next step – scanning the camera's QR lawmakingii – rather than prompting us to re-insert the password.

Of grade, this doesn't bear on the day-to-day employ of these cameras, so that'southward something to proceed in mind. A like thing happened when we took apart a Swann camera system for the showtime time, and I remember it took three, mayhap fifty-fifty 4 tries before everything synced up properly. That's pretty standard behavior, not terribly different from setting up a new smartphone.

Did You Know: DIY cameras, in general, are easier to install than traditional security systems. Just that doesn't mean they're all as easy as Zmodo. For more setup and install tips, visit our security camera installation guide.

And then, one time we saw that both camera displays were attainable from our app, we saturday back and watched. Information technology was time to see the world through Zmodo's eyes!

Our Experience with Zmodo 1080p

Zmodo 1080p

If you're like us, you lot might get to this footstep in the process and wonder: How does such a minor, inexpensive photographic camera like the Zmodo 1080p take such stunning pictures and videos?

Zmodo 1080p image quality

While it wasn't a knock-your-socks-off picture, Zmodo even so impressed united states in video quality – especially because it's a $34 camera. It harkens us dorsum to another cheap all the same well-performing camera in our review lineup: Wyze, a suite of super-basic but super-functional cams with equipment starting at $20.

While not quite as impressive equally our Zmodo in video quality, Wyze Cams certainly held up as a viable alternative in our hands-on Wyze review. For an affordable, simple device y'all tin identify anywhere with piddling fuss, you tin't get wrong with either Wyze or Zmodo, really.

Our Feel with Sight 180 C

Zmodo indoor camera

Zmodo'south lightweight, low-maintenance Sight 180C doesn't have as well many knock-your-socks-off features, but information technology does accept a 180-degree viewing angle, which is almost 50 degrees wider than its most in-demand competitors. Ring's Stick Up Camera, for instance, has a viewing angle of 130 degrees, but how much you lot really need a wide-bending lens ultimately depends on where and how you lot're using the camera.

Nosotros like to phone call our Zmodo Sight 180 C our panoramic camera. Throughout our tests of the Sight 180 C, we noticed how much more activity this camera picked upward than its similarly-priced peers; this was peculiarly helpful when we were trying to keep an eye on our fast, troublemaking puppy darting across the first flooring of our firm while we were out running errands.

Zmodo Sight 180 C video quality

And, with all that coverage, it meant that we didn't have to buy extra cameras to selection upwardly what this one missed.

So if coverage is what y'all're after, we call up this is a great pick.

But like so many cameras we review, this one doesn't come without some downsides.

First off, there's no siren. Tin can you lot live with that? For indoors, nosotros could. And then this became a great, low-budget way for united states of america to go along all the piffling ankle-biters in our habitation in check. Nosotros think we like it this manner! Withal, it'due south dainty to accept a siren on outdoor cameras, as it serves as an active criminal offense deterrent. That's 1 minor gripe we had near the Sight 180 C.

Pro Tip: If you are looking for active deterrent features in a security camera, Canary's trio of cameras with a born emergency siren and call button might be a better choice. Nosotros took them for a spin in our Canary Security hands-on review, if you're interested.

Night Vision

We've been wowed by that crystal-clear quality delivered past both of our Zmodo cams. But would nosotros exist similarly impressed by how they performed at night?

Short answer? Why, yeah, we would.

Zmodo outdoor dark vision

But not in the mode you lot'd think.

Yous run into, the quality of the night vision on these cameras could be better. We think that'south pretty evident in the photo higher up.

Our showtime thought was that the video quality on these cameras wasn't any worse than we expected; we were dealing with very cheap cameras, afterwards all. We saw, for instance, a problem with glare; any light in this camera'due south field of view produced a stiff halo effect that rendered whatsoever objects at or around it virtually invisible.

So there's the textbook blurriness, which was, again, to be expected. Tree branches blending in with the night sky doesn't assistance either.

But, estimate what? All of those things are pretty standard in cameras of this price bespeak when information technology comes to dark vision, so we were neither surprised nor disappointed.

Zmodo app dark vision sensitivity

Within the app, in that location are enough of bright spots, too, like Night Vision Sensitivity, which helps us fine-tune alerts based on the sensitivity of the motility.

But information technology doesn't terminate there. Our Zmodo camera also distinguishes between objects. In addition to directly-up motion, our photographic camera was able to tell u.s.a. if said motion was a person, beast, or vehicle.

They call fancy little features like this "intelligent alerts." And we intelligent, safety-minded people really like that!

Smart Home Integration

Look, she hasn't learned to cook us dinner or make clean our bath yet. Simply Amazon'due south virtual banana, Alexathree , tin yet acquire a great deal virtually the devices in your home and allow y'all to use those devices hands-free. We wanted to check this out for ourselves, so we put it to piece of work with our Zmodo cams.

Here's our takeaway. Using Alexa to control our Zmodo cameras is not as simple as using Alexa to control, say, a Ring Doorbell.

Zmodo Alexa app connection

That's because Amazon owns Band4 , and Band'south skill is embedded in our Amazon Echo Show.

Zmodo, clearly, is not owned by Amazon. So we had to do a little more legwork to get Alexa to recognize our third-party Zmodo cameras.

To practice this, nosotros went into our Amazon Alexa app in our phones and searched for Zmodo under Skills.

And then, we had to enter our Zmodo login and password.

And there it was! Not too hard, but a little more time-consuming than Ring's smart home feel.

Zmodo Alexa display

The cool thing was, we could just leave this brandish up for every bit long as we wanted. So whatever time we heard something that didn't sound correct, or we knew nosotros'd exist getting a commitment, we didn't accept to stop whatsoever else nosotros were doing to check on it. This team of multitaskers was quite grateful!

Zmodo Camera Costs

If video quality is a priority for yous – and most probable it is – we think y'all'll be pleased with Zmodo cameras. And, with that low price tag, it's easy to justify buying multiple Zmodo cameras at once. If that'southward what you lot're after, we remember you'll appreciate Zmodo's 2-, 3-, or 4-pack kits. It surely makes the whole buying experience easier!

Here's a full breakdown of Zmodo'southward products and prices:

Zmodo Cameras	Camera Type	Key Features	Cost
Zmodo Mini Pro	Indoor	1080p Hard disk drive video 130-caste viewing angle	$14
Zmodo Smart Security Camera	Indoor	720p video 130-caste viewing bending Cloud recording compatible	$29.99
Sight 180C	Indoor	180-degree viewing angle Two-way talk Night vision	$79
Zmodo Pivot	Indoor	Two-Way Talk Built-in Bluetooth Speaker Smart Device Hub	$59.99
Zmodo Pivot White	Indoor	1080p HD 360-Degree Rotation Smart Domicile Hub	$79.99
Zmodo 1080p HD	Indoor/Outdoor	Movement Zones and Alerts 65-pes Night Vision DIY Installation	$39.99
Zmodo Torch 360	Outdoor Torchlight	1080p Hard disk Light Controls 360-Degree Field of View	$129.99

Zmodo Subscriptions

Zmodo cloud plans

As we've been seeing more and more nowadays, subscription plans are becoming the way we're all doing domicile security.

Zmodo'due south menu of subscription plans is pretty standard for the manufacture: one basic plan for no charge, and a few upgrades that add a little pizzazz to our technology. For our purposes, we chose the premium plan, which gives united states of america 7 days of free recording, amongst other features.

It's worth noting, though, that monthly storage costs with Zmodo skew a scrap higher than average for the industry. It's dollars and cents, we know, merely monthly costs can add upwards. Zmodo's costs aren't extravagant, equally long equally you tin live with paying $5 per month to shop 7 days of footage. For what it'south worth, that's $2 more per month than you'd pay for a Band premium cloud subscription. Just something to consider.

Here'south a look at Zmodo's subscription options:

Zmodo Deject Plan	Bones	7-Day Plan	30-Twenty-four hours Plan
Video History Lookback	12 hours	7 days continuous cloud recording	thirty days continuous cloud recording
Warning Clip Storage	No	vii days	30 days
Custom Move Zones	No	Yes	Yes
Video Editor & Time Lapse Clips	No	Yes	Yeah
Monthly Price	Costless	$4.99	$ix.99
Yearly Toll	Gratuitous	$49.ninety	$99.ninety

Customer Service

Zmodo support

We found Zmodo'due south customer service feel to exist useful, yet inconsistent. They've got plenty of help for people having trouble with installation and troubleshooting for lots of different topics. But in the event that y'all can't find answers to your questions through the support page, we were happy to find a customer service phone number that led us pretty quickly to an agent, who answered our questions thoroughly.

We've also heard from people whose customer service feel was less than stellar; some take complained that the agent they called wasn't knowledgeable plenty about cameras but could write a novella near Zmodo's land-of-the-fine art Wi-Fi extender.

Not the ideal event when y'all call an electronics company, so we sympathise the disconnect. For us, however, the experience was hassle-free.

A Final Note on Zmodo

Every bit we continued to test and explore our Zmodo Sight 180 C and 1080p security cameras, we came across something that we couldn't quite categorize, or compare to anything else.

Within the app'south Cloud settings, there'due south a page that looks like this:

Zmodo deject

At first glance, it looks like just another camera dashboard.

Merely, accept another sniff, and y'all'll come across that this folio is really a bunch of displays of animate being rescues around the U.S. that are streaming their live camera feeds on Zmodo'due south app, for some serious cuteness.

Even better: We learned that some of the pets nosotros can see through these live feeds are available for adoptionfive . Other apps do this, but this is the first one we've seen in a security camera app. We love it!

Except we don't entirely empathise why this page simply isn't called "Pets" or "Devices in Activeness" or something similar, instead of "What is this page?" Tin't they but tell us what the page is?

Just again, a small-scale gripe. Later giving these cameras a good three-day run, we can say without hesitation that our Zmodo cameras evangelize about exactly what they promised, correct up to that top-notch, crystal-clear video. And then if you're on the marketplace for an affordable security camera that doesn't skimp on features, nosotros think Zmodo is definitely worth a consideration.

Zmodo camera pluged in

Zmodo FAQs

Does Zmodo work with Alexa?

Yes. By linking your Zmodo account with Alexa, y'all can comprise your cameras into whatsoever Amazon smart domicile ecosystem. If you've got an Echo Testify, this is a not bad mode to become instant insight into any activity in or around your belongings, or just pull up your alive feed to check out the scene.

Does Zmodo offer a subscription for video storage?

Yeah. Zmodo's $5-per-month deject plan is an easy, inexpensive add-on and gives you a ton of infinite to shop your videos. But it'southward not required to use Zmodo cameras every 24-hour interval; you can also opt for a basic (complimentary) plan, which automatically stores your final 12 hours of video history.

How is Zmodo's night vision?

Mediocre at best. Nosotros didn't get almost the kind of clarity and particular that we got with cameras like Arlo and Band, so it was hard to decipher night-colored objects. This was especially hard in loftier-activity areas; when nosotros were alerted to move through our telephone, we couldn't tell what was actually going on by looking at the prune. So if dark vision is a priority for you, Zmodo might be a disappointing feel.

Do Zmodo cameras work well even though they're cheap?

Low-cost engineering science usually comes with an unspoken warning: "You get what you pay for." In Zmodo'due south example, we didn't find any huge flaws using their cameras in our home to monitor activeness similar wildlife sightings, porch piracy, and speeding cars. Everything did what it was supposed to practise in our Zmodo cams. Just for more avant-garde engineering science like facial recognition and born emergency response, you'll have to pay more for a higher-end brand.

Does Zmodo accept artificial intelligence?

Since their camera features are pretty basic, you can't really phone call Zmodo an artificial intelligence-powered photographic camera brand. But they do have intelligent alerts to distinguish between people, animals, and vehicles when motion is detected.