Xiaomi Mi 360 ° Home Security Camera 2K test: a convincing evolution – Frandroid

Introduction

Flooding the connected objects market, Xiaomi nevertheless regularly evolves its product lines. And among them, the Mi 360 ° Home Security Camera 2K offers a new version of an already well-known model. We have reviewed its changes.

Security camera Xiaomi Mi 360 ° Security Camera 2K is positioned as an evolution of the 1080p version that we were testing a few years ago. It takes the same design while roundness and brings it meager novelties.

Very logically, the capture goes to 2K with a new sensor with a larger aperture. The camera is compatible with Xiaomi’s (free) online storage, but will also be able to keep the images on local media. Available at the still interesting price of 49.99 euros, this new version comes with a more complete Pro version.

This test was carried out using a product loaned by the brand.

A design that does not evolve

Difficult to tell the difference between the Xiaomi Mi 360 ° Security Camera 2K and the 1080p version we tested in 2019. The camera consists of a lightly weighted white plastic base on which the motorized camera module. This base can be placed on a piece of furniture, but also be installed on the wall or on the ceiling using the fixing and screws provided.

The principle of this model is, in fact, above all to be able to be controlled from the Xiaomi Home application to thus have a little more latitude with regard to the field of view of the camera. This attribute allows, as its name suggests, the camera to rotate 360 ​​°. In the idea, if the camera is positioned in the middle of a room, it can film the totality of the surface of this one.

The white sphere installed on the base therefore rotates 180 ° and houses the sensor which is adjustable from top to bottom. Owners of the 1080p model will note here that the 2K sensor is now surrounded by a golden circle. From Infrared LEDs are also hidden around the perimeter of the sensor, as is a small indication LED (which can be deactivated).

As on the previous model, by moving the sensor up (via the application) to the top, you can then access a slot for a micro SD card which will unlock the local storage of images up to 32 GB. The sensor still cannot go down to the bottom, allowing the camera to be “blind”. This feature is, however, available on the Pro model.

Note also that the camera is equipped with microphone and speaker which allow an interesting two-way communication. We will come back to these different points later in this test.

And as we do not change a recipe that “works”, we can only regret once again the absence of a power supply unit in the camera box. The brand nevertheless provides a USB cable of about two meters, but it will take out the charger from an old phone (for example) to be able to power the camera.

Ready to watch in seconds

The first start-up of the camera will require first of all to look for a power supply unit since it is recalled, this one is not provided in the box. To be able to use it, you will also need download the Xiaomi Home app, available on iOS and Android and logically create an account if it is not already done.

Once the application is installed, it gives us the choice to add the device from the list of products offered by the brand. Pairing is done almost automatically thanks to the scan of the QRCode present under the base of the camera. From there, the Mi 360 ° Security Camera 2K is ready to go.

Efficient motion detection

Once the Xiaomi Home app is installed, the camera and its main functions are directly accessible from a very simple and uncluttered interface. From the home page, you can enjoy a live display of the video stream with the possibility of orienting the camera using a virtual joystick, but also via gestures directly on the video.

Several buttons are present with in particular the possibility to put the camera on standby, to mute the sound or to define the quality of the video stream. It is also possible to communicate through the camera thanks to the built-in speaker of average quality, but which will fulfill its role perfectly. Finally, the application allows live photo and video capture. The photos and films will then be stored in the memory of the smartphone.

A swipe from the bottom of the screen will bring up the events timeline for a quick consultation of the different detections. If continuous recording of images is enabled, it is also possible to manually navigate through any time slot. On these aspects, the Xiaomi Home application is very pleasant to use.

The Mi 360 ° Security Camera 2K has several storage options. All security events (motion detection) will be automatically stored in the Xiaomi cloud. This behavior is double-edged: on the one hand, it is not possible to use the camera locally only, on the other, it avoids having to use an SD card and will prevent data loss if the camera is stolen or broken.

Adding a micro SD card automatically activates continuous recording (only stored locally, nothing is sent to the Xiaomi cloud, except for detections). Once the SD card is in place, it is also possible to “save” it on a NAS via SMB access for example. This synchronization can be set in real time, but during our tests, it did not work correctly. Only sending at regular intervals was really functional.

By default, the camera does not record anything, to start monitoring it is necessary to activate what Xiaomi calls “Monitoring Assistant”. The application allows you to define the activation periods (night, day, hour, etc.) as well as the sensitivity of detection and various options related to notifications.

We appreciate here the ability of the camera to very effectively detect movements, but above all to distinguish between humans and other movements that may occur. It is then possible to choose for which type of event you want to be alerted. During our few weeks of testing, it was very difficult to catch the faulty camera and the notifications, as well as the recording were triggered instantly.

Very logically, it is possible to put the camera on standby in one tap. Here, the programming can be very finely personalized and the camera will therefore stop motion detection and recording. However, we regret that this model cannot hide its lens as on the Pro version, which would ensure that no image is actually recorded.

Note also that the camera and its functions can be integrated into the automations of the Mi Home solution. A feature that can be interesting if you have other devices of the brand. Integration with Google Home is also possible thus allowing the video stream to be broadcast on Chromecast devices or even to put the camera on standby.

Correct recording quality

Let us now focus on the image quality offered by this new model. If the definition of the image has indeed evolved, in practice the videos and photos captured are barely correct. As always on this kind of device, the captures and the streaming lack sharpness, but remain largely sufficient for the use which will be made of them.

The only notable drawback will be the difficulty in recognizing people formally due to the degradation of the image. It may therefore be difficult to identify someone if they are not very close to the camera.

An option is available in the app settings to enable wide dynamic range. The latter is particularly effective in reducing the backlighting caused by a window during the day. We therefore recommend that you activate it permanently.

Quite logically, the camera also benefits from infrared lighting allowing it to capture images correctly during the night. The quality is also very correct here, allowing efficient operation after dark.

On the storage side (on SD card or NAS), it will take about 2 MB for a minute of video. This will allow you to store around 10 days of recording on a 32 GB SD card and therefore even more if your NAS has more space.

Xiaomi Mi 360 ° Home Security Camera 2K price and availability

The Mi 360 ° Home Security Camera 2K is available at the suggested price of 49.99 euros.