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Ezviz C8C security camera review: Impressive pan and tilt for extra coverage
Ezviz C8C outdoor security camera
pros and cons
- Good pan, tilt, and digital zoom
- Easy to connect to app
- Local SD card or cloud storage
- Microphone only - no two-way audio
- No siren
- Editors' review
- Specs
The Ezviz C8C outdoor security camera is the first pan-and-tilt outdoor camera released by the Ezviz. It offers almost 360degree horizontal rotation with an 87-degree field of view (up to 352 degrees) and will tilt up to 95 degrees for an impressive coverage of the area.
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The camera is IP65 rated so will withstand the elements and withstand dust so you do not need to worry about the weather hitting the camera.
Inside the box, there is the camera, a power adapter, a screw kit, waterproof housing for the cable connections, a drilling template for the screws, and a quick start guide.
The cable splits into two cables, one for power, and one for Ethernet. You can also connect the C8C camera to your Wi-Fi if you do not want to route the Ethernet cable through your external wall.
Creating an account is annoying -- getting an email, and text alert to verify your identity, and adding your region to the app is irritating. I cannot see why Ezviz needs this information just to connect the camera. The app does not remember your password either, which is irritating.
To connect to the camera download the Ezviz app, scan the QR code on the body of the C8C, and connect to the WI-Fi. You can also use the QR code on the quick start guide leaflet.
Like many security cameras, it is simple to connect the camera to Wi-Fi. The app is good, and the camera is easy to manage. I did not need to connect to Ethernet or use the waterproofing cover for the connection -- although I tested that the Ethernet connection works well.
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The app lets you view the video history of alerts, take a snapshot of the video, do live recording and set the video quality -- either Ultra HD, high definition, or standard definition.
You can also manually pan and tilt the camera, set your active defense, which flashes the spotlight on and off when a person comes into your field of view, and specify whether to enable or disable the camera privacy mode.
Other settings allow you to configure whether to get notifications and set a notification schedule for when you want alert detection to occur. You can also specify the area for motion detection by dragging your finger or clicking areas on the grid that are to be included in the area.
The camera has an f/1.6 aperture lens, adaptive shutter, and 2.7 inch CMOS sensor that will capture up to 1902 x 1080-pixel resolution at 30fps. H.265/H.264 video compression is used. You can zoom in on the images captured up to 8x digital zoom.
You can install a MicroSD card up to 256GB (not included) in size behind the cover underneath the camera, or use the Ezviz cloud solution and get encrypted cloud storage -- you get a free trial for the first 30 days.
Infrared detectors will recognize movement up to 30m away from the camera at night. There are also two spotlights in the camera that are really bright.
You can set the spotlights in the app to light when people approach or can turn the light on and off in the app. The AI detection feature can detect humans and alert you if a human comes within the detection area you have set.
This feature will give you black and white images until a person comes within range of the camera. Then the spotlights will switch on and you will get full-color video.
You can also set the camera to use black and white vision that does not show a color image in the spotlight, but it also does not turn the spotlight on and off if anything approaches
The C8C works with Alexa or Google Assistant to work with your voice commands. I find the app easy to use and it gives me the controls I need rather than using a voice assistant.
The C8C security camera does not have a two-way audio system. Other cameras do have two-way audio, but this is not provided on the C8C.
It does have a noise-canceling microphone so you can hear what is going on within range of the camera -- but you can not use it to speak to anyone outside.
It also does not have an audible alarm -- just a beep that goes off intermittently. There is no siren for this model. However, the flashing LED lights could be enough of a deterrent to intruders.
All in all, the Ezviz C8C is an easy to connect security camera with manual pan, tilt, and digital zoom that will enable you to monitor a wide area, and manage your videos through a well-built app.
The Ezviz C8C outdoor security camera is currently for sale at Walmart for $99.99 -- down from $129 -- and will give you the security to flexibly monitor your property.