China, Dahua
Cameras and viewers that state their detection and their limits
Two Imou products appear here, at opposite ends of the catalogue.
The S21FEP states AI person and vehicle recognition specifically to filter triggers caused by insects and moving branches — which are the two commonest causes of the notifications that make an outdoor camera unbearable in summer.
It also has dual antennas with Wi-Fi coverage stated to 100 m. On an outbuilding or a gable end at the far corner of a plot, signal is what decides whether a camera works at all, and it is rarely in a headline.
The VD1 is the most capable viewer here: 5 MP, 149°, a card slot to 512 GB and dual-band Wi-Fi 6, in a fitting that needs no drilling and leaves nothing behind. For a tenant it is the only route to a recording device at the door.
Imou also supplies a privacy setting aimed at people living in blocks who want to protect neighbours’ privacy — a manufacturer responding to a real problem. What the law requires of you is a separate question, answered by your own data protection authority and not by a setting.
An insect on the lens at night, lit by the camera’s own infrared. Placement out of the weather does more than any algorithm.
2K 3MP · 355° pan, 90° tilt · full-colour night vision · 110 dB siren · IP66
Imou states a 3 MP sensor, four night-vision modes including full colour, AI person and vehicle detection and a 110 dB siren, in a dual-antenna housing rated IP66. It sits between the budget cameras and the tracking models in price and in capability.
Best for: A garden or driveway where false alarms from foliage and insects have already made a cheaper camera unusable.
≈ 34 €
