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Add to SafariWhen comparing Netatmo Welcome vs Samsung SmartCam HD Pro, the Slant community recommends Netatmo Welcome for most people. In the question“What are the best home-security cameras?” Netatmo Welcome is ranked 7th while Samsung SmartCam HD Pro is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Netatmo Welcome is:
All data is stored locally on an SD card - included is an 8GB card. Even better - the slot is push activated, meaning it will spring out when you push it in again. This is an example of the good attention to small details. The SD card can only hold so much video though, and once storage space has run out it will overwrite any existing files. This means that if you want to keep any videos, it's important to regularly save them to another storage location (or insert a larger card).
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Locally stored data
All data is stored locally on an SD card - included is an 8GB card. Even better - the slot is push activated, meaning it will spring out when you push it in again. This is an example of the good attention to small details.
The SD card can only hold so much video though, and once storage space has run out it will overwrite any existing files. This means that if you want to keep any videos, it's important to regularly save them to another storage location (or insert a larger card).
Pro Inconspicuous design
At first glance, you wouldn't expect this to be a security camera. that means that it's easy to place it in plain sight without being an eye-sore.
Pro Facial recognition
While not a reliable source of security, the Netamo Welcome can sometimes get faces right. It has trouble differentiating between bearded folks, but other than that it does a decent job once it's sufficiently learned the different faces (it can take up to 2 weeks).
Pro Versatile video
With the wide angle lens (130 degrees), this camera is set to record any action in front of it, as well as slightly to the sides of the main focal point. It also includes a night vision mode, where infra-red LEDs illuminate the darkness but aren't visible to human eyes. This is called night mode, and shows up in greyscale, but in decent enough quality to still be able to see everything that's going on in the frame.
Pro Multi-platform
There are fully integrated Android and iOS apps, as well as a web app (although the web app is limited in its capabilities). This is welcome news for any family which is split between Android/iOS users.
Pro Web app included
While some home security cameras only support mobile apps, this one allows you to view the important information in a web browser for your convenience (configuring the camera itself needs to be done through the app, but it's nice to be able to view the live steam on any computer and not just your phone).
Pro Recognizes who enters a household and notifies via companion app
Pro Customizble features
You can manually adjust the speaker and microphone volumes, as well as wide dynamic range settings to balance the brightness of the video. Sensitivity of both motion and audio sensors can be adjusted as well.
Pro Night vision
The SmartCam HD Pro is equipped with infrared LEDs. These illuminate dark rooms for the camera, while being invisible to human eyes.
Pro Speak and listen capable
You can have a conversation with somebody through your phone while they're in front of the SmartCam. This is useful as it allows you direct communication with babysitters, contract workers, house sitters or anybody else around your camera.
Pro Local storage
There is a SD slot which allows for local storage. This means that as video is captured, it is recorded straight onto the local storage, while most cameras don't offer local storage (instead they upload it directly to a cloud service, and often charge a monthly fee to download these videos).
Cons
Con Limited positions available
There is no included mount, and it isn't supposed to be pointed at windows or areas with too much light. This limits where you can place it, as it has to be on a table or ledge of some sort, and facing in a specific direction.
Con Visible light when in night mode
When night mode is enabled, there is a glowing red light. This defeats the purpose of its stealthy design, and feels obtrusive when you are walking around your house in the dark - almost like something is watching you (because you are indeed being watched).
Con Sub-par camera quality
While rated at 1080p, the quality of the video doesn't quite match that of other 1080p home security cameras. This might just be optics they used, but the overall quality of the video leaves some to be desired.
Con Legacy designed app
The app looks like it was created more than 3 years ago. There are different tabs and menus, and often times features aren't where you'd expect them to be. There are also few labels - icons dominate the app, and it isn't always obvious what the icons do.
Con Uninspiring build
The design of the SmartCam HD Pro is polarizing. While it looks functional from a distance, getting closer to it will reveal its physical shortcomings. It's bigger, chunkier, and feels like it's made out of cheap plastic. The glossy plastic front panel makes it feel much cheaper than it actually is.
Con Sub-par video quality
While it has a 1080p camera, the recordings don't match the same quality as other slightly more expensive 1080p cameras. This makes detail harder to make out, although it's usually still clear enough to figure out what's happening in the picture.
