Modified from product page Vacos is packed with plenty of other features including two-way audio, local & cloud storage access, Alexa & Google (coming soon) voice integrations, etc. I’ll discuss each feature in detail below but hopefully this opening is enough to give you an indication of what to expect from another unique entry into the wireless security camera space.
Vacos Product Info
The Best Features of Vacos
What sets this camera apart from others and is it worth buying? I’ll let you decide after walking you through what I felt were the best features of this product.
Top 5 Pros
Color Night Vision & Full HD Camera
Indoor/Outdoor Use With IP65 Waterproofing
Alexa/Google Voice Integration
Long Battery Life With Solar Charging Option
Wide Field of View & Local/Cloud Storage
Color Night Vision & Full HD Camera
The Sony CMOS imaging sensor does a lot of things; it produces quality HD video at 2MP, and most importantly, it gives you colorful views 24/7. With color night vision you can see the nightlife the way it’s meant to be seen. The colors pop and they’re very clear too; you won’t find this level of detail on other night vision cameras that’s for sure.
Indoor/Outdoor Use With IP65 Waterproofing
The product comes with magnetic/screw mounts that can be placed outside or in. I personally use it indoors but I may set it up outside the main entrance in the future. And setup is very easy, it even comes with its own screws. In addition, it’s rated IP65 which will protect your device from splashes and dust. The only thing you shouldn’t do is submerge your camera, so do keep it elevated if placed outdoors.
Alexa/Google Voice Integration
I don’t believe it has Google Assistant integration yet but it’s coming however you can control it via Alexa, which is what I’ve been looking for. You can tell Alexa to pull up the video feed whenever you get a PIR alert or ask her to take a real-time look at what’s happening. The camera can be accessed from anywhere, and with two-way audio, you can talk to whoever might be around the cam (good or bad).
Long Battery Life With Solar Charging Option
The camera can run for 6 months before needing another recharge. The biggest pain in the butt is having to recharge all these products, so if one headache is removed then I’m happy. Modified from product page In addition, you can buy a solar charger and use it concurrently with the Vacos cam. Obviously, this would be excellent for outdoor monitoring, and it completely takes away the nuisance of having to charge your device. You just set it up, turn it on, and never worry about it again.
Wide Field of View & Local/Cloud Storage
The 130° viewing angle is plenty wide and you’ll get a decent picture of your surroundings. It’s also noticeably wider than other cams I have. Additionally, every video you take can be saved and stored via local 16GB eMMC storage or for more access/adaptability, sign up for cloud storage, which is free for 90 days when purchasing this unit. All that storage is excellent for playing back your videos, editing/sharing them, etc. It’s highly recommended if you plan on being out of the house for a long time and need to go over your security footage.
What Needs Improvement
Although I found a lot to like about this camera, there were a few things that raised red flags.
Top 5 Cons
No Micro SD Slot
Poor Image Stabilization
Poor Connectivity
Audio Quality Lacking
No PTZ Controls
No Micro SD Slot
You get 16GB of local storage and that’s it. There’s no SD card option, so if you want more storage you’ll have to register for Cloud services, which carry a monthly cost. On the plus side you do get 90 days of free Cloud storage so please take advantage of that; there’s a lot of great perks that come with it.
Poor Image Stabilization
There was a lot of lag when viewing the video feed but it got even worse whenever I moved the camera to focus on something else. The stabilization is much worse than in other cameras I’ve tried, and I’m not sure if it’s something on their end or if it’s my connection. My recommendation would be to keep the cam in one spot and not move it too much.
Poor Connectivity
The 2.4GHz connection is really slow and lags tremendously. I have to wait forever for the video feed to load particularly when shifting to a higher resolution. I’ve also had the feed cut in and out several times. I have 100 Mbps Wi-Fi speeds so there shouldn’t be this many connectivity issues. I even tried resetting the camera a few times but it didn’t help.
Audio Quality Lacking
The audio isn’t very good and the two-way audio needs improvement. My voice kept breaking up and it’s tough to hear the other person. The speakers were also very tinny. For a $100+ security camera, I feel like they could’ve done much better on this front.
No PTZ Controls
I love cams that can pan/tilt/zoom to see other surroundings nearby, so not having this feature was somewhat disappointing. The wide field of view makes up for it but it won’t capture as much detail as a PTZ cam would. There’s also something really fun about manually tilting and panning a cam via app that I miss.
Vacos Cam: Final Review
The Vacos Cam has a couple of features that make it stand out but it’s a mixed bag overall. I would give the Vacos Color Night Vision AI Wireless Camera 3 out of 5 stars. The color night vision was an excellent feature, and the accessibility add-ons like Alexa integration and built-in local 16GB storage were terrific. The charging options were also very flexible and I liked the 6-month battery life, but the overall performance didn’t impress me. Other security cameras I’ve had were more stable, they didn’t have connectivity issues, and they felt more fluid. And though this is an HD camera, it doesn’t feel like it given the constant lag and poor connectivity; the app needs a lot of work too. So would I recommend it? Maybe, there were a few cool things I didn’t mention such as the AI & PIR motion detection, which can reduce false motion alerts and differentiate between a human, animal, and inanimate object. Then there’s the ability to mount this wherever you want and access it from any location, which is useful. But overall I would personally look elsewhere and have this cam as a substitute. There’s a lot of potential with this device and I hope to see it improve in the future. The Vacos Cam didn’t blow me away but it’s worth a look if you’re just looking for something to keep you safe. But if that’s not enough for you, then let’s hope for something better in version 2.
Your Thoughts
© 2020 Krzysztof Willman
