D-Link DCS-8525LH is a Full HD pan and tilt Wi-Fi IP camera that supports cloud recording or local recording with micro SD card. It current retails at S$169 but you should be able to get some discounts off retailers.
The design is similar to most other pan-and-tilt IP cameras. The box comes with wall-mount brackets and a 2-pin wall plug with pretty long cable. Good thing is that the camera takes in 5V 2A power, which is standard high-power USB, which means you can easily replace the power plug. There is also an Ethernet port if you prefer wired connectivity.
The focus ring is manually adjusted, so you need to turn the ring to get the optimal focus when inspecting the live feed.
Setting up is guided by the smartphone app, mydlink app.
Cloud recording is a paid subscription service, but you can enjoy free trial of 1-day cloud storage.
Once the set up is complete, you can use the mydlink app to set up a few things, like motion setting, night vision, camera LED, image direction.
On the same app, if you have other D-Link smart devices, like the Wi-Fi Smart Plug, then they will also appear on the app and create smart automation to monitor your home for any intrusions. The D-Link DCS-8525LH can detect motion and sound, and you can receive notification when that happens. The challenge is that there can be false alarms especially if your camera is positioned at a place with day lighting, such that when lighting condition changes due to passing clouds, the camera may trigger notification. The workaround is to create schedules that you want the camera to detect motion or sound. Note that recording is only done when schedules are configured, else the camera will not record footage.
What I like about the DCS-8525LH is that from the app, I can preset the pan-and-tilt positions, so that when I tap on the preset, the camera will tilt to the exact position I want and monitor any events. The Full-HD resolution means you can digitally zoom in on any footage for a closer look on the scene. You can also carry out 2-way conversations, but the audio quality is not very clear.
But the mydlink app is not easy to use because the functions are all over the place. I am also not a fan of the “floating ball” look. On some menus, I even have to swipe the icons like a carousel to look for the item I want. In terms of video feed connectivity, it usually takes some time to get the live feed up. Similarly, looking for a past video clip in the long timeline may take a while. As it supports Google Assistant integration, the video from the camera can be streamed to Google Chromecast.
Verdict
The D-Link DCS-8525LH is the top-line Full-HD smart home monitoring camera with pan-and-tilt capability and cloud recording. If your home is using D-Link smart home products, then this is the most versatile monitoring camera, supporting day-and-night recording, sound and motion detection. If you are just looking for a standalone Wi-Fi security camera, then this may not be the most easy-to-use product. Retail price: S$169.
Official product website: https://www.dlink.com.sg/product/full-hd-pan-tilt-wi-fi-camera-dcs-8525lh/
