YI Home Cameras are a family of home cameras that offer premium features like FHD video, two-way chatting and more all without the need to pay a monthly subscription fee. Because of its “plug-and-play” nature, YI Home Camera is a great alternative to traditional home protection systems and is ideal for busy young parents who work and would like to keep an eye on things at home even when they can’t be there.

How to choose the best YI Home Camera for your needs

The good news is that even the more basic YI camera models are actually quite capable, so you can’t go really wrong. However, there are some things to keep in mind to make sure you get the best home camera for your needs. Keep the following in mind:

• All of the YI home cameras feature motion detection. However, if you’re only specifically concerned about humans, you may want to consider a model that offers the Human Detection feature. The upside is it won’t get you false alarms when a large bird flies past your window. The downside is, you won’t catch the neighbor’s dog eating out of your dog’s bowl, or things of that nature. Some people prefer Human Detection; others like the broad reach of the standard motion detection feature. Each send alerts to your phone, so really, it’s a matter of preference.
• Stealth Mounting: If stealthily placing your home camera is of utmost importance, go for a model that will allow you to mount it anywhere you want. For instance, most people like to mount their camera on the wall or ceiling for the ultimate view of potential intruders.
• All YI cameras make great baby monitors as well as great nanny cams. Some send Baby Cry alerts straight to your phone, so you know the instant your little one cries. You can’t go wrong for a baby monitor or nanny cam no matter which you choose, but it’s important to know about additional features.

YI Home Camera reviews

1. YI Home Camera Wireless IP Security Surveillance System

Features

Wide angle HD lens

The YI Home Camera Wireless IP Security Surveillance System features a wide-angle lens that captures video in 720p FHD quality. The lens is 111-degrees and you can access a panoramic view by simply panning left to right (and vice versa) on your mobile phone. This is great for viewing instances where the motion detection feature has sent you an alert. Also, you can zoom in to get a 4x closer view of any areas of interest in the image.

Two-way audio-video chat

Because this Wireless IP Security Surveillance System has both an FHD camera and high-quality audio capabilities, as well as integrated Wi-Fi, it can be utilized as a two-way audio-video chat interface. Many homeowners like to make the best of this feature by placing the YI camera at their front door. By doing so, they can see who is at their door when they’re away and chat with them face to face. This lets friends know you’re away—and it lets foes know that they’re on camera and you know what they look like, which will help deter criminal activity in and around your home.

Great for baby monitoring

The YI cam is an ideal baby monitor thanks to its high-quality night vision with 940nm infrared noninvasive sensor. You can see everything your baby does in the dark without having to worry about them being startled by the technology, thanks to the lowkey factor. Plus, since YI captures audio, you can hear if your baby needs you, which is great for parents who are trying to train their baby to sleep alone in their own crib, but don’t want to feel like they’re abandoning them.

Motion detection

YI’s smart motion detection capabilities capture motion both intelligently and accurately. When motion is sensed, the YI camera will send you a mobile alert. You can view frames of when the motion was detected and decide whether or not further action is needed.

YI Home App

The YI Home App is available for both iPhone and Android devices, and is integrated seamlessly with all YI home cameras. The app acts as a highly user-friendly dashboard where you can view all of your alerts and fine-tune settings to fit your needs.

2. YI Home Camera 2 1080p with 32GB MicroSD Card Wireless IP Security Surveillance System HDR

Features

1080p FHD video with wide-angle lens

The YI Home Camera 2 builds on the innovations and standards of its predecessor by providing homeowners with 1080p Full HD video surveillance. A 130-degree wide-angle lens allows you to get a panoramic view of your home in high-quality detail.

Sound clarity

The YI Home Camera 2 features a 360-degree microphone with noise canceling capability, so you can hear every detail without static or interference. The sound input and output are 16-bit, so the sound quality is vibrant and crisp; combined with the FHD video camera, this makes the YI camera 2 a very capable two-way audio-video chat device. You can use it to answer your front door when you’re away from home or use it to tell your kids that dinner is ready.

Baby Cry alerts

One of the big benefits of all YI cameras is that they have great baby monitoring capacity. Infrared video capture is noninvasive; your baby will never be riled by any hint of advanced technology, sleeping peacefully until the next feeding time. Meanwhile, thanks to the voice and sound recognition with the YI Home Camera 2, you can get Baby Cry alerts on your mobile phone, which can let you know when your baby is crying when you’re downstairs or even at work. These features also make for a pretty robust nanny cam, so if a sitter is ignoring your crying baby, you will know about it immediately.

Intuitive smart features

The advanced baby monitoring technology isn’t only smart feature that comes with this great gadget. YI’s advanced voice recognition algorithm recognizes different voices, while its Human Detection technology can handily tell the difference between whether a human is in your house versus a pet. Since most cat burglars aren’t actually cats, this is a very useful home security tool. Plus, the Human Detection technology will also capture a six-second video of the human in question, as well as 5 HD stills so if anyone comes into your home, you’ll know exactly who they are. One of the more unique advanced features is Gesture Detection; you can use it to issue silent commands to the YI Camera 2, such as signaling for the advice to begin recording.

Storage and sharing options

The YI Camera 2 is integrated with its own mobile app, just like the original, and also saves footage to an 32GB SD card. However, in addition to classic SD card storage, you can also save your video footage to the cloud. Using this option, you can access it from multiple mobile devices. You can also share footage with other accounts via the QR code. Finally, going back to the Micro-SD card reader, you can save videos to your phone, upload them to the YI Home App and share them on your favorite social media platform. This is great for sharing cute things your baby does with the grandparents and extended family.

3. YI Dome Camera Pan/Tilt/Zoom Wireless IP Security Surveillance System 720p HD Night Vision

Features

360-degree coverage

The YI Dome Camera is the first in the YI home camera family to support full 360-degree 720p FHD video. The 112-degree lens features bidirectional rotation with 345-degree horizontal movement and 115-degree vertical movement. Because of this extreme range of motion, there are practically no blind spots when the YI Dome Camera is installed.

Smart Motion Tracking

YI Home’s Smart Motion Tracking algorithm not only captures instances of motion, but it records the motion’s trajectory as well. The Smart Motion Tracking technology sends activity alerts to your phone in real time so you can monitor situations remotely, wherever you are.

Baby Cry Alert

The YI Dome Camera has an impressive voice recognition software that can recognize your baby’s cry and send you a Baby Cry alert when your little one is in need of mommy or daddy. This is a great way to check up on your baby when you’re stuck in a meeting and just want to know how the little guy or gal is doing while you’re away. YI cameras are pretty popular as baby monitors due to the Baby Cry alerts as well as the noninvasive infrared technology, which records your bundle of joy without their ever knowing about it. Aside of baby monitoring, these features can also be used as an indication of how well that new nanny is working out.

Remote navigation

Since the YI Dome Camera is fully integrated with the YI Home App, you can access your control dashboard while you’re away from home. Simply pan your phone to get a panoramic view. You can also take charge of the camera’s view to get more specific angles or check in on areas of particular interest in your home. You can also zoom in for a closer look.

Multiple mounting options

The YI Dome Camera brings back the versatile mounting options of the original YI home camera. Mount it vertically on its stand on a shelf or bookcase to use as a two-way chat device for the family. For home security, you can mount it on the wall or mount it on the ceiling for more stealthy viewing. With the YI Dome’s different mounting options, you can easily find works best for you and your applications.

CONCLUSION

While YI Home Camera’s entire lineup is full of very worthy and commendable home security cameras, ultimately, the best YI Home Camera is the original – the YI Home Camera Wireless IP Security Surveillance System. Because of its high level of reliability combined with the different mounting options and baby monitoring capabilities, it’s just more solid than the rest, which is why it’s the clear victor of the roundup.

The benefits of buying a YI Home Camera

The biggest benefit you get from buying a YI home cam is that you get home security monitoring without the cost of paying a monthly fee to a security company. But there’s more to it than that.

Because you are in control of your data, it’s never in the hands of a third party. This is smart in terms of information privacy and security. Ideally, you want your personal details (which tend to get captured on video and audio) to flow through the least number of digital fingers as possible. When your personal data is restricted to a few select people, there is less chance of a bad actor exploiting it in negative ways, such as holding your home security footage for ransom, for instance.

If you’re wondering why it’s so important to keep your home security footage close to the vest, just stop and think for a minute about all the private moments that occur in your home. Whether they’re PG or X-Rated, private moments should remain private. Keeping your home security video and audio to yourself also reduces the chances of your social security number or credit card info being stolen. In the comfort and safety of our own home, this is the sort of information we freely give out without a second thought, which is another reason why it’s so important to be in charge of your own home security footage.

There are other benefits to YI home cameras as well. YI camera comes with panoramic lenses that capture video in FHD, which means you get more video area coverage and higher quality video. In the unfortunate event your home were to be broken into, high definition video can be the difference between getting a positive identification of the perpetrator or not.

YI camera can capture high-quality audio as well. This is extremely important for any homeowner, but especially parents of young children, for whom a home security camera may do double duty as a nanny cam. We all want to make sure our children are as safe as possible when we’re not at home. You find the most responsible person you can to care for them while you’re away, but it’s still nice to have that extra reassurance. Some home cameras don’t even capture audio at all. With a YI home camera, you can potentially hear if your child needs you when you’re not there. This can offer great peace of mind for anxious young parents who are leaving baby with the sitter for the first time.

All YI cameras feature activity alerts. The YI’s technology smart motion detection capabilities pick up on movements when you’re away from home. If movement is detected, you’ll get an alert on your phone. The major upside of this is that YI action camera puts you in control and won’t call the police every time your cat declares war on the other cat that dared stand outside of its favorite window. And if you find the activity suspicious, you can call the police and give them crucial details they need to apprehend any suspects. Many like this level of customization as some home security systems are just too sensitive for their own good and cause havoc for the police and nearby neighbors.

YI cameras are also great for baby monitoring because they feature noninvasive infrared technology. You can place a YI cam in your baby’s room and they won’t be able to sense they’re being monitored. As any parent knows, babies are actually quite smart and highly intuitive. When baby monitors are too loud or invasive, they sense it, startle and cry all night. This just simply isn’t an issue with YI cameras.