We Bought an Amazing $25 outdoor wireless solar camera (PM Popmake)
I found an outdoor solar-powered camera that sounded too good to be true. When I read the uniformly positive reviews on Amazon, I reached out to Amazon to request escalation to their fraud team.
And then I spent $25 to prove it was a fraud.
But I was wrong: it’s not a fraud. This camera works far beyond my expectations (enough that I bought a second one, and then two more).
In December, the vendor had a 2-for-1 deal (2 cameras for $25 total, so we bought two more, for a total of four for $75). But then, in early January, the price was $27.99 . . . and then on January 22, they raised the price to $35.99 each, and there’s now a limit of just one camera per customer.
My gripe with most of these cameras is the bait-and-switch subscription business model. My Blink cameras are essentially useless without a subscription, with artificial limits like a 30-second viewing limit and no ability to record or download video.
In contrast, the “PM Popmake wireless Solar Security Camera” (https://amzn.to/3KUWc3E) is incredibly functional with no artificial limits or constraints, though a web subscription would add some functionality.
I set two cameras up facing my front lawn, where we have a “Little Free Library.” One is mounted atop our mailbox post (at the street) and the other on the rail of our handicap ramp near our front door.
I installed an SD card in each camera (one is 64GB, the other 32GB; the vendor says a 128GB card is also supported).
Using the “Vico Home” Android app, I quickly disabled the annoying notifications and alarms, and set it to record each motion-triggered event (for a minimum of 10 seconds, but up to 3 minutes if motion continues to be detected).
It works. The batteries have had ample capacity through the night, and the solar panel recharges the battery to 100% even on overcast days. (When it snowed, the top-of-camera solar panel was blocked by the snow. On our back porch rail, where we added a third camera, the birds seem to think the solar panel is a pooping target.)
The view is crisp and clear, though I doubt we’ll be able to read license plates if that need arises. From the recordings, we were able to view two different families drive up and visit our Little Free Library, taking some books, bookmarks, and stickers. (The cameras are far enough out that we don’t capture identifying information nor can we tell which books they took.) We also capture video of each passing car (the vendor claims that with the subscription, we could identify specific motion-detection zones, and distinguish vehicle, human, and pet motion).
We love these cameras!
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