We review security cameras (member content) based on their features, image quality performance, ease of use and installation. You can also check out our free security camera buying guide for the need-to-know info when shopping around.
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My wife bought a Ring Spotlight Security camera last week for $329.00.
Got going OK despite a crappy App, but next day it stopped working and I spent over half a day trying to fix it.
Ended up taking it back for a refund.
So yesterday she bought a Uniden App Cam Solo Plus (Generation 2, the Gen 1 is discontinued because of problems) https://uniden.com.au/product/guardian-app-cam-solo-plus/ with these key features: https://uniden.com.au/wp-content/uploads/RB_Guardian_App_Cam_Solo_Plus.pdf
Well the bloody thing is driving me crackers, I have messed around since about 7am and I am going to take it up with Uniden since they have a presence in Australia.
I have prepared a problem sheet which can also be viewed at http://pleading.com.au
MAIN PROBLEMS:
ā¢ No facility on the App to properly show and record alerts;
ā¢ Email does not work;
ā¢ The Cloud archive service cannot be activated;
ā¢ Doesnāt work all the time, and thus appears unreliable;
ā¢ When it is working, masses of useless SMS audio are received, that are not recorded on the phone;
ā¢ Non of the above is covered in the manual https://uniden.com.au/wp-content/uploads/OM_Guardian_App_Cam_Solo_Plus.pdf
On the box its got 24/7 support, Iām about to check it out!!!
(First & subsequent attempts: āThere was an error trying to send your message. Please try again later.ā)
Can anyone recommend a top of the line wireless battery operated device?
3 Likes
Perhaps Swann products might be worth a look?
https://www.swann.com/au/products
as examples:
https://www.swann.com/au/products/wireless-security
They also sell refurbished product so may get what you need more cheaply than brand new. I have had Swann product before which worked faultlessly but not their camera systems so canāt comment on them. Everyone has differing opinions so find a system that interests you and look for proper and trustworthy reviews and you should find a system that suits even if it isnāt Swann.
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Thanks grahroll, iāl check it out.
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CHOICE also did a review in July this year that is worth checking out, it is member only content though:
Also a publicly available āWhat to look for guideā by CHOICE:
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After a substantial 3 day effort to try and get this junk to live up to what it is supposed to do, and the fact that Uniden worked on it for most of yesterday and couldnāt fix it, and it seems have given up, the junk is to be returned for a refund. The Product Review is here:
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Keep an eye on Wyze. https://wyze.com/
They are so cheap that I thought - why not, got one just to simply check it out. Cons are they donāt do INTL shipping but still so cheap I got one through a forwarder for about $55 from memory; indoor only but there are forum posts to show how to protect/setup for outdoor &/or they have plans in the works for an outdoor version. My experience with the Camera itself has been great. Tried using it as a baby monitor for awhile but not really what it is designed for so it was a little quirky for that. Overall though I donāt see how you can beat the value, reviews show devices/systems 5+ times the price donāt come close to it.
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Even less expensive, and very commonly available, are unused mobile phones, which can easily be set up to operate as security cameras.
See: Use for old phones
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Uniden solo camera recommended by Choice failed to connect to the router after initially being successful: it worked fine for about two months.
Unable to get it back up and running despite help from my son in law ( a highly paid professional computer fellow). My main gripe is that Uniden replied once to my query for help but not at all afterwards, despite repeated requests. Am getting rather frustrated with large companies who have only an e-mail address for contact but if they decide not to answer, one has nowhere to go nowadays. Maybe Choice should also check the support any product has, not just performance.
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Welcome to the Community @Tom2
I merged your post into this one about the camera reviews where it may be interesting to others re their camera choice (no pun intended).
That is a germane comment and has been made about many products over time, but is unfortunately impractical to do considering product lifetimes and publishing cycles. For example how many times does a support desk need to respond and over what time period before it gets a tick? How many problems do they need to competently have to deal with for their tick? I trust you get my point.
I note the Solo is discontinued but when reviewed there are two Choice members who added generally positive comments, if this is your camera.
I assume the camera was master reset and he started from the beginning again to no avail? Iāll not try to second guess other than to ask if you tried taking the camera to another WiFI host and connecting it, and how that went.
While the Community is not a technical help desk some members are inclined to try. I categorised your post as one about the review. If members offer assistance in this topic Iāll split it off to one of its own, separate from issues surrounding the review.
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This is done via the memberās annual survey which looks at memberās purchases recently and over time. When buying it is advisable to look at both the product review and the annual survey if the product is mentioned. That way you not only know about the product, but also about the brandās long term performance, the businessā support, etc.
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Any chance of updating the Eufy entries? The 2C isnāt available from Eufy any more, but the review says it was updated in March 2024. The eufyCam3 should score much better as itās 4K with inbuilt solar.
