Review: Netatmo Indoor Camera Advance

When we tested surveillance cameras that work with Apple’s secure storage, one stood out. The Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera was really smart and didn’t require an expensive subscription. But it had some small weaknesses. The video quality wasn’t stellar, there was no two-way communication and it was difficult to mount. Say hello to the Netatmo Indoor Camera Advance, which solves all these issues and also has a physical lens cover.

Installation

The previous model was upright like a periscope and was intended to sit on a shelf. The Advance is more traditionally designed with a tubular, horizontal camera that sits on a base. Fortunately, it’s quite heavy, so you can still stand the camera up if you prefer. Otherwise, just screw the base to a wall or ceiling if you prefer.

 

However, the camera is not battery-powered, but requires a power supply, which is easiest with the included AC adapter. Alternatively, you can buy an adapter and power it via a PoE Ethernet cable, which is also recommended if your wireless network is unreliable. An adapter is also available so you can plug it directly into the wall socket as if it were a wall light.

Then simply download the Netatmo Security app and choose to add the camera and you will be guided through the installation. If you also want to add the camera to Apple Home, there is a QR code in the box that you need to scan. This installation also went smoothly. If in doubt, Netatmo has excellent step-by-step guides.

 

Practical use

Netatmo’s cameras are among the few that handle AI recognition of video directly in the camera instead of uploading it to a cloud service (another is Aqara). This means it’s lightning fast and you don’t have to worry about unauthorised people observing the video. Or that someone disconnects the internet connection to prevent recording. Since the video is stored locally on a memory card, disconnecting the internet connection does not prevent recording.

In the app, you can set what happens if the camera detects movement, if it recognises an animal or person, and especially if it sees an unfamiliar face. You can set different reactions depending on whether you are at home or not. However, you cannot unmask the field of view. However, it does have an unusual privacy feature, again like Aqara, and that is that it can put a physical shield in front of the lens. This makes it impossible for the camera to film you without your knowledge.

If you get a notification in the app that someone has been spotted, you can now also talk to them, whether it’s a child who has come home or a builder. You can also connect the camera to Netatmo’s indoor siren to scare away intruders, either automatically or manually. Unfortunately, the camera is not compatible with Netatmo’s intelligent door and window sensors. To use them, you need the Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera.

Video quality

The old Smart Indoor Camera was good in many ways, but the rather low resolution of the video actually made it a bit difficult to recognise people. Even if the AI said it was the cat sitter, you had to look carefully before joining in. That’s not the case with Advance. The increased resolution and, we assume, better image sensor makes for a crystal clear video. In fact, we can’t even complain about the night video with IR, where most of it appears clear, albeit in black and white.

 

Costs

When it comes to security cameras, you usually need to consider whether the purchase price is the full cost. You usually have to pay a monthly fee if you want to store recorded videos, without which the camera is worthless. Sometimes there are also additional fees for AI features like facial recognition. But Netatmo doesn’t even offer subscriptions, so there are definitely no hidden costs. Video is recorded on an included memory card. However, the camera can upload the videos to Dropbox, an FTP server or Homekit Secure Video if desired. This requires an iCloud+ subscription from Apple.

Conclusion

One of our favourite indoor cameras just got even better. The Netatmo Indoor Camera Advance addresses our concerns about the previous model and also has a physical lens cover for added privacy. The video quality is excellent and works well even in the dark. AI identification is lightning fast because it’s done directly in the camera and facial recognition works really well. There are even no hidden fees as video is stored locally.