Xiaomi Yi Ants white IP camera is a smart surveillance camera. Xiaomi surveillance cameras: an overview of the range of devices Firmware Xiaomi Yi Ants

Welcome all.

Box, scope of delivery

They meet, as you know, by the clothes and the clothes of our hero - usual for Xiaomi devices and their henchmen - thick white cardboard and a minimum of printing in gray tones.

Behind, just as typical, brief technical specifications, in this case, well, very brief - the output parameters of the power supply are indicated - 5V 2A and the maximum camera power - 2 watts. From the icons on the ends of the box, you can get some more information - work in Wi-Fi 2.4 + 5 GHz, viewing angle of 130 degrees, 20 frames per second in daytime and 15 in night mode.

The camera is packed perfectly, which is also typical for Xiaomi, they did not spare the cardboard, various inserts - holders that will ensure the receipt of a whole and unharmed product.

The package includes a camera with a foot-holder and a power supply unit with a flat double plug and a cable about two meters long. Unlike many other kits, the cable and power supply are a single unit.

Inspection, dimensions

The camera itself is a black round “tablet”, everything else is a holder consisting of a round stand and a horizontal bar with a hole for the camera, connected by a hinge that allows you to change the angle of inclination.

At the end of the "tablet" is a micro USB power connector and a slot for a micro SD memory card. There is also a microphone there. The rear part is a speaker - the camera provides two-way voice communication.

Tablet dimensions, diameter along the widest part - 56 mm, thickness - 23 mm

Camera weight - 47 grams, complete with leg - 130 grams.

Software part

To work, we need all the same Mi Home application - which independently detects a new device, connects it to a Wi-Fi network using a QR code, then a short installation process and you're done.

The first launch of the camera plugin is accompanied by tips on the main points - an example shows how to use two fingers to zoom in on the image.

In the main window of the plug-in, from left to right - the current connection speed with the camera, pause the online broadcast, select the image quality - HD, Auto, Low, then turn the sound on / off, display the image from the camera in a small window on the desktop, on top of other windows , and turn on the picture in full screen.

At the bottom - a screenshot, video recording, turning on the microphone for voice communication, switching to sleep mode and, on the second tab, a list of recorded videos.

In the upper right corner, a round button with ... is the camera settings.

Basic settings menu - allows you to change the name of the camera, set a password for access, share the camera - for example, another Mi account, check which group it belongs to, firmware version, unlink the device from the system, add a shortcut to the desktop and get network information.

In the Sleep - menu, you can set the time to automatically turn off and turn on the camera.

Further down the menu - Status Light - turn off the blue status LED, which is useful since it shines quite brightly, which can not but irritate, Watermark - date and time on the image, but the time zone is Chinese, fixing wide-angle lens distortion and turning off automatic playback video with wi-fi off.

From the software image settings, it is still possible to turn on the extended dynamic range mode - the contrast between differently lit areas is smoothed out, better color elaboration, when the camera is installed with a rotation - you can rotate the image by 90, 180 and 270 degrees.

In the motion detection section, it is possible to adjust the sensitivity of motion detection in 32 areas - from turning off detection, to detecting even slight movement.

The camera can save images and videos to a memory card or network storage with SMB support - it can be a NAS or a network folder. After installing a memory card, which, by the way, can be inserted "on the go" - information about its status and free space appears in the camera menu, and you can also format the card there.

After inserting a memory card, a TimeLine appears under the camera image - on which the recorded fragments will be highlighted in orange areas. Interestingly, here the time is displayed in your time zone.

Option Record and save alarm… (see screenshot above) - enables automatic recording by motion detection (according to the sensitivity scale you configured). When motion is detected, the camera records a 1-minute video, which, in addition to the timeline, can be viewed in the Manage Files menu. Here the records are grouped by days and hours - those hours in which any records were made are highlighted. By clicking on the cell of the desired hour, we get to the list of videos with minutes. In this menu, they can be deleted, saved or protected from deletion. By clicking on the video - you can view it (remotely included)

Data on SD card

On the memory card, the camera creates a Mijia Record Video folder that contains directories named like XXXXYYZZWW - where XXXX is the year, YY is the month, ZZ is the day, WW is the hour (Chinese time)

Inside each folder - contain previews of each video in the form of jpg pictures and the videos themselves - starting from the minute and second of the start of recording.

Each minute video takes up about 8 MB of space, has a resolution of 1920 by 1080 and 20 frames per second in day mode and 15 in night mode.

Examples of videos shot by the camera can be viewed at the end of the video version of the review - which may complement the text version and help find answers to some questions that have arisen.

Thank you for your attention, I hope the review was useful and interesting.

Smart IP Camera Xiaomi Yi Ants

IP camera Xiaomi Yi Ants is a web camera from a series of smart home products from Xiaomi.

With the Xiaomi Yi Ants IP camera, you can be aware of the events taking place at your home or at work, at any time, from anywhere in the world. With the help of a smart camera, you can see your close relatives, pets or track the health status of elderly parents, being on the other side of the world. You will be able to take pictures of children even if you are away from home. Don't miss any exciting moment from your children's childhood.

The camera works with both Android devices and Apple products.


Thanks to 1280x720 HD resolution and F2.0 aperture, the picture of the photo-video-image remains clear and rich even in cloudy weather. The camera lens has a viewing angle of 111 degrees, so the camera can show you a large area, covering almost the entire room in which it is installed.

Thanks to the built-in speaker, you can send voice messages. By simply looking at the screen and holding the call button, you will be able to start chatting with your loved ones.

The built-in motion sensor of the Yi Ants camera can detect a moving object, and thanks to the presence of a MicroSD slot, with the possibility of using a 32GB memory card, record what is happening. The simple settings of the camera application will allow you to receive a notification on your smartphone, in the form of a photo or video, in case someone comes while you are not at home. Now you will always be aware of what is happening at home or at work, in your absence.

Hello, friends

The camera comes in a white box familiar to Xiaomi, on which there is a photograph of the product.

The camera sits tightly in the box, pressed on all sides by cardboard sides, which ensures safety during transportation.


The package includes a camera, a power supply, a USB cable about 2 meters long and a paper clip - similar to those that are included with smartphones, for a SIM tray.


All alone - camera


Flat plug power supply, 100-240V input, 5V/1A output


Cable - very similar to those that come with other Xiaomi products - smartphones, powerbank - only long


Dimensions - the base is square with a side of 5 cm, more in height - 5.7 cm. Weight - just over 100 grams


On the back side there are holes in the shape of the Xiaomi Smart Home logo, a camera status LED, a micro USB power port, and a USB output that can be used “daisy chain” to power another device, such as the same camera.


Consumption of the camera - from 0.3 to 0.4 A. It can easily work from the powerbank for a long time - in fact, autonomously.


The camera base is a flip-out stand with a magnetic base that is capable of holding the camera to a metal surface. Below it is the installation button - for which you need a complete paper clip, and a slot for a microSD card. I have a 32 GB card installed


The attachment point of this stand to the camera can be rotated to obtain the desired viewing angle.


Thanks to the magnetic leg, the camera is securely attached, for example, to the metal wall of the refrigerator


The cable is flat, it is convenient to lead it to the power source, using souvenir magnets as guides


At the same time, you can also disguise the camera among them, so that it would not immediately catch your eye.


Connection

The camera is a standalone device, it only needs the MiHome app and a power source to operate. After turning on the power, you need to connect to the camera, for this you need to launch the MiHome application and click the settings button in the upper right corner and select - add a device. For cameras there is a separate item - add a camera, we need to select it, and in the next menu select your camera - it is the lowest one. Then, following the prompts on the screen, you need to press the Setup button with a paperclip


At this time, the camera monotonously repeats something in Chinese. Further, according to the hint, we give the camera to read the QR code that has appeared on the screen, we already hear a new phrase in Chinese, and we expect the camera to be connected. The camera appears in the list of smart home devices. Before the first launch, a plugin is automatically downloaded to work with it. You can run it both from the general list of devices and take it separately to the desktop. The main window of the plug-in - at the top left shows the data transfer rate, to the right is the quality of the transmitted image - SD/HD/UHD, a button to turn on/off audio transmission and expand the image to full screen. Next - an image from the camera online, below - 5 buttons (the fifth one is hidden on the right, you need to rewind with your finger) -
Call- activates sound transmission from the control device to the camera
Screenshot- save current image in picture
Recording- remove video
Playback- View captured photos and videos
Fifth - a button hidden here - turning the camera on and off.


Opportunities

Go to the menu by clicking on the button with three dots in the upper right corner. The first option is translated as Learn Features. We click on it and we get to the next menu, where there is only one option - Slow Motion. Then you can set the interval for slow motion by specifying your own values ​​or by selecting from a template. At the output, we get a time-lapse video.


The next menu is the Alert Log. It contains records of two types - the result of smart scripts and motion detection records in the frame, in alarm mode. I will talk more about this a little later. After clicking on the entry you are interested in, the video download starts. The length of the recorded video is 15-17 seconds. The videos are stored somewhere on the Chinese cloud, they are not on the memory card, if the camera is turned off, then there is no access to the Alert Log option, and accordingly to the videos.


Settings menu - contains a number of useful options -
Smart Image Detection - In this mode, the camera, when motion is detected in the frame, sends a notification to the controlling smartphone (in the screenshot in the center), and writes a video 15-17 seconds long. This event is displayed in the Alert Log as Mobile Alarm.
Smart image detection sensitivity- allows you to reduce the detection sensitivity, for example, so that the camera does not react to a robot vacuum cleaner or a cat
Smoke alert- Will send a notification if it decides that there is smoke in the frame
CO detector sound alert- Just react to the squeak of the sensor. The camera does not have its own sensor.
Smart night vision- automatic inclusion of IR illumination in the dark
Status indicator- turns on and off the LED on the back of the camera, which shines in blue light
flip image- useful when the camera is placed vertically
Continuous video storage- permanent video recording
Below is the size of the installed memory card.
On the menu General Setting- you can set the name of the camera, give access to the camera on another mi account, define the group of the device (move it to the desired room), check for firmware updates, display the plug-in shortcut on the desktop, view network connection information and send feedback.


Menu - Automation- allows you to create a script to automate the work with the camera. When creating a new scenario, a template is launched in which you can select a condition for triggering the scenario - it can be a set time, a call or a message, as well as some action of one of the Smart Home ecosystem devices. As an action on a condition, the camera offers 5 options for actions, and in Chinese. But for convenience, I translated them -
录像并上传云 - sends an alert to the controlling smartphone and records a video for 15-17 seconds, this action is called Smart Scenario in the alert log
开机 - turn on the camera - similar to pressing the rightmost button of the main menu - Turn on
关机 - turn off the camera
关闭图像报警 - turn off motion detection - disables Smart Image Detection
打开图像报警 - enable motion detection - enables Smart Image Detection


Thus, I created two scripts for automatically turning on and off the motion recognition mode - by time, by setting a timer condition and by selecting the time and days I need. Additionally, in the Smart Home application, I created two "manual scenarios" when executed, which also turns this mode on or off. Each script can be placed on the desktop as a separate icon for ease of use.


The camera itself can act as a motion sensor. This action can be useful in this way - for example, in the daytime, when motion is detected in the frame, turn on the sound of a police siren, using the Xiaomi gateway as a howler, and at night, just turn on the light bulb - as an example, a light bulb from the same ecosystem, in order to In order not to pass by, you need a door :)


Camera shot examples.
The camera has an excellent angle of 110 degrees, which allows you to keep a fairly large area in view.
An example of shooting in natural light. It can be seen that in order to track movement near the front door, there is little lighting there, so the further work option will be in combination with a motion sensor, which will be installed near the door itself.


Artificial light - near the front door on, near the camera - off


Now on the contrary - the area near the front door is not visible


Ideal option - the light is on everywhere


In the dark, the backlight turns on, which is visible as two eyes glowing in the dark :)


Shooting in the dark



Parameters of received videos:


Examples of video filming are given in the video version of the review.

Conclusion - the camera itself is quite good, given its low price. But its full potential is revealed only in conjunction with other devices of the smart home system.
I announce the appearance of reviews about new devices from the Xiaomi smart home ecosystem soon.

All my reviews of Xiaomi devices in chronological order - List

Thank you for your attention, see you soon.

Do-it-yourself organization of a security system for a house, apartment, shop or office requires the ability to connect and configure IP cameras. For all models of the manufacturer Xiaomi, this task will not be particularly difficult.

About Xiaomi

The Chinese company produces many models of cameras, and the settings will depend on their functionality. Most of the devices from this manufacturer are constantly in the ranking of the best cameras, they are equipped with infrared illumination, night vision, microphones, and support all data transfer protocols. Their additional advantage will be the possibility of embedding in the Smart Home system. In addition, the camera allows you to:

  • remotely view the image from a remote device on a phone or smartphone;
  • listen to the recording made by the built-in microphone, the same remotely;
  • receive notifications on your phone about a possible danger transmitted by a motion sensor.

In addition, the camera is compatible with iOS and Android operating systems and easily connects to any iPhone models.

Connection

The Xiaomi standard package includes the camera itself, a stand for it, a power supply, instructions. You must be prepared for the fact that the instruction will be completely written in hieroglyphs, and the software necessary for installation will need to be downloaded by yourself.

To connect, you need a phone or tablet that works with iOS and Android operating systems and a Mi account or account to synchronize all Xiaomi services, it requires authorization.

Additionally, you will need to download one of the two applications - Mi Camera or Mi Home, the second gives more opportunities. The connection is made as follows:

  • a Mi account is created if it did not exist before, and when asked about the region, enter - mainland China, it is better to choose English as the language. The Russian language will provide simple control of the device, but if the user plans to reprogram it to fit his requirements, he will need English;
  • power is supplied to the camera, the indicator lights up in orange;
  • the application is downloaded;
  • the application starts;
  • in the upper right corner, click on the "+", a list of available devices and instructions in Russian or in pictograms drop out;
  • in the proposed window, enter the login and password from the home Wi-Fi network.

Setting

Xiaomi IP camera can have two indicator lights, if orange lights up, it is ready to connect to the network, if the color turns blue, network connection is completed successfully, the camera is connected to Wi-Fi.

If security requires it, there is an option in the settings to turn off the indicator lights, then the device will be more difficult to detect.


Mi Home App

After connecting, you can start setting up the camera, in the Mi Home application, almost all actions will be clearly explained using pictures.

By selecting the desired icon from the menu, you can perform the following tasks:

  • change your own camera name;
  • update software (firmware);
  • determine the camera activity time;
  • set the quality of information transmission by selecting a convenient format, HD or SD;
  • restrict access to device management to third parties previously granted through their account when using the Share button;
  • disable or enable indicators;
  • turn off or turn on the motion sensor;
  • switch to full-screen image viewing mode;
  • enable video recording on the circuit carrier, or vice versa, stop it;
  • enable sound recording if the model has a microphone;
  • determine the mechanism for transmitting a danger signal, for example, in the form of SMS;
  • when receiving a danger signal from a motion sensor, turn on video recording.

Management looks very simple, on the touch screen it is carried out with a slight movement of the finger and the choice of any of the proposed solutions. With the same movement, you can take a photo of the image currently broadcast by the camera and save it to the gallery. It is also possible to access the snapshot storage directly from the application. The program will also offer information that the user may need:

  • connection speed;
  • spent traffic;
  • date and time of recording and others.

If you own Linux, the user will be able to change other settings by flashing or reprogramming the camera, for example, allow it to speak Russian, disconnect it from servers located in China, manually control infrared illumination and various filters.

Watch the video setting up the Xiaomi IP camera.

Setting via PC

If you want to view video from the camera from any computer, regardless of its location, you must configure its connection through a computer. This will allow you to see what is happening in your home or office, even in a situation where there is no mobile device at hand. The manufacturer did not provide this as a general functionality; a number of additional settings will be required.

For them, you will first need to set the correct time zone, on the products of the Chinese manufacturer, the default time is China. For such a setting, you need to download the archive available at the link: http://4pda.ru/forum/dl/post/7297419/test-rtspfix-07.zip. The archive is loaded onto the memory card, the camera is turned on and then it works according to Moscow time. This is quite convenient, sometimes you can not understand in a hurry what period the events were actually recorded in if the time is set incorrectly. In addition, with its correct setting, it becomes possible to work with ftp, telnet, http and rtsp and through any computer. If the user does not live in the Moscow time zone and has sufficient knowledge of computer and mobile devices, the time can be reset. For this:

  • calculate the change parameters using the formula 8 minus the time zone time, for example, for Kaliningrad (+2) the time will look like this: GMT+6;
  • activate telnet and enter the formula - echo "GMT + 6"> /etc/TZ.

The time has been changed. Next, you can start connecting the camera through the computer. This will require changing the IP address of the camera, you can find it both in the management program installed on the mobile device and in the manual. The need for changes is due to the difference in the numbering of the network in which the camera operates and the local network available to the computer, their incompatibility leads to a conflict and the image is not displayed on the monitor screen.

The algorithm of user actions for setting up work through a computer:

  • you need to download the VLC media player program to your workstation;
  • clarify the IP addresses of the camera, in the Mi Camera or Mi Home programs it will be searched along the path: "Camera settings", then "Network data", then the address itself;
  • the address is rewritten to any file or notepad;
  • open the VLC media player program;
  • enter the program, in the Media section;
  • find a button that says "open URL";
  • enter an entry like this: "rtsp://previously saved camera address:554/ch0.h264".
  • after entering this combination on the screen of the workstation, a picture from the camera will appear in the open player.

Keep in mind that this configuration system changes the current security policies, due to which many of the necessary plugins are simply not in the program, so it is not recommended for use.

The camera control system proposed by Xiaomi through mobile devices allows you to always know what is happening in the house in the absence of the owners and easily control the settings and features of the recording.

An IP video surveillance camera is a functional device with which you can organize an effective security control system in any room. The advantage of using the device is that all data is transmitted online to the user via the Internet, so the owner can view the records at any time, as well as manage each individual element.

Xiaomi IP cameras are excellent for creating a high-quality IP video surveillance system, many of which are included in the rating of the best IP video surveillance devices. Their technical capabilities make it easy and quick to integrate into the smart home system, which further expands their capabilities.

How to connect Xiaomi IP camera

To quickly and correctly configure the device, you will need a smartphone or tablet running Android or IOS, a Wi-Fi network, an authorized Mi account, as well as any proprietary application - Mi Camera or Mi Home. The advantage of the second is that it is suitable for setting up all Xiaomi smart units that can be integrated into a smart home.

 

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