Xiaomi IP cameras. IP Camera Xiaomi Yi Smart CCTV with IR Light Connection xiaomi yi ip camera

A couple of months ago, I thought about purchasing an inexpensive IP camera for video surveillance. Nothing supernatural was required from the device, it was only necessary to monitor the child when he was sleeping.

The number of offers in this segment is now just off scale, even if you choose a manufacturer, you can get lost in the lineup.

I wanted a simple inexpensive camera with decent resolution and LED backlight for shooting in the dark. Working with the device through an application on a smartphone or tablet was implied by itself.

I am quite positive about Xiaomi gadgets and have. I decided to try the camera from this manufacturer.

How to choose a camera

Xiaomi and the company's sub-brands produce about a dozen different camera models for home use. Here's what Xiaomi fans of video surveillance can please:



4. Xiaomi MiJia 1080p– from $35

These are the main models, each of which has several modifications. Most often, the first generation of the camera turns out to be a trial one, and later a sensor with a higher resolution, the possibility of night shooting and other useful features are added to the device.

I immediately crossed out the first two models. These are cameras of 2017, they have recently gone on sale. Most likely, these models will have various jambs and bugs, you will have to wait for adapted plugins and fixes in the firmware. Prices for new items at first are higher than those declared by the manufacturer.

Of the remaining four devices, the choice fell on the cheapest. It has all the features I need, nice appearance and a nice price. At the moment, this is one of the most affordable IP cameras not only in the Xiaomi model range, but also among competitors.

More sophisticated cameras differ only in the presence of rotary mechanisms with the possibility of remote control and various software chips.

What else you should know before buying IP cameras

As you know, Xiaomi mainly focuses on the Chinese domestic market. If mass models of smartphones and tablets are produced in international versions for sale in other countries, then small cheap devices are most often intended only “for their own”.

Even if small gadgets are marked US, EU or International, this often only indicates the presence of additional firmware languages.

Before buying any Xiaomi gadget, study thematic forums and websites. Pay attention to possible problems when working outside of China.

We are doing great with Xiaomi gadgets, the well-known forum is simply full of a huge number of instructions, localizations and additional hacks for every more or less worthwhile Chinese gadget.

Unfortunately, the camera I chose had another limitation, which I learned about later: devices with a certain series of Mac addresses are blocked in some countries.

How Xiaomi blocks devices

The reason for this blocking is unknown, sometimes Xiaomi is distinguished by such illogical actions. First, the device is released with a full set of features, and then its functionality is programmatically cut.

The same thing happened with this IP camera. Recently, after updating the firmware, the camera began to "ask to go home."

I'm the least fortunate. The camera is automatically updated to the locked firmware on first start.

Fortunately, blocking occurs not on the company's servers, but after updating the firmware and application to work with the device.

What can be done with the camera

In the vastness of the network there are already instructions that allow you to work with this camera even after blocking.

1. You can do nothing at all, the device is perfectly configured in local access point mode. The smartphone connects to the camera directly and displays the image without any problems. Unfortunately, in this case, the iPhone cannot use home Wi-Fi and it turns into a screen for the IP camera only.

2. It is possible to downgrade the firmware version on the camera (only 10 simple steps, manipulations with a memory card and a couple of applications on the computer) and install not the latest version of the utility to work with the device.

As you understand, it is possible to downgrade the firmware on the camera, but install Mi Home the old version can only be used on an Android smartphone or a jailbroken iPhone.

3. You can try to unbind the camera for use in any country. This is done completely free of charge, the unlock instructions are contained directly in the application:

I decided to unlock the camera so as not to bother with flashing and downgrading. For the duration of this process, I used a direct connection to the camera to work with it.

Xiaomi representatives will gladly unlock the camera for international use if you provide them with:

  • photo of the barcode from the box of the device;
  • a snapshot of a sticker from the gadget itself with service information;
  • proof of purchase of this camera.

There were no problems with the first two points, but the last one had to suffer.

First, I took two necessary photos and attached a screenshot of the completed deal on AliExpress to them. Sent an email with the specified subject to the address of the support service. They replied the next day:

They asked to contact the seller and take an order invoice from the official supplier. As an example, they named MI.com, JD.com and MI Tmall.

I several times requested to provide an invoice to the seller through the feedback form on AliExpress. The answer is silence.

One had only to open a dispute on the transaction, as the seller answered in a few hours. He asked to close the dispute, and in return he will send me the necessary documents.

Over the next couple of weeks, I opened and closed the dispute twice more so that the seller would stop freezing and still send me an invoice. Here it is:


It was not me who photographed the computer screen, it was in this form that the seller sent confirmation

Having collected a new package of documents (a photo from the seller and two old pictures of the camera and the box), I again sent them to the e-mail of the support service.

There was no such quick response as the last time, and the camera continued to swear at the blocking. In the meantime, the dispute on AliExpress escalated and I demanded compensation from the seller for the cost of the camera. He agreed only when sending the device back.

I did not want to do this, because in this case I would have to pay the cost of the return shipment and wait a few more months for an answer and money.

Hands are not for boredom

While I was waiting for a response from Xiaomi support and a dispute resolution on AliExpress, I decided to get confused with downgrading the camera firmware. To do this, even got a smartphone on Android.

Just a couple of hours for experiments, and in the end I got a fully functional application + camera bundle. The program and firmware was not the latest version (so it was necessary to solve the problem), but with full Russification, this is Android.

I will say right away that not everyone wants to mess around with lowering the firmware. Yes, and he got a dubious pleasure. On the one hand, I felt a pleasant nostalgia for the good old days, when it was necessary to reflash smartphones, routers, etc. an infinite number of times, and on the other hand, I felt sorry for the time spent on the procedure.

How everything was decided

The camera successfully worked for several days on the old firmware version in conjunction with an Android smartphone. I again wanted to try connecting it to the iPhone, which eventually resulted in another firmware update.

I did it by accident, it's just that the iOS app has partial localization, and in one of the untranslated dialogs I agreed to the software update.

After the update, I already remembered the downgrade procedure and was preparing to roll back the firmware, but a miracle happened. The camera is running on the latest software version.

So in a few weeks, specialists from Xiaomi nevertheless untied it and now it is a full-fledged IP camera for international use.

I canceled the dispute on AliExpress and apologized to the seller for the inconvenience caused.

What is the result on the camera

The gadget is just great. For a small amount you get a good camera for home use.

The device records video in 1080p resolution, has excellent infrared illumination for shooting in the dark (automatically detects the degree of illumination and switches operating modes), allows you to record timelapses or photos, has a microphone and speaker for two-way communication.

The magnetic stand allows you to securely fix the camera, it is possible to work from PowerBank.

The device interacts perfectly with other Xiaomi gadgets and can be used in triggers and scenarios.

(4.00 out of 5 rated: 6 )

site And it happens.

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 great 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.

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 an 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 a Chinese manufacturer, the Celestial Empire time is set by default. 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 in a hurry you can not understand in which period the events were actually recorded 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.

Chinese companies every year flood the country's market with all kinds of electronics. With all this, the quality of their products does not get worse, but rather improves. The well-known company Xiaomi, which constantly produces high-quality products at a reasonable price, was no exception. The direction of the company, in which it is actively developing, is the development and production of network devices and smart home components. Today we will consider a similar device that can successfully work both in tandem with other devices, and separately from them. It is Xiaomi Yi.


At a very low cost, about $ 25, the camera has a wide range of options and features, as well as good performance. One of them is the image quality, the camera broadcasts the image in HD resolution, at 20 frames per second. The viewing angle reaches 111 degrees. There is a night vision function available. Video recording can be done both on a memory card and in the company's cloud service. Flash cards are supported from 4 to 32 GB. The device has a built-in microphone and speaker. It is possible to record according to a schedule prepared in advance, or motion detection. The camera supports protocols: IPV4, HTTP, P2P, UDP, DHCP and others.

Equipment

Externally, the Xiaomi Yi Ants white IP camera is made with a sense of style that was adopted from more famous companies. Minimalistic body and box, but poor equipment. Devices from Xiaomi have a rather pleasant appearance, their gadgets can be placed in the most prominent places, and they will not stand out as an inappropriate spot against the background of the room, but rather become part of the interior.


The camera block consists of two parts: a black camera and a white stand. The camera itself can be unfastened from the stand (it is held on latches), and then hidden or hidden behind a wall, embedded in doors, or find some other use. But in most cases, the camera is quite convenient to use in a non-separable form. The stand can be bent in one plane. The bottom of the leg has an anti-slip coating, and under the sticker there is a double-sided adhesive tape to stick on the wall or ceiling.

The Xiaomi Yi camera has a slot for a memory card and a power connector.

On the back panel there is a "reset" button to return to the factory settings and a speaker.

Communication with a router

Xiaomi Yi allows you to monitor the room via the Internet, and not just via the local network. To connect the camera to the router, you do not need to perform complex actions or change many settings. For the device to work correctly, you just need to install one of the applications: Mi Smart Home or Mi XiaoYi Smart Camera. Which are available for both Android and iOS.

"Smart House"

Through the Smart Home program, you can conveniently control all devices from a common network. This program works when connected to a local network, and its main feature is that all items are made in a more understandable, English language. MiXiaoYICamera, we recall, is implemented in Chinese, English is available only to owners of Android devices, but the set of functions is the same. After downloading and launching the application for the first time, there will be a blank screen (in the future, a list of all smart home devices will be displayed here).

Before adding a camera, you need to go to the “Profile” section, and then register on the Xiaomi service. It will be needed to store video and photo materials, as well as to monitor the situation via the Internet.


How to register on the Xiaomi service

After that, you need to click on the “Device” tab, then on the “+” sign and select your device in the upper corner.

After the performed actions, the yellow LED should light up on the camera, which will be reported by the application.

Camera test Fields for entering a password from home Wi-Fi

Then the process of determining the camera and its further connection to the network will begin.

If the process is successful, the application will return to the start screen, if not, it will generate a QR code. You will need it to connect to the router. It happens that in automatic mode the camera is not detected and does not connect to the network, but it is necessary to use a QR code.

But first you need to reset all settings.

Confirm and get a special code.

After that, the smartphone must be brought with the screen to the camera. After a voice signal, in Chinese, and a blue diode lit up, a message appears in the application, announcing the successful connection.

After returning to the main screen of the program, the camera will be visible.

At the top of the screen, a picture from the camera is displayed, by tapping on it we switch to the camera control page. Here you can enable forced recording, activate the speaker or microphone, take a picture of the room. The timeline indicates when the recording was made, highlighted in orange. It is worth noting that the lack of a memory card does not greatly affect the operation of the camera. Recording is carried out in the cloud, on the company's server. Available free 4 GB.

For advanced settings, go to the menu and click "Settings". They have the ability to enable recording by motion in the frame, according to the schedule, masking - when the LED turns off. You can also choose a password to connect to the device.

Examples

The sharpness of the picture and the overall quality, for its price, is very good. There are two modes to choose from - SD and HD. They are selected automatically, depending on the quality of the Internet connection, or forced by the user.

Firmware Xiaomi Yi Ants

The article would not be fully disclosed if it does not say that the camera does not work fully on the factory firmware. For example, there is no RTSP protocol, which means that you will not be able to connect to a DVR or a third-party cloud service.

Instructions on how to fix this problem.

  1. You need to turn off the camera, remove the memory card.
  2. Download firmware with RTSP support: for a camera with a revision below V2.1 or for revision V2.1.
  3. You need to format the card, unpack the archive to the root.
  4. Then you need to turn on the camera and reset the settings.
  5. Then turn off the camera, return the memory card, turn it on.
  6. We are waiting for the system update, we connect to the network.
  7. After the performed actions, the following RTSP streams will be available:

Primary: rtsp://IP CAMERA:554/ch0_0.h264

Backup: rtsp://CAM IP:554/ch0_1.h264

Audio: rtsp://IP CAMERA:554/ch0_3.h264

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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.

 

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