C3TN 3MP is EZVIZ’s latest wired surveillance camera and promises great quality thanks to its 3MP sensor, color night vision and more. Let’s find out in the course of this review!
It hasn’t been that long since a product appeared EZVIZ on our pages. If this name is not so foreign to you, it is probably due to Amazon, where EZVIZ products are particularly appreciated. This is in fact a company focused on the production of peripherals for the safety of your home, your office (or any place you want to secure). After reviewing the BC1C model, where the main feature was the absence of cables, EZVIZ provided us with the new C3TN 3MP which should surprise you for video quality e WiFi reception. If it has equaled, exceeded or even disappointed our expectations, however, you will find out only by reading!
Technical specifications
- Home automation: compatible with Alexa and Google Home
- Image sensor: 1 / 2.7 ″, 3 megapixel progressive scan CMOS
- Shutter: self-adaptive
- Lens: 2.8mm at F2.0, angle of view: 109 ° horizontal, 126 ° diagonal
- Lens support: M12
- DNR: 3D
- WDR digital
- Video Compression: H.265 / H.264
- Video signal transmission rate: Ultra-HD; HD; standard. Self-adaptive baud rate
- Max resolution: 2304 × 1296
- Max frame rate: 30 fps; self-adaptive during network transmission
- Storage: microSD card slot (max. 256GB)
- Wired Network: RJ45 × 1 (10M / 100M adaptive Ethernet port)
- General features: snti-flicker, dual stream transmission, heartbeat, password protection, watermark
- Max. Bitrate: 2M
- Standard WiFi: IEEE802.11 b/g/n
- WiFi frequency range: 2.4GHz ~ 2.4835GHz
- Channel Bandwidth: Supports up to 20MHz bandwidth
- Sicurezza: WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK 64/128 bit
- Transmission rate: 11b: 11Mbps, 11g: 54Mbps, 11n: 144Mbps
- Power supply: 12 V DC / 1 A
- Energy consumption: max. 6 W
- IP grade: IP67
- Night vision distance (Black and white night vision mode): max. 30 m
- Dimensioni: 72 mm × 72 mm × 150 mm
Unboxing and first impressions – EZVIZ C3TN 3MP review
Characterized by a wide and narrow packaging, which opens from the top, the camera is already assembled and well protected. Once the guide has been removed and a card has been lifted, the cam stands in front of us with a small package containing the various accessories on the side. Here, over to the 12.0W power supply, we will find the mounting template, the kit of dowels and screws it’s a waterproof kit in case we decide to install the camera by making holes in the walls.
As we said, the camera is already equipped with an out of the box base and the latter is not replaceable. The whole body of the product is made of metal, including the spherical mechanism that allows it to move when we are going to install it. The only plastic parts affect the base which will be screwed to the wall e (obviously) the two antennas aimed at WiFi reception. On the front we have a glass part that includes the 2.8 mm lens, the two Flash LEDs and the two infrared sensors. The back houses, instead, the 40cm cable which offers a 12V input for the power supply and a LAN input for the possible connection to the internet.
The prevalent use of metal allows this camera to reach the weight of 319g which, in relation to the size (15cm in length by 7.2cm in width), makes us understand that it is a resistant product. Aesthetically it also makes a good impression. The metal finish is satin and white. The body is interrupted by a red line, while the company logos are present on both sides. The lower part houses the slot for inserting the MicroSD and the reset button, in addition to the speaker, while on the right side there is the microphone hole.
Configuration and Installation – EZVIZ C3TN 3MP Review
The installation required the same procedures that we carried out with the BC1C model. Once the camera is connected to the power supply, we can choose whether to use the WiFi connection, or connect a LAN cable (which will then go into the router). We have tested everything via wireless connection. The camera startup procedure always uses the EZVIZ app, available on both Android and iOS. Here we will have to add the device by scanning the QR on the base of the camera. Follow the few instructions on the app, the camera will start working.
Although we disconnected it after installation, everything would remain in memory and would start again when we reconnect it. This allows us to safely fix it to the wall. The fixing took place very quickly thanks to the usual template that will guide us in the implementation of the holes and to the convenient screws supplied.
To rotate the camera, But, the mechanism is more intricate than the model tested previously. First, we will have to unscrew the adjustment screw and then choose a precise angle. This forces us to carry out tests before finally mounting it.
Let’s analyze the various settings
Among the various settings that can be viewed by clicking the gear at the top right of the application, we will be able to manage the camera through our preferences. We have the right, first of all, to decide whether to activate or deactivate the audio that the camera will record during the videos, as well as the blue status LED on the front.
The setting “night vision mode“Will allow us to choose three options: color night vision, in black and white, O intelligent. While the first will use the camera’s headlights to illuminate the scene and ensure color recordings even at night, the black and white vision sacrifices the two LEDs to offer classic black and white recordings. The last option is, precisely, the most intelligent because it will be basic in black and white and, if it detects movements, the two LEDs would light up and the recording would become in color.
Clearly we will be able to manage the time zone, decide whether to use the Cloud archive or the Micro SD and choose whether or not to encrypt the recordings with a password (in order to increase their security). Every time that the camera detects movements, we are sent a notification on the app. These notifications can be set to our liking. In addition to choosing whether to schedule notifications based on days or time slots, we can tell the app to notify us when a human figure appears or simply when there is a change of image. We will also be able to select only a portion of the scene to keep an eye on rather than all and even increase or decrease the sensitivity of motion detection.
The only feature that is missing is the inability to set an audio alarm when the camera detects motion. The alarm can be set manually from the application, but there is no way to make it automatic.
Difference between black / white and color modes in dark conditions
Our Experience – EZVIZ C3TN 3MP Review
If with EZVIZ BC1C we covered the front of our house, with this C3TN 3MP we decided to carry out the various tests on the back. The overall yield matched our expectations which were high thanks to the previous model. The sensor is always the 1 / 2.8 “CMOS, this time 3 megapixel, which covers a viewing angle 109 ° horizontally, 126 ° diagonally at a maximum resolution of 2304 × 1296 pixel. Clearly, you have the option to choose the resolution from the app, as well as whether to use the black and white or color modes at night.
On the scanned images, nothing to say: clear and clean in both well-lit conditions than with low light. If some detail is lost with the b / w mode, the color one manages to provide an excellent result even at night. Even the audio captured by the microphone is not bad at all.
In regards to detection, this C3TN 3MP performed great. With the possibility of choosing whether to detect human figures or image changes, we used the first option. The camera always warned us in case of detection via the app and thanks to the “detection marker” (always selectable in the settings) we will have a red rectangle that will follow the subject in the various recordings, or in the “live view”. The only caveat is that, sometimes, the camcorder recorded a clip even though no figure passed in front of it, perhaps for certain environmental movements.
All recorded videos will be sorted by time slot and will last until the subject disappears from the frame. The gem that we particularly liked is the be able to see all the videos of the day grouped in a sort of “daily timelaps”. Clearly, in addition to the videos that the camera will record automatically, we can manually record from the application, or take a snapshot. There is also the possibility of using the speaker on the camera to speak through the microphone of our smartphone.
Thanks to the two antennas on the sides, reception is excellent. Despite the positioning away from the modem, 3 walls away (about 10 meters as the crow flies), we have never encountered problems of any kind.
Conclusions
The one we told you about is EZVIZ C3TN 3MP, a video camera from base cost of € 79.99, but which at the time of the review you can find at € 59.99 on Amazon. In case you are looking for a surveillance cam with cable and, therefore, you do not have particular problems regarding wiring, holes and so on, this is a really reliable product. It makes more sense, though, in case you own or want to build an EZVIZ ecosystem, with multiple cameras and a dedicated NVR.
We would therefore like to recommend EZVIZ C3TN 3MP with our eyes closed, both in terms of excellent quality and the truly complete management app.
Points in favor
- Excellent video quality
- Management from the simple and intuitive application
- Precise Human Figure Detection …
- Numerous selectable settings
- Black and white or color night mode
Points against
- The mechanism for moving the camera is slightly hostile
- The cable is a little too short and will force you to use an extension cable
- … but a few times it happened that a clip was recorded despite the absence of movement