Welcome to the
iCover blog. To understand the pace of technical progress today, we need only plunge into the recent past. In those days, close to us, when conversations about the smart house came into contact only with the fantasy and dreams of real geeks. Today’s store shelves and online stores in 2016 are a promising picture where almost everything can be found. Tracking sensors, GPS beacons, smart sockets, switches, lamps, even curtains and plant care systems. We will tell about one of such devices - the smart camera
Netatmo Welcome Camera today.

Moreover, there are both custom self-made solutions and factory ones. Today we will talk about an interesting camera, the chip of which is in face recognition. And since the thing is not cheap, the appearance and functionality should speak for itself. Already on the official previews and the site you can see that the gadget was created in the style of another well-known company with the apple logo ... Let's begin, by tradition, with a listing of the characteristics.
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Specifications
To begin with, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with short basic characteristics, and below we discuss them.
• Body: one-piece aluminum sheet with a plastic insert transmitting infrared rays
• Dimensions: 45 x 45 x 155 mm
• Video Sensor: 4MP | Video resolution: up to 1920 × 1080 | Frame rate: up to 30fps;
• Coding: H.264 | Viewing angle: 130 ° | Extra large pixels: 2 microns;
• Microphone: yes, the model is unknown;
• Night vision: yes, a powerful infrared LED is used;
• Mechanical IR filter, which provides a better image when shooting at night and vivid colors during day shooting;
• Ethernet RJ-45 port: 10/100 megabits | Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n (2.4G);
• Compatible with iPhone and iPad: iOS 8 and higher | Android 4.3 and up;
• A web application is available for the two latest versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Internet Explorer browsers.
Perhaps the first thing you should pay attention to the size. If you study the competition, not so many models will be able to pick up with similar characteristics, similar size, metal case. I would also like to mention shooting as 1080p, the presence of an IR filter, night-vision mode and, of course, versatility or loyalty to the devices with which the novelty works. You can use both gadgets on iOS, and on Android, and even a PC with access to the web interface of the camera. Looking ahead slightly, let's say that the
Netatmo Welcome Camera , or rather its capabilities, can be expanded by purchasing other company devices, such as a
Netatmo Urban Weather Station weather station, a thermostat, or an additional outdoor camera with lighting. However, we have repeatedly observed how companies are trying to combine smart products into one system, and in the case of Netatmo everything turned out. Consider the packaging and appearance of the gadget.
Packaging and appearance
By the standards of this kind of devices, the package can be called compact, for the most part all the free space inside is used correctly and the so-called voids are almost absent. The materials themselves are of high quality. This is a thin cardboard cover on top, under which lies the main box, made of solid thick high-quality light cardboard.

On the packaging itself there is beautiful graphics, the color scheme is very well chosen. Nice thing to give a gift. I note, as it was done before me in other descriptions, that the gadget is packaged in the style of Apple.
Inside the box is the following package:
• Netatmo Welcome camera itself;
• Micro USB cable;
• Mains charger with adapters for different types of sockets;
• Flat Ethernet cable that does not get tangled on the table;
• microSD card for 8GB, 10 class.
The delivery package can be called sufficient, nothing more is required to use the camera. In fact, the manufacturer even offers the initial choice of using the Internet connection, since you can put off the Ethernet cable and use the camera using the Wi-Fi protocol. The user has the right to choose the most convenient way to connect. For a complete idyll, it lacks only a cover to transport this beauty. And the manufacturer did not save and put a normal 8GB memory card in the kit.

And why, strictly speaking, are we talking about appearance? Should a regular camera be beautiful? Yes, this is not a web-camera in the classical sense, it is part of one big system. Including, video surveillance. Plus, the device really looks very attractive, so it fits perfectly in almost any interior, especially modern. The gadget itself is a large heavy cylinder made of anodized aluminum - accidentally dropping an installed device is not so easy. Below there is a plastic stand, and on top of the insert - both are white. The plastic is not glossy, which is good for the appearance of the device.

By functional elements. Behind, closer to the bottom, in a small cut-out of aluminum, the main ports are located in the following order: Ethernet port, Micro USB output, slot for Micro SD memory cards. On the front side, if you can find it at the cylinder, in the black plastic matte insert you can see the eye of the camera and the bottom of the microphone. Even lower, already on the case there is an engraving with the company's brand.

More in the case there are no technical connectors, holes, buttons and anything else interesting. Therefore, we turn to the study of the program part.

How to connect and what can the camera?
First, let's talk about the memory card and how video recording is implemented in the device. When the camera is set up, power is connected to it, it is active in standby mode. As soon as a person enters the frame, or just movement is detected in the device’s coverage area, the camera will initiate the shooting and simultaneous attempt to identify the face. After a short time after the disappearance of motion in the frame, which is configured manually, the recording stops, and all files are saved on the memory card. The package comes ADATA 10 class of 8 GB. Its volume is approximately enough for 100 standard videos (as indicated by the manufacturer) in Full HD quality.

I draw your attention that the duration of the video depends on the frequency of movement and the number of people (and their faces) that pass through the camera. The more active life in the radius of the
Netatmo Welcome Camera , the longer and weightier the clips. And in this case it is worth thinking about purchasing a larger memory card. True, we must bear in mind that the camera only supports cards up to 32 GB. Another feature is that as soon as the flash drive is filled, new videos are recorded over the old ones. From a certain point of view, this is convenient, but inadvertently, you can easily lose an important entry if you do not save it in advance on your PC or smartphone.

To get started, you need to register on the official website of the welcome.netatmo.com company and download the application for configuration. Next, connect the camera using a USB cable to the computer and activating it, connect to the desired Wi-Fi network, or connect to the network using the supplied Ethernet cable. After this short process of first switching on, the camera should be disconnected and, subsequently, connected to the network with a complete power supply unit, selecting the necessary adapter. Alternatively, you can consider connecting to the Power Bank using a USB cable. This option will also be useful if you decide to take a camera for an event where there is no possibility to connect the camera to a permanent power source or where frequent relocation is required. In this case, you will have to stock up on a capacious battery for long-term operation.

If everything went well, the camera gets the right amount of power, has access to the Internet and connects to the server. You will see a green LED indicator, which is located just below the lens. This means that the device is now ready for use and you can proceed to more fine-tuning the gadget.

Recalling various scandalous stories with home video from home cameras, of course, many will be puzzled by the issue of security? After all, I don’t really want someone else to observe the home situation, or what is happening in the office ... unless, of course, you do not want to share it with the public. Therefore, the next step is to add a camera to My Netatmo's proprietary service, where you can select the type of room where the camera is located, for example, at home or at work, and optionally specify the exact address of the location in order to attach a camera to it.

Additionally, the manufacturer is positioning, from the point of view of security, that the video from the camera is not recorded in the cloud storage or directly to your computer or smartphone. Recording is carried out exclusively on a memory card in an encrypted format. That is, simply inserting a card into a PC or smartphone, its contents cannot be viewed, the card simply will not be displayed in the system.

Access to the camera is provided by the owner of the camera from the main, established account via the web interface and the application, respectively. And also, if desired, with the call to create additional accounts using invitations via e-mail, the user can add an unlimited number of visitors. Guest access is possible through a mobile application or a web interface. In order to create an account, it is enough to come up with a login and a good password of 8 characters, which will combine letters and numbers.

Why then do you need a proprietary cloud if it is not being recorded to and if the flash drive dies everything will be gone? Screenshots-covers of the records themselves, as well as photos of recognized faces and information about alerts are saved to the cloud. I will give an example, at 14:20 a man passed in front of the camera. At the same time, the recording started and it lasted about five minutes. The recording remains on the memory card, and the photo of the face, the exact recognition time and the location of the camera are transferred to the cloud.

For complete safety and peace of mind, in the settings you can set an alert with a red indicator when someone is watching the online broadcast. And it does not matter with the help of which device and account the tracking takes place. The transmission of video and screenshots in the online broadcast mode is also carried out using a special protected protocol, which adds a plus to the company’s trust box.
Another cool thing is that when the Internet is completely disconnected, when the camera is already configured, it continues recording. This happens according to the selected settings for the recording and recognition time, both by the persons already in memory and by the new ones. When Internet access appears, all data for the past period will be uploaded to the cloud, and the owner will receive an alert on his smartphone or PC. At the same time, after face recognition, you get not the whole frame, but a neatly cut out large frame of the face.

Also, recognized faces can be signed by name, after which they are stored in the device's memory, which, incidentally, is logical. The face recognition algorithm itself is not satisfactory. The same face will be saved from different angles and in different lighting conditions, which will increase the chances of recognition. Only up to 16 people can be saved in the device’s memory. All the rest will be recognized as unknown without the ability to save, so the camera is not suitable for a large company with a large office. But for a home and a small office, 16 memorable faces will most likely suffice with a margin.
About the convenience of the interface
The first thing you should pay attention to is the unified style of execution of applications for mobile devices. Externally, applications are pleasant, all primary functions are placed on the main screen. There are convenient settings, of which there are many - in particular, this concerns the web version. And in general, it is clear that the developers did not just try to place all the necessary functions in one place, but also thought about what the users will then understand all this.

A remarkable advantage is good localization and the absence of software bugs. It is not possible to describe all the many settings of the camera within our small material, so we will tell you about some of the coolest features that were approved by our team. As it was possible to understand from the text above, the camera can recognize people, store information about the time and place of recognition, conduct online broadcasts and share them with other people. Send notifications to a smartphone, tablet or your PC when a person passed in front of the camera, or vice versa for a long time did not appear in its sharp-sight lens.
However, the camera may start unplanned recording of pictures and sound if an alarm or a siren is activated in its area of ​​operation. Simply put, there will be some kind of loud, repetitive sound reminiscent of attention signals, and at the same time notifications will be sent to all devices that have access to the camera.
Other screenshots of the application Above, we have already casually mentioned the compatibility of the camera with other branded Netatmo devices, so it is worth clarifying that the application and the interface are “one for all”. In the future, this will have a positive effect on the convenience of arranging a smart home with the gadgets of this company.

Another killer feature is the ability of the camera to interact with the IFTTT service. What does it mean? The camera can send event notifications to other devices. That is, for example, when recognizing a certain person in a frame, you can set up sending a notification to some other “smart” device, for example, the mechanism responsible for curtains. The future is near - you come home, the camera recognizes you, opens / closes the curtains, turns on the light and the kettle. Moreover, in contrast to who exactly came, you can change the scenarios of actions in the house.
And how does the camera manifest itself during operation?
What do users care most about buying a camera? I would venture to suggest that the quality of shooting. In this sense, there are no problems. The picture is moderately clear and pleasant, all colors are close to reality. Although the instructions say that the camera should not be set with the lens in the direction of bright light, this is not critical and does not interfere with the display of the picture in the room, but you shouldn’t do so. Image recording and broadcasting is possible in the following versions: 360p, 480p, 720p and 1080p.

There is a night shooting mode. The built-in infrared LED is enough so that at night without light one can recognize the silhouettes and faces of people when approaching the camera. The camera also records the sound, but you should not expect good results. Speech can only be recognized if the conversation or sound source is located near the camera. And if, for example, in the background there is some source of interference, like a boiling kettle, the task becomes more complicated and you have to increase the sound to the maximum and listen.
Since the camera does not have active cooling, it can safely be called silent. True, there are also disadvantages - the device heats up significantly with prolonged use. According to the tactile sensations up to about 40 - 45 degrees, since the metal of the case removes heat well, you should not worry about the inside of the camera.
Finally
Let's start with the positive moments. The appearance of the device is a clear plus for friends or family. A positive fact will be thoughtful protection of the recording, a lot of adjustable moments in the work, the presence of full remote access and true versatility in the connection. You can use various tablets and smartphones on the most popular systems or use a popular browser. At the same time, buying a one-time device, you do not need to pay for the encrypted broadcast video recordings, as sometimes happens with other manufacturers. The service for broadcasting is quite stable and reliable. Good quality picture recording compared to other smart cameras adds points to Netatmo's home assistant.

Of the nuances worth paying attention to the long "addictive" camera to persons for more accurate and faster recognition, as well as a limit of 16 people. We add here, of course, the cost of the product.
Netatmo Welcome Camera can hardly be called a budget device. Such solutions are regarded by many as advanced toys for home and office, so you should only buy them if you clearly understand how the camera will fit into the smart home's future. However, it is good that the presence of such devices and their active development make us aware of the importance of advances in technology and the need to adapt to them. Well, for those who still decided - a small discount on
Netatmo Welcome for the
promoge welcomegeek .
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You probably already realized that not out of a thousand, but out of sixteen saved personalities. But if you count the unsaved, then from thousands of strangers - yes! :)Our other articles and events