Do you have a dog that you want to keep an eye on when you’re not home, or a kid who likes to play in a different room than you work in? There are many reasons why one may want to have a camera in their home. While I bought mine to spy on my dogs, I have used it for home security, watching my fish, and looking at wild animals out the window.
Before I bought a camera, I did a lot of research. Unfortunately, a big concern is that some of these cameras store the footage online, often on oversea servers. This opens up the can of worms containing the question of whether the companies have access to our private footage. Although TENVIS is a Chinese company, it seems like this camera is one of safer ones in terms of privacy, since it operates only on your local network.
After living in China for two years, I personally vouch for the quality of their mainstream tech. I’ve had amazing phones, drones and action cameras made in China and loved them. I have had four TENVIS cameras for two years now and they all work flawlessly despite the hundreds of times that they were dropped.
TENVIS Specs
For $69.99 for a two pack of cameras (starting at $50 for used, on Amazon) you can get two amazing cameras with some nifty specs. The resolution of the camera is 1080P which is HD and captures high quality video and photos. It has motion detection, night vision, two-way audio and it can turn/pan/tilt like an owl.
Pros
- Low price but great quality
- HD video recording and photos
- Supports SD cards up to 128 GB – which holds up to 2 months of footage
- Motion detection filming: you can set it up to film only when motion is detected
- Impressive night vision
- Two-way audio lets you hear what’s happening and talk out of the other end
Cons
- As a video-maker, I wish there was a 4k version so that I could use the footage in YouTube videos
- The Tenvisty app, available for both Apple and Android, is very slow, glitchy and could be greatly improved – that being said, I never had major issues that prevented me from using the camera
- The audio that comes out is very echoey – my dogs don’t respond to it because it’s so robotic sounding
- It is quite big and bulky, not the sleekest camera out there
Summary
The TENVIS camera is a great option if you want an affordable pet cam. I rescued a dog a few weeks before going to work and I was an emotional wreck. I had no idea how this dog would react if he was left home alone all day and my imagination only takes me to dark places. This camera gave me a huge peace of mind and has worked wonderfully for me ever since.
Today, I have several around the house. It is a great way to check on the dogs (we now have two) without getting up while working from home. I even use it to talk to my husband if he’s not picking up his phone – these cameras make great walkie talkies! All you need is decent wifi, because if your wifi lags, so will the camera.
If you are interested in purchasing a two-pack of TENVIS cameras, check out this Amazon link. If you jut want one, use this link. For a great SD card that goes well with this camera, check this one out. It may be overkill for 1080P, but from my experience, a bad SD card can cause major issues. I had a GoPro overheat because I got a cheap one. Oh, and if you have wifi issues, I recommend this booster that I use in my office because my router happens to be in the basement.
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