People are a lot more home security conscious these days. Home security is very big business and now much more affordable. In fact, home security cameras are now a common occurrence with obvious CCTV cameras and video doorbells found inside and outside a lot of homes.
Adding security cameras to your home has never been simpler or more affordable. The only issue we have had with external cameras in the past is that the power cable never seems to be quite long enough, and you need to drill through the wall to get power. Not with the camera we have using over the past week or so. The ANRAN F1 Pro Floodlight Security Camera is a solar powered camera, no holes need to be drilled through the walls to get power from inside the house. This camera is a wireless security camera that uses a rechargeable battery and a solar panel to supply power, so easy to setup and very easy to use.
In the box:
- Floodlight Camera
- Solar Panel
- Type C Charging Cable
- Wall Fixing / Screws
- Warning Sticker
- Manual
The ANRAN F1 Pro Solar Powered Floodlight Security Camera is a wireless solar powered external security camera with 2 powerful super-bright LED spotlights. It has motion detection and night vision capabilities as well as two-way audio. With human detection, siren and HD recording it is an excellent home security device – not only as a visible deterrent but capturing high quality recordings in the event that video footage is required. It has a simple, no hassle installation and is apart from a cable to the 5w solar polar, it is completely wireless – there is not even a need to drill through walls or door/window frames to connect to a power outlet! And it is waterproof – perfect for the British weather!
The camera is quite large. It features the camera, two good-sized floodlights and 2 wireless antennas. It also comes with a 17cm square (it actually measures 17.4cm x 16.4cm) solar panel on a 3 metre cable. It can be wall mounted or ceiling mounted (the brackets supplied allows both mountings).
Out of the box, the biggest issue is deciding the best place to position the camera and the solar panel. You need to pick a spot for the camera where it gets a good wifi signal, you can use your phone to see where you can get the best signal to your wifi router. You also need the best spot for the solar panel, somewhere where it can get direct sunlight – should be south facing (no more than 3 metres away from the camera as you are limited by cable length). Once the best locations are decided, installation is a quick and simple task.
Installation
Before you start, download the ANRAN app. Using you phone and the app, find the best place for the wifi signal (the app has a very handy installation guide and network detection tool to help find the best spot). The camera and spotlight need to be mounted to the wall or ceiling. The camera comes with brackets for these and stickers to allow you to know where to drill the holes for the screws. The camera also comes with the screw kits to mount them (although depending on the surface you are mounting to you may need to purchase different screws as walls can be constructed of different materials). You can test the camera before fixing to the wall should you wish by using a powerbank / portable charger and using the supplied USB-C charging cable to supply power. Stick the stickers to the walls and drill holes for the screws in the marked places. Mount the brackets and attach the camera and solar panel. The solar panel comes with a 3 metre cable so you will need to tack the cable to the wall.
There are rules in the UK about CCTV camera placement, essentially the camera should only be recording your own property and not into the street or neighbour’s gardens etc. You should also display a notice to say that recording is in progress (this camera comes with a 24 hour video surveillance sticker that you can put in your window). You can find about more about the rules from the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) here or the government guidance on domestic use of CCTV here.
Once mounted, power on the camera (there is a power button under a rubber waterproof cap on the base of the camera), just follow the simple instructions in the app to complete installation. It really is simple.
The only other decision to make is whether to use a microSD card to store captured recordings or to use cloud-based storage. If using a microSD card (you will need to purchase one separately), this slots in under the camera by the power button. You will probably need to format the card, easily done from within the app. With the SD card there is no charge apart from the cost of the card. With the SD storage, you can easily assess the recording from with the app. If you decide to use cloud-based storage so that recordings are stored online and accessible from anywhere, there is a small monthly fee to use (at the time of writing it is £2.99 per month). SD storage is limited to the amount of storage space on the card, cloud storage has 30 days storage cycle, no time limits on recordings and playback control.
Camera Setup
Setting up the ANRAN F1 Pro camera is simple and only takes a few minutes (unless you decide to play with the features and try out what each setting does). Everything is controlled through the app and is simple and easy to use. You need to create an account (username, password, email address and phone number) and add your camera to the app. From then on it is just a matter of selecting what settings are best for you – what definition of recording (SD/HD), alert notifications (get an alert on your phone if someone comes into view of the camera), alarm/siren settings, Alexa integration, sound settings (microphone on/off, speaker, volume). The app is easy to navigate and the settings all easily adjusted.
Using the Camera
Using the camera is very easy as once it is installed you can just leave it to do its job. You will get alerts on your phone if anyone comes in range of the camera and can review the footage on your phone. You can view realtime footage on your phone as well.
But the camera has a lot more functionality than just installing and leaving it alone. It has motion detection so will detect people in its view – if at night, once detection is made the super-bright floodlights will activate and light up the immediate area. If also features a loud siren that activates (if you enable it) if it detects a person in its view. You can enable/disable motion detection and change sensitivity levels (you don’t want it going off each time the cat walks past) and you can set customised humanoid alarm areas.
Another excellent function is the two-way audio. If someone is detected on the camera you can listen in to what they are saying and even talk back alerting them that you are watching or that you have called the police. It can also be used as a system to tell visitors such as couriers where to leave a parcel when you are out.
You can share access to the camera with multiple users so that friends and family can monitor the camera as well.
Conclusion
Overall, the ANRAN F1 Pro Solar Powered Floodlight Security Camera is excellent and packed with features. The quality of the 2K recordings is fantastic. I particularly like that it is powered by the sun and its solar panel (or that you can easily charge it using a powerbank or portable charger when the sunlight is poor – although it only needs a couple of hours direct sunlight to charge it).
The power is good as it gets enough power during the day from sunlight and stores enough to keep working overnight. And in the event of a power cut, the camera still works (recording to an SD card).
The quality of the images during daylight hours is excellent, as are the night time images in colour night vision. With 2K high definition images, captured images very clear and people identifiable.
It is a great camera with high-quality recording and features. It works fast and seamlessly. It is easy to set up, use and monitor and the notifications are fast, especially when away from home. Its size makes it a great visual deterrent and the floodlights are an excellent addition.
We love the ANRAN F1 Pro security camera. It is excellent at monitoring and recording high-quality images that are very clear and easy to view. We love that it sends instant notifications to our phones. The two-way audio is perfect, and the siren is loud enough to scare off intruders, especially when coupled with the bright lights (you can even set how long they stay on for when activated – by default it is 10 seconds).
We love the wide viewing angle and that when using the app you can easily pan and tilt to move the camera viewing angles. If you ceiling mount the camera you can also flip the image so that its recordings are viewed correctly.
A great camera for anyone that wants affordable smart home monitoring that is easy to use. It can even be integrated with compatible Alexa device such as the Echo Show.
If you are looking for a home security camera to monitor outside the house, deter intruders and give you a bit more peace of mind, then you can’t go wrong with the ANRAN F1 Pro. The only very small improvement we would make would be a screw on cap where the power button, reset button and SD card are situated as it is just a pull-down rubber cap – just to make access them to them that bit more secure.
An excellent, easy to set up and use home security camera.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £169.99
For more information or to buy direct, visit anransec.com.
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