The Baseus N1 Outdoor Security Camera ($199.99) is a kit that includes two weatherproof cameras you can control with your voice or with your phone that capture 2K video with color night vision. The cameras provided sharp video in testing and the included hub offers free local video storage, but third-party integrations are limited to Alexa routines. If you require an outdoor security camera that will store video locally without the need for a hub, the TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam is our Editors’ Choice because it offers lots of integrations, has long battery life, and can be found for around $70 on sale. Design and FeaturesThe N1 camera kit comes with a pair of battery-powered cameras, a HomeStation hub, two mounting brackets and hardware, an AC adapter (for the hub), a LAN cable, a USB charging cable, and a user guide.The hub measures 5.6 by 2.8 by 4.2 inches (HWD) and has a white finish with a gray base and top. The top lifts off to reveal a removable drive sled that will accommodate a 2.5-inch SATA HDD or SSD of up to 16TB to complement the 16GB of integrated video storage. The front has an LED indicator that glows red when the hub is powered on and turns blue when it’s ready for setup. Around the back, there’s a Sync/Alarm Off button, a Reset button, a USB Type-A port, a 1GbE LAN port for connecting to your router, and a power jack. Under the hood are Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (2.4GHz) radios, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and a 90dB siren.
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(Credit: John R. Delaney)
Measuring 3.6 by 2.0 by 2.7 inches, the cameras have a white finish with a glossy black face, an IP67 weatherproof rating, a built-in 100-lumen spotlight, and an 85dB siren. They are powered by a lithium-ion battery pack that is rated to last up to 210 days between charges, depending on usage. There’s a speaker and a USB-C charging port on the bottom, a Sync button up top, and a threaded mounting bracket hole on the back.
The front of the enclosure holds the camera, which captures 2K (2,304 by 1,296) video at 15fps with a 145-degree field of view and support for 8x digital zoom. The camera uses infrared LEDs for black-and-white night vision and will capture color video at night if there is adequate light or when the spotlight is activated. The front of the camera also holds a PIR (Passive Infrared) motion sensor, a microphone, and an LED indicator that flashes blue while charging and turns solid blue when the battery is fully charged. You can charge the camera using the USB port on the HomeStation hub or with a USB power adapter (not included) and it takes around five hours to fully charge an empty battery.When they detect motion, the N1 cameras will record video and store it locally, which means no monthly cloud storage fees. They can identify all motion or just motion caused by a person and support activity zones for precise detection. They respond to Alexa and Google voice commands and work with Alexa routines but don’t support Apple HomeKit. Unlike the TP-Link Tapo Wire-Free MagCam, they do not support third-party smart home device integrations using IFTTT applets.The cameras and the hub are controlled using the Baseus mobile app for iOS and Android devices. Each camera gets its own panel on the app’s home screen and each panel shows a recently captured image, a play arrow, the name of the camera, and battery level and Wi-Fi signal indicators.When you tap the play arrow it opens a screen with a live stream panel and several buttons. There’s a microphone button for two-way talk, a record button for manually recording video, and a camera button for snapshots. Other buttons here let you view the stream in full-screen mode, mute the speaker, and control the night vision, siren, and spotlight.
(Credit: PCMag/Baseus)
Tap the Events button at the bottom of the screen to view thumbnails of recorded video clips, and tap any thumbnail to view the clip, share it, download it, or delete it. Back at the home screen, there are gear icons next to each camera panel that take you to the settings screen for the selected unit. Here you can choose a power management setting (optimal battery life or optimal surveillance), configure motion detection settings, select a night vision mode (black and white or color), set up privacy zones, adjust speaker and siren volumes, and enable notifications. Installation and PerformanceInstalling the N1 kit is relatively easy, but I ran into an issue during testing. I downloaded the mobile app, created an account, and tapped the Add Device button. I selected the HomeStation, added a new home when prompted, and tapped Next. Following the on-screen instructions, I connected the HomeStation to my router, powered it up, and when the LED went from red to blue I pressed the Sync button for five seconds and tapped Next. My phone immediately recognized the HomeStation, but the hub was unable to bind with the network for some reason. I tried resetting the device but subsequent attempts failed. After some back and forth with a company representative, they blamed a server issue, which was eventually resolved, and I was finally able to add the hub to my network.With the hub connected, I tapped Add Device again, selected Camera, and chose the N1 from the list. I pressed the Sync button on the camera, held it for five seconds, and selected the hub for binding. The camera beeped and the hub’s voice assistant informed me that the device was added successfully. I gave the camera a name and repeated this process for the second camera. I took both cameras out to my backyard, attached them to deck posts using the included mounting brackets and hardware, and upgraded their firmware to complete the installation.
(Credit: PCMag/Baseus)
The N1 cameras delivered solid video quality in testing. Daytime 2K video showed good color saturation and sharp image detail, and black-and-white night video was well lit with good contrast. Color night video was decent, but colors were not nearly as rich and well saturated as those during the day.Motion alerts arrived quickly with very few false alerts, and Alexa voice commands to stream video to an Amazon Echo Show display worked without issue. My Alexa routine to have the camera’s motion sensor trigger an AiDot Linkind Matter Smart Light Bulb worked every time. The built-in siren isn’t overly loud but certainly loud enough to let intruders know that they have been noticed. Two-way talk came through loud and clear.Verdict: A Solid Value for Monitoring Two AreasAt just under $200 for a pair of weatherproof, high-resolution cameras, the Baseus N1 Outdoor Camera Kit is a relatively good deal if you’re looking to monitor multiple areas around the outside of your home. The cameras are easy to install and deliver clear 2K video, and they respond to voice commands without delay. That said, it’s a little inconvenient that they require a wired hub (which is included in the kit), and we wish they worked with more third-party devices. If you want cameras that offer more integration opportunities and/or don’t require a hub, pick up a pair of TP-Link Tapo MagCams, our Editors’ Choice winner for wireless outdoor cameras. At $70 each, they are less expensive and offer more features than the Baseus N1.
Baseus N1 Outdoor Security Camera
The Bottom Line
The Baseus N1 comes with two outdoor security cameras that deliver sharp 2K video, local upgradable video storage via an included hub, and voice control support, but it falls short when it comes to third-party integration.
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About John R. Delaney
Contributing Editor
I’ve been working with computers for ages, starting with a multi-year stint in purchasing for a major IBM reseller in New York City before eventually landing at PCMag (back when it was still in print as PC Magazine). I spent more than 14 years on staff, most recently as the director of operations for PC Labs, before hitting the freelance circuit as a contributing editor.
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