Still, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy this security camera. You just have to be realistic about its limitations.
1080p resolution 130° field of view Two-way audio Night vision Motion detection Facial recognition Smoke and carbon monoxide siren detector Push notifications Rechargeable battery Local video storage 24 hours of free cloud storage Two color options
Unfortunately, this camera was pretty glitchy for us. We tested an ADT Self Setup indoor camera at the same time and using the same settings. While the indoor camera worked almost flawlessly, the outdoor camera had connection issues with both the Wi-Fi and the app itself. Because of this, some features wouldn’t work. We dialed the sensitivity up to the highest setting and captured such riveting things as the sun moving across the sky and a plastic bag blowing in the wind. If getting notifications for such minute movements sounds like a bother to you, we suggest using a lower motion setting or changing the detection to “People” mode. As far as the motion zones go, you’re pretty limited in the customization. You can only choose a square or rectangular area, whereas other cameras (such as the Vivint Doorbell Pro and Ring video doorbells) allow you to create triangular zones. So if you want your zone to cover an extremely specific area, you may not be able to get the outline how you want it. To get the camera to recognize you, upload several photos of yourself into your user profile. That will (theoretically) help the camera identify your facial structure. Unfortunately, it looks like the camera can only recognize individuals with user profiles on your ADT Self Setup account. It won’t recognize your neighbor or your toddler unless you give them access to your mobile app. When a stranger appears, the ADT Self Setup camera tells you that it “recognizes someone it doesn’t know.” Regardless of the paradoxical wording, we liked knowing when someone unfamiliar popped up. When a detector goes off, the camera can pick up on the sound waves and notify you. (We aren’t sure of the range on this, so if the camera is far from your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, it may not work.) Overall, though, this is not a terrible deal, especially when compared to other camera plans. Sixty days of storage is higher than the typical 30 days, to the point where most of the time, it’s probably unnecessary. But if you need to rewatch some footage two months down the line, well, you can. While we usually like to see a little bit more automation, you’ll be able to set up most basic smart home functions with this level of compatibility. You just won’t be able to directly control your smart devices from your ADT Self Setup app. But after we got the camera added to our account, we found the rest of the app a little confusing. Not every feature is located in the most intuitive place, and there are several spots where the app redirects you to sign in to the ADT Self Setup website instead. What’s the point in having an app if you frequently have to jump to the website? ADT Self Setup outdoor camera installation steps: Features: The facial recognition and siren detection make the ADT Self Setup camera stand out. Pricing: For what this camera offers, the price is reasonable. Home automation: You can’t do everything with this camera’s home automation, but you can do a lot. Installation: Installation is pretty easy as long as everything goes smoothly. But if you’re not getting a system, this wouldn’t be our first recommendation to you. This camera had a hard time staying connected. We’ve seen a few other reviewers with the same problem, which suggests this is a bigger problem than just a single faulty camera. If you’re prepared to assume the security risk of a camera with connection problems, then this camera will serve you just fine. Especially if you have other ADT Self Setup devices you’d like to connect to it. But if you want something that stays connected (and we don’t blame you if you do), there are lots of other outdoor cameras to choose from. Also, if you don’t need an outdoor camera, the ADT Self Setup indoor camera worked just fine for us and would be a good alternative. Or, if you want more information before making a decision, feel free to check out our ADT Self Setup system and ADT Self Setup video doorbell reviews. And be sure to watch this video about ADT Self Setup tips and tricks. Even once we uploaded the required images, the facial recognition couldn’t identify us. And half the time, it didn’t seem to pick up on our faces at all. We also didn’t love that it’s seemingly limited to recognizing account users. For the record, the Nest facial recognition isn’t all that and a bag of chips either. But it was better at picking out faces. It also wasn’t limited to recognizing users. And the Nest face software is supposed to learn and get better at its job as time goes on.
