http://www.gadgetspeak.com/review/Imou_Cruiser-895033.html

Imou Cruiser 

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This is an outdoor camera, it is designed to be mounted on a ceiling or wall and hang downwards. Unlike a lot of small indoor cameras this is designed to be seen and therefore this can have the effect of deterring before intrusion happens.

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The camera is 15cm from top to base disregarding the aerials and is round at the base at 11cm. It can be hung or attached from the supplied fitment. Everything you need to fit is supplied apart from a screwdriver and drill, they even supply a template.

A three meter long mains lead that ends in a 13amp plug is supplied so you will need to place it ideally within that distance from a plug outlet and bear in mind that you will need to drill through a wall or surround to get to it, a 1cm round hole should enable you to connect. You have 40cm of cable from the top of the unit to decide how to negotiate a wall or ceiling, ideally this should be behind the bracket for added security.

I always test every camera I review indoors before fitting so that I know it’s working correctly before fitting as once up a ladder is not the time to find out you have a problem.

The initial setup is done via an App that you download from the Apple or Android store. Sign up for an account enter the code given and you then get either 14 days free cloud storage or sign up for a fee and get 30 days cloud storage. You can also store images on a micro SD card – not supplied – and live images are stored on your phone.

The whole process from opening the box to testing the camera took less than fifteen minutes I used a long Ethernet cable and was pleasantly surprised to get right way up images very soon after connection as it was sitting upside down. So it quickly reset its orientation.

Later I tested it using Wi-Fi without any problems.

This however is not a basic camera and can rotate its view to 355 degrees assuming where you mount it allows it, I see they suggest a pole mount and there is also a 90 degree field of view.

If it spots suspicious movement then its spotlight turns on and you get full colour images, alternately you can view images in black and white and for added effect there is even a siren.

Should your mounting point be near a front door you can even carry out two way conversations with say a delivery driver who has no need to know if you are in or not.

This mode is even more useful if you a plagued by unwanted door to door salesmen.

As with all such cameras the real test is the quality of the software telling the difference between a cat and a human being. This certainly does and you can monitor from a PC as well as your phone.

If this model is overkill for you then they also do another model without the roving ability which I am told will be with me very soon. With that unit I will go into details about the software’s pluses.

At the time of publication the Imou Cruiser is available from Amazon for £79.99.

Full details can be found on the Imou Life web site.

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Comment by paul_smart, 7 Mar 2022 8:13

Currys also sell the (2MP) model at £79.99 but also have a (4MP) version at £99.99.

https://www.currys.co.uk/products/imou-cruiser-4mp-ipcs42fp0360b-quad-hd-1440p-wifi-outdoor-security-camera-10228840.html  

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OverallImou Cruiser rated 84 out of 100

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