Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 review – a camera where parents can sleep peacefully

So far, I have used the free option of monitoring my child – i.e. video calls on two smartphones. This is, of course, a makeshift, but it works in the short term. However, if you want to sleep peacefully without worrying about the child’s safety, the purchase of more advanced equipment is recommended. Especially when it looks as cute as the Baby Monitor (BM1) camera from Ezviz.

Ezviz was one of the producers we visited during the IFA, looking for new products related to smart home products . Now one of these novelties has been added to the editorial office – the intelligent Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 (BM1) camera .

It detects crying and movement, allows you to see what is happening in the baby in real time, can play relaxing sounds and notify you when the baby exceeds the set safety limit. It is not only a baby monitor, but an AI assisted baby monitor. In addition, it does not look like a typical webcam for indoor use – it has been dressed in a silicone overlay, which is to resemble a rabbit (in a pink version) or a teddy bear (in a blue version).

Specification of Ezviz Baby Monitor 1

• Resolution : 2 MP, 1 / 2.8 ”CMOS sensor, 4 mm lens, f / 1.6
• Viewing angles : 100 ° (diagonal), 85 ° (horizontal), 46 ° (vertical)
• Video recording : 1920 × 1080 pixels, 15 fps, H.265 / H.264 compression
• Night recording : automatic switching to IR, minimum illumination 0.1 lux, IR range up to 5 meters, advanced 3D DNR 3D noise reduction
• Connectivity : 80.11b / g / n 2.4 GHz, transfer up to 150 Mbps
• Memory : support for microSD cards up to 256 GB or subscription to the EZVIZ CloudPlay service
• Others : two-way audio, motion and audio detection,
• Battery : 2000 mAh, power supply 5 V / 2 A
• Dimensions : 249 × 50 × 67 mm
• Weight : 118 g

The price of Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 is approximately USD $155 . Is that a lot? After all, you don’t spare a child, right? Parents will spend any money for an apparent or actual security guarantee – here, the actually offered functions translate into ensuring comfort for parents who do not have to worry about the child staying in a different part of the house. With the Ezviz product, it actually works, although the BM1 is not the most advanced gadget of this type on the market.

What’s in the Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 set?

The camera has been packed with what is necessary for further work. In addition to the accessory itself, along with a flexible headband and a screw-on part for mounting on the cot, Ezviz added a handful of paper instructions and a USB-A to microUSB cable for charging the accessory.

How does it look like?

In fact, the camera offers nothing more than the standard offered by cameras used for monitoring. It records in Full HD quality at 15 fps and in infrared at night, has a speaker and a microphone, so you can listen and talk to the child, there is also a microSD card slot (so you do not need to use the paid cloud recording option). Everything is connected via Wi-Fi and informs about its status with a diode. Operation is limited to the app and two buttons. On paper, Ezviz BM1 does not offer anything above the standard, but in practice, the whole – taking into account its great appearance, general functionality and handling – works perfectly.

Construction of the camera

After taking it out of the package, the camera is dressed in a silicone outfit – in the product sent to the editorial office it has a peach-pink color. The accessory can be easily disassembled to the basic cube.

The front panel has a camera lens and sensors as well as a multicolored LED (blue when the camera is working, red when the network or camera is disconnected and green when charging), on the rear panel there is a memory card slot, charging port and buttons for operation: switch and reset button device (hold it for 4 seconds to reset the camera to its default settings). There are loudspeaker holes in the upper part, and a magnetic area on the bottom that fits the camera’s bracket mounting location.

Camera mount

Along with the camera, we get a comfortable headband, with which you can easily attach the accessory to a baby cot. It is enough to properly twist the moving element of the headband. What’s more, the flexible part of the headband allows you to direct the camera exactly to the area to be monitored. Both parts are connected by a magnetic element, so neither removing nor reattaching the “head” requires neither force nor tools.

But nothing prevents you from using the camera alone, without the headband. In this way, you can place it anywhere in the apartment or take it with you on family trips.

Two color versions

The webcam is available in two color versions. Peachy Bunny will be more suited to the daughter’s room, and Aqua Bear – to a more boyish interior. I also found a white version of Ezviz BM1 on the internet .

Apart from the different colors and shape of the ears, both versions are identical in terms of assembly, parameters and operation. It should be added that the accessory has been designed so that there are no sharp edges, and the material from which the colored, silicone parts of the camera are made is soft, safe for children and free of toxic substances.

Monitoring application

Without the Ezviz app, Baby Monitor 1 wouldn’t make much sense. It is not complicated – quite the opposite. But, more importantly, the producer makes it available in the multi language, even though the translation is sometimes quite crude. The app is not intended to control just one product – other monitoring devices from Ezviz can also be collected here.

The first step is to create an account to which you can then connect the camera. After the camera is turned on, Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 starts connecting to the Wi-Fi network. When this process is successful – and you just need to follow the steps presented in the application – the camera should appear in the application. Any change to the Wi-Fi settings requires a camera reset with the button.

The Ezviz application allows a wide range of maneuver in terms of camera operation. There is, for example, the possibility of sharing the account with family members (after verification of the account). The image can be viewed in full screen (smartphone or tablet), zoomed up to 8 times (although this is only digital zoom) or work in another application using the preview in a small window (Picture-in-Picture).

The manufacturer does not neglect safety issues. It uses TLS data transmission encryption and AES-128 security. Ezviz also boasts a series of certifications awarded by DNV, a company that specializes in certification services and risk management (information security, personal data protection and cloud storage.

In the settings, you can choose the operating mode – here the translation is a bit lame, but you can choose different modes depending on the power consumption – from permanent recording to maximum battery saving. You can also set the detection sensitivity, issues related to receiving notifications, as well as various items related to the recorded image. Devices related to the Ezviz app can also work with voice assistants Alexa and the Google Assistant.

Read Also: GoPro Hero 10 Black review: GoPro’s most powerful action camera to date

How does it work in practice?

Installing the camera and its configuration in the application is trivial – here you do not need any technical skills to start working with the Ezviv BM1 – just follow the instructions given by the application.

Content can be broadcast live, but it is also possible to save recordings. Here comes a very convenient, but unfortunately paid option with the cloud – EZVIZ Cloud Storage, or a less convenient option that requires a microSD card (media up to 256 GB are supported). Maybe someone will need archived recordings of a crying or moving baby at night – the producer suggests that this way you can save precious moments, such as the first words or the first step.

For me, Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 was completely sufficient as an electronic nanny, with the option of live monitoring and notification in the event of detecting the baby’s crying, its activity or leaving a certain zone (e.g. a playpen). What’s more, during the live view, you can listen to what is happening in the child’s environment, talk to him – although mine did not calm down then, on the contrary, you could see confusion – as well as take a photo or start recording manually. There is also a possibility to turn on relaxing (supposedly) music, but when its duration is limited to 60 seconds, I judge its effectiveness poorly.

Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 works both during the day and at night. Its operation is indicated by a small blue LED, but at night the child will not be dazzled by any flashing lights indicating infrared recording. Full HD quality is sufficient to get a clear picture of a sleeping or playing baby.

The 2000 mAh battery is supposed to last for a whole night of work (7 hours in Always-on mode), although nothing prevents you from connecting the cable and turning the camera into a wired accessory. Anyway, this is what I did most often – the camera was loaded at night, and during the day I used it in many places – where there were children and where I preferred to keep an eye on them.

Of course, in the wireless version, the use of the accessory is safer in the company of children – so it is important whether we want to monitor a child who cannot sit or stand up yet, or one who is already freely walking around the apartment. Of course, the operating time of the camera will depend on the mode set and the number of notifications received – although it was not a problem for me to use the Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 camera connected to the power supply, while using the battery I had to charge it every 4-5 days, recording mainly at night and for 2-3 hours a day, when the child was alone.

What if the child grows up? The camera will become redundant? Not necessarily, in my opinion, it can successfully serve as a surveillance camera – the principle of operation is the same, and the image recorded with the camera can be viewed live using the application, regardless of where we are.

Summary

Ezviz Baby Monitor 1 is a camera that is not the cheapest, but what it offers compensates for the high price. What exactly does it offer? A sense of peace and comfort for every parent who can use a smartphone to check what is happening with the child – both during the day and at night.

About Post Author

Sankesh Verma

Sankkesh Verma is a technical guy who brings a unique combination of strategic, creative, and technical expertise to identify elements that constitute success, propose solutions, and help build them. He is the founder of “Webbpearl” which is a highly-acclaimed web development agency that offers web design and development, mobile app development, and digital marketing. More importantly, he is the admin of Techtiper.

See author's posts