The Elinz IP camera 1080p is Wi-Fi, waterproof, solar-powered security camera and part of the broader Elinz range.
We need to start with Elinz because you may not have heard about them.
An Australian company est. 2005 as an online electronics product store. It scours the world for interesting tech and then contracts with ODMs to supply to its specifications. Not wanting to compare, but it is similar to Jaycar without the retail bricks and mortar, and most items are ‘house brands’.
- Reversing camera monitors
- Dashcams
- Security cameras
- Battery chargers and power inverters
- Lightbars and LED work lights for cars And trucks
- In-car, headrest, and roof mount DVD players
- GPS Trackers
- Drones
- Action cameras
- Flashlights
And to further add credibility it scores 4.6/5 from 387 reviews, so you are not buying from the NSW Department of Fair Trading naughty list for poor service (not mentioning names that rhyme with Bogan)
Elinz Wireless IP Camera 1080P Wi-Fi Security CCTV Wire-Free Battery Waterproof Solar Panel
- Model: SKU: SKU: IPCAMBATTERYV2SOLAR-32GB
- Website here
- Price: RRP $169.99
- Warranty: Not stated but a minimum of 12-months ACL
- Country of manufacture: China
We agreed to review this more to get to know Elinz and its bona fides. As usual, we use FAIL, PASS and EXCEED against all tests.
A few tech specs for the Elinz Wireless IP Camera 1080P to start
2MP Megapixel 1080p – PASS
It has a typical 2MP, 1920x1080p/25fps CMOS sensor. Performance-wise it is no better or worse than any other 1080p camera – be it Arlo, D-Link, Uniden, Swann etc. And that is a good thing because you can now include Elinz on your shopping list.
We say 25fps because like all Wi-Fi cameras, resolution and quality depends solely on bandwidth and signal strength. The further away from the router, the lower the resolution and frames per second. This, like all others using similar sensors, will drop to 720p/25fps or even lower – from 8Mbps to 32kbps. Video is stored on a microSD card (32MB supplied for the review) to a maximum capacity of 128GB.
Wi-Fi – PASS
It is 2.4Ghz that allows up to 30 metres line-of-sight from a router. If the signal passes through walls, windows, floors etc. you can halve that. We found that at 20m the signal was quite strong but dropped off at 30m to almost unusable.
This is the key limitation of all Wi-Fi cameras except Arlo that can have a dedicated base station allowing for higher bitrates over longer distances. You can cure that by adding a Wi-Fi extender or three.
Field of View – PASS
It has a +/-63° horizontal field of view (total 126°) and a +/-30° (60°) in total. There is some fish-eye effect, but it is not an issue.
You can flip the image (mount upside down) but not rotate or reverse – which can make mounting a little harder.
Sound/mic – PASS
It has a single mic for half-duplex (walkie-talkie) communication and a small transducer (speaker). Like all similar cameras, it is not ‘real-time’, and you can’t have a two-way full-duplex conversation. It does not have a siren.
Maximum voice level at one metre was 72dB with a delay/lag of about five seconds.
Power – PASS
It has a micro-USB connector (USB-A to micro-USB cable supplied) but no charger. It requires a 5V/1A charger (or higher but it won’t fast charge).
The internal battery has a 6,400mAh capacity rated for five months at 20 triggers a day (3000 triggers). Naturally, we could not test that in a few weeks review, but we think it’s a fair assumption. Beware, if you place it facing an area where it gets hundreds of daily triggers battery life is shorter
Charge time is a little over an hour.
Solar Panel is large – EXCEED
The solar panel is 6V/1A, and that gives some overhead for loss of efficiency to micro-USB. Using our Power-Z meter, we found it was delivering a stead 5V/.75mA (depends on the sun intensity) which is more than enough to keep it topped up, even on overcast or rainy days.
It is a large unit at 268 x 178 x 17mm. It needs to placement where it gets sun most of the day. The panel has a mounting bracket and wall plug, or you can use a 360° mount.
The cable is fixed to the panel and ends with a plug. Then a plug to micro-USB cable goes to the unit. I am sure you can get extension cables.
Night vision
It has three IR LEDs for mono night vision. This is its weakest point as many others have five to eight LEDs. It will provide mono photos out to about three metres.
PIR – PASS
Motion detection claim is 10m. We found that it was reliable under 7m. But as it is a 1080p camera details are lost too far away.
Mounting and waterproofing – PASS
It is IP65, meaning a casual hose or rain strength water will not affect it. It is technically not waterproof (IP67) – and we recommend placement under eaves etc.
Mounting is via a magnetic ‘golf-ball’ mount on the rear or a ¼” tripod mount underneath. It can stand on the base as well.
Now, most photos show the camera mounted ‘up-high’. The fact is that to get the best detail, it should be mounted no more than at head height and in a direction to best capture a person’s face.
The App – PASS
The CloudEdge mobile app is very simple and hosts a huge range of generic devices. You can read more here (care it is a PDF, so check downloads).
But Privacy may be an issue.
When you set up an account, it needs access to photo storage and location – fine.
The one privacy policy that I can find gives me no confidence.
Cloud storage is at an extra cost. Ali SmartCloud in China host the cloud run by Chuango Security Technology.
The CloudEdge account does not support multiple mobile phone logins to protect user information.
You can share your camera to friends or family if they install the CloudEdge app and use the CloudsEdge cloud.
So, a micro-SD is the best value and ensures Privacy.
Voice Assistants – none
Voice assistants are nice to have and can help link disparate camera brands together in the Google Home or Alexa app.
Image quality – PASS
GadgetGuy’s take – I don’ think Elinz quite appreciates the depth of our reviews.
First, I do not doubt that Elinz is a reputable company and like Jaycar is now on my browser bookmarks for frequent reference. They even offer a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Elinz is a master email marketer, and you will get more than a fair share of emails – relegate these to junk if you are overwhelmed.
Second, this camera is typical of the thousands of generic 2MP cameras produced in China with the CloudEdge app to control them.
So, if this suits your needs, then you are better off buying from a reputable local company with ACL warranty than an unknown merchant on Amazon, eBay or Kogan (always on the NSW DFT naughty list).
And there is a stack more indoor and outdoor models using CloudEdge (so you can use the one app) at Elinz here.
Just tone down the marketing a little – guys!
got one these I dont like it, brackets are very poor design and strength. You cannot connect it to other software such as ispy where my other cameras have connectivity.
The image is upside down and iu cant seem turn it around
I would not recommend this at all. Total waste of my money, I sort help from Elinz, it was very poor and no assistance to my issues.
TS
Thanks for the feedback. It was the first time we had seen an Elinz product and it is the last! The camera is a typcial low cost Chinese generic that has hardware security flaws and works with the CloudEdge app that we will no longer accept either – it is a data-harvester as we pointed out. https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/cheap-video-doorbells-and-security-cameras-are-highly-insecure/ and https://www.gadgetguy.com.au/cheap-baby-monitors-and-security-cameras-widespread-flaw-allows-remote-viewing/
Build wise the solar panel brackets do the job. We no longer have the camera so we cant check but the CloudEdge app should have image inversion somewhere. The thing that disappointed me most was the massive amount of Elizn spam that you subsequently get and it took many unsubscribe attempts before I simply sent them to junk.