The Uniden Guardian App Cam Floodlight provides near ‘150W para-flood’ light from a pair of 15W LED floodlights coupled with a 1080p camera and heat/movement motion detector.
The Uniden Guardian App Cam Floodlight is the answer to any dark outdoor area that needs surveillance. The LED floodlights will bathe in gentle ‘flood’ style lighting up to 30 metres and enable colour recording out to about 10 metres.
We put the Uniden Guardian App Cam Floodlight through its paces.
Uniden Guardian App Cam Floodlight
- Website here
- Price: $299.95
- Warranty: 2-year
This is a mini-review, and you should also look at other Uniden reviews here
Base specs
- 2MP, F/2.8, 1920x1080p@15fps and drops back to 640×480@15fps, 135° FOV
- Wi-Fi G 2.4Ghz
- Dual dimmable LED lamps total of 2500 lumens. Approx. power draw 2x15W=30W
- Wired into mains 240V or plugin (cannot use DC power or a solar panel charger)
- IP65
- MicroSD to 128GB (not supplied) for local storage or cloud storage at extra cost
- Speaker (acts as 100dB siren), microphone for two-way talk
- Thermosense PIR detector
- Google or Alexa compatible
Setup
You need to mount the camera in a reasonably protected environment – under roof eaves is best. While it is IP65 rated (dust-tight and resistant to water jets – rain) it is not waterproof.
One caveat is that it is best mounted no more than 2 metres off the ground, or it loses the ability to see peoples faces!
It also needs to be within Wi-Fi 2.4Ghz distance. In theory that can be up to 90 metres line-of-sight of a good router or 20-30 metres if through walls. BUT.
We strongly suggest you check the placement first using the free Wi-Fi Monitor from Google Play. Look for the RSSI reading, and if it is -75dB or higher, then the camera will not work. If you use iPhone try Wi-Fi Sweet Spots – it has a simple interface and a readout in -dBm. For outdoor use, the chances are that you are going to need a Wi-Fi range extender. Read our router tutorial here.
It needs a permanent 240V connection (hardwire) that means using a licensed electrician to install. Or you can plug it into an indoor point. It cannot connect to a DC power source or use a solar panel.
This means that you need to consider power availability, outdoor placement and WI-Fi range.
Download the My Uniden App (Android or iOS) and set up an account. The app works with all Guardian App cameras, but we don’t believe it works with the Uniden Solo Range that use the Solo App.
LED Flood
LED lights do have a fixed life. I understand this is about 36,000 hours – practically at least ten years (if not used as a night-time floodlight replacement). If they wear out, they are not user-replaceable.
The dispersal pattern is a gentle flood – not a focused spotlight meaning that while it can cast some light out to 30 metres, it is most effective to about 10 metres. In any case, the 270° PIR detector has a 10-meter range and our experience with similar detectors is that it is only good to about six metres.
GadgetGuy’s take – Uniden Guardian App Cam Floodlight is perfect for the right use in the right place.
The product is typical Uniden quality – well made with a good warranty and local support. If you can ace the Wi-Fi placement, power and location issues, then it is a no brainer.
You need to stick to the same brand if you want to use the same app. As these are voice assistant capable, you can control them that way after setup.
1080p@15fps is really the entry-level for security cameras. It is OK for reasonable detail to about three metres and for vistas out to 10m. If you require more detail, then you will need to look at 2K and 4K cameras. And as the signal gets weaker (RSSI/dBm), it slows down to as low as 640 x 480 with more loss of detail.
This product is rated as as an outdoor security camera that provides sufficient light for colour night recording. It assumes you can solve the three issues.
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