Ajax MotionCam Outdoor Review – PIR Meets a Camera
There is a camera for outdoor video surveillance, which may have a PIR sensor to spot intruders, but it will never be equal to a true PIR sensor, designed primarily for detecting motion. And you want both – accurate motion detection and the image. Here is where the Ajax MotionCam Outdoor shines – truly precise motion detection due to a pair of PIR sensors fitted in the body, a high-quality HDR camera to provide you with an image, and a ton of other features you would expect from a device like this.
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Ajax MotionCam Outdoor – The Idea
So there is a previous gen regular Ajax MotionCam, consisting of a photo camera, PIR sensor, and a flashlight, designed solely for indoor installation. And there is an advanced Ajax MotionProtect Outdoor, which features double PIR with different, yet crossing, view zones, making the detection more accurate. And if you combine them, you’ll get the Ajax MotionCam Outdoor, but stuffed with all recent Ajax developments and improvements. And due to this description, you can literally guess the operating principle.
How Ajax MotionCam Outdoor Works
So the operating principle and the idea of how it works are simple. You got the sensor installed outdoors on the wall of your house in front of the area you want to observe and protect from intruding. You arm your system, expecting no visitors at a time, and keep doing your business. And one moment the alarm suddenly goes on and you receive a phone notification with a series of photos, which altogether look like a GIF animation with a low framerate, yet giving you a clear understanding of what’s happening there, which are transferred ultra-fast over the radio frequencies. This is how you get a precise 2-step PIR motion detection and the rapid visuals to see what’s going on.
In Simple Words
In simple words, what distinguishes the Ajax MotionCam Outdoor from other PIR detectors and video surveillance cameras is the fact that the image is transferred over the radio frequencies m unlike an IP-camera, requiring a network connection in order to give you the image.
This makes it way more flexible as you don’t need wires and the network to transfer the signal, the data takes way less space, meaning it is transferred way faster, which is crucial in frames of the security area.
Ajax MotionCam Outdoor Features
In the first place, the fact that this is a motion detector with a camera, where the image is transferred over the radio frequencies and not the cord, and not the network. It’s different and makes sense. The camera itself features 2 infrared LEDs to light up a scene at night, looking like this in comparison:
And the HDR image enhancement, and here it’s not just some marketing trick, there’s a practical purpose, making it look like this in comparison:
The camera itself has a 100-degree field of view, the photos you get come in 320×176 pixels resolution as a default, and it takes them approximately 9 seconds to be transferred, and it has a bigger mode with 640×352 pixels, with a delivery time of up to 20 seconds.
Ajax MotionCam Outdoor – PIR Sensor
The PIR sensor itself features a 2-step algorithm powered by a double PIR sensor, one on top of another, to spot the threat accurately and to get rid of false alarms, which are caused by weather changes, pets, leaves on trees, and et on.
It covers an area of up to 175 square meters with around a 90-degree view angle, features these 2 PIR sensors, one directed straight, and the second looking down, altogether covering up to 15 meters in front of the device.
Other Features
Ajax MotionCam Outdoor features IP55 protection rate, meaning you don’t have to worry leaving it outside for months and years, it comes with the hood to protect it from the rain and snow, the operating temperature range is from -25 to +60 Celsius, and what else makes it an outdoor detector is the anti-masking system, which will always tell you in a matter of seconds if the detector’s view is blocked with some painting on it or any obstacle put in front of it. The recommended installation height is from 0.8 to 1.3 meters above the ground level. The communication range with Ajax Hub is 1700 meters in an open space, the battery lasts up to 3 years, and there are only 2 Hubs supported – Ajax Hub 2 and Hub 2 Plus, due to the photo transfer feature.
Activation and Use
The activation and use are as simple as they were with Ajax – you’ve got the Ajax Hub activated under your account, the Ajax app on your phone, you’ve got the device, and the device has a QR code on its back. So you go into the app, press the “add device” button, naming it the way you want, typically that’s the area it is protecting and scanning it, selecting a room and the group, and OK. Now you have 30 seconds to press and hold the power button next to the QR code, and you have it in your account.
The bottom line
The bottom line is that Ajax MotionCam Outdoor literally outruns most of the modern similar detectors by a number of characteristics, is a great device for outdoor protection, and will do a perfect job if combined with the Security Camera.