Xiaomi already has a number of indoor and outdoor cameras in its portfolio. Among the novelties, we had the opportunity to test a very interesting model with an integrated solar panel, an advanced outdoor camera with 2.5K resolution, Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro.
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It is a camera set together with a base that is used for encryption and processing of videos from the camera. In our review, we will check all the advertised smart functions that the camera has, we will look at the pairing process, durability and, last but not least, the quality of the image, sound and motion notification.
Where to buy Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro?
The latest Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro is available from our Chinese partner Gshopper, for which we arranged availability.
Of course, there is also a discount coupon, thanks to which you will save a considerable amount. Shipping from the Chinese warehouse is completely duty-free, so you won't have to pay any additional fees.
Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro Global Version
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You don't pay any extra fees for Standard Shipping.
We recommend choosing Standard Shipping, for which you will not pay anything extra. Customs fees and any VAT will be handled directly by the seller for you. Shipping can only be selected in the basket, after entering the delivery address. Delivery with this transport usually takes about 15 days, but it can take longer.
Our partner provided us with the camera for testing Gshopper, who sent it to us from a Chinese warehouse by the verified and very reliable shipping company YunExpress, which he uses for almost all of his packages.
Delivery to our door took only 13 calendar days, which is a really great result considering the long journey from China. This transport has proven itself for years as the best way for a Chinese e-shop to deliver packages to you.
Technical specifications
| Model | Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro Set |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 4 Mpx (2.5 K) |
| sensor | 1/2.7" with f/1.6 aperture |
| Drums | 10 000 mAh |
| Angle of view | 132° |
| IP coverage | IP66 |
| LED lighting | Yes |
| Two-way audio transmission | Yes |
| SD card support | Yes |
Quality packaging
The Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro Set smart camera was delivered to us by SPS courier in a standard silicone envelope with air reinforcement. The box has dimensions of 18.3 x 14.5 x 13.2 cm and inside it we find the camera itself, the base station and accessories.
This consists of a camera mount, a USB to USB-C power cable (no adapter), an Ethernet cable, screws and dowels, a drilling template and a multi-language manual.
In the package, the individual components are separated by cardboard reinforcement and wrapped in foil. From our point of view, the camera is sufficiently protected in the package.
Design and quality of workmanship
The Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro Set camera is plastic, white and quite massive. Its dimensions are 200 × 125 × 160 mm. The front is home to the lens, LED lighting and infrared diodes for night vision. In addition to them, there is also a PIR sensor.
The speaker has its place at the bottom, and on the back, under the rubber cover, there is one button and a USB-C port for charging. The dominant feature of the upper part is the integrated solar panel.
The base station is relatively compact and has only one button with an LED indicator on the front and a series of ports on the back. Specifically, it is a USB-C port for power, a slot for a microSD card, an Ethernet port and a USB port.
Installation is simple
We can easily fix the camera on the wall using a stand, to which we attach it using a thread. If you would like to fasten the camera to the wall, the manufacturer also includes a self-adhesive drilling template, with which you can easily drill holes for dowels. You will also find them together with the screws in the package.
We used the template to pre-drill small holes for wood screws, since we placed the camera on the garden gazebo. After screwing the stand, it is enough to screw its second part and the camera itself. With the help of the swivel joint, we can adjust it to the desired position. Since the camera is quite heavy, we recommend carefully tightening all the threads to hold the set position.
Connecting and pairing with the application
The principle of operation of this set is simple. The camera pairs with the base station, so the first step is to add this station to the Xiaomi Home (Mi Home) app. Here we have a choice of two options – connecting the base station using an Ethernet cable to the router or a wireless connection via WiFi.
Unfortunately, we ran into minor problems here and the pairing was not quite problem-free. The Xiaomi Home app couldn't find the base station near the smartphone automatically, so we scanned the QR code on the bottom of the station.
In the next step, we chose whether we want to have the station connected to our router by cable or via WiFi. For a more stable connection, we chose a wired connection first, but the pairing always failed in the next step. We also failed with the WiFi connection. The app still had a problem connecting to the station, unable to locate it, even after connecting directly to the station's WiFi network.
This is how we connected the elderly to the network Xiaomi router, with which we managed to pair the station via a WiFi connection. The wired connection still didn't work and the pairing failed with the same error message.
We have to remind you that the other cameras we have tested so far have always been connected to the router with which this camera had a problem. We still use e.g. IMILAB EC3 and IMILAB EC5 where we had no problems with pairing. So these complications surprised us quite a bit.
Application environment and control options
The environment in the application is the same as in the case of other cameras from Xiaomi or IMILAB that we have tested so far. The dominant part is the live image transmission itself, under which there are several buttons.
There are four buttons in the camera image preview: night mode on/off, sound on/off, image quality setting (Auto, 480p, 720p and 2.5K) and switching to full screen mode.
Below the preview are another four buttons: turn on audio transmission, take a photo, record a video and start an alarm. Below these buttons are options for entering the motion detection video library and storage management. The settings are hidden in the menu in the upper right part behind the symbol with three dots.
Image quality and night mode
Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW 400 has a 1/2.7″ sensor and a maximum resolution of up to 2.5K with a low aperture, f/1.6. Xiaomi invites you to a clear and bright image day or night with HDR support at the hardware level.
The picture is really very good with lots of details and realistic color rendering. The viewing angle of 132° will please you, thanks to which a really wide shot can fit into the picture. It is 113.3° in the horizontal direction and 58.7° in the vertical direction. We can also zoom in on the image without any problems.
For a clearer idea, you can watch a sample video captured by this camera below:
The night mode is also available in a color version, which is achieved with the help of LEDs in the front part. They can illuminate the space in front of the camera, which gives us a color image. Personally, we are more of a supporter of the classic black-and-white night mode using infrared diodes.
The quality of the night video is obviously worse compared to the daytime video. The image is not quite sharp, especially if we are talking about moving objects.
The solar panel is a huge advantage
The Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW 400 has an integrated solar panel that covers its entire top surface. A huge advantage is the possibility of constant recharging via solar energy, thanks to which we would not have to charge the camera at all.
The battery has a capacity of 10 mAh, which is not small. We received the camera with a capacity of 000% and within a few days it was charged to the level of 77%. During use, different weather alternated, but the camera was constantly able to recharge and the capacity did not decrease significantly even with many notifications and intensive use of the camera.
From our point of view, the camera is in the testing period (spring). Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro completely self-sufficient and we do not need to charge it at all. It is questionable how it will be during the winter, when there are significantly fewer sunny days and the temperature drops below freezing. Then the battery in the camera gets more work.
Notifications and recognition of persons or animals
Monitoring of premises and notification of movement in the field of view of the camera are one of the most important functions of such cameras. However, in the beginning, the camera from Xiaomi had problems with this function. After turning on the monitoring, we received notifications only very sporadically, almost not at all.
After updating to version 4.3.7_0278, the notifications started working. In the settings, we can turn on, in addition to push notifications, the types of events that we want to be notified about. There is the detection of persons, vehicles, animals or even packages.
The camera can inform us about movement continuously or only in a defined time interval. After the update, notifications worked great, especially for people and animals. Unfortunately, she could not detect the package, even when we moved with it right in front of the camera.
The push notification on the smartphone redirects us to a short video in which we see the captured movement. The length of the video is always 9 seconds and is saved in the cloud. A 7-day video archive is available for free. However, the station has a slot for a microSD card, so you don't need the cloud.
Unfortunately, motion detection isn't exactly ideal, especially if people are moving on the edge of the camera's field of view or walking at a faster pace. In such cases, the camera often did not capture the movement at all, or captured it relatively late.
We had the camera set so that we could see the entrance gate in our garden. It happened to us several times that if 2 people entered the property from the gate, the camera only caught the second person and we did not receive any notification about the first one.
Alarm and sound transmission
When motion is detected, a sound and light alarm can also be activated that lasts 30 seconds. It is relatively noisy in a quiet environment, but it is not particularly noticeable during the day.
Two-way audio transmission is also a great convenience. It has excellent quality and sufficient volume. The sound is high-quality, clear and understandable in both directions. However, the quality of the sound also depends on the quality of the signal between the station and the camera.
Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro: Final evaluation
The smart wireless camera Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro is particularly interesting thanks to its integrated solar panel, which can take care of the completely independent operation of the camera without any recharging. The 2.5K resolution, wide angle of view and high-quality processing will also please you.
At first, we had problems connecting the camera to our home WiFi network and later also with motion detection, but almost everything was solved in the end. During testing, we received 2 updates that made the camera work better.
Xiaomi Solar Outdoor Camera BW400 Pro Global Version
More coupons
You don't pay any extra fees for Standard Shipping.
We recommend choosing Standard Shipping, for which you will not pay anything extra. Customs fees and any VAT will be handled directly by the seller for you. Shipping can only be selected in the basket, after entering the delivery address. Delivery with this transport usually takes about 15 days, but it can take longer.
It can detect people, vehicles or animals. The Xiaomi Home app works without any problems and the 7-day archive of motion notifications is free. There is, however, the possibility of using a microSD card, but since it is a flashlight camera, continuous recording is not supported.
Each camera must have its own station or can multiple cameras be connected to one station?
Hello, we have not yet seen the cameras themselves without a station on sale, so it probably won't be possible in this way.
Hello, I have a problem connecting the camera itself to the base, once it was already connected and the room along with the base was deleted, now the button on the configuration camera does not want to restart the pairing process all over again…. Can you please advise me where the problem might be.... There is no reset directly in the camera or hard reset :/ thank you in advance
Hello, as we write in the review, we also had this problem, you should try other routers.