HomeKit cameras seem to be coming thick and fast in 2020 with several manufacturers releasing entirely new smart camera models. However, Netatmo has taken an existing camera and design and stuck in a siren. So continue reading this in-depth Netatmo smart outdoor camera with siren review which will tell you everything you need to know about this HomeKit enabled security camera.
Just so I am fully transparent, Netatmo provided the Smart OutDoor Camera with siren as a media loan for the review. This means they loan the camera to us for the period of the review. But we will return it once we finish with it. This will not affect my opinion wherever it is positive or critical of the device. You can read more on our review promise and ethics statement.
I also want to point out and regular readers/viewers of my reviews will know that they are based on at least 2 weeks, but sometimes several months. However, this review has been based on 1 week of testing. This is because the camera is identical to the previous version, but includes a siren. I own the previous model and have done so for over 18 months, so I am confident in how it works.
Well, with all of that out of the way, lets move onto the Netatmo Smart Indoor Camera with Siren Review.
Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera with siren review key features
- Outdoor security camera
- 4Mp sensor video resolution up to 1920×1080
- Field of view: 100 degrees
- Floodlight: 12W,
- IR night vision: detection up to 15m (50ft)
- 105db siren
- Motion detection
- Custom alert Zones
- HomeKit compatible
- HZO standard waterproofing
- Wi-Fi: 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz
- Storage: 16GB micro-SD card included, bumped up from 8GB provided with the previous version. You can use a SD card up to 32GB if you need more storage.
- Optional Dropbox integration or FTP server
- Dimensions: 50x200x110 mm
Design
The Netatmo Smart indoor camera with siren looks identical to the previous version with a black rectangular design made of aluminum. On the front of the camera you will find the LED flood light, which takes up most of the surface. At the bottom you will find the unchanged 4mp camera with a video resolution up to 1920×1080 along with the Infrared sensors for the night vision and motion detection.
Around the rear of the camera is the power cable to provide power, so you will need a power source from the main feed. The camera comes with a mounting bracket and all the relevant screws along with fittings. They also include an installation bag that which allows you to place the camera inside when mounting to avoid scratching it on a wall.
Underneath the camera you have a vented cover that can be removed to expose the SD card slot. Netatmo includes a 16GB, which is a bump up of 8GB included with the previous version.
As this is an outdoor smart camera, Netatmo has treated the internals with HZO standard to make them waterproof. It is also worth noting that the Smart Outdoor camera connects to your home network via 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz.
Installation & setup
Setting up the Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera with Siren is a little more involved than the Circle View. The Netatmo camera requires you to hard-wire the device into your electricity supply and mount onto a surface.
Setup starts by fixing the wall bracket to the surface, which in my case required me to drill some holes. I then used the included cable tie to hold it in place while I connected the wiring, which is the same as wiring a light socket.
The next step is to attach the camera to the mounting plate using a bolt and then positioning the camera in the desired location. If you have wired everything up correctly, the LED floodlight will flash to let you know it is ready to pair with the app.
Pairing the app with the camera
First you will need to download the Presence app, which Netatmo call security on the iOS or Android app stores.
Once you have downloaded the app, the setup process is fast and straightforward. The app will search for the camera and once found will ask you to confirm some Wi-Fi settings. Once this is all done, you are good to use the camera.
Setting up with HomeKit
To complete the setup process and connect the Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera to HomeKit. You need to follow a few extra steps. First you need to open up the Home App on your iOS device. Then tap add accessory, scan the HomeKit code and then follow the setup procedure.
Netatmo features, app & video
When you first open the Netatmo security app, you will see a timeline of all the events in a vertical timeline. The app gives each event a date and time stamp along with a symbol showing if it was a car, person, animal or motion.
It is worth mentioning that the App will only work if the camera has an active internet connection.
Clicking on the image will load the recording footage and you can scrub through the footage to look at a certain point or just watch it all. Playback is smooth and you can zoom into the recording to look at an event closer. You can also download clips for offline playback or sending to family or friends.
You can also click on a clip and either delete it or select “improve detection.” This gives you the option to change the identification of an object. For instance, if the camera has detected a bin as a car, you can provide feedback to help improve identification performance.
As with the previous version, the Netatmo Smart Outdoor camera does not require you to have a subscription. The camera saves all recordings to the 16GB memory card. But you can also have them uploaded to Dropbox or a personal FTP server.
Camera settings
Within the Netatmo Security app, you get some advanced options by tapping the 3 dots in the top right of the app. Here you can change things like monitoring, alert zones, and recording options.
Monitoring
This gives you the option to turn the monitoring of the camera off and on. You also have other options to rotate the camera image, turn off the audio recording. You can also setup a code for when you enable or disable recordings.
Alert zones
This is where you can set alert zones for the camera to focus on, handy if live on a busy road and want to limit the motion detection areas.
You do this by using your finger in the app like you’re cropping a photo, although I found it fiddly when trying to crop from the top. But once set the camera will only alert you for the areas, you have set up and ignore anything that is not.
Floodlight
You get options to set it to auto, which will work based on motion. You can also turn it off which disables the camera and finally you can turn the light on.
If you have selected auto, you can decide which motion events that would trigger the light. Which you have the option for “always” and “only for specific events.” So, for the latter option you have the following;
- People
- Cars
- Animals
- Other motion
You can also alter the intensity of the flood light using the slider depending on your preference.
Siren
This option allows you to activate the siren on demand, more on this later.
Other settings
Tapping the settings icon on the top left, you get some advanced options. Here you can alter things like rooms, alert and recording options. Cloud storage like Dropbox and NAS and manage guests that can interact with the camera.
The settings that you can to pay particular attention to are “Alert and recording settings” These settings are global for all your outdoor cameras.
- People, Ignore, record and record and notify
- Cars, Ignore, record and record and notify
- Animals, Ignore, record and record and notify
- Other motion, Ignore, record and record and notify
You can specify the times you want to receive these notifications. So, if you want to stop notifications after you have gone to bed, you can.
You also have the option in the “Delete old events” and this option allows you to control how recordings are deleted.
- 1 week, 1 month, 1 year or never – the later option will delete oldest recordings when the card fills up.
You also have further options in the “My Products” section that gives you the ability to download the setup QR code and reset the camera. However, this area also replicates several options already featured elsewhere.
Camera performance
As mentioned, the Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera has motion detection built in that will activate the recording function. I found this to work well when detecting motion with it being able to tell the difference between a human animal or a car. However, I found that the notification would come through about 30 seconds after the event had taken place.
Netatmo has included a 12W LED flood light in the camera and it does an excellent job of lighting up the pathway to my door. I have found this great for when I am coming home at night in the dark.
The only actual change with the camera is the built-in siren. But it’s worth mentioning that the siren cannot be activated automatically and needs interaction from the user when motion is detected.
Activating the siren can be one of two ways, with the first being when motion is detected. If the camera detects motion, the app will send you a notification. Tapping this notification takes you directly to the timeline. If you then want to activate the siren you do this with a simple tap and the same again to deactivate.
You can also activate and deactivate the siren from within the advanced camera controls. You do this by tapping the 3 dots in the top right and then selecting siren icon.
I found the siren loud enough in my testing and while it would startle an intruder, it’s not as loud as house alarm. Although if you had some hanging about your property and didn’t want to confront them, then this would be an idea solution.
Video and audio quality
The video quality is good using the 4Mp sensor video resolution up to 1920×1080. However, you cannot alter the resolution of the recordings like you can on other smart cameras. The camera will do this for you based on Wifi strength. 
The video quality at night is good with the infrared sensor and does a decent job of providing clear recordings. But occasionally, when the floodlight had been activated, it can overexpose the subject in the recording.
Netatmo has included a microphone to record sound in the camera. The sound quality isn’t bad, but it’s not great either. You can overhear conversations close to the camera. But a missing feature for me is the ability to talk back through the camera like on the Logitech Circle View.
HomeKit support
Once you have set up the Netatmo camera in HomeKit, you can view the live video feed and also control the floodlight. You can also setup the Home app to send you notifications when the camera detects motion. However, I didn’t activate these and stuck with the native app.
One of the biggest advantages of connecting the Presence camera to HomeKit is the ability to use the motion sensor to trigger other HomeKit accessories. I tested this to trigger an additional floodlight and my garage door. This is useful not only for return home at night, as it illuminates the entire drive.
At the time of writing this review, HomeKit Secure Video is still pending. But it is a feature that may arrive later in 2020 and when it does, I may update the review to reflect this.
Netatmo Smart Outdoor Camera with siren review summary
If you need or want a smart home security camera, then the Netatmo Smart outdoor camera is a suitable option, albeit one of the most expensive ones. However, it does not need a subscription plan to access advanced features or storage. Which means the Netatmo Smart Outdoor camera initial purchase will balance out compared to cheaper alternatives with a subscription model over a year. However, the subscription model may soon disappear as more cameras adopt HomeKit Secure Video.
Yes, Installation can be tricky, but only need to do this once. The motion detection works really well and the fact you have control over what it records and what you get notified about is an added benefit. Although I experienced delays between motion and notification at times during my testing.
The fact it has HomeKit support and you can include the flood light in automations and scenes is great. Along with the ability to use the built-in motion sensor to trigger other HomeKit devices. It is also worth mentioning that it does not expose the siren to HomeKit, which is a shame.
Although it works with HomeKit. I got more out of the camera using the Netatmo Security App than I do with the Home App. Although this may change when the camera receives support for HomeKit Secure Video.
So the key question, is it worth buying the Netatmo Smart Outdoor camera with siren? For me, I am split on this one. I am a big fan of the previous camera but is it worth the extra for the siren. I think it will come down to individual preference and use case.
But I am disappointed that Netatmo has upgraded none of the other components like the camera resolution or the flood light brightness. It is also disappointing that it does not expose the siren to HomeKit, although this may change later down the line.
Bottom line
Ultimately, the initial purchase is more expensive than its competitors, but it does not need a subscription to use it. I have also been happy with the previous model for 18 months. If you don’t need the siren, then you can opt for the none siren model.
You can buy the siren version for £319 from Netatmo directly and the none siren version from Amazon.
Well, that’s a wrap on the Netatmo Smart Outdoor camera with Siren review. Don’t forget to subscribe to be first to find out when more information emerges. If you have a question or a comment, then leave it below. You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Question for you. I have Aqara products for my homekit DIY security system. Do you have an ability to control the siren from HomeKit? I would like to have the siren work automatically with my automations in HomeKit. Having to manually set off the alarm or just automate on what the camera sees is not ideal. Do you know if that function is available? Thanks for the help!