EZViz C8W Pro Review
A clever pan-and-tilt outdoor security camera
Verdict
Able to move thanks to its pan and tilt motors, the EZViz C8W Pro can be repositioned to give you a better look at a different area. I’d like to see a ‘return to home’ option implemented automatically, but at least the option to save favourite locations makes this a manual option.
I’d avoid the cloud subscription option, particularly for multiple cameras, and stick with the onboard memory card reading. With quality video during the day and night, this is a great outdoor security camera at a decent price.
Pros
- Great video quality
- You can save favourite locations
- Offline recording
Cons
- No automatic return to home option
- Fiddly to download video
Availability
- UKRRP: £175.97
Key Features
- TypeThis is an outdoor pan and tilt security camera.
- ConnectionThis camera can connect via 2.4GHz or Ethernet.
- RecordingCloud recording is available for a monthly fee or you can save videos offline using the microSD card slot.
Introduction
Pan and tilt cameras are a great idea, letting you reframe the video feed to focus on something new, rather than relying on a static point-of-view. Sadly, many such cameras don’t work as well as advertised, but the EZViz C8W Pro has a few neat features to overcome common issues.
It’s well priced, can record video offline and shoots decent footage. Installation should be easier, and the software is a little fiddly in parts, although this is still a great outdoor security camera.
Design and installation
- Full 360-degree field of view
- MicroSD card slot
- Power cable is not weather proofed
To give it that full degree of motion, the EZViz C8W Pro camera is mounted inside a ball that connects to an arm. The main ball can swivel 340-degrees, while the camera lens can move up and down by 80-degrees.
Combined with the viewing angle, that means that the EZViz C8W Pro can take in a full 360-degree field of view horizontally. Vertically, things are a little more limited.
The camera lens only moves up to be parallel with the ground. Effectively, it can look straight ahead, or it can point down at the ground. When mounting, you should take this into account: I recommend mounting the camera a little higher than you may first think, then using software to adjust where you want it to point.
Although this camera connects to Wi-Fi, there’s also an Ethernet connector hanging from it. Ethernet is certainly more reliable, and the weatherproof adaptor means that you can plug the EZViz C8W Pro in outside without the connection getting waterlogged.
It’s a shame that the camera doesn’t have the same waterproof design for the power connector. Via the extension cable, there are actually two standard connections made in the power lead, and neither is fully waterproof: it’s worth wrapping the connections in electrical tape to prevent any issues.
Beyond not being waterproof, the power connection isn’t particularly firm and the cable can be pulled out quite easily. This problem isn’t unique to EZViz, but that doesn’t excuse it: outdoor cameras should ship with better power connectors, end of.
Underneath the cameras, there’s a screw-in cover that hides the microSD card slot. This can take cards of up to 256GB, giving offline recording.
Features
- You can save your favourite locations
- Camera can track people
- SD card or cloud recording
If there’s one problem with pan and tilt cameras, it’s that many models don’t return back to a default position. If, for example, you dive into the live view, move the camera to look at something and then drop out, you can find that your camera missed something important in the future.
The EZViz C8W Pro improves matters slightly with the option to save up to 12 preset locations in the app. Tapping the corresponding thumbnail moves the camera to that location automatically.
Sadly, there’s still no option to have the camera return to a home position after a set period, but at least I could tap my own ‘home’ location manually to reset the camera.
This is particularly important when it comes to motion detection zones. These only work if you know where the camera is looking; move the camera off of its main position, and the motion zones move, too. By saving my home position, I can ensure that my EZViz C8W Pro can go back to its key position.
As well as picking up standard motion, the camera can also be set to warn of people or vehicles, and it can even track a person, moving automatically. After finishing tracking, the EZViz C8W Pro returns to the last-used favourite location automatically.
It’s possible to schedule when the camera can and can’t record, plus geolocation is built into the app, so that it can turn on when you go out and off when you get home. The level of control isn’t as good as on the Arlo Pro 4, but I found it good enough and only got important notifications for the most part.
EZViz has its CloudPlay service, which costs £2.99 for one camera for three days of history. That’s not too bad, but seven-day history costs £4.99 a month; Nest Aware costs similar for an unlimited number of cameras and 30-day history. Ring and Arlo are also better value for multiple cameras.
I prefer to use the camera with a microSD storage card, avoiding monthly fees. Video goes into the app, sorted by date and with each having a neat thumbnail. EZViz needs to work on how to download clips, as it’s far too fiddly.
Rather than being able to download a clip that you’re watching, I had to click the Download button, which brought up the same list of thumbnails in a new window. From there, I could select one or more clips, and then download them to the Album section of the app. From the Album, I could then save the clips to my phone’s photo album. That’s at least two steps too many.
Both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant support is available, so you can stream the live feed to a compatible smart display.
Video quality
- 2K video resolution
- Can shoot full-colour video at night
The EZViz C8W Pro has a 2K video sensor. That extra bit of resolution over full HD makes a surprising amount of difference, making everything look that little bit sharper.
During the day, the EZViz C8W Pro shoots its best quality video. I found it to be sharp and detailed, right into the back of the frame. And, even though the camera was south facing towards the sun, the video was well exposed. In terms of quality, it’s hard to get much better than this without going for more resolution (and a higher price), such as with the Arlo Ultra 2 4K camera.
At night, if the camera is told to turn on its spotlight when it detects motion, the EZViz C8W Pro can shoot full-colour video. This is far sharper and more detailed than soft IR footage, although the frame rate struggles a little and people can look a little blurred, particularly if they’re moving fast. Even so, night-quality footage is up there with the best standard cameras, and the Annke NC800 is the only camera that I’ve tested that’s noticeably ahead.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
If you don’t want subscription fees and you want an outdoor camera that you can reposition, this is a great choice.
If you want multiple cameras under one cloud-subscription plan, you get can get much better deals.
Final Thoughts
An automatic option to return to a home position would make this camera better, but at least the EZViz C8W Pro lets you save favourite locations, so you can do the job manually. Neat tracking of people, offline recording and sharp video all combine to make this a great-value pan-and-tilt camera. If you make do with a fixed field of view, there are cheaper options in my guide to the best outdoor security cameras.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every security camera we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main security camera for the review period
We test compatibility with the main smart systems (HomeKit, Alexa, Google Assistant, SmartThings, IFTTT and more) to see how easy each camera is to automate.
We take samples during the day and night to see how clear each camera’s video is.
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FAQs
The 3K version has slightly higher resolution video, but the standard version reviewed here is more than good enough.
It can record video to either the cloud (subscription fee required) or to a microSD card.
Full specs
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Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
