NETGEAR VueZone Add-on Motion Detection Day Camera (VZCM2050)

These work fine in natural light but they just don't deliver in low light. I have both Day/ night and the day only cameras and I can't tell the difference except the case is a different color.

I wanted a camera system for my condo that would provide basic camera protection, in addition to an alarm. These little cameras fit the bill exactly- easy to setup & install, most of the configuration is online. You just pair them with the base station and stick 'em to he wall. You log on to Netgear's service to view 'em from anywhere. Computer or smartphone. Pretty neat. The picture can be a little grainy from a distance (15'), so mount them near where you want them to be monitoring. the "Night Vision Camera" ( a 2 piece setup, a IR lamp and a separate camera) work especially well- you can place the lamp up near where it is needed, and have the camera back a ways. I'm going to install 2 exterior cameras in the optional shells and I cannot say how well that will go until I do it, but so far, I'm impressed.PROS:InexpensiveEasy to configureEasy to viewSurprisingly good color image when properly locatedNo DVR to futz withYou can view data saved from Netgear's website (easy playback, too)You can configure "alarms" when a camera senses aciviyCONS:Do not expect 1080p dynamic picturesKind of an odd thing for guests to see hanging from an entryway corner

I have a vuezone system and bought this from my amazon phone app to record at night. At no point did I see that it requires a large white camera hooked up to power. It doesn't require the infrared camera to work, only to work at night (I think, I didn't hook it up). It just looked like a small black camera similar to my other cameras when I purchased it. It is completely my fault that I didn't click on the detail description on my amazon app, but was hugely disappointed. I will be returning it for a regular Vuezone camera or I might try one of those infrared game cameras.As a 3 year Vuezone user here are some of my experiences on this system for you. I would recommend the system as a great wifi camera for the home. I would not recommend it as a reliable security system.Pros: - Easy to set up, and activate cameras - It has a decent interface to view the cameras and pictures, and has a Mobile App!! - It saves all your recordings and pictures and are easy to access on your phone or online - Multiple cameras are handy, and it's all really easy to use - Extra cameras aren't too expensive - Of course the biggest pro is that it's all over wifi!! - You can be sitting in your office and watching your house, record your animals, nanny, children, etc. - Extra batteries, mounts, and cameras are all easy to purchase on Amazon Prime! - It has different picture and video quality options, from 320x240, 640x480, 1600x1200Cons:- It seems that not all movement is captured, there is only a short distance it captures, maybe 10-15ft.- It sometimes seems unreliable. I set all mine to motion detect and I will come in turn on the lights walk around, but there's not recording of it. This maybe happens once a month. I'd say it's 90% reliable. It could be that it lost connection to the internet or network, I'm not sure.- You can't set motion detection to only activate during certain hours. I have to remember to turn on and off my motion detection. It would be great if you could set it to motion detection mode only between certain hours. You can record all the time at specified times though.- I buy a subscription. It's not required to buy, but I found its extremely limited without paying. HOWEVER, after research, it is substantially cheaper than some other systems I considered. I have 3 cameras and it costs the same as when I had one camera.- Since I've owned it, they haven't seemed to make many improvements on the user interface or functionality. I thought when Netgear took over I would see software or user interface improvements, but haven't.Overall, I've been using this camera for years and still like it. I don't treat it as a sophisticated security system though. I mainly use it to keep an eye on my house when I'm not home or while traveling.So, to be fair I will also rate the overall system a good review. I'm just disappointed that the night time camera required the large infrared light with power, it defeats the whole purpose of having a small discreet camera.

These are great little security cameras, the night vision works really well, but the downside is that you have to set up an IR spotlight somewhere for it to work. When using multiple day night cameras in a room, you really only need one unless you notice dark blind spots, but I have found bouncing the light off of a ceiling or wall works best to light the entire room. This light is a real downside to these cameras though. They are somewhat big and hard to hide or disguise. The other somewhat irritating issue is with the light again, it has a small sensor that is supposed to shut the light off when the room is already lit up, and activates it when the room is dark, however, it is not sensitive enough, and if the light is positioned in a somewhat shady spot it will stay active at all times, I have mine mounted behind a television, but close to the top where light does reach, it still stays active at all times. That being said, The cameras them selves work so well, and are nice and compact, in addition to the great and simple set up and user interface, I only took 1 star away for these inconveniences. I would recommend these to anyone that is looking for a wireless video set up that has night/day and motion sensing capability.One last thing to mention, and this is not so directly related to this specific camera as much as it is to wireless cameras in general. While you are looking into cameras, keep in mind that you will have to replace batteries with any wireless camera system. These have a great battery life, but I would guess you will need to replace batteries 1-2 times per year depending on use. (If you always have them active at all times, then you will go through batteries much faster than if you have them active less) I am not sure I would recommend these for use in active settings where you will be monitoring them on a consistent basis for that I would suggest a wired system as you will get a much smoother video feed, as well as no need to replace batteries. However if you are using these to monitor a room/inside a house/living space while you are out or at night then they will be perfect and offer a quick and simple set up which is easily expandable and quite discrete!