IMOU Bullet 2E 2MP Outdoor Security Camera Review

18/01/2023

Home security is something we should all be aware of and something that we should all take very seriously. Last year (2022), there were approx. 292,000 reported burglaries in the UK, approx. one every 108 seconds. Although that figure is reducing, it is still a massive number. Therefore, we must do everything we can to protect our homes and property and make it much more difficult for would-be burglars. Thankfully as technology advances, so does home security and it is also becoming much more affordable for everyone.

We all have a lot of valuable technology in our homes, and to protect our homes and valuables we need to get aware, be smart and use that tech. We need smart technology as well as conventional home security options (door and window locks for example), and smart cameras are becoming increasingly popular. The IMOU Bullet 2E 2MP Outdoor Security Camera with Smart Human Detection and Full Colour Night Vision is an external security camera that captures video day and night, helping to protect your home by deterring thieves and recording them if they do attempt a break-in.

It used to be that external security for private homes was, for most, security lighting that came on when anyone stepped into view of the sensor. These days, technology is turning our homes into very affordable smart homes, and this includes the security equipment. The IMOU Bullet 2E outdoor camera is a budget friendly camera but is a high-quality external waterproof and wireless camera that captures images in HD (stills and video) and is packed with a host of features.

Features:

Extremely High Resolution (both day and night)
Smart Colour Night Vision (full colour pictures, even in complete darkness)
1080P (2MP) Full HD
Diversified Storage
Human Detection
Built-in Spotlights, Microphone and Wi-Fi Hotspot
IP67 Weatherproof

Out of the box, the Bullet 2E camera is really quick and simple to set up – simple for tech novices to install. As it can be controlled by an app on your phone, it is even easier to use.

In the box:

Bullet 2E Outdoor Camera
Power adapter with 3 metre cable
Waterproof connector
Positioning map
Pack of mounting screws
Quick Start Guide

After unpacking and familiarising my myself with the instructions, my first job was trying to decide where the best place to mount it. Would it be best viewing the front door, rear door, the garden? Once I had made my decision where to site it for best coverage and where the power could come in house and reach a power socket (it has a 3 metre power cable), it was time to get it on the wall. In the box there is a very handy positioning map to enable you to drill the mounting holes in the correct place. It was straightforward to put up on the wall. The Bullet 2E is rated IP67 so it is waterproof, therefore it will stand up to the British weather and it does have a waterproof connector cover to protect the power cable input.

Once up on the wall, it needs to be connected to the IMOU app so that it can be controlled, recordings viewed and get a live view. The app is a free download and available for iOS and Android devices. Once the app is installed you can scan the QR code on the camera to add it to the app (this ensures that you add the correct camera). For me, it installed and connected to my home Wi-Fi network in just a few minutes with no issues whatsoever. It was simple and straightforward and took no time at all.

Now that the camera is installed, the app running and working so that you can view a live feed from the camera, all you need to do now is decide about recording storage. The best way and most secure way is to use the secure Cloud Storage feature (this way if the camera is damaged or even stolen you still have access to the footage), there is a charge for this – with this camera you get 7 days free cloud storage to try this out and see if it is suitable for your needs and then you will need to take a subscription starting from as little as £2.29 per month for unlimited storage for 7 or 30 days (any recordings stored in the Cloud are all encrypted and password protected so only you can view them – for more information click here). If you don’t want to pay for a subscription you can store recordings direct on to a microSD card (the camera has a panel underneath which is held in place with two screws and underneath is a microSD slot, a card is not supplied) – 64GB will give 4 days storage, 128GB will give 8 days storage and 256GB will give 16 days storage. As well as recording to the Cloud or a memory card, you can also manually record and take still images using the app and save them on your phone.

With the camera working, monitoring and recording video images, your home now has a bit more protection. The camera records detailed images in HD quality during the daytime, but the night vision recordings are something else. We have all seen the negative black and white images recorded at night from security cameras, but the Bullet 2E is different as it is capable of full colour night vision and looks really great and very clear. The camera has a range of 30 metres (98ft) colour night vision so can easily pick up any suspicious activity, even in the darkness of night.

The camera is also equipped with some other cool features:

Human Motion Detection – every time the camera detects a human form in its field of view it will send a notification to your phone or tablet and start recording (if you have a storage option set up). This works extremely well in low traffic areas such as the back garden, but if you have the camera set up near your front door for example and it can see a busy main street you will end up with lots of notifications every time someone walks past – so depending on where the camera is sited depends on whether this is a helpful or annoying feature, fortunately it can be turned on or off or set up a detection schedule.

Detection Schedule – with this option you can set the hours of motion detection so that you are not getting notifications during the day when you would be usually using the garden, or even from people passing the garden (very good if pointing towards a road or pavement where there will be a lot of footfall throughout the day). This feature allows you to customise the hours to use so you can set it just for the hours of the day or night that you want the human detection active, for example you wouldn’t want it on during daylight hours when the garden might be used by the kids playing or you are in and out hanging washing on the line. It would be best set for night time hours when no one is using the garden or people walking past drastically reduces, this stops lots of unnecessary notifications.

Activity Zones – you can create customised zones so that it will only detect motion and activity in the zones that you set (maybe at a door or window rather than the whole area the camera is looking at). This again will reduce false notifications.

Built-in Spotlights – if activity is detected the camera can turn on the two security spotlights built into the camera (this can be set as a solid light or flashing light) to light up the area.

Two-way Audio – with its two-way microphone and speaker you are able to communicate with any trespassers, you can hear what they are saying or doing, and you are able to speak back to them.

Siren – when an intrusion is detected, the loud 110dB siren keeps unwelcome visitors away.

All the camera functions can be easily set or changed using the app and are so easy to do. You can also use the free Live View function at any time to get a real-time view of what is happening within the cameras field of view.

Overall, this is an excellent budget camera that has some excellent features. It is very easy to setup straight out of the box – no technical knowledge needed, just follow the onscreen prompts after downloading the free app. The app is fully functional, allowing you to enable or disable features that you want to use, or don’t want to use, with ease.

The notifications when activity is detected come through straight away to my phone (although this does depend on having a reliable broadband connection at home and on your phone). For me, the wireless connection on the camera hasn’t had any dropouts or loss of connection, even with some of the bad wintery and snowy weather we have recently been experiencing, as it has a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot.

I love the quality of the images and recording, especially the night vision – it is excellent quality, you can make out details clearly within the images. The camera even features audio functions so you can record any noise or talking and even respond back to let would-be intruders know that they are being monitored, recorded and that the police have been informed – what trespasser is going to hang around when your voice comes out of the darkness?

The IMOU Bullet 2E Camera adds a good layer of added protection to your home security setup. It is not only great as a visible deterrent but also for recording of any intruder in HD quality (hopefully this will never be needed) or even just to monitor your outside space.

The quality is excellent, it is so easy to use, the array of easy-to-use features are just excellent, and the cloud-based storage isn’t expensive.

As with the IMOU Ranger 2C 4MP Indoor Security Camera, I think the only thing I would like to see improved would be a longer power cable, maybe 5 metres instead of 3 just to give better and easier mounting options (depending on where your nearest power outlet is of course).

Add some peace of mind to your home security with the IMOU Bullet 2E 2MP Outdoor Security Camera.

Rating: 4.5/5

RRP: £59.99

For more information visit imoulife.com. Available to buy from Amazon here.