How Many Cameras Can A Yi App Run

They've only been around for viii years, only YI Applied science Inc. is no rookie when it comes to smart dwelling security.

Since its founding in Shanghai, China, YI1 has gone on to produce a broad range of low-cost indoor and outdoor security cameras. In 2018, YI created the sub-brand Kami, a line of smart home products characterized by clean, friendly pattern and with a heavy emphasis on usability. Now, Kami has taken center stage with a more than robust suite, with YI still offered as a lower-cost, practical alternative.

We reviewed YI cameras hands-on recently, paying special attention to the YI Dwelling 3, YI's cheap, flexible indoor camera. Today, we're taking a closer expect into the brand as a whole, assessing equipment pricing, packages, and monitoring plans to assistance you narrow down your choice.

YI Indoor Camera

To go you started, here are some key YI features to note:

Affordable Equipment
Piece of cake Plug-In Installation
1080p HD Video Resolution
A.I. Human and Facial Detection
Straightforward App
Integrates with Alexa and Google Banana
Micro SD Card Slot
2-Way Audio
Magnetic Base for Metal Surfaces

A Look at YI Pricing

Present, YI Applied science continues to release new cameras under both the YI and Kami monikers, with prices ranging from $21 for a YI 1080p Abode Photographic camera AI+ upwards to $89.99 for a Kami Wire-Free Outdoor Camera.

The brand likewise launched KamiBaby, a smart baby monitor jam-packed with features like baby crying detection and temperature monitoring, for $199. And if yous're interested in action cams,2 YI has those, too; you can pick from a nightscape dash cam for $69.99 or a standard dash cam for $49.99.

Only in terms of the brand'due south security cameras – some of which yous'll find as components of the Cove security organization nosotros tested – YI and Kami cams are some of the least expensive cameras out there.

YI Home three Indoor Photographic camera

YI Camera Packaging

YI's slim, snazzy Home 3 photographic camera is set up to employ pretty much right out of the box. In that location's nothing bulky or cumbersome about YI equipment, and that runs through all of their other cameras, likewise. These devices are decidedly youthful, with the type of product design3 you lot'd wait to find if, say, Apple were to release their ain security camera.

Design-wise, YI Home 3 is somewhat unique – we wouldn't call it a teardrop, per se, but to us, information technology does slightly resemble the stylish Google Nest cameras we reviewed in build and way. But that happens to be the only similarity between the pricier Nest Cams and YI cameras; in terms of features and tech, the two couldn't be more different.

Honestly, we're partial to the sleek look and experience of this $21 YI photographic camera, also as how easy it is to set upward. We likewise really like the magnetic mounting plate on the bottom of the camera's base for super-piece of cake wall mounting.

Just to be completely clear: The camera is not rich in features. You won't get top-of-the-industry 4K video; you won't get pan and tilt or automatic tracking; and you won't be able to install this camera outside. YI Home 3 is a elementary, barebones camera, and information technology does the job it'due south meant to do – protecting you and your property from danger.4

If you lot're looking for more than basic functionality in an indoor camera, we suggest giving Canary a look. In our Canary Flex review, nosotros constitute weatherproofing and a stylish, versatile design; that one besides has a thumbprint rubber feature for added protection.

Kami Wire-Free Outdoor Camera

Kami outdoor camera with AI

Kami outdoor photographic camera with AI

Kami's newest outdoor camera goes truly wireless with included rechargeable batteries and requires no base station or hub. Similar its YI Abode 3 sibling, this i is easy to install, and you can store your camera video history internally through a micro SD carte.

Overall, Kami Outdoor performed quite well, especially since outdoor cameras typically cost $100 and up. This isn't too mutual in the industry these days; outdoor cameras from Arlo, for instance, starts their cameras at $129 for the bones Essential model. There's much more than on Arlo camera pricing here, if yous're interested.

For $89, Kami Outdoor might not bowl you over with fancy features; none of YI'south cameras volition, bluntly. But for a functional wire-free camera with tough polycarbonate housing that blends in well with your home's exterior, this camera gets the job done.

YI Dome Camera 1080p

We rely on pan-and-tilt cameras in indoor spaces to provide a valuable security solution: a camera that can see all of the activity going on in a particular room, therefore reducing the number of cameras yous'd need for your entire firm.

With pan-and-tilt functionality, YI'southward Dome Camera X gives us some other sensible option for indoor coverage. This 1 gave us high-quality Hd video with a 360-caste field of view, and as a major bonus, it besides automatically tracks move by panning over any activity the camera captures, and sends us an alarm with insightful, up-to-the-infinitesimal details.

FYI: You'll become a much richer experience with a pan-and-tilt camera that includes automatic tracking than, say, a photographic camera with remote pan-and-tilt, like the D-Link camera we tested for a hands-on review recently. While the $99 D-Link indoor photographic camera worked just fine, that one involved a little more than tinkering than we were hoping for. Just something to consider.

Snapshot of YI Camera Pricing

YI Camera	Features	Cost
YI Dwelling Camera iii	Wi-Fi, Plug-in, 1080p, Human Detection, Two-Style Talk	$25.99
YI 1080p Home Camera AI+	Plug-in, 1080p, Motion Detection, Two-Way Talk	$22.49
YI Dome Photographic camera 1080p	Plug-in, 1080p, 360° Move Tracking	$39.99
YI Outdoor Security Camera	Plug-in, 1080p, Motion Detection	$39.99
YI Dome Camera X	Plug-in, 1080p, motion tracking	$34.99
Kami Doorbell Camera	Smart facial recognition, A.I. person detection, weatherproof	$99
Kami Indoor Photographic camera	1080p Hd resolution, 340-degree rotation, 95-degree tilt	$49.99
Kami Outdoor Camera	1080p HD resolution, Starlight night vision	$59.99
Kami Wire-Costless Outdoor Camera	Rechargeable battery, 1080p HD resolution, PIR motion sensor	$89.99

YI Video Storage Options

Video storage is ever an important pricing consideration when choosing security cameras. After all, one time you install security cameras in your home, yous're going to want to store the video yous're getting, aren't you?

Virtually brands these days have their own cloud storage service with a list of monthly (or yearly) plans to choose from, which is an easy and user-friendly option. But it's not the only option; proceed in mind that YI and Kami cameras include a micro SD card slot for local storage, as well. This will help you lot salve coin over time.

Kami Camera Lineup

Kami Photographic camera Lineup

But if neither of those options is ideal for you, we have good news: There'southward a free option, where the camera tin can store 6-second clips of move and immediately send the clip in an alert to your smartphone.

This sort of flexibility is condign a mainstay in home security cameras, and to have the costless selection in addition to the local or cloud storage is a neat deal in our eyes. There is one catch, though: The costless option does mean you'll get ads popping up in your YI app. Not a huge deal, but … don't we interact with plenty ads in our daily life?

Choosing cloud storage with YI does take its advantages. Namely, nosotros learned you lot can monitor up to three cameras at one time for simply $2.49 per month. For context, that's a dollar less per month than the cost of a standard cloud storage plan from Reolink; while you do go more than space with most Reolink plans, YI still presents a viable option for a decent amount of monthly storage without a huge financial commitment.

Snapshot of YI Cloud Storage Plans

	Free	Basic	Premium	Pro
Video History	1 day	7 days	14 days	30 days
Number of Cameras	Upward to iii	Up to iii	Upwardly to five	Up to ten
Monthly Price	Free	$ii.49	$four.99	$9.99
Yearly Price	Gratis	$24.99	$49.99	$99.99

A Expect at YI Features and Tech

YI Camera - Mounted to the Fridge

YI Camera – Mounted to the Fridge

Beyond the upfront and monthly costs of buying camera equipment, nosotros also looked at how YI cameras perform 24-hour interval to day, how long the equipment lasts, and what kind of engineering science they use.

The YI iii camera, for example, is flexible when it comes to placement, but it'due south pretty static equally far equally maneuverability. In other words, it doesn't have a brawl socket attaching the camera to its mounting hardware like you'd typically run across in a Lorex camera, then you tin't swivel the lens around to find different angles. You tin can only movement the camera vertically, which will probably limit where yous tin place it.

Pro Tip: Desire to learn more nigh Lorex's latest equipment and prices? Visit our full Lorex pricing guide to go the full rundown.

But in other cases, you might end up loving your YI Home three simply because at that place'due south so little work to do to go it up and running, and forget all about the static lens. We are talking most personal preference here, later on all.

Customized Mobile Alerts	Existence able to customize your alerts is 1 of the cornerstones of whatsoever good security camera. With YI, you can set several different customizations through the YI Habitation mobile app. You lot can adjust motion sensitivity to avoid 'nuisance alerts', schedule alerts to but be delivered at sure times of the day, and add or remove audio alerts.
1080p Video Resolution	All YI cameras deliver upwardly to 1080p Hard disk drive video resolution, the undisputed manufacture standard for high definition. In our tests, we enjoyed abrupt, clear-as-day images and video in 1080p with our YI photographic camera, day and dark. Nosotros did experience a few seconds of slightly grainy SD (standard definition) recording when our Wi-Fi slowed down, which is normal and to be expected.
Wireless DIY Equipment	YI cameras are wireless, which means they don't require hardwiring. But the cameras – with the exception of the Kami Outdoor Wire-Free – however need to be plugged into a nearby power outlet to work. That'due south something to keep in heed as you lot ready up your cameras: Don't stray besides far from a power outlet.
Low-Cost Storage	You tin can store your video history in three dissimilar ways with YI: through the camera'due south micro SD carte port; through a monthly YI Deject Service; or as vi-2d clips through the free (basic) monitoring programme. In all cases, using YI cameras every day isn't going to toll you a lot.
Smart Move Detection	YI has a bit more work to do in the smart motion detection area, just under ideal weather, the cameras should be able to distinguish humans from other motion using an A.I. algorithm. While this didn't work 100% for u.s.a., we still received timely notifications when motion was captured.
Nighttime Vision	YI Abode 3 does not take infrared night vision, so we had some trouble making out objects and activity at night. That said, we adopt night vision cameras with some type of backlighting or spotlight, and Kami's wire-free outdoor camera combines those two features brilliantly. Then if you need strong night vision, there are definitely options for yous here with YI and Kami cams.

Deals and Discounts on YI Cameras

YI has deals, and they're particularly noteworthy around Blackness Friday and the holidays, as well as Amazon Prime Solar day.

You lot'll find similar savings on Kami products too, starting with a sweet 17 pct off the price of a Kami Wire-Costless Outdoor Photographic camera (originally $89.99, marked downwards to $74.99).

Kami Outdoor Camera

And, whether you lot're on the hunt for seasonal deals or twelvemonth-round means to save, YI has the states covered when it comes to equipment bundles. As this is a common manner to save money on ownership multiple cameras at once, we always take a look at how cost-effective bundling would be for individual brands.

Past bundling, you can really tailor your security experience and just buy what yous demand. For example, nosotros've seen a 3-pack bundle with a vi-month YI Cloud subscription for well-nigh $seventy, which is a seriously depression price point for a multi-camera parcel. For reference, a three-pack of Swann Wi-Fi cameras will run you about $400, and that, besides, doesn't include a hub. (Get a deeper look at Swann photographic camera costs here.)

Final Words on YI Cameras

YI Camera

You'll get a corking little fix of features in a YI camera, and you might even get some compliments from houseguests on your pattern taste. YI and Kami cameras are fabricated to expect good anywhere you lot put them, and our experiences with the cameras bear this out.

Just where you'll be pleased with the look and manner of a YI camera, you might detect its technology isn't quite on par with other security cameras in this marketplace – even its low-priced peers. An instance is Zmodo's indoor camera, which happens to deport an uncanny resemblance to YI's Abode 3. At almost exactly the same price equally YI, Zmodo performs many of the same functions and too includes that neat magnetic base of operations that snaps to metal surfaces, which nosotros find kind of entertaining.

Magnetic Base on the YI Camera

Only the biggest difference? YI-branded cameras don't work with whatsoever smart home ecosystems, so you won't be able to connect your camera to an Alexa or Google Assistant device. YI's sister make, Kami, has an upgraded app that lets their cameras run with Alexa, Google Banana, and IFTTT smart habitation ecosystems, so if you lot want smart dwelling integration like the majority of security cameras out there, it might be best to upgrade to a Kami cam.

Pro Tip: YI and Kami's pan-and-tilt cameras offer bully options. But we likewise encourage you to cheque out our toll breakup of Amcrest, a robust line of cameras that includes several inexpensive pan-and-tilt models.

For now, here are the facts: YI and Kami present some really solid options for adding more cameras to your home, specially for folks who are looking to do so cheaply. For more toll-cutting ideas, take a wait at cheapest security cameras in the concern.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do YI cameras have person detection?

Yes. YI's technology is meant to differentiate between humans and other objects in a camera's view. This feature gave the states some trouble in our initial tests, but well-nigh of the fourth dimension we were notified when a person was in our vicinity.

Can YI Dwelling house 3 camera be used outdoors?

Nether certain conditions conditions, YI Home indoor cameras tin can be used outdoors, but it's risky; these cameras are not IP-rated for weatherproofing similar their outdoor counterparts. YI Dwelling house 3 might work great nether temperate climates with no precipitation, but you'll exist opening these cameras up to harm if yous exit them out in the pelting.

How is YI customer service?

Experiences tin can vary amidst users, but some have reported having trouble getting through to YI'south telephone support from time to time. This makes sense considering, every bit the brand explains on their Support Page, YI Engineering science suspended phone support during the Covid-19 pandemic. Whether they'll reinstate their call center at some point remains to be seen. For now, email is the best style to get.

Can YI cameras exist purchased as a organization?

Yes. You can buy multiple cameras and a corresponding cloud storage plan as a package and save some coin. Bundling isn't offered in every camera make, simply we're glad to see it with YI, as information technology helps upkeep-witting buyers relieve on upfront costs.

Are YI cameras easy to use?

From installation to everyday use, YI cameras are designed to be user-friendly. We see this in the intuitive (but pretty barebones) YI app likewise every bit the equipment itself.