HeimVision HM203 Camera Review

It is always in the best interest to provide an extra layer of safety for your family and loved ones, even after you have had your property secured.

First thing that comes to mind whenever we plan to equip our home with security gadget is video surveillance. This is because video surveillance provides a material evidence, and this has always helped the police and other law enforcement in solving criminal cases.

Surveillance camera remains the viable equipment that can be used to deter crimes from happening.

Today’s HeimVision review features HM203 1080P Wi-Fi camera. We have carefully selected this indoor security camera for in-depth analysis, and we want to know if it is worth the buy.

HeimVision HM203 1080P Wi-Fi camera is another bestseller product from Shenzhen VanTop Technology & Innovation Co., Ltd – a company based in China.

In totality, HM203 is not 100% wireless security camera, it is required to be plugged into a wall outlet.

Without further ado, let’s dive into the review.

Main Features of HeimVision HM203 1080P Wi-Fi Security Camera

• 1080p Full HD Resolution
• 6mm Wide Angle Lens
• 110° Field of View
• 2-Way Audio
• 4X Digital Zoom
• Preset Zones
• Cloud and Local Storage
• Motion and Sound Detection
• Infrared Night Vision
• Motion Tracking
• Pan and Tilt Control

Overview of this HeimVision Security Camera

HM203 is built with 1080P full HD resolution, you are always provided with a crisp image and a good color rendering.

Nothing is more satisfying when you have a good resolution camera, you will be able to clearly see everything that the camera is seeing without any form of image distortion.

A security camera with a short focal length such as HM203 is considered a wide-angle camera, due to its lower focal length of 3.6mm.

The lower focal length a security camera has, the wider the viewing angle and the shorter distance it can cover.

The field of view is the total height and width of the view seen through the lens. HM203 security camera has a 110° field of view. FOV can also be referred to as the angular field of view which is stated in horizontal and vertical degrees.

HM203 has 2-way audio, which means the camera has an embedded audio microphone and speaker to allow bidirectional communication. It is easier to reach out to your parents, loved ones, or even your pet from wherever you are.

With cloud and local storage options, you can easily choose your convenient mode of video storage.

Unlike some big players in the video surveillance industry, HeimVision gives you the flexibility to record to a micro SD card of up to 128GB.

The cloud storage on the other hand should come in handy whenever the camera is stolen. 

Even though the HM203 camera has a fixed lens that does have an optical zoom function, you can still use the 4x digital zoom to magnify the image and achieve a desirable result. It works by pinching the image.

Motion and sound detection on HM203 is impressive, you will be able to receive alert notifications when the camera detects a movement within its field of view, and sound via the embedded audio pickup device.

The sound detection can also be useful when your baby starts crying, or when the dog won’t stop barking.

The infrared night vision will provide a clear black/white image up to a distance of 15 meters. Even if the room light bulb suddenly goes off, HM203 will still record as long as the connection to the wall outlet is not unplugged

HM203 camera has a total number of 6 infrared LEDs that are used to illuminate the camera image sensor when it is low light or pitch black.

There is an inbuilt alarm buzzer in the camera which helps to deter crime. If enabled on the app, then it will go off when motion or sound is detected on the camera.

Additionally, the preset zone allows you to create a set of locations where the camera can focus on. This will make it easier to navigate the preset locations with just a single tap on the thumbnails.

Thankfully, there is a motion tracking feature on the Wi-Fi camera, which allows the camera to track every moving object within its field of view sequentially. When the object is out of its field of view, the camera returns to its original position. This is a great feature to have on a $30 security camera.

The 355° horizontal and 65° vertical rotation create a nearly 360° coverage, you can pan the camera from left to right, and also tilt it up/down to patrol your home.

Design of the Product and its Installation

HeimVision HM203 Wi-Fi camera has an aesthetic design that makes it appealing to the eyes. Despite it’s a budget camera, it has got features needed to create perfect security within your home.

The setup is straightforward the installation is relatively easy as well.

Unbox your HeimVision package and make sure all the included accessories are completed.

If you plan to record a storage card, get your Wi-Fi camera out of the pack, and tilt the lens upward until you see the micro SD card slot, insert your storage card which can be up to 128GB capacity.

Then head over to your respective app store and install YCC360 Plus.

Open up the app and create an account if you are a new user, or log in if you already have an account.

After you have signed in, tap the “+” icon located either at the center or top right and select the first option “Smart Camera”

Subsequently, select the “Device adding by scanning the code” and you will be presented with the “Next” button.

This time, you can connect the included power adapter to the camera USB port and plug into the wall outlet, and wait for 30 seconds until you hear the voice prompt “please configure camera by AP hotspot or scanning code”.

Tap the “Next” icon to continue until the next page. If you are already connected to a 2.4 GHz wireless network, it will show up in the “Wi-Fi name box”. And if it doesn’t, you need to manually input the correct wireless name.

Note: if the app requests permission to access your smartphone location, you need to expressly grant it, or else your 2.4GHz wireless network won’t show up.

Input the corresponding password to the wireless name, and select “Remember the password” if you don’t want to repeatedly input your password every time you connect the app to the camera.

If the information you have supplied is correct, then the app will generate a QR code on your screen.

Align the QR code to the camera lens and maintain a distance of 10 – 20cm, then you will hear 2 consecutive beeps if the scan was successful.

Select “Beep” or flashing lights icon and wait for a few seconds, until you hear a voice prompt “please wait for Wi-Fi connecting”.

You will be prompted to name your HM203 after it has been added, input your preferred name, and hit ok.

Follow the on-screen prompts until you see the live feed from your camera.

Choose the best location and place your camera, or you can install it on the wall/ceiling by using the included screws, wall mount, and wall anchors.

User Experience and Performance

Setup was pretty straightforward with the help of the voice prompt and in-app instructions. The whole setup and installation process should not take you more than 25 minutes.

A large number of users expressed their happiness over the smooth setup and the general performance of the camera.

Nevertheless, they wished HeimVision had included a micro SD card.

Other users narrated their sad experience and disappointment, on how they could not get it to work after spending hours trying to configure it.

But it turned out they were using the 5 GHz wireless band for the setup which is not supported by HM203.

Most of the Wi-Fi cameras on the market use 2.4 GHz band simply because 5 GHz only covers a short distance.

YCC365 Plus App

YCC365 Plus appears to be widely known amongst users, YCC365 Plus is a third-party app but licensed to HeimVision HM203.

However, the app was pretty amazing and there was no noticeable bug.

The app requires Android version 4.4 or later to run. The app has had 1M+ downloads so far. It is pleasing to know that the app developer reads feedback from users and implements the changes in the subsequent release.

Currently, YCC365 Plus has scored 4.5 out of 5.0 rating. This is a strong indication that the app is doing well in Google Play store.

 YCC365 Plus’s current rating on iOS is 3.0 out 5.0. It requires iOS version 9.0 or later to run on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. We were able to find out that the negative reviews were left long ago when the app was not responsive.

What’s in the box?

The needed accessories to set up and install HeimVision HM203 1080P Wi-Fi camera are included in the package.

• 1x Smart 1080P Wi-Fi Camera
• 1x Camera Mount (Wall/Ceiling)
• 1x Camera Mount (Base Attachment)
• 1x Power Adapter 12V/1A
• 1x USB Cable
• 1x LAN Cable
• 1x Screw Set
• 1x User Manual

Disadvantages

• The 4X digital zoom is not enough.
• The app does not use two-factor authentication (2FA) which is very crucial for account security
• It is disappointing to see that the HM203 does not support smart home integration
• The camera mounts are too fragile and can easily break
• It is discouraging to know that HeimVision does not have its own proprietary mobile app for the HM203 Wi-Fi camera
• Unlike the Wyze Cam, HM203 does not have CO2 which could easily alert during an emergency situation, this is not a deal-breaker

The Warranty

HM203 1080P Wi-Fi security camera system is covered with a two-year limited warranty and 1-month refund policy for non-quality related issues starting from the first day of purchase.

Only purchases made directly from HeimVision online stores are eligible for a refund. If you had made your purchase through a vendor other than HeimVision, you need to liaise with such a vendor for a refund.

Item(s) bought must remain in their original package to avoid being rejected by HeimVision.

HeimVision may also request a valid proof of purchase before the refund can be granted, so ensure you keep the proof of purchase with you at all times.

It is important to know that HeimVision does not cover the following under its warranty:

• Products without sufficient proof of purchase
• Lost or stolen products
• Damage from misuse of products