Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera review

Want to enhance your home security? We've reviewed the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera which could be just what you have been looking for.

I’ve been testing this outdoor home security camera, along with several other models in the range, for the past month to help you choose the best home security solution for you and your family. The main criteria I’ve been looking out for is how it looks, how it works and other factors to consider when it is in use.

Keep scrolling to read the full review to see if this is the outdoor home security camera for you, but if you want to see more great options check out our best home security system guide for more top security cameras, for the best prices.

JUST LAUNCHED: Ezviz C3X Dual-Lens Colour Night Vision Security Camera| £153 at AO
The Ezviz C3X has the same look and feel to the Ezviz C3N, apart from one standout point: the Dual-Lens. With this set up, the C3X produces colour video in extremely dark environments (lab test result: 0.005 lux condition), without turning on the spotlight. It is claimed that users will see authentic details in night time images, such as the colour of clothes and cars which can often be a missed detail in lesser quality footage. 

How it works? The two lens work in harmony – one lens records the ambient brightness and the other captures colour information – which are then merged using EZVIZ’s own proprietary algorithm.

Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera specifications

• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Connectivity: WiFi 2.4GHz / Wire (Ethernet)
• Waterproof: IP66
• Compatibility: Amazon Screen and Google Home 
• Smart Features: Smart Motion Detection
• Special Mode: Sleep Mode
• Storage options: EZVIZ cloud service; microSD card(Max 256G)
• Required power outlet: DC 100-120V

Installing the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera 

To test the Ezviz C3N I set it up round the back of our house directed towards the guinea pig hutch. I thought that this would provide us with some good motion detection (amongst other things) so, bless them, they were in the spotlight again.

Once I had unpackaged the camera from the compact yet adequate box, I connected it up to the (included) power adaptor so I could switch it on and connect it up to the Wi-Fi. It’s from here on in that you’ll need to make sure that the security camera and you smart device is connected to a strong Wi-Fi network because it is within this zone that the camera will need to stay so you can use it as intended.

If you don't have the Ezviz app already installed on your device, it's at this stage that you're promoted to download it. Just follow the registration process - allowing access to your camera phone – and you'll be set up in no time. During the registration process you can opt to have notifications sent to you as an alert and subscribe to CloudPlay storage (free for the first 23-day days, then a fee from £2.99 will be incurred depending on your choice of plan).

How easy is the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera to use?

The installation was the most trickiest part of getting the security camera working so once you've sorted that, it's pretty much plane sailing from here-on-in.

From the app you can take photos of the footage, pan a 360 degree shot, flick between resolutions (HDR, HD or high res) and see up to four cameras live on a split screen. It’s from this rather fab app that you can set push notifications, too. You can even choose which Night Vision Mode you would prefer; Colour Night Vision, Black/White Night Vision or Smart Night Vision. I opted for Smart Night Vision which is Black / White by default, then switches to colour when motion is detected.

I couldn't fault the image quality. The colour and image definition, night and day, is spot on. And the audio is pretty sound, too.

However...

Being at the back of the house is a vacuum for Wi-Fi signal – the joys of living in a Victorian terrace – so the signal kept dropping out. This caused a lag in the footage when watching live AND when I selected the Smart Night Vision setting, thinking / hoping it would control the light, it stayed on for 15 - 20 minutes. I turned off the camera after this time because the light was shinning bright into the guinea pigs hutch and towards our neighbours.

The only installation options are to have it mounted onto a wall or ceiling. You can then opt to have the approx 3 metre long cable running through the house to a mains socket, or hard wire it in. It is pretty invasive, more so than a wireless camera, BUT it is very affordable for what it is so depends on what you are looking for with a home security camera.

Anything else?

Something which is very cool about this camera is the AI Human Detection. It has built-in deep learning model which detects the motion of person and vehicle shapes in real-time. This means that false alerts will be reduced for more accurate readings, although other reviews have claimed that moths have triggered notifications (more on this shortly!)

The app also gives you the ability to draw zones so you can decide whether you want to keep people, cars, or both out of the area you're surveillancing. Upon detection of objects of interest, the camera will issue a loud siren and flash the strobe light to drive intruders away. I must say that I didn't actually test this, given the cameras set up and close proximity to neighbours, but it is a feature which I feel would be very appealing to houses with a little more land around them.

How does the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera rate online?

Looking at the camera on Amazon – where it's new in – it has received just one five out of five star review with no comment, but I guess that says enough about it if you're seriously looking into buying it.

Is the Ezviz C3N Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Colour Night Vision Camera worth buying?

If you can get over the hurdle of Wi-Fi drop outs, or you have strong Wi-Fi, then I can absolutely recommend this security camera. It's an incredible piece of kit which can be used on it's own, or alongside other security cameras in the range, for total piece of mind. It's very affordable for what it is, too.

More cameras in the Ezviz range we've reviewed:

• Read our Ezviz C6N Indoor Wi-Fi Home Security Camera review if you're serious about monitoring your home
• For another outdoor cam option, read our Ezviz C4W Outdoor Smart Wi-Fi Home Security Camera review
• Or for a battery-powered camera, read our Ezviz Battery Cam review