Imou Ranger 2 review

Price When Reviewed

49

In a world in which the Ring StickUp Cam costs only £89, the Ranger 2 is significantly cheaper, but lacks the true portability of a battery. It won’t be for everyone, but it is a great little smart home camera for those that don’t need true portability. You can compare rival products in our  Best Security Camera article. 

Where to buy Imou Ranger 2 and value

You can pick up the Ranger 2 from Amazon and other stores for just £49. You can buy two cameras for the same price as the Ring StickUp Cam, so there is no doubt that this is a good value product: its lack of a battery means it won’t be perfect for everyone, but if an indoor wired camera is what you need, it is hard to find anything cheaper. At least not with this feature set including night vision and an SD Card slot.

And the value doesn’t end there. There is that 256GB Micro SD Card slot, which negates the need to pay for cloud storage – a hidden cost of many similar products that retail for less up front. But even if you do go down the cloud storage route Imou’s offering is inexpensive. Clips are store for only three days, which is less than those of rivals such as Ring and EZVIZ. But at £16 a year it is much cheaper even than Amazon’s ring. It’s a sensible option and very good value – just make sure you spot and save the clip you need within three days.

Imou Ranger 2 set up

Setting up the Ranger 2 was a cinch. Install the app and register, then power up the camera. Once the camera was fully booted, I then simply followed the simple wizard to jump it on to my wireless network. And that’s that. Either sign up for cloud storage or add an SD card and off you go. One thing to note is the ease with which you can reset the camera: this is not always the case and makes set up a stress free process.

Imou Ranger 2 features and in use

The feature set is where you really feel the value. A 1080p camera with built-in siren and two-way talk, the Imou to this point simply keeps up with its rivals. The Micro SD cart slot is an excellent additon, and there is a network port for those that wish to have their connectivity wired. But to this mix it adds features that are really useful when you have them.

Human detection, smart tracking, and 360-degree coverages are the kind of claims manufacturers love to make, but in the Ranger 2 they are genuine features that add value. When my daughter was ill we were able to pop the Ranger 2 in her room as she slept, getting alerts only when she moved during times she should have been asleep. Over protective parenting? Perhaps. But proof that the Ranger 2 works very well.

Most of the time the Ranger 2 lives in my office, a wooden outbuilding in the back garden. It is remarkably adept at picking up movement and tracking people, day or night. If I walk past the glass doors of the office building the camera picks me up and films me throughout. Footage is clear and sharp, and the night vision is about the best we have seen. Alerts are sent only when Combine these factors with the abnormal sound alarm and the Ranger 2 would make an excellent baby monitor for those who like to see as well as hear.

We’ve viewed the Ranger 2 from multiple networks including 4G and 5G cellular, with no problems viewing live and cloud-recorded video.

The Imou app is neither the most beautiful nor the most slick, but it is intuitive to use, stable, and does everything it needs to do. And you can utilise the Imou Alexa Skill if you want to utilise your camera via your Amazon devices. The Ranger 2 works with Google Home, too.

Imou Ranger 2 design and build

Not everyone will love the way the Ranger 2 looks, but we are fans. A smooth, ovoid white device it has a definite Star Wars vibe that fits in to any modern home. It’s solid in construction, and access to all the ports and cables is simple and straightforward.

And then there’s the cover. A cute silicon hat that sits atop the Ranger 2 and bestrides the camera aperture. It has little antlers, and comes in orange and black colours. I like it and if you are using the Ranger 2 as a child monitor it may be a good purchase, but at £12 a purchase it is.

Imou Ranger 2 verdict

This well-built and inexpensive in-house camera is easy to use and has an excellent feature set. It works well and produces high-quality video, and the cloud solution is excellent value. The only knock on the Ranger 2 is that it isn’t powered by battery, a fact reflected in the discount price.

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