When someone presses the button, you get a notification on your phone, but the default chime noise isn't very loud, so you might need to use one of your phone's notification tones instead. We also found the speaker on the doorbell to be a little quiet. We tested this unit in the battery-power mode, so we don't know if it's louder when you connect it to doorbell wiring. Built-in Wi-Fi and mobile app (actually two apps—both the Kami Home and YI Home app work with all of the cameras)—the app is great for adjusting settings and watching videos from your cameras.

There's a microSD card slot for local recording without a cloud storage plan (except on the doorbell camera). We like that Kami includes the batteries and a charging station, but there's no way to recharge them without unmounting the camera—it doesn't have a charging port (this means no solar power either). Still, the freedom you get from battery power makes it easy to mount this camera where you need it (and as long as there's a Wi-Fi signal). This is great for cameras on the perimeter of your property looking toward the house. The 1080p video resolution looks sharp day and night. It holds up well to most other camera brands but lags behind Arlo, Nest Cam, and Reolink.Motion-activated recording with person detection, sound detection, and adjustable sensitivity allows you to customize what and when the camera records and sends you motion alerts (except on the Kami Wire-Free Outdoor Camera, which has fewer options). Kami makes it easy and practical to protect and stay connected with the things that matter--your family, pets, and the things you love. With just a few simple steps, you can control your Kami-connected devices in one place. Sure, the Help Center covers all of the same topics, but it's disorganized and doesn't add much depth. We like that the resources don't beat around the bush, but they mostly feel like an afterthought compared to the app and manual. The Free plan limits clips to six seconds and stores them for up to 24 hours. The clips are long enough to figure out what's happening on-screen but don't capture much detail, thanks to a mandatory cooldown between recordings. This also limits how often you get notifications.

These features are also well supported in the Kami Home app, which you can use on an Android or iOS device to set the camera up. There are also apps for Macs and Windows PCs, although these merely allow you to view recordings and live video through the camera, with no additional features for directly controlling the camera. Getting startedIf you want to share control of the camera with other members of your family then the app can generate another QR code for them to scan with their own smartphone or tablet. Remote viewing The Kami comes with a free trial of rolling seven-day cloud storage. Periodically, Yi changes its free trial cloud promotions for the Kami, but a company spokesperson said that it's never less than six months. After that, you have the option of subscribing to two different cloud plans. Controlling the camera is equally easy. You simply swipe right or left on the camera icon on the app’s main screen to switch between ‘Home’ and ‘Away’ modes.

The camera casing feels sturdy and well built, and has an IP65 rating for water- and dust-resistance. It can also operate at temperatures between -10°C and 50°C, which just about covers a typical year in a temperate climate. There’s a wall-mount kit included with the camera, and the head of the camera can tilt and rotate so that you can further adjust the viewing angle once it’s been fixed into place on a wall. Kami also includes a little rubber support that will allow you to simply rest the camera on a window ledge or other flat surface where the wall-mount might not be suitable. Kami Cloud is expensive for what you get and is one of the least competitive cloud storage plans on the market. Exorbitant Cloud subscription fees are how YI can afford to sell its cameras for less than any other brand—including some Wyze models:You might want to familiarize yourself with the mobile app's FAQ section and save the manual that comes with your IP camera because they're essentially the only official resources worth using. Both explain how to set up the cameras and offer some troubleshooting tips but in a better format than you'll find in the Kami Help Center. Keep your recordings longer. Store your video recordings in the cloud for up to 30 days. Get instant access to your recordings anytime, anywhere. Kami is your go-to PDF annotator and so much more. Accessible tools keep students engaged, and streamlined instruction and assessment save teachers time. What’s more, Kami’s seamless integration with OneDrive and Microsoft Teams helps simplify workflows and ensure instant access for all. For most people, the core features are probably enough to seal the deal, and we can't fault YI and Kami for nailing the basics:

We love that this camera has a wide 160º field of view—comparable to that of other video doorbells. The video is just as crisp as other Kami cameras, though we had some trouble at first switching it out of night vision mode during the day.

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