Security device manufacturer Ezviz may not be a big name in the smart-home space, but I found a lot to like about its ultra-affordable $70 Mini camera when I reviewed it last year.

Now the team is back with the $100 Mini Plus, a next-gen model that promises to be even better than the original Mini. Complete with 1080p high-definition live video streaming and a 135-degree-field-of-view lens, the Mini Plus boasts a better resolution and a larger viewing angle than its predecessor. It also works with IFTTT via the Ezviz channel, which gives you free rein to link your Mini Plus to Amazon Alexa products, connected LEDs and a smattering of other smart-home gadgets.

The Mini Plus does share a lot of similarities with the first-generation Mini (check out the video above for more details on the Mini). It comes with a microSD card slot if you favor local storage -- select the $120 option when you check out on Amazon, and you'll get a 16GB microSD card with your purchase. You can find Ezviz's Mini Plus at Home Depot, Best Buy and other chain retailers as well. And like the Mini, the Mini Plus does have a magnetic base for effortless mounting on a fridge, filing cabinet or another magnetic surface.

If local storage isn't your thing, you can opt in to Ezviz's event-based cloud subscription, CloudPlay. Unfortunately, prices have gone up to $6 per month/$60 per year for seven days of storage or $11 per month/$110 per year for 30 days of storage (the previous rate was from $5 per month/$50 per year for seven days and $10 per month/$100 per year for 30 days). You do get a month's worth of free seven-day cloud storage with the Mini Plus, but that's disappointing since Ezviz offered Mini customers a full year of free cloud services back in 2015.

Ezviz is clearly trying to become a more prominent name in the smart-home market, but I'm not totally sold on the Mini Plus over the last-gen Mini. You can still find the Mini on Amazon, currently for just $67.87, and it covers a lot of the same ground as the new version, just in 720p HD instead of 1080p. The IFTTT channel even works with the original Mini cam, so you aren't limited to the Mini Plus for connecting to smart products from other manufacturers.

Source:
courtesy of CNET

by CNET.com

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