Motorola isn’t one of the names that come to mind when we talk about home security cameras. Surprisingly, they do have a presence in the baby cam market. The Motorola MBP854CONNECT Baby Monitor and Camera is good enough to double as a baby cam and home security camera.
Motorola makes several models of baby cam. The Motorola MBP854CONNECT is a middle tier model.
Let’s take a look at the features.
Software
The Motorola MBP854CONNECT is marketed as a baby cam and as such is fairly simple to setup. An application called Hubble will be used to do the setup. From what I can tell, Hubble is an application that is shared by multiple brands of cameras including Motorola.
The camera can be accessed from the Hubble app or a web browser. An adequate interface with a very sensitive camera positioning function.
The Motorola MBP854CONNECT is initially setup from a smartphone. You cannot set this up through a web browser. Press the connect button on the camera and eventually the camera appears on the Hubble app. I oversimplified it, but you get the idea.
Cloud storage is offered as a paid subscription service through the Hubble app. The rates start at $29 annually for the past 24 hours of storage. It can get pricey though as up to 30 days will set you back $299 per year.
As one would expect, the Motorola camera includes feature for motion and sound detection. I’m not too sure how valuable these are in a baby cam as every time the baby moves would trigger an alarm event. If using this as a home security camera, these come in handy. And that’s the nice thing about this camera. Once the baby is grown, you have a home security camera.
Another nice and very useful feature is the ability to monitor room temperature. Excellent for use as a baby monitor or a home security camera. It’s nice to know your heat is working when away in the winter.
Hardware
The Motorola MBP854CONNECT hardware is somewhat lower end coming in with 720p video quality.
This is an old type eyeball camera. While the lens has a 60 degree wide angle which is lacking versus other cameras, the presence of the ability to maneuver the eye somewhat compensates. You can maneuver the eye of the camera what appears to be almost 180 degrees to give you a full view of the room. I’m not a big fan of having to do this and prefer a nice 130 degree wide angle lens found on a Nest Cam.
A photo of the Motorola MBP854CONNECT camera accompanies this article. It’s black and white in color.
The night vision uses typical IR around the camera lens and produces average quality video.
There’s an integrated microphone and speaker for two-way communications.
There is a dedicated monitor which, if located at home, is the most convenient to use as it’s highly functional. The monitor allows full viewing and communication and even has an SD card slot. According to Motorola, this monitor works up to 590 feet away from the camera which is well beyond center field at Yankee Stadium.
Connectivity
The Motorola MBP854CONNECT attaches to your wireless router at 2.4GHz using 802.11 b/g/n.
Mounts
There are no mounts for this camera. It’s designed to sit on a flat surface like a shelf, table or dresser. There are two small mounting holes on the base which can be used to mount to a wall or ceiling. Not a fan of that type of mounting technique. Stick with the shelf or dresser on this one.
Fun and Different
What sets the Motorola MBP854CONNECT apart from a typical home security camera is the availability of a dedicated 4.3 inch monitor. It’s a color monitor that’s designed to work locally within your home. It cannot be used outside the vicinity of the actual camera. I like it as it’s better than fumbling through your apps at 3 in the morning.
Summary
The Motorola MBP854CONNECT Baby Monitor and Camera is good for those that require a dedicated monitor that needs to be accessed in the middle of the night. If loosing for a dedicated home security camera, I would suggest checking out the Nest Cam or Canary Home Security System.
| Video Quality | Field of View | Cloud Support | SD Support | Night Vision | Mobile/Web App | Alerts | Outdoor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1280 x 720 | 60 Degrees | Additional Cost | No | Yes | Yes/Yes | Yes | No |