Samsung SNH-1011 SmartCam Security Camera Product Review

I use the Samsung SNH-1011 SmartCam Security Camera to monitor my garage.  Amazingly, I left the garage door open overnight a few times.  I needed an inexpensive but reliable camera to maintain a view on the status of the garage doors.  That’s my Samsung SNH-1011 SmartCam in the photo with this article.  When I do my nightly security check before going to bed, this is one of the cameras that I check.  The Samsung SNH-1011 Smartcam is a wireless camera with minimal features and that’s how it is priced.  I picked this up a few months ago on a good deal and it’s done exactly what I expected.

The camera is fully compatible with the Samsung SmartCam app.  I use this app to monitor all of my Samsung security cameras.  This application always seemed a bit slower than some of the other camera monitoring apps that I have used but provides the functions that I require for the job.

It’s a small camera with an integrated stand.  The lens and camera are fixed so you need to establish the camera angle and keep it there.  The back has the DC outlet, a network port, a small speaker, WPS button and a reset to put everything back to factory settings.  The stand holds the camera steadily on a desktop or you can use the base to mount it to a wall.

Connection of the camera is simple if you have a decent router that supports WPS.  Push the WPS button on the camera and press the WPS button on you wireless router.  The connection is made and then open the application to take it the rest of the way.  If your router doesn’t support WPS, that’s what the network port is for and you will do the initial connection with an Ethernet cable attached to your router instead.

The camera has a built-in speaker and microphone.  I found the microphone to be somewhat lacking with a constant annoying clicking constantly in the background.  The speaker is also somewhat insufficient as it’s only a tiny opening on the back of the camera.  I understand why it’s on the back, but can’t help to think it would be more usable if on the front.

The Samsung SNH-1011 SmartCam records 30 frames per second at 640×480.  This isn’t meant to be a high definition solution.  It’s a lower end, lower priced camera for simple security monitoring like my garage.  There is a night vision function as well as the ability to change the brightness and even the orientation.

Like most of the cameras in this series, the Samsung SNH-1011 SmartCam has motion and audio detection.  I use the motion detection to send me a notification when something is detected.  I haven’t tried the audio detection feature yet.  Unlike higher end Samsung cameras, there is no Micro SD support for saving events such as a motion detection.  That means that if you get an alert for motion from the Samsung app, you will need to open the camera view to see what triggered it.  Higher end cameras like the Samsung SNH-6411BN SmartCam have a Micro Sd slot and will save 30 seconds of the event so you can go back in to see what happened.

If looking for a lower end point in time security camera, the Samsung SNH-1011 SmartCam is a good investment.  It’s proven to be reliable in the few months of service here in my garage.  Extreme temperatures including a few days of -2 at night didn’t affect the performance at all.  A good reliable camera that’s worked well.

Quick Specs:

Manufacturer Link:  Samsung