Home security is a massive business these days. It is now easier and cheaper to install home security devices and in a lot of cases without the need of home security expert installers. In fact, home security cameras are now a very common occurrence with CCTV cameras and video doorbells found inside and outside a lot of homes. Adding security cameras to your home has never been more affordable or easier, especially with the ANRAN F1 Pro Solar Powered 2K Floodlight Security Camera as it requires no cables to go through the wall.
Once you purchase a new external security camera to add to the outside of your home, it will need installing and from my experience with such cameras, the power cable is never long enough. Not only do you need to drill through the wall to route the power cable through but there is never a power socket close to where the camera is being sited and the cable is always to short. And then you need to hide the cable once it’s in to make a neat job. Not so with the ANRAN F1 Pro Floodlight Security Camera as it is a solar powered camera. This means that you don’t need to drill holes through the wall into the house, no need to worry about where the nearest mains power socket is and no need to hide cabling. The F1 Pro camera is a wireless security camera that uses a rechargeable battery and a solar panel to supply its power, is so quick and simple to install and set up and very easy to use. The only holes that need to be drilled are external holes on the outside wall to mount the camera and solar panel.
In the box:
- Floodlight Camera
- Solar Panel
- Type C Charging Cable
- Wall Fixing / Screws
- Warning Sticker
- Manual
The ANRAN F1 Pro Solar Powered Floodlight Security Camera is a wireless solar powered external security camera with 2 powerful super-bright LED spotlights. It is more than just a camera that monitors and records the space outside your home, it features motion detection and has night vision capabilities as well as two-way audio. Whilst that should be plenty for your home security and monitoring needs it also has human detection, a loud siren and HD recording! An excellent home security device – not only as a visible deterrent but one that captures high quality recordings in the event that video footage is required in the event of a break-in or other disturbance outside your home. It has a simple, no hassle installation and apart from the cable to the 5w solar polar, it is completely wireless – there is not even a need to drill through walls or door/window frames to connect to a power outlet! And as the British weather isn’t known to be the greatest, it is also waterproof!
Security cameras come in lots of different sizes; the F1 Pro is on the larger size – which also makes it a very visible deterrent. The device features the camera, two good-sized floodlights and 2 wireless antennas. It also comes with a 17cm square (it actually measures 17.4cm x 16.4cm) solar panel on a 3 metre cable. It can be wall mounted or ceiling mounted (the brackets supplied allows both mountings).
You don’t need to be an expert to install the camera. The first thing that you need to decide is the best place to mount it onto your outside wall. You need to pick a spot for the camera where it gets a good WiFi signal, which is simple as you can use your phone to see where you can get the best signal to your router. You also need the best spot for the solar panel, somewhere where it can get direct sunlight – ideally it should be south facing (no more than 3 metres away from the camera as you are limited by cable length). Once the best locations are decided, installation is a quick and simple task.
Installation
Before you start to install the camera, you should take a look at the rules surrounding security cameras, essentially the camera should only be recording your own property and not into the street or neighbour’s gardens etc. You should also display a notice to say that recording is in progress (this camera comes with a 24 hour video surveillance sticker that you can put in your window). You can find about more about the rules from the ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) here or the government guidance on domestic use of CCTV here.
With the rules and regulations digested, download the ANRAN app. With the app on your phone, you will be able to search for and find the best WiFi signal (the app has a very handy installation guide and network detection tool to help find the best spot) to ensure that the camera is mounted in the most suitable position. With the strongest wireless connection to your router found the camera and spotlight need to be mounted to the wall or ceiling. The camera comes with brackets for these and stickers to allow you to know where to drill the holes for the screws. The camera also comes with the screw kits to mount them (although depending on the surface you are mounting on to you may need to purchase different screws as walls can be constructed of different materials). You can test the camera before fixing to the wall should you wish by using a powerbank / portable charger and using the supplied USB-C charging cable to supply power. Stick the stickers to the walls and drill holes for the screws in the marked places. Mount the brackets and attach the camera and solar panel. The solar panel comes with a 3 metre cable so you will need to tack the cable to the wall.
Once mounted, power on the F1 Pro camera using the power button under the rubber waterproof cap on the base of the camera). Then just follow the simple instructions in the app to complete installation. It really is straightforward.
With the camera mounted and connected to your WiFi router, you will need to decide where to store recordings. You can use a microSD card or cloud-based storage.
- If using a microSD card (you will need to purchase one separately), you slot a microSD card in under the camera by the power button. You will probably need to format the card, which is an easy operation to perform from within the app. With SD card storage there is no charge apart from the cost of the card. With microSD storage, you can easily access the recording from within the app.
- If you decide to use cloud-based storage so that recordings are stored online and accessible from anywhere, there is a small monthly fee to use this feature (at the time of writing it is £3.69 per month). SD storage is limited to the amount of storage space on the card, cloud storage has 30 days storage cycle, no time limits on recordings and playback control.
Camera Setup
Setting up the ANRAN F1 Pro camera is easy and fuss free, it only takes a few minutes (unless you decide to play with the features and try out what each setting does). Everything is controlled through the app, which is simple and easy to use. You will need to create an account (username, password, email address and phone number) and add your camera to the app. From then on it is just a matter of selecting what settings are best for you – what definition of recording (SD/HD), alert notifications (get an alert on your phone if someone comes into view of the camera), alarm/siren settings, Alexa integration, sound settings (microphone on/off, speaker, volume). The app is easy to navigate and the settings are all easily adjusted.
Using the Camera
Once installed and configured to the way that you want it, using the camera is very easy. Most of the time you can just leave it to do its job, silently monitoring the exterior of your home and garden. You will get alerts on your phone if anyone comes into range of the camera, and you will be able to review the footage on your phone. You can view realtime footage on your phone as well.
But the camera has a lot more functionality than just installing and leaving it alone. It has motion detection so will detect people in its view. And that’s not just in the daytime as it also has night vision. At night, once a human is detected the super-bright floodlights will activate and light up the immediate area. If also features a loud siren that activates (if you enable it) if it detects a person in its view. You can enable/disable motion detection and change sensitivity levels (you don’t want it going off each time the cat walks past) and you can set customised humanoid alarm areas.
Another excellent function is the two-way audio. If someone is detected on the camera you can listen in to their conversation and even talk back, alerting them that you are watching, telling them to get off your property or that you have called the police. It can also be used as a system to tell visitors such as couriers where to leave a parcel when you are out.
You can also share access to the camera with multiple users so that friends and family can monitor the camera as well, particularly useful if you can’t always use your phone (at work or on holiday for example).
Conclusion
Overall, I think that the ANRAN F1 Pro Solar Powered Floodlight Security Camera is an excellent feature packed external home security camera. I particularly like that it is powered by the sun and its solar panel (and that you can easily charge it using a powerbank or portable charger when the sunlight is poor – although it only needs a couple of hours direct sunlight to charge it). The quality of the 2K recordings is fantastic, clear and sharp.
The power is good as it gets enough power during the day from sunlight and stores enough to keep working overnight. And because it is not mains powered, in the event of a power cut, the camera still works (recording to an SD card).
The quality of the images during daylight hours is excellent, clear and sharp, as are the night time images in colour night vision. With 2K high definition images, captured images are very clear and people identifiable.
It is a great camera with high-quality recording and features. It works fast and seamlessly. It is easy to set up, use and monitor and the notifications are fast, especially when away from home. Its size makes it a great visual deterrent and the floodlights are an excellent addition, lighting up the area around it very brightly.
I love the ANRAN F1 Pro security camera. It is excellent at monitoring and recording high-quality images that are very clear and easy to view, giving you peace of mind. I love that it sends instant notifications to my phone and tablet. The two-way audio is perfect, and the siren is loud enough to scare off intruders, especially when coupled with the bright lights (you can even set how long they stay on for when activated – by default it is 10 seconds).
I love the wide viewing angle and that when using the app you can easily pan and tilt to move the camera viewing angles. If you ceiling mount the camera you can also flip the image so that recordings are viewed correctly (not upside down).
This is a great camera for anyone that wants affordable smart home monitoring and one that is easy to use. It can even be integrated with compatible Alexa device such as the Echo Show so that you can view the camera image on the screen.
If you are looking for a home security camera to monitor outside the house, deter intruders and give you a bit more peace of mind, then you can’t go wrong with the ANRAN F1 Pro. The only very small improvement I would make would be a screw on cap where the power button, reset button and SD card are situated as it is just a pull-down rubber cap – just to make access to them that bit more secure.
The ANRAN F1 Pro Solar Powered 2K Floodlight Security Camera is an excellent, feature packed, easy to set up and use home security camera, a fantastic addition to your home security.
Rating: 5/5
RRP: £215
For more information or to buy direct, visit anransec.com.