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Philips In.Sight HD review

Our Rating :
Price when reviewed : £130
inc VAT

The Philips In.Sight is easy to use, but it’s expensive even before you've factored in the optional cloud storage subscription

Specifications

Sensor: Not disclosed, Viewing angle: Diagonal 102 degrees, Video recording frame rates: 1,280×720 (30fps), Night vision mode: Infrared LEDs, Size (HxWxD): 114x65x65mm, Weight: 140g, Warranty: One year RTB

Currys

The Philips In.Sight Wireless HD Monitor is pleasingly easy to set up. While other network cameras make you connect directly to the camera’s dedicated wireless network before inputting your main router’s Wi-Fi details, this information is transferred to the Philips camera through an a QR code generated in the Android or iOS app that you hold up in front of the camera’s lens. It’s an elegant arrangement that removes the need to disconnect from your main home Wi-Fi and, while a seemingly small touch, makes a big difference in terms of getting up and running quickly with the camera.  

Philips In.sight HD app QR code

The Philips is tall and cylindrical, with a lens surrounded by a circular black bezel that makes the camera look like an Olympic mascot. There’s no external antenna, which keeps the design neat. The In.Sight’s base has an adjustable ball head for angling the camera, but there’s not a great deal of flexibility as the camera’s base is quickly obstructed by the stand when you tilt in any direction.

The In.Sight is powered by a Mini USB connection and a lengthy 3m USB cable is provided, complete with a wall adaptor. That’s it as far as connections go, as there’s no option for a wired network connection or socket to connect an external microphone.

Philips In.sight HD front

The In.Sight has a built-in microphone to capture audio, however, and there’s even an integrated speaker. This means the camera can be used as a pseudo-intercom with the Android or iOS apps. During our tests we found that there was about a five-second delay between speaking into our smartphone and our voice being broadcast by the speaker, which made conversation tricky. However, we found the push-to-talk function didn’t always work, with the app sometimes giving out an error message. When it did work the speaker would also trigger the sound detection, so the camera would start recording. It would be better if the camera disabled sound detection momentarily when you activated the push-to-talk feature.

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