DLink DCS-8630LH Full HD Outdoor Wi-Fi Spotlight Camera with built-in Smart Home Hub
D-Link are continuously expanding their home security range and this time they have come DCS-8630LH, a full HD Outdoor Wi-Fi Spotlight Camera with a built-in Smart Home Hub. While spotlights in cameras isn’t anything new, this seems like D-Link’s first iteration of such a device for the domestic market and we’re intrigued to see how it performs.
Before we go further, here’s the technical specification summary.
Features & Specifications
- True Full HD quality with 150° wide angle views
- Colour night vision with built-in 400 lumen LED spotlight and IR LEDs to see up to 7m in darkness
- IP65 Weather resistant housing for outdoor placement and 7m cabling
- PIR sensor for enhanced motion detection
- Edge-based person detection intelligently identifies human motion
- Glass-break detection and alert
- Two-way audio with built-in microphone and speaker
- Built-in 100 dB speaker/siren
- Built-in smart home hub connects to mydlink Smart DIY devices
- Works with the Google Assistant and Alexa
- Supports the latest WPA3™ encryption
- Supports mydlink cloud / microSD2 (max. 256 GB) / phone and ONVIF Profile S recording
| Built-in Microphone : | Yes |
| Built-in Speaker : | Yes |
| Camera Advanced Feature : | Person Detection|Glass Breaking Detection|Spotlight built-in|Siren built-in|Smart Home Hub built-in|WPA3 Encryption|IPv6 Ready |
| Indoor / Outdoor : | Indoor|Outdoor |
| Power : | Included Power Supply |
| Camera Type : | Outdoor |
| Wireless Connectivity : | 802.11n |
| Night Vision Range : | Colour 7m |
| Video Compression : | H.264 |
| Digital Zoom : | Pinch to Zoom |
| Dimensions (Size) : | 126.2 x 83.7 x 60.3 mm |
| ePTZ : | No |
| Ethernet Port : | No |
| Maximum Video Resolution : | 1920 x 1080 @30fps |
| MicroSD Card Slot : | Yes |
| Motion Detection : | Yes |
| Motorised Pan / Tilt : | No |
| Warranty : | 1-Year Limited Warranty |
| Smart Home Compatible : | Amazon Alexa|Google Assistant|mydlink |
| Sound Detection : | Yes |
| Two-way Audio : | Yes |
| Video Recording Option : | microSD Card|mydlink Cloud Subscription|ONVIF Profile S |
The package
The D-Link DCS-8630LH features a 400 Lumen spot light, which equates to around a 35W incandescent light bulb. Its pure white light is surprisingly very bright and offers the added advantage of recording night footage in color.
The box is well detailed to give the consumer adequate information of its capabilities. It’s also well packed and D-Link have thoughtfully included a 7m long power cable in case you didn’t have a power socket close to intended installation area.
There are 6 LEDs at the top which provide the spotlight capability for the DCS-8630LH and below that houses the motion sensor and infrared sensors for night vision.
The underside of the unit houses a micro SD card slot and a speaker which acts as a 100dB siren or for conversation with the outside party.
A mounting bracket is included for easy mounting on a wall and the whole process was extremely easy to do.
Mounting Bracket
Installing the unit onto the myDlink app couldn’t have been more simpler; all you need is to scan the QR code on the unit or quick install guide and follow the prompts. The whole process takes less than 5 minutes to complete and has always been error free.
Key Features
Color night vision
The 400 lumen spotlight on the D-Link DCS-8630LH enables you to see clearly in color at night. The camera does have night vision capability, however having this spotlight not only deters potential thieves, it gives far greater clarity to nigh time footage.
Edge-Based Person Detection
The unit has been able to intelligently identify human motion and significantly reduces false positives. We still do experience false positives on occasions of extreme wind, but overall experience has been better than D-Link’s previous models that didn’t have this capability.
Glass-Break Detection
While useful to have, this feature so far has provided more false positives in our testing. It may work better if the camera was inside the house, however when using outdoors, even high pitched bird sounds are falsely classified. Since the DCS-8630LH does a good job in person detection, our preference has been to use that feature when placing the unit out doors.
Smart Home Hub
Another interesting feature of the D-Link DCS-8630LH is its smart home hub capabilities. A few months back we reviewed the D-LINK SMART DIY SECURITY BUNDLE DCS-8331KT kit and the DCS-8630LH is capable to link with any of those devices. This allows you to expand your security & automation capabilities much further.
True Full HD
The unit is capable of recording in 1080P 30fps giving smooth crisp videos all the time. Below are some examples of the unit in action.
Video Examples
Since the D-Link DCS-8630LH is ONVIF Compliant you can record to a compatible NVR for 24×7 recording. However this will require a hardwired network cable which kind of defeats the convenience offered by Wi-Fi. Nevertheless, the feature is available should you wish to use it.
Conclusion
We have been using the D-Link DCS-8630LH for almost a month now and it has proven to be quite reliable and responsive. We’d like to see durability of the unit in the long run, however it comes with a 1 year warranty from D-Link for peace of mind.
Recently D-Link revamped their myDlink app and it has significantly improved app load times and responsiveness. This is why we like and recommend going with a reputed company when choosing your security solution as you can be assured of continuous improvements through its product life-cycle.
If you’re on the look out of a reasonably priced outdoor security camera with the convenience of easy installation that doesn’t require professional installers, then the D-Link DCS-8630LH is a very decent kit to get your hands on and given its retail price of $279 it’ll fit nicely with your wallet too.
D-Link DCS-8630LH Full HD Wi-Fi Outdoor Spotlight Camera
AU$ 279.95
