It seems like there are endless options when it comes to security cameras. When I scroll through Amazon, I see brands I’ve never heard of before, and EZVIZ falls into a brand I haven’t used before. I’ve used a handful of indoor security cameras, with the Blink Mini Indoor camera being the most notable. However, after using the EZVIZ BC2, I was really surprised at both the video quality and the software experience.
So let’s get into EZVIZ’s BC2 to see if it worth’s considering as your next indoor security camera.
Package Contents
In the package, you have everything needed to get up and running right away.
- EZVIZ BC2 Camera Unit
- Neodymium Iron Boron Magnetic Adjustable Stand
- Micro USB Charging Cable
- Foam Stickers
- Metal Mounting Plate
- Quick Start Guide
EZVIZ BC2 Smart WiFi Indoor Camera Specs
- Video Resolution: 1920 × 1080 @ 15 FPS
- Sensor: 1/2.8” 2 MP CMOS Sensor
- Lens: 4 mm @ F1.6
- Field Of View: 100°, 85° (Diagonal), 46° (Horizontal)
- Battery Capacity: 2000 mAh rechargeable battery
- Night Vision Range: Up to 5 meters / 16 feet (IR-cut Filter with Auto Switch)
- Security: 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK
- Two Way Talk
- Custom Alert Areas
- Local Storage: Up to 256 GB MicroSD Card (Cloud Storage Optional)
- Operating Temperature: -10°C to 45°C (14°F to 113 °F ),
- Dimensions: 51.3 × 39.1 × 39.1 mm (2.0 × 1.5 × 1.5 inch)
- Weight: Approximately 86 g / 0.19 Lbs
EZVIZ BC2 Camera Design & Build Quality
Measuring 2″ x 1.5″ x 1.5″, the BC2 is a pretty small unit. It isn’t the smallest indoor camera I’ve seen, but it has the most features. That said, the weight is also quite manageable at around 86 grams, so I have been able to mount it without any issues in various areas.
The unit feels pretty solid overall, and I didn’t notice any flexing or creaking when applying pressure to the camera body. The front of the unit does have a shiny plastic cover, which has a small lip or gap around it instead of fusing entirely to the rest of the camera body. So far, this has not presented any challenges, but it’s an area to be mindful of to prevent getting anything snagged on that area.
The build is an all-plastic body with a two-tone black color scheme. Two-thirds of the design features a matte black finish on the front end and a shiny black finish on the back. The front of the camera unit has the same glossy black finish too, which is a dust and fingerprint magnet, so I wish it was matte on the front-facing side as well.
The front contains the camera lens, sensors and LED status light. The top of the unit has a speaker. The rear of the unit houses the power button, reset button, charging port, microSD slot and LED status light. There is nothing on the bottom, which may leave you wondering… how do you mount this thing? Thankfully, there is a pretty powerful magnet at the bottom, which is why that area is left flat.
The magnetic base or stand has a ball head, which allows the camera to be positioned at a variety of angles. The is enough friction with the ball head that the position does not change or drift once set. Both the bottom of the stand and the topmost portion is magnetic to allow mounting to surfaces and to the camera body.
Mounting Options
The neodymium iron boron magnet on this camera is impressive. Simply hover the bottom of the camera body over the top of the base, and everything is securely connected magnetically. The connection is strong, and I never worried that the camera would fall away from the magnetic base. The bottom of the stand also has a magnet, which allows it to be easily mounted in various areas.
You can get really creative with it like I did. I mounted it to the side of my fridge and on a ceiling light.
EZVIZ App Settings
The EZVIZ App has a clean layout, with the active camera shown, along with the battery life and the number of events recorded. Tapping the camera preview opens up the live view.
On the live view screen, you can take a snapshot, record video, enable two-way talk and go into the full camera settings as you’d expect. However, an icon allows you to pop out the live view window so that you can keep it open while texting, checking email, etc. The pop-out window feature is so useful, and I wish more apps provided this option natively. You will have to allow permissions on your phone to use this feature though.
Another great setting is the ability to set the Working Mode on the camera to capture events whenever motion is detected OR to allow continuous recording whenever the camera is plugged in permanently and powered with the micro USB charging cable.
There is also an option to set the Working Mode based on a schedule. For example, you can set continuous recording during the night and clip recording during the day. You may want continuous recording at night to capture suspicious activity while sleeping when you won’t be monitoring the camera or live view, so this is a great option.
You can also set the motion sensitivity and set up detection zones to block out unwanted recordings and notifications in high-traffic areas, for example.
Human Shape Detection can also be enabled if you mostly want to focus on humanoid motion events and recordings. There are no settings for pet detection, which would have been a great addition, but likely would require a Cloud plan to enable AI analysis.
App Notifications
You can expect a notification around 3 seconds after motion is detected, which is pretty responsive given the unit’s size. There is a cooldown period for notifications, with the lowest setting at 1 minute, which is a bit higher than I prefer. I prefer a cooldown time starting at 10 seconds, but given the size of the unit and the smaller battery, I understand the reasoning behind prolonging battery life.
Video Quality & Playback
The quality is as good as you would expect for the 1080P resolution. There are some highlights in this image captured since the sun was coming through my front doors and hitting the wall, but overall, a good amount of detail is still retained. At a 100-degree viewing angle, you can see a decent amount of the room, but a little wider would be better, maybe 105 degrees?
Accessing video playback is pretty easy, too, within the app. I signed up for the free CloudPlay trial, and I like that it groups the clips together and presents them vertically instead of horizontally. Vertical stacking makes it easier for me to see more clips at once. You can also switch between cloud videos and local microSD card videos if necessary.
The cheapest CloudPlay plan starts at $5.99 USD a month for a 7-day rolling video history or $59.99 USD yearly. There is also a 30-day rolling video plan for $10.99 USD a month or $109.99 USD a year.
Battery Life
EZVIZ claims that the BC2 can get up to 50 days of battery life with specific settings enabled. I had my camera set to capture longer videos, and I kept the status LED light now, and I’m on track to get around a month of use with those settings. So likely, if I set it to a shorter clip length, I would get closer to 50 days instead of 30 days, but I prefer longer clips. There is also the option to power the camera permanently. I wish the camera used USB type C instead of micro USB.
Can I Recommend The EZVIZ BC2 Smart WiFi Camera?
The small indoor camera surprised me. The setup process was quick and straightforward, and I’m pleased with the speed of the notifications when motion is detected. The app is well thought out and has many useful settings, especially the pop-out window setting. Too often, I review great camera hardware, but the software experience is lacking, and that is not the case here.
It also allows for motion event recording or continuous recording when it is permanently powered in, and it’s great to have those two options, unlike some other systems that will only allow event recording.
Battery life is decent, considering the small size of the camera body, but again, it can be permanently plugged into a wall or even through a power bank, so the battery life isn’t really an issue for me.
So if you want a quick and responsive indoor camera system, check out the EZVIZ BC2 Smart WiFi indoor camera.
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regret to get bc 2. No live view to monitor elderly, only recording mode , and 5 mins only. have to keep pressing Yes to continue recording in 5 min interval. DO NOT HAVE LIVE VIEW to keep tracking and monitoring. really a poor and fail investment. im from Sgp. pls update firmware to add this feature
Hey Lee, yes with a lot of these battery powered systems, they do not have constant recording or lots of automatic tracking to conserve battery life. It’s better to go with a hard-wired option.