I have a shed on my property that needs surveillance. I’d never been able to get anything working out there because there’s no power. All the battery solutions I’ve seen left me wanting an integrated “thing that just works” that would just show up as part of my other Alarm.com cameras. I’d seen other solar-powered cameras offered by IoT companies like Ring and Arlo, but never anything from a “security-first” platform like Alarm.com. All of that changed last week when I received the Alarm.com V731B 4MP Indoor/Outdoor Battery Spotlight Camera to test out. Would it work or be flaky? I set off to find out.
Unboxing
The camera and solar panel both arrived in Alarm.com orange boxes with minimalist, sustainable cardboard innards. I flipped open both boxes to begin inventorying all the pieces and parts. Everything looked pretty straightforward. I peeled off the protective sticker covering the camera battery’s contacts and slid it into place with a satisfying click. After screwing together the included omnidirectional mount, I threaded the assembly into a machine-threaded screw hole at the back of the camera. The camera itself has a silicon rubber flap covering a USB-C port designed to pair with Alarm.com’s solar charger, which I also connected.
Installation and Configuration
I took my gangly solar camera assembly outside and looked for a good place to install everything. Solar modules should face South, and I found a perfect spot on my kids’ treehouse. The cable extended 8 feet and is clearly built with the understanding that the solar module might need remote installation away from the camera.
Related: Security Starts at the Street
I picked another ideal location for the shed camera and screwed in both the camera and solar mounts. After dressing the cables nicely to prevent squirrels from chewing them (a tireless, multi-year battle that I’m losing), I powered up the camera for configuration.
Alarm.com offers a few methods for enrolling its cameras, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and local Wi-Fi. I decided to use the Wi-Fi method, which involves connecting to the camera’s SSID and letting it discover and pair with a Wi-Fi network. Everything worked smoothly and I flipped over to Alarm.com’s installer app, MobileTech, to finish up. They also offer the ability for an end customer to enroll the camera themselves from the consumer app.
After enrolling the camera and a quick firmware update, it was time to see how everything looked on my iPad. After booting up the Alarm.com consumer app, I scrolled down the list of cameras and saw “Shed” pop up. I tapped in and up flashed a high-resolution shot of my back woods and the shed. I turned the camera’s light on and off, tested out the two-way microphone/speaker combination, and recorded a quick clip. Everything worked as it should.
My commands were delayed a little bit due to the Wi-Fi signal, but overall, it was great to finally have a camera in a long-frustrating blind spot. All of Alarm.com’s latest bells and whistles are onboard, including AI deterrence, which can not only detect the difference between people, humans, and vehicles, but also call out specific features of a would-be intruder. A voice like “Angry Stan,” (not a joke, that’s actually a choice of avatars) can yell at the person “standing by the tree wearing a green shirt!” Simultaneously cool and creepy.
Final Report
The Alarm.com V731B 4MP Indoor/Outdoor Battery Spotlight Camera is $299.99. Paired with the solar panel charger, it brings the total to $399.99. Is it worth $400 to install a surveillance camera in your backyard? I guess it depends on what you’re trying to keep an eye on. In my case, I would’ve happily paid many times that amount to have some peace of mind around an area housing a bunch of expensive yard gadgets. Here’s to another solid painkiller product from Alarm.com. I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with next.
For more information, visit https://alarm.com/next-gen-battery-security-camera-adc-v731b.
