EZVIZ BC2 smart home security camera

It’s getting so much easier to keep your home secure and an eye on what’s precious. Case in point; the EZVIZ (and it’s pronounced Easy-Viz) BC2 Battery-Powered Smart Home Camera. This tiny battery-powered wireless camera boasts 1080p HD video resolution, up to 50 days of battery life and the option of either cloud recording or the use of a Micro SD card. In this post I’ll look at what the camera can do, what it’s best for, how to set it up and what you get in the box, as well as how the video quality is. I’d like to thank EZVIZ for sponsoring this post: Their support keeps the blog and YouTube channel running. Even though they’re sponsoring this, they have not told me what I have to say or what I can’t say, so you can consider these opinions my own.

EZVIZ BC2 compact camera review

During my testing phase, I left one camera set up at home in Canada to provide security while we went on vacation. The super small size—measuring just 1.5 by 2-inches —means it was easy to tuck in an out of the way corner where it wouldn’t be noticed, and it’s so small it could even be tossed in your bag for travel to keep an eye on your room too. This camera can be used both indoors and outdoors though it’s not waterproof. Even so, it does have very good temperature range. It will operate in temperatures from -10°C to 45°C (14°F to 113 °F ), and humidity of 95% or Less.

Unboxing, installation & set up

The EZVIZ BC2 is a compact package and that’s because it’s a very small camera. In the box you get the camera unit itself, a magnetic base mount, a charging cable, as well as some installation accessories including screws, magnetic pad, and adhesive. When it comes to installing the camera, it’s small enough to be discreetly hidden in almost any location in your home or elsewhere. Set it on a shelf, or countertop, or use the magnetic mount to clip it to your refrigerator or any other metallic surface. To get it set up, download the EZVIZ app, and sign up for or sign into your account. The instructions to add the camera are inside the app, and are easy. I had my camera ready to go in just a few minutes.

Using EZVIZ app

The EZVIZ app is your control centre for the cameras and I found it easy to navigate and to find what I needed. You can access your camera’s live feature at any time for a look at what’s going on at the moment. Inside the app you will also find any recorded videos.

Recording options: Cloud or card

You can opt into the EZVIZ CloudPlay recording for a fee or install a microSD card up to 256 GB and record directly to the camera. Inside the app you can also record videos directly to your smart phone or tablet, adjust the video resolution, use the app to talk through the cameras speaker and interact with anyone who’s there. Finally you can also use the app to check your camera’s settings and remaining battery life.

Video Quality

The HD video quality on this camera is quite good, and I’m easily able to see faces, details and to know exactly what’s going on. The viewing angle is wide enough to see most of a room, an entryway area or to get some nice panoramas!

Night vision

It’s good to know this camera also comes equipped with infrared night vision within about a 5 m or 16 foot radius. That means even if it is full dark in your home, you should still be able to see anything clearly.

Instant alerts & push notifications

This camera has a feature not often found in budget friendly cameras, and that is person alerts. When enabled, the camera is able to recognize humans in the frame, and send a push notification to your smart phone. This is very helpful if you only want to be notified when someone appears where they shouldn’t be. This also means fewer alerts for things like pets moving through the frame, or trees blowing in the wind.

Two-Way talk

When the camera is connected to your home Wi-Fi network, you have the ability to access the camera’s live feed, and have a conversation with anyone in your space thanks to an integrated speaker and microphone. This means the EZVIZ BC2 would make a nice camera to keep watch over— and say hello to—your pets if you have to step out or you’re back in the office full time.

Battery Life

Wired cameras can provide reliable power, but this also greatly limits where are you can place them. The EZVIZ BC2 has a 2,000 mAh rechargeable battery and EZVIZ says you can get up to 50 days on a full charge. If you live in a busy household with kids, pets, or a lot more motion, your usage will probably be substantially less than that. This is not unusual; most battery powered cameras see their batteries drained by frequent motion; this is not necessarily a downside, just something to be aware of when you are placing your camera. For best balance between long battery life and useful motion capture, I recommend installing it where it will catch access through a main doorway, as opposed to trying to cover a wide and busy living space 24/7.

Overall thoughts: EZVIZ BC2

Overall I’ve been quite impressed with this little camera. It’s one of the smallest cameras I’ve ever had the pleasure of using, and it has a long lasting battery which made it perfect for both home and for bringing with me on my travels. The video quality is quite good both day or night and includes night vision which is a must have for any home security camera in my opinion. I do like the fact that you have the option of either cloud recording for a fee, or simply popping in a micro SD card and recording locally to your device. In short, the EZVIZ BC2 is a solid camera and I can definitely recommend it for you whether you’re keeping an eye on the home or bringing a little security cam with you on the road. Shop one here from EZVIZ.