Baseus is a name that’s quickly becoming synonymous with quality in the tech industry. For years, the brand has excelled in charging and peripheral devices, and it has now confidently ventured into the home security market with the launch of the Baseus Security N1 Outdoor Cameras. I’ve put the dual camera kit and network hub through their paces, and while it’s not their first foray into security, it promises a seamless experience with impressive capabilities.
Design
I have to address in the room that’s struck me more than once during my review process. The Baseus Security N1 Outdoor Cameras look strikingly similar to previous models released by Anker’s sub-brand eufy. From the small, NAS-looking network hub that links the cameras to your home internet, to the rounded rectangular cameras, it’s all eerily similar.
Let’s dive into the real details here, past the doppelganger profiles. When you open the box of the dual N1 Outdoor Cameras kit, you find the two cameras, the home hub, and an assortment of cables. There are also two hardware packets that provide screws and mounting brackets for the cameras.
Both cameras are capable of full 2K HD resolutions with a 145-degree wide angle of view. Internally, each N1 Outdoor Camera houses a battery pack capable of lasting up to 210 days per charge. On the rear of each, you also have a screw input for the included mount kit.
The included HomeStation serves two purposes. It acts as a local relay for your home internet to the cameras, as well as storage expansion. The HomeStation has onboard 16GB of eMMC storage, but the top cover can be removed for a 2.5-inch hard drive enclosure. The additional local storage can support up to 16TB hard drives, but I can’t imagine the casual user ever needing this much.
Setup
The app is pretty intuitive in the setup process. After you create a Baseus account, the app for both iOS and Android walks you through setting up the HomeStation first. Unfortunately, the hub only supports Ethernet connections, but once connected, it becomes the brain of the setup operation.
Next, you’ll need to click the add button and utilize the next few menus to create a home name and add additional devices. The wizard is straightforward, walking you through the process to add each N1 Outdoor Camera to your new security system.
The first camera I set up was just outside my home office. I’ve had a need to cover the side gate going into my backyard for some time, and I decided the N1 Outdoor Cameras were the perfect opportunity. This camera set up great, and I was immediately greeted with a live feed of this area of my home perimeter.
Notifications were going as planned as well. When the camera sensed movement, my mobile devices pinged me in a short time, opening the linked pop-up showing me the camera feed. I did find that the notification didn’t always take me to the actual live feed. About half the time, it dropped me into the main feed of my cameras instead. I think this is a simple software fix down the road, but it was consistent in my testing.
Hiccups
My frustration with the Baseus system started as soon as I began adding the second N1 camera. I synced the device just like I had done with the first while sitting in the comfort of my home office. Everything looked great. The camera synced up with the HomeStation, and the live feed was working perfectly.
So, I got my ladder from where I had left it from the first camera and headed to the other side of my home where there’s a nearly identical gate entering my backyard that I planned to secure. I installed the mount in a few minutes and attached the N1 camera. I then descended my ladder to open the app to see how my orientation looked, and was greeted with a blank preview.
It turns out the N1 Outdoor Cameras have to maintain a consistent connection with the HomeStation to work instead of handing off the WiFi connection to your existing hardware. I have an eero access point in the room next to the exterior wall I intended for this second camera, but it seems to be too far from the HomeStation on the other end of my home. This results in the N1 number two completely dropping the connection once you reach about the midway point of walking around my house.
I understand the need for the HomeStation to act as the hub for syncing and local storage, but I don’t know why the internet can’t pass that through the existing network and relay it back to the hub. Combined with HomeStation only allowing an Ethernet connection, I think many users will run into the same issues I have of larger homes not being able to accommodate the network setup.
Final thoughts
Awarded to products with an average rating of 3.75 stars or higher, the AndroidGuys Smart Pick recognizes a balance of quality, performance, and value.
Products with this distinction deserve to be on your short list of purchase candidates.
Baseus has a good first effort here with the N1 Outdoor Cameras kit with HomeStation. However, the flawed network design leads to a mixed bag of results that may render cameras useless. I love the overall package in theory from Baseus, but I think they need to go back to the drawing board specifically with network integrations for the next generation.
If you have a smaller home that allows the HomeStation to stay in range, or you don’t mind complicating the setup with something like a MOCA or powerline Ethernet adapter, you can probably make it work. Using additional networking devices like these should allow you to position the HomeStation in the ideal room. Hit the links below to give the Baseus N1 Outdoor Cameras a chance.
Purchase the Baseus N1 Outdoor Cameras Kit from Baseus
Purchase the Baseus N1 Outdoor Cameras Kit from Amazon
