REMO+ Add to the Growing List of DIY Home Security Tech

In the U.S., home security has become a hot topic and an even hotter product category. While you’d think the fact the COVID pandemic, which is keeping everyone home these days, would hurt this market, it has done quite the opposite. Perhaps all this time spent in the house has people more aware of the need to better secure their homes. 

Figures indicate that roughly 4,300 burglaries happen every day — nearly 1.6 million annually — in the U.S. Additional data from the FBI adds that a surprising 60% of all residential burglaries occur during daylight hours. 

While the best route to take for securing your home is a professionally installed home security system, the DIY segment offers some effective and very affordable solutions as well. We recently tested one such unit from REMO+ with their new DoorCam2 product. 

The first thing you’ll notice about the DoorCam2 is that there isn’t much to it — upon opening the box you basically find the camera and the bracket you attach it to, to hang on the front door. Thus, suffice it to say, this provides just about the easiest installation you’ll ever encounter – hang on the door and set the app… no hard wiring involved.  

However, there are a few flaws you’ll encounter along the way, as once assembled, the bracket isn’t a one-size-fits-all-doors setup, as is advertised. And the camera angle, looking down from the top of the door, doesn’t always provide an instantly recognizable view of the person’s face at the door.  

However, the image quality is fairly crisp at 720p and the fish-eye lens provides a 160-degree field of view that captures the entire front door area, all the way down to the end of the driveway at my home. The two-way audio is a nice feature as well, and motion detection is quite sensitive as it even picks up the wind moving nearby bushes.  

The DoorCam2’s night vision also provides sharp and clear image quality once the sun goes down. However, while the camera part of the equation provides the aforementioned solid image quality, it does not connect directly with other smart home devices, a bit of a shortcoming. 

The accompanying REMO+ app works very smoothly, as you receive a sound notification once motion is detected at the door and are able to instantly view the video on your phone — both while at home or remotely while out and about. The two-way audio also allows for audio communication with the person at the door — whether to engage in discussion or to provide a warning to move along. 

Those who are either not quite ready for a professional home security install, or simply can’t afford one, will find the REMO+ under-$200 price tag most appealing, but again, the DoorCam2 has the aforementioned shortcomings and is limited to front-door-only security, unless you purchase additional units.  

Additional particulars include:  

• Interior component measures 6.7 x 3.2 x 1.8 inches (HWD) and the exterior measures 1.8 x 4.8 x 1.8 inches. The two components are connected by a ribbon cable and a piece of metal that is used to hang the device on the upper edge of a door. 
• Weather-resistant  
• Free Cloud recording – access all videos within the last 3 days 
• Dual Powered options – battery-operated and DC adapter 

THE GOOD: This is a fairly effective DIY home security system that sets up in minutes, is under $200, and has an intuitive app that’s easy to use. 

THE BAD: The unit is limited because the camera does not provide a great angle of faces at the door, does not connect to other smart home devices you may own, and the camera bracket does not fit all doors. 

THE PITCH: For those consumers looking for a fast and affordable front-door home security solution, the DoorCam2 is sufficient — but for more robust security measures that include SRS services, a professionally installed system is recommended.