The Cop Cam is a surveillance camera designed to help you keep an eye on your home while you are away. The small wireless device is slowly gaining popularity thanks to several TV ads, but does it do what it says on the box? Here is a review of the Cop Cam.
When it does work, the Cop Cam is a standard device. It does what it promises on the box, which is more than what can be said about some other cameras in the market.
Some cameras are much better than it though. These ones will do the work much more easily and better. There are even some that feature cloud saving and allow you to view videos via your smartphones rather than on a computer.
What Is A Cop Cam?
The Cop Cam is a pocket-sized security camera. It is designed to record videos in HD and comes with both a motion sensor and a microphone. This is supposed to selectively come on when these sensors come on.
The camera does what every security camera is supposed to do. It helps to keep a watchful eye on your home. This is especially useful with the uncertain nature of the world.
With its small size, you can put it just about anywhere. This makes it a pretty okay spy and security camera all on its own, but what other things make up the Cop Cam?
What Are The Features Of Cop Cam?
Atomic Beam, the company that makes the Cop Cam, says that the Cop Cam comes with the following features. This information is readily provided on the packaging.
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Wireless and smaller than one square inch. This is to allow you to use as well as hide the camera just about anywhere
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Shoots and Records in Incredible HD. This is assisted by a powerful microphone to capture audio
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It comes with a high-tech motion sensor. This sensor also allows the Cop Cam to loop recordings
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Upload footage to your computer in seconds. This is possible thanks to the easy to use SD card
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Captures video in an area twice the size of traditional cameras. This is estimated to be at an angle of about 140 degrees
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Excellent nighttime recording. The Cop Cam can record excellently even in the dark. This is possible thanks to six infrared LEDs
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The Cop Cam is rechargeable via USB. It also comes with a USB cable, a swivel clip, and an 8GB memory card
How much does the Cop Cam cost and where to get it?
The Cop Cam costs about $50. You can either pay this once or pay in installments including shipping.
There is an additional double offer on the Cop Cam. You can get two for about $70 rather than the regular $100. This deal includes separate 8GB memory cards for both cams.
Asides from this, Atomic offers a deluxe option for about $65. This deluxe option comes with a camera that has four times the memory of the regular version. There is also a double deluxe option for about $100.
You can buy a Cop Cam in just about any major store like Bed Bath & Beyond or Target. It’s usually on the As Seen on TV aisle. You also have an online store option in the likes of Amazon.
What is the Cop Cam meant to do?
The Cop Cam is expected to capture HD recordings of happenings around you and your home. You can decide to use it as a home security camera or a body cam. The swivel clip is meant to aid in this feature.
It is also meant to be fast charging. The battery is also expected to be a long-lasting one that can provide at least 45 minutes of service on a full charge.
With an 8GB memory card, it promises an estimated 80 minutes of recording. The recordings are looped on the memory cards that are meant to loop. This means once the storage is full, it records over the earliest video recorded.
The motion sensor is what makes the Cop Cam truly special. It is made to trigger recording once the camera senses motion.
Does the Cop Cam do as it advertises?
Well, there are a few concerns that have been raised about the Cop Cam. I will attempt to break things down bit by bit.
1. Video Recording
The Cop Cam promises to work in all lighting conditions. This is not always true as it has issues adjusting to changes in lighting. The difficulty is easily exposed in situations when you change locations suddenly like walking into a room.
The night mode also doesn’t work as promised. There are times the infrared LEDs don’t trigger. This means there is a chance the camera doesn’t work overnight.
This situational issue aside, the Cop Cam does record in HD. The camera recordings are quite clear in optimal lighting situations. It also captures wide area and background scenes quite well.
Audio quality is also very good. It picks up audio much better than some cameras. This ensures that entire conversations are audible during playbacks.
2. Battery and Charging
The first thing you are supposed to do once you get the Cop Cam is charging it. This is pretty simple. There’s just one problem.
Depending on what you use to charge it, the Cop Cam reacts differently.
If using a computer, the lights on the Cop Cam vary between red and green. Once it is done charging, the lights turn off instantly.
If you use a wall outlet, the light just blinks on and off, rather than alternating. Once fully charged, the light slowly goes out.
There is another issue. If you use an outlet, the camera turns on and records all the while it is charging. This does not happen if you use a computer.
3. Motion Sensing
Trying to use the Cop Cam reveals yet another flaw. The motion sensor does not always work as advertised.
The Cop Cam fails to come on even if someone is moving and shaking in front of it. Sometimes it does come on, but this could take as long as 2 to 3 minutes before it comes on.
There’s also the issue of the battery draining much faster if it turns on from a motion trigger rather than if you try to use it normally.
4. Using the Cop Cam
Cop Cam’s instructions are easy to follow. You just have to hold down the single button on it to turn it on. That’s it.
There are issues with using it as a body cam though. The clip is not exactly the best. The camera falls off the body quite frequently.
The tiny size also makes it quite difficult to use as a handheld device. It has a certain stabilization design flaw.
5. Other concerns about the Cop Cam
There are a few other concerns that the Cop Cam brings. They are somewhat negligible but they reveal some flaws in the design.
The first is the time stamp. All videos have a timestamp, a feature that is not addressed in the instructions at all. There is no stated way to turn the time stamp on or off.
There are also cases where videos have purple or pink tint. This is not always the case, but some video recordings feature this particular flaw.
Video files also present a reading issue. The default windows video player fails to open the videos. Same with some other video players.
A standard third-party app or program can easily overcome this flaw.
The positioning of the memory card is also an issue. The unit is on the underside of the camera, which means, you have to hold the camera in your hand before you turn it on. Otherwise, the SD card pops out.
The last issue is that there is supposed to be a photo mode, indicated by a green light coming on. To trigger it, you are meant to hold the power button for two seconds. This doesn’t work.
If you try to hold it for longer, the Camera turns off. This flaw makes it quite impossible to even test out if the photo mode even exists or not.
What’s the Final Verdict on the Cop Cam?
I personally believe that Cop Cam is a great idea. It really just needs some fine-tuning in its designs. If the producers can work around a majority of these flaws, then it will be a pretty big deal in the home security market.
Overall my review of Cop Cam is very positive. Do check the products on sale in Amazon and Walmart. The prices are pretty reasonable around $20 or so. It’s definitely worth checking out once.
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