Flir FX WiFi Home Monitoring Camera FXV101-H Review

Not only does the Flir FX ($199.99 list) surveillance camera let you monitor activity in your home, it also helps you keep tabs on humidity and temperature levels, and with the right add-on, can even be pressed into service as a dash cam. The camera records video in 1080p, can run on battery power for up to four hours, and comes with a microSD card for local storage. You also get free cloud storage, though you'll have to pay for a subscription plan if you want to save more than two days' worth of video. Unfortunately, the Flir FX suffers from false motion alerts, and despite its versatility, it doesn't work with third-party devices like our Editors' Choice, the Icontrol Networks Piper nv ( at Amazon) .

Design and Features
The Flir FX ($99.99 at Amazon) has a 4-megapixel CMOS image sensor with a maximum resolution of 1,920-by-1,080 pixels and a 160-degree field of view. It is housed in a black-and-silver plastic enclosure that measures 2.3 by 2.0 by 1.2 inches (HWD) and comes with a stand that lets you pivot the camera and fold it flush (dimensions with the stand are 4.7 by 2.3 by 2.7 inches). A wall mounting bracket is included in the box, along with a 10-foot USB cable, a USB power adapter, and a Quick Start Guide.

The camera uses 6 IR LEDs that provide night vision with a range of 20 feet. Both the camera and the stand have internal rechargeable batteries that supply unplugged power for up to two hours each, for a total of four hours. The camera contains 802.11n (2.4GHz) circuitry, a microSD card slot, a Recording button, a mini USB port, a power switch, and a Secure Wi-Fi button. It has two small LED indicators that tell you if the camera is in Direct or Cloud mode. The stand also has a mini USB port for charging.

The Flir FX comes with an 8GB microSD card for storing recorded video locally. You also get free cloud storage that holds your video for two days, and lets you store three RapidRecap clips with a maximum recap of six hours. (RapidRecap is a cool feature that lets you create a timelapse video of captured events with up to 12 hours of content depending on your subscription level.) For $9.99/month or $99.99/year you get seven days of storage with unlimited RapidRecap with an eight-hour capture limit. The $19.99/month or $199.99/year plan gets you 30 days of storage with unlimited RapidRecap with a 12-hour capture limit.

You can purchase the camera by itself ($199.99) or bundled with an outdoor enclosure ($249.99) that meets IP66 weatherproof standards and extends the camera's night vision range to 65 feet. The enclosure can be purchased separately ($79.99), as can a dashboard mount ($49.99) that turns the camera into a dash cam, complete with an accelerometer that senses motion and will record a permanent video when it registers a 1.7g impact.

The Flir FX works with iOS and Andriod devices, but it does not currently offer Web-based control. The main page of the app shows your camera list with thumbnails for each device. Tapping a thumbnail opens that camera's page, which displays a live view with the current temperature and humidity readings, the battery status, the microphone status, and Actions and Recording buttons. Turning the device to landscape mode gives you a full-screen image that you can zoom up to 5X using pinch gestures.

The Recording button launches a menu that lets you enable recording for motion and sound events. It also has a Record Now button for capturing real-time video.

FLIR FX

The Actions button opens a menu with RapidRecap, Intercom, Snapshot, and Settings buttons. For RapidRecap, simply choose a date that you want to recap and use the slider to select the time range. It took less than a minute to create an eight-hour recap. The Intercom button activates the microphone for two-way communications, and the Snapshot button takes a still image of the live feed.

The Settings menu is where you go to change Wi-Fi settings and choose between Flir Cloud and Direct Viewing modes. Flir Cloud mode connects the camera to your home Wi-Fi network so you can view live and recorded video from anywhere, while Direct mode uses the cameras built-in access point to create a Wi-Fi hotspot that lets you connect your mobile device directly to the camera. Other settings include sensitivity sliders for the temperature, humidity, motion, and audio sensors, an Automatic Night Vision switch, an Image Flip switch, and a switch that toggles between SD and HD video quality.

Tapping the orange arrow in the upper right corner of the main screen takes you to the View Recordings page, where you can see a list of manually recorded videos, snapshots, motion-triggered recordings, and RapidRecap recordings. You can download any clip and share it using the email, text message, or Facebook buttons. The Edit button lets you delete any clip.

Installation and Performance
Installation was easy. I plugged the camera in and waited around 30 minutes for it to charge per the written instructions. Next, I downloaded the app and created an account using my email address and a password. I selected Add A Camera and used the QR code scanner to scan the code on the Flir's base. The app instructed me to connect to the camera's Wi-Fi SSID, then return to the app to select my wireless router. I entered my Wi-Fi password and was connected to the camera within 20 seconds.

The Flir FX provided sharp 1080p streaming and recorded video in my tests. During the daytime the camera delivered rich, vibrant colors. Black-and-white night video was clean, with good image detail, but not as well-lit as what you get with the Nest Cam ($199.00 at Google Store) . The humidity and temperature sensors were accurate, and notifications were prompt but the motion sensor triggered quite a few false alerts, even with the sensitivity pushed to the lowest setting. Two-way audio communications were loud and intelligible.

One of my favorite features on this camera, RapidRecap, worked flawlessly, and made it easy to review several hours of footage in a hurry. The accompanying timestamps for each recorded activity in the sequence are a nice touch.

Conclusions
If you're looking for a versatile home surveillance camera, consider the Flir FX. You can use it as a dash cam or an outdoor security camera if you purchase the necessary add-on options. It delivers sharp live and recorded video in full HD and will keep you informed of your home's temperature and humidity levels. And like any surveillance cam worth its salt, it records video when it detects sound and motion. But the Flir FX tends to trigger false alerts every so often, which can be frustrating. Its cloud storage plans are pricey, and doesn't integrate with other home automation devices like the Piper nv and the Nest Cam do. For its excellent image detail and its ability to double as a hub for for Z-Wave device, the Piper nv remains our Editors' Choice.

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