Samsung Wisenet Camera Review

We review three Wisenet cameras to see if they can stand up to the competition.
Best Overall
Samsung Wisenet SmartCam
Samsung Wisenet SmartCam
3.6 out of 5 stars
3.55
  • pro
    Dynamic light balancing
  • pro
    Motion and sound detection
Best Baby Monitor
Wisenet BabyView Eco
Wisenet BabyView Eco
2.3 out of 5 stars
2.25
  • pro
    Easy setup
  • pro
    Playful design
Best CCTV System
Samsung Wisenet All-in-One
Samsung Wisenet All-in-One
3.3 out of 5 stars
3.25
  • pro
    Includes four cameras
  • pro
    Works indoors and outdoors

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Usually, we can find all sorts of reasons why you should choose a particular brand over another. Still, Wisenet’s cameras are so average that they’re forgettable, even though some of them have Samsung branding (more on that later). While the cameras themselves are comparable to the competition and aren’t too expensive, there’s not much to make them stand out in an increasingly crowded market for security cameras.

All the same, the Wisenet BabyView Eco caught our attention for its playful design, soothing sounds, and competitive pricing.

Samsung Wisenet cameras are not our first choice, but there’s enough to like about them—like the SmartCam’s wide field of view and the All-in-One’s four cameras—that they’re worth buying if you get a refurbished model or find one on sale.

Read on to learn what else we like about Wisenet cameras and what we didn’t.



Compare Wisenet Security Cameras

Best Overall

Best Baby Monitor

Best CCTV System

Samsung Wisenet SmartCam

Wisenet BabyView Eco

Samsung Wisenet All-in-One

Price*

$64.99

$85.00

$199.99

Resolution

1080p

480p

1080p

Field of View

130º

55º

105º

Night Vision

Up to 32 feet

Up to 16 feet

Up to 82 feet

*Amazon.com price as of post date. (MT). Read full disclaimer.

Samsung Wisenet Camera Reviews

Samsung Wisenet SmartCam: Best Overall

The Samsung Wisenet SmartCam is the best Wisenet has to offer. It’s affordable and has crisp 1080p video quality. The camera employs both sound and motion detection as triggers for capturing video. It’s nice that it’s not wholly reliant on motion since motion detection alone can activate your camera more often.

You can record video in the cloud (plans start at $4.99 a month) or insert a microSD card into the camera to record locally. Even with local recording, you’ll still want to connect this camera to your Wi-Fi network to use the free app. The Wisenet SmartCam app lets you use the camera’s two-way audio and review videos on your phone.

We especially like its wide dynamic range, which makes it easier for the camera to record when there’s inconsistent lighting in a room. This is great for capturing video with the lights on, in natural daylight, and in complete darkness (using night vision LEDs).

Aside from the dynamic lighting, there isn’t much to set the SmartCam apart from other brands. For $99, it’s simply not as advanced as the Google Nest Cam IQ Indoor (though that costs much more) or even the similarly-priced Ring Stick Up Cam Battery. On the cheaper end of the spectrum, we prefer the Wyze Cam Pan since it has essentially the same tech inside (plus mechanical panning) for a lower price. All of these competitors have excellent smart home capabilities while this Wisenet wireless camera has none.

pro
Pros
pro Wide field of view
pro Affordable
pro Local and cloud video storage
pro Motion and sound detection
con
Cons
con No smart home support

Wisenet BabyView Eco: Best Baby Monitor

As a full-fledged baby monitor, the Wisenet BabyView Eco is the most colorful camera on this list. It has a sweet design that looks like it belongs in a nursery or child's playroom.

The bright orange stand isn’t just for looks; it’s actually a flexible wire that you can wrap around other objects (like the edge of the crib) to get the perfect view into your baby’s crib. The flexible stand makes installing the baby monitor a breeze.

The BabyView Eco wirelessly beams its video to a dedicated screen for parents to watch over the kids. Even though there isn’t a mobile app for this baby monitor, we like that the screen frees up your phone for other things.

Using the parent unit, you can talk to your baby, check to see if the nursery is too warm using a built-in thermometer, or play lullabies and white noise to help your baby sleep.

Because baby monitors fit a specific niche, they don’t do well when you compare them with security cameras. This is especially true for the lesser video quality, narrow field of view, and lack of mobile app controls in most baby monitors.

pro
Pros
pro Cute, playful design
pro Easy setup
pro Comes with screen for parents
pro Built-in lullabies and white noise
con
Cons
con Narrow field of view
con Not for general security
con No mobile app or video storage

Samsung Wisenet All-in-One: Best CCTV System

The Samsung Wisenet All-in-One is a good option if you want multiple weatherproof bullet cameras since it comes with four in the box. Now you can watch every square inch of your yard (or at least every door) like a security guard in a heist movie.

The cameras record at a variety of resolutions and framerates, which allows you to make the most of the spacious 1TB hard drive in the DVR. You can view the camera feed on your smartphone, but don’t expect two-way talk like with the SmartCam.

Each camera captures high-def video and has an impressive night vision range up to 82 feet, so you can see to the edge of your property when the sun goes down. You can place the weatherproof cameras either indoors or outdoors, though an outdoor installation is more difficult since you’ll need to run cables inside to the DVR.

A major drawback of the All-in-One is that it uses wired cameras, which makes for a complicated installation process, especially if you insist on hiding every wire. Still, each camera comes with a 60-foot cable to connect to the DVR, offering a lot of flexibility for where you place each unit. You’ll have a similar experience with other CCTV brands, not just the Wisenet system.

The Samsung Wisenet All-in-One costs around $250, which is average for a four-camera CCTV system, but similar systems from Swann (Alexa and Google compatibility) and Foscam (Wi-Fi cameras) are more suitable for most folks.

pro
Pros
pro Comes with four cameras
pro 1TB of local video storage
pro Works indoors and outdoors
pro 82-foot night vision range
con
Cons
con Complicated setup
con Wired cameras
con Lacks two-way talk

Final Word

As a whole, Wisenet security cameras don’t hold a candle to more popular brands like Nest, Arlo, Ring, and Wyze. There’s not much that makes them stand out in the broader market, except on the baby monitor front. We think the Wisenet BabyView Eco is a solid option for parents thanks to its flexible stand and soothing sounds. It didn’t quite make our list of top baby monitors, but it’s worth checking out.

If we had to choose a Wisenet security camera, we’d go with the Samsung Wisenet SmartCam. It’s a good option that’s not too expensive, especially if you buy a renewed one on Amazon for less than half of the new price. That said, we think you’ll find better home security cameras by looking elsewhere.

FAQ

No, Samsung sold its security camera business, Samsung Techwin, to Hanwha in 2014.1 Hanwha later rebranded it as Hanwha Techwin2 and adopted the Wisenet brand for consumer products. As part of the sale, both companies now co-own the Samsung brand, which is why you sometimes see Samsung-branded Wisenet cameras.

Despite giving Hanwha better recognition for its products, this shared branding is confusing and leads to misconceptions about both brands. To add to that confusion, Samsung now makes and sells the SmartThings Indoor Security Camera.

Yes and no. Some Wisenet cameras have limited smart home compatibility, but it’s not consistent across those devices. For example, some Wisenet cameras work with Google Assistant, while others work with Amazon Alexa, but none of them work with both. We couldn’t find any Wisenet cameras that work with SmartThings, and we don’t recommend Wisenet cameras for the smart home.

How we reviewed Samsung Wisenet cameras

For our Wisenet review, we researched around 10 models to start with and then narrowed down our choices to the three we felt best represented the Wisenet brand as a whole. While we didn’t test these cameras in house, we compared the tech specs with our experiences testing other security cameras.

We also used online customer reviews to inform our top picks. Check out our full methodology to learn more about how we rank and review products.

Related pages


Sources

  1. Security Sales and Integration, “Samsung’s Surveillance Song to Remain the Same
  2. Security Sales and Integration, “Samsung Techwin America Is Changing Its Name to Hanwha Techwin America

Disclaimer

*Amazon.com list price as of 04/10/2020 at 10:27 a.m. (MT). Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. Safewise.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

Certain content that appears on this site comes from Amazon. This content is provided “as is” and is subject to change or removal at any time.

†Google, Google Assistant, and other related marks are trademarks of Google LLC.

John Carlsen
Written by
John Carlsen
John is a technology journalist specializing in smart home devices, security cameras, and home security systems. He has over a decade of experience researching, testing, and reviewing the latest tech—he was the Smart Home Editor for Top Ten Reviews and wrote for ASecureLife before joining SafeWise as a Staff Writer in 2020. John holds a Bachelor's degree in Communications, Journalism emphasis from Utah Valley University. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, photography, cooking, and starting countless DIY projects he has yet to complete.

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