I think that it might have been those cosy evenings back in the early 2010s that did it. Back then VIP and I used to be avid viewers of a Channel 5 programme called Person of Interest.

The premise of the show, if you weren’t lucky enough to have seen it, was that a mysterious billionaire had developed a system (The Machine) that monitored human activity at all times via a mind-bending number of cameras and inter-connected systems which so completely understood human behaviour that it was actually possible to predict crimes before they happened. This sowed the seed, I think, of wanting a mini-version of The Machine for myself.

A few years later, VIP bought me a CCTV system for Christmas. I know that this doesn’t sound like the most romantic of gifts, but for me it was a well-thought out one. A few months later, he wired up the system; shinning up drain pipes and running power cables. It was one of the first systems that we found that was ‘wireless’ in that you didn’t have to run ethernet cables between everything. You did, however, need to find power and that was a bit of a limitation when it came to siting the camera.

Fast forward a few years and we now have a few systems on our mobiles running CCTV cameras and camera doorbells; monitoring everything from the main points of potential entry into our house, to watching the rabbits as they eat breakfast. We had run out of cameras to get a view towards the back of the house from the garden though, so I was delighted when I was offered the opportunity to look at a new system – the Kami wire-free outdoor camera.

First impressions of the Kami wire-free outdoor camera 

The box that the camera came in was neat and all of the necessary gubbins were either inside it or came with the accompanying box which contained the battery charger. The Kami is a genuinely wireless camera in that not only does it connect wirelessly but it is also battery powered. Kami claim that, with regular use, the batteries will last six months (pretty impressive), but it is great to see that when these do conk out it will be a simple matter of charging them up again to start snooping again.

The camera itself is attractive; it has a bullet-like shape and is shiny and white. It has an impressive heft and so feels well-made. In the box too is a mounting bracket with some screws and wall plugs so that the camera can be mounted on any solid surface.

The camera is listed as being IP65, which means it will be durable enough to withstand even the most rain-lashed conditions. And this was certainly put through its paces in the last week! As well as the mounting bracket there is also an adjustable mounting ‘joint’ which swivels so that the camera can pointed in any direction – clever.

Kami set up & operation

Wi-fi cameras are pretty simple to set up nowadays and the Kami is no exception. It was just a case of charging the batteries, downloading the Kami app and powering the camera on. Then even the most technophobic will find the set up wizard pretty easy to follow. Point the camera at a QR code on your phone (found in the app) and make sure that the camera is on your Wi-fi network and you are away. It really was that simple.

We decided on a spot on our apple tree in the back garden, which gave a good view of our back door and patio – one area that isn't already covered by a camera. Once secured in place, it was time to open the app to see how easy it was to use. Accessing the live footage is simple enough. During the set up process you're asked to name the camera and this appears as a preview on the app’s home screen. Once you tap that you can view what the camera sees in real time. As you can see by the picture below, I labelled the camera ‘back garden' during set up and then I was looking at my face as it came to life!

You can toggle between SD (standard definition) and HD (high definition) if your internet signal is a little sketchy and you can toggle the picture so that it fills the whole screen. The picture is pretty good- even at night.

A feature which the camera has (which not all wireless cameras that I found at this sort of price point have) is a two-way audio; this means that it picks up sound and can also relay sound from your mobile device. As a default, the camera is set to alert you if it detects motion and it records a short six-second or so clip, which you can review later.

If you want to be able to store greater amounts of footage, however, you would either need to insert a mini SD card or sign up to Kami’s subscription service.

Price range & value

The Kami Wire-free Outdoor Camera is available from around £79.99 and, on balance, I found the app really easy to use and set up (as was the camera itself). The camera itself seems to have great build quality and durability, and the fact that it runs on rechargeable batteries is also a bonus.

Price-wise, the little bit of research that I did showed comparable cameras which were similarly priced or a little bit more expensive. I am not sure how they behave so I cannot give you a meaningful comparison. On the whole, the Kami is a nice looking and well made fully wireless camera. It has some nice technical features but is still easy to use.

Overall, I'm happy with my little machine that helps keep an eye on any prowlers – so far, we've managed to see a few including a gorgeous looking fox (that was the size as a dog!), a few squirrels and something else that keeps moving the bush which we haven't worked out what it is yet – I'll let you know when I do!

*I was gifted the Kami Wire-Free Outdoor Camera in return for an honest review.

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