The Cop Cam is a surveillance camera designed to help you keep an eye on your home when you’re away. The little wireless device is slowly gaining popularity thanks to several TV commercials, but does it do what it says on the tin? Here is a review of the Cop Cam.
When working, the Cop Cam is a standard device. It does what it promises on the box, which is more than can be said for some other cameras on the market.
Some cameras are much better than this. These will do the job much easier and better. There are even some that offer cloud backup and allow you to watch videos through your smartphones rather than on a computer.
What is a police camera?
The Cop Cam is a pocket security camera. It is designed to record HD videos and comes with a motion sensor and microphone. This is supposed to turn on selectively when these sensors turn on.
The camera does what any security camera is supposed to do. This helps keep a watchful eye on your home. This is particularly useful given the uncertain nature of the world.
With its small size, you can place it almost anywhere. This makes it a spy and security camera on its own, but what other elements make up the Cop Cam?
What are the features of Cop Cam?
Atomic beamthe company that makes the Cop Cam, claims 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 a square inch. This allows you to use and hide the camera just about anywhere.
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Films 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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Download images 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 angle is estimated to be around 140 degrees.
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Excellent nighttime recording. The Cop Cam can record perfectly 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, swivel clip and 8GB memory card
How much does Cop Cam cost and where to get it?
The Cop Cam costs around $50. You can either pay once or pay in installments, including shipping costs.
There is an additional double offer on the Cop Cam. You can get two for around $70 instead of the usual $100. This deal includes separate 8GB memory cards for both cameras.
Other than that, Atomic offers a luxury option for around $65. This luxury option comes with a camera with four times the memory of the standard version. There is also a deluxe double option for around $100.
You can purchase a Cop Cam at almost any major store like Bed Bath & Beyond or Target. It’s usually in the As Seen on TV aisle. You also have an online store option like Amazon.
What is the Cop Cam used for?
The Cop Cam should capture HD recordings of events around you and your home. You can decide to use it as a home security camera or a body camera. The swivel clip is intended to facilitate this functionality.
It is also supposed to enable fast charging. The battery should also be long-lasting, capable of providing at least 45 minutes of service on a full charge.
With an 8GB memory card, it promises around 80 minutes of recording time. Recordings are looped on memory cards intended to run in a loop. This means that once the storage is full, it records on the first recorded video.
The motion sensor is what makes the Cop Cam truly special. It is designed to trigger recording once the camera detects movement.
Does Cop Cam do what it says?
Well, some concerns have been raised about the Cop Cam. I’ll try to break things down little by little.
1. Video recording
The Cop Cam promises to work in all lighting conditions. This is not always true because it has difficulty adapting to changes in lighting. The difficulty is easily exposed in situations where you suddenly change location, such as when entering a room.
Night mode also doesn’t work as promised. Sometimes the infrared LEDs do not trigger. This means that the camera may not work overnight.
This location issue aside, the Cop Cam records in HD. Camera recordings are quite clear in optimal lighting situations. It also captures extended and background scenes quite well.
The audio quality is also very good. It picks up sound 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 to charge it. It’s quite simple. There’s just one problem.
Depending on what you use to charge it, the Cop Cam reacts differently.
If you are using a computer, the Cop Cam’s lights vary between red and green. Once charging is complete, the lights will turn off instantly.
If you use a wall outlet, the light will simply flash, rather than alternately. Once fully charged, the light will slowly turn off.
There is another problem. If you use a plug, the camera turns on and records for the duration of charging. This does not happen if you are using a computer.
3. Motion detection
Trying to use the Cop Cam reveals yet another flaw. The motion sensor does not always work as advertised.
The Cop Cam does not turn on even if someone moves and shakes in front of it. Sometimes this happens, but it may take up to 2-3 minutes before it turns 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. Use the police camera
Cop Cam’s instructions are easy to follow. You just need to hold down the single button to turn it on. That’s it.
There are some issues with using it as a body camera, however. The clip isn’t exactly the best. The camera falls out of the body quite frequently.
Its small size also makes it difficult to use as a portable device. It has a certain design flaw in terms of stabilization.
5. Other Cop Cam Concerns
The Cop Cam raises a few other concerns. They are somewhat negligible but they reveal some design flaws.
The first is the timestamp. All videos have a timestamp, a feature that is not addressed at all in the instructions. There is no specified way to enable or disable timestamps.
There are also cases where videos have a purple or pink tint. This is not always the case, but some video recordings have this particular flaw.
Video files also have playback problem. The default Windows video player fails to open videos. Same with some other video players.
A standard third-party application or program can easily overcome this flaw.
Memory card positioning is also an issue. The unit sits underneath the camera, which means you have to hold the camera in your hand before turning it on. Otherwise, the SD card comes out.
Last problem, there should be a photo mode, indicated by the lighting of a green light. To trigger it, you need 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 almost impossible to test whether photo mode exists or not.
What is the final verdict on the Cop Cam?
Personally, I think Cop Cam is a great idea. It just needs some tweaking in its design. If producers can get around the majority of these flaws, it will be a big problem in the home security market.
Overall, my review of Cop Cam is very positive. Check products for sale on Amazon and Walmart. The prices are quite reasonable, around twenty euros. It’s definitely worth taking a look once.
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