Baseus Security S2 4K surveillance camera review: Local recording and solar-powered battery for unlimited runtime
Privacy surveillance camera?
The Baseus Security S2 comes with a solar panel that automatically aligns with the sun, providing an "endless" runtime without manual recharging. The 4K camera detects unwanted visitors with radar and PIR, even at night. All recordings are saved locally on an SD card. We tested it to see how well it works.Christian Hintze, ✓ (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy) Published 🇩🇪
Verdict - Versatile security camera
Together with the app, the Baseus Security S2 is a very versatile surveillance camera. It can be used to communicate, save known face profiles, set restricted zones and more. Additionally, almost all data remains local, and private zones can be excluded from monitoring. This allows users to retain control over their data, provided they trust the manufacturer.
Besides the rather mediocre image quality, the power-saving battery operation is also problematic, as the S2 always has to be "activated" from sleep mode first. If an intruder only moves past the camera briefly and very quickly, they may not be captured on video. However, this is probably less of a problem outdoors.
Pros
Cons
Price and availability
The Baseus S2 normally costs $200 on Amazon, but at the time of writing, a $70 coupon reduces the price to $129.
The Baseus Security S2 is a battery-powered surveillance camera with 4K resolution. Thanks to the rotatable solar panel on top, which automatically aligns itself with the sun, the runtime should be virtually uninterrupted.
Specifications
| Resolution | 8 MP photos; 4K video |
| Frame rate | 15 fps |
| Viewing angle | 145 degrees |
| Motion detection | Radar + PIR (passive infrared) |
| Protection class | IP67 |
| Supported storage media | SD card up to 256 GB (not included) |
| Communication | Wi-Fi, 2.4 GHz |
| Detection | People, faces, animals, vehicles |
Design and equipment - White box with solar panel roof
The Baseus S2 features a box-shaped housing made of white plastic, with a black front panel that houses the camera lens, sensors, and emergency light. A blue status LED is also present but can be turned off via the app.
The small solar panel, which automatically tracks the sun, serves as a "roof". The speaker is positioned at the bottom front, while the MicroSD and USB-C slots are located further back, protected under a rubber cover.
The camera not only detects the movement of people, animals and vehicles but also recognizes specific faces, up to 10 family members can be "whitelisted" - the only data stored in the cloud. according to the manufacturer, is encrypted, and neither third parties nor Baseus itself should have access to it. The AI recognition calculations are performed locally on the device.
In terms of privacy, it is also possible to define image areas of the camera that should not be monitored. The camera also offers night vision. However, the "color night vision" is pure marketing and is only available when the spotlight is activated. Its sensors cover a radius of up to 8 m.
Installation - Drilling is required
Baseus includes three screws and wall plugs in the package, along with a mounting arm that screwed into the wall. The camera itself has a 1/4 inch thread on the back, allowing it to be attached to the mounting arm or to a tripod. However, accessories for less invasive installation options are not included.
Baseus Security App - Wide range of setting options
In the app (iOS/Android), you first select your region and create an account. Then, you connect the camera to Wi-Fi and pair it with the app, which requires temporarily enabling location access.
You can then view the live image, set options and define profiles such as "Home" (recording but no alarm). You can also create schedules for when and how the camera should be active.
You can speak into the smartphone microphone during the live feed, and your voice will be transmitted to the S2's loudspeaker. For example, family members outside can be informed that the meal is ready. In the same window, you can record videos, take photos and switch the spotlight lamp, alarms, loudspeaker or night vision on and off.
Practical test - Start recording too late?
The picture quality could be much better: Despite its 4K resolution, many artifacts and muddy images are visible to the naked eye, likely due to high compression. This becomes clearer at 4x magnification, see below.
Since there was no monitored house available, we tested the camera by monitoring our hallway. The app notifies us immediately when movement is detected, and it records videos up to 60 seconds long. This function worked even when we stood in the hallway at night.
When someone later walked towards the camera and then disappeared into the side of the bathroom just before the camera, we only received a video of the bathroom door being closed, the person was no longer recognizable.
However, you can set the sensitivity of the detection in the app, which we promptly increased from 3 to 5 (max). After that, detection improved significantly, though it’s still not perfect. When movements are very fast, the sensors sometimes struggle to keep up.
But even with correct sensor recognition, a video recording isn’t always guaranteed. For example, we were only captured on our return when the camera was already activated by the outward journey. However, this issue is less likely to occur outdoors, where the camera covers a larger area.
Brief summary
The Baseus Security S2 Outdoor Camera 4K is a highly versatile surveillance camera with local recording capabilities. However, it sometimes doesn’t react quickly enough from energy-saving mode during very fast movements.
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was given to the author by the manufacturer free of charge for the purposes of review. There was no third-party influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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