Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Smart Home
  3. Videos

Samsung’s Smartcam HD Plus is a serious Nest Cam contender

By
Samsung’s Smartcam HD Plus is a wireless security camera for your home that you can set up to receive mobile alerts and view live footage through your phone. The HD Plus promises better video quality and night vision through a larger sensor, and better motion detection. The new design borrows heavily from the Nest Cam, so the camera is finally discreet enough to serve as a proper security camera, unlike the Smartcam HD Pro, which is surrounded by a large, white plastic face. The base is made of aluminum, and the overall design of the HD Pro feels more premium than before. You can permanently mount the camera to your wall with its provided screws, or set it on its base on any surface.

It comes with a 16GBSD card, and unlike Nest Cam you can store footage directly onto your camera, which you can review from your phone. This means you can do what you want with your footage, and you don’t have to pay for a cloud service like you do with Nest Cam. However, the option to subscribe to a paid cloud service is there (Samsung SmartCloud) if you want to store your videos out of hand’s reach. Setup does not require a smart hub, and the only wire connected to the Smartcam is its 8-foot power cord.

Recommended Videos

You can set up the HD Plus to continuously record to its SD card, or to only record when motion or audio is detected. You can also set the camera to record over older footage in its SD card when it runs out of storage. Unlike the Nest Cam, there is no option to record footage to online storage or a cloud service, so if your device is discovered it can be tampered with. However, you can set up the camera to automatically upload photos to Google Plus or Picasa.

1 of 5
samsung smartcam hd plus video review 0005
Alexander Thickstun/Digital Trends
samsung smartcam hd plus video review 0003
Alexander Thickstun/Digital Trends
samsung smartcam hd plus video review 0004
Alexander Thickstun/Digital Trends
Samsung SmartCam HD Plus
Alexander Thickstun/Digital Trends
samsung smartcam hd plus video review 0002
Alexander Thickstun/Digital Trends

There is a lot of room for improvement on the Smartcam app. Feature rich, but very clunky to use, it lacks the streamlined look and feel of the Nest Cam app. In Samsung’s app, you can set motion zones, two-way talk between your phone and your camera, play music, watch recorded video, and more. Connectivity is sufficient, but sometimes the camera will go offline, and the only solution I’ve found to correct this is to manually unplug the camera and plug it back in.

Related

Overall, the HD Plus is an improved version of Samsung’s line of wireless Smartcams. I welcome the improved video, night vision, and motion detection, and I love the discreet design that allows you to hide the camera well. The ability to save your footage on an SD card means you don’t have to commit to a monthly fee. The HD Plus can be picked up for $139, only two-thirds the cost of the Nest Cam. Both the HD Plus and Nest Cam are strong contenders for home security.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Alexander Thickstun
Alexander Thickstun
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alexander graduated with a degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2005 and an MBA in 2011. He's an outdoor enthusiast and avid…
Best portable power station deals: Bluetti, EcoFlow, and more
Bluetti AC300 portable power station

Whether you’re looking for some portable power because you’re about to hit the road or because you’d like some extra power around the garage or backyard, portable power stations are a great way to go about it. A portable power station can help you keep your device charged up while camping, or can simply power the day while tailgating. But a portable power station can also add some savings to your wallet, as we’ve tracked down all of the best portable power station deals to shop right now. You can read onward for all of the details on how to save, and if you’d like to shop for more savings around the house, be sure to check out the current lawn mower deals, pressure washer deals, and smart lock deals.

 
Our favorite portable power station deals

Read more
Best office chair deals: Improve your posture from $78
staples offering best deals on select printers office chairs plus free shipping chair

A long day at the desk deserves a way to make it more comfortable. Adding one of the best ergonomic office chairs to your work life can get a little expensive, which is why we’ve rounded up the best office chair deals worth shopping right now. There are a lot of budget options and premium options available, as well as several to choose from in between. Reading onward you can find all of the details on the best office chair deals to shop right now, and if you’re looking for some savings on a device to plop yourself in front of have a look at the going laptop deals, gaming laptop deals, desktop computer deals, and monitor deals as well.
Flash Furniture Fundamentals swivel task chair — $90, was $149

This offering from Flash Furniture clearly states that it is task chair and not your typical office chair. Not familiar with the lingo? Task chairs are a subset of office chairs that are made to... well, do tasks in. The thinking goes that office chairs are used primarily for sitting and looking at screens, then doing occasional fits of typing and clicking. The Flash Fundamentals Task Chair, and other task chairs like it, are made for more activity than normal. How does Flash Furniture give you this? It emphasizes quick twists in the 360-degree swivel and a smaller horizontal profile so you can move about with ease through multiple task stations or with multiple workers present. And, of course, there's the nice mesh backing to keep you from getting overheated while doing everything. Try it out for yourself via the button below to see if a task chair is for you.

Read more
Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo vs. Dreame X40 Ultra: Which robot vacuum is best for your smart home?
The Ecovacs X2 Combo installed in a home.

The Dreame X40 Ultra and Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo are both well-rounded robot vacuums. They bring heaps of functionality to your home, including self-cleaning docks, robots that can both mop and clean in a single run, and luxurious designs that blend with most home décor. All that doesn't come cheap, and you'll be spending well over $1,000 to get your hands on either robot. That means you'll want to carefully weigh your options before making such a hefty investment.

From vacuuming and mopping performance to pricing and additional features, here's a look at the Ecovacs Deebot X2 Combo and Dreame X40 Ultra to help you decide which is best for your home.
Pricing and availability

Read more