Vimtag Fencer 960P panning security camera review
Vimtag Fencer 960P home IP security camera
£90Pros
- Compact
- Remote pan and tilt
- 2-way audio
- Decent quality video capture
- Simple set up
Cons
- A bit of lag when controlling it
- Audio not exactly crisp
Once you start looking for an IP security camera, the choice can be overwhelming. I have been sent the Vimtag Fencer home security camera to take a look at. This not only can be moved remotely, but it boasts 960P resolution.
Most, in fact all, the IP cameras I have been sent to review have been stationary. You find the optimal position (or best compromise) and then that’s the view you get.
Vimtag, however, have a price-friendly alternative.
The Fencer IP camera allows you to operate the camera remotely. Simply by sweeping up or down, left or right, on your phone screen you will have the camera tracking whoever is in the room.
Is it all that it’s cracked up to be though?
Vimtag Fencer design
I thought Fencer was an odd name for a camera until I saw it. It obviously looks like someone wearing a fencing mask. You know, the épée/rapier type, not the wooden walls type.
Anyhoooo. It’s not a bad looking thing at all.
Behind that black-tinted face-mask is a 960P camera with infrared LEDs either side of it. Those red lights do give the Fencer a slightly menacing look when they activate.
You can hook the Fencer up with a wire Ethernet connection or via Wi-Fi. You’ll find the Ethernet port on the left-hand side of the camera’s base.
Next to this is the hole for the microphone.
Over on the other side is a slot for an SD card. This enables you to save video and stills locally.
On the camera’s domed upper, are holes for the speaker.
At the rear of the base are the reset button and USB connector for power.
Vimtag Fencer performance
The Fencer IP camera has pan and tilt functionality. This covers 350 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees up and down.
You control this remotely using the Vimtag mobile app.
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This is quite a neat feature as it allows you to adjust the camera’s position on the fly to keep who, or what, ever you’re tracking in frame.
The pan and tilt is also handy as the Fencer has a comparatively narrow viewing angle of 70-degrees.
To be honest, in my London home, this is plenty to cover most of my main room.
Image Resolution is up to 960p, and night vision is supplied by two 940nm infrared lamps for a viewing distance of about 26 feet.
Fencer set-up
You can connect the Fencer to your network via Wi-Fi or your hardwired LAN.
Anyone familiar with the camera’s previous iteration, the P1, will be aware that both power and Ethernet connections came by way of a clumsy dongle. Not any more with the Fencer.
Setting the Fencer up wireless wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Mostly because, as always, I didn’t really take notice of the instructions. The wizard does tell you to only use the 2.4GHz band but, me being me, was trying to hook it up to the 5GHz signal from the Sense router.
The app syncs the camera with your Wi-Fi using audio. This took me right back to the day’s of dial-up and loading games on cassette tape.
The noise is annoying so best not to do this when your other half is engrossed in Big Brother.
Once I got over my little hurdle, setting up the camera is a doddle.
Vimtag app
As with most IP cameras, the app is your hub.
The Vimtag app allows you to schedule when the camera is to be active, as well as fine-tuning its sensitivity.
Scheduling is a simple case of blocking out times on a weekly calendar.
It is all set out in 24hr clock across the top with the days down the side. Just drag your finger over the times to activate (green) or to deactivate (red). Job done.
You can also set the Fencer to activate or deactivate by simply using the app to switch to either Out Mode or Home Mode.
You also have access to a further range of settings that help you fine-tune the images.
Notifications will pop-up on your mobile device whenever the camera is triggered. Then you can either view the camera live or look in the archives to see what triggered it.
Audio
You can listen in on what’s going on by using the camera’s microphone. It’s not exactly the last word in home recording but it will be good enough to eavesdrop.
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If you fancy letting someone know that they’re being watched you can use your phone and the camera’s speaker to chat with whoever’s in the room. Or to freak out your girlfriend.
Be warned, using it for the latter may have the potential repercussion of you sleeping on the sofa.
Video quality
Video quality from the Fencer’s camera is not bad. If you are using the pan and tilt control it takes a little for it to refocus but then all is well.
It is fairly sharp and clear enough to make out any intruder’s face (if they’ve not covered it) and clothes.
Video can be viewed in portrait or landscape. Even in portrait it is pretty good.
You also have the option to take a still direct from the the live camera feed.
Vimtag Fencer camera review conclusion
The camera does quite a lot for not much money.
Yes, there is a little lag between you swiping your phone to the camera moving, but that is kind of expected.
I still like the fact that it has this pan and tilt feature as none of the other cameras I’ve had to review have. All the others rely on having an almost fish-eye lens wide angle camera.
The Fencer also looks pretty neat. True, it doesn’t really hide itself away, but it might do a good enough job as a deterrent should a would-be-thief spot it through the window.
Add on-board recording via SD card as well as two-way audio, and I think the Fencer is a great option for those looking for a feature-packed security camera.
Vimtag Fencer price and availability
You can buy the Fencer IP camera now from £90 on Amazon UK.
