Expert's Rating
Pros
- Compact pan-and-tilt design
- Easy setup
- 2K QHD resolution
- Works with Alexa and Google Home
- Local and cloud video storage
Cons
- No optical zoom
- Can’t sent alerts via SMS or e-mail
- No HomeKit compatibility
Our Verdict
The pan-and-tilt Nooie’s 360 Cam 2 makes for an affordable way to watch over your loved ones, although we wish it could send alerts via text and e-mail rather than to just the app.
Price When Reviewed
$69.99
Best Prices Today: Nooie 360 Cam 2
Combining remote tilting and panning, high-resolution video, and the ability to follow intruders and furry friends alike, the black, oval-shaped Nooie 360 Cam 2 can keep track of pets and kids as well as warn you of suspicious goings-on in your home.
At 4.9 x 3.1 x 3.1 inches (HxWxD), the wired 360 Cam 2 is slightly wider than Nooie’s original 360 Cam. It’s also smaller than the similarly shaped Aqara G3 camera (and it lacks that cam’s silly-looking ears), but huge next to the square Wyze Cam Pan v2. The Nooie will blend into most rooms, including a baby’s nursery.
This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best home security cameras.
How wide is the Nooie 360 Cam 2’s field of view?
Available in black, the 360 Cam 2 is similar to the original 360 Cam with the ability to tilt the camera’s lens 94 degrees and pan 355 degrees. Its 101-degree field of view is narrower than the smaller and cheaper Wyze Cam Pan v2’s 120-degree field of view; then again, the Wyze camera tends to distort the video at its edges.
Based on QHD imaging, the 360 Cam 2 outdoes the original 360 Cam’s HD resolution. On the downside, its base lacks the threaded tripod mount that many home cameras have, although its mounting hardware (including screws) let me hang the camera just about anywhere.
The Nooie 360 Cam 2 is small enough to blend into most rooms.
The Nooie 360 Cam 2 is small enough to blend into most rooms.
Brian Nadel/Foundry
The Nooie 360 Cam 2 is small enough to blend into most rooms.
Brian Nadel/Foundry
Brian Nadel/Foundry
Does the Nooie 360 Cam 2 store video locally or in the cloud?
While its ability to stream live video is the 360 Cam 2’s greatest charm, the camera can also store video on a microSD card or online in Nooie+ cloud storage.
The Nooie+ “Starter” plan offers a three-day video history for $4 a month (or $29 annually), while the “Standard” plan gives you a 30-day history for $6 a month/$49 a year.
Does the Nooie 360 Cam 2 support night vision?
While it works well in bright sunlight, the 360 Cam 2 excels at night work with infrared night vision that can detect and record action in near darkness at up to 32 feet.
The camera’s single LED glows red when the device is ready to be set up, while solid green means everything is OK. The app lets you turn the light off, handy for when it’s positioned in a child’s room.
How do you set up the Nooie 360 Cam 2?
Happily, the Nooie 360 Cam 2 uses the existing Nooie app, and there are versions for iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. It took just a minute to install the Nooie app on my Samsung Galaxy Note 20, and the app works with other Nooie products, such as its doorbell and pet feeder. While the app has Android and iOS well covered, there’s no easy way to watch video from the Nooie 360 Cam 2 on a Mac or Windows system.
I plugged the camera into a power outlet using the included AC adapter and cable. Next, I tapped the app’s “+” button and picked “Nooie 360 Cam” to start the setup process. I manually connected the cam to my Wi-Fi router’s 2.4 GHz band, aimed the camera lens at a QR code, and then agreed to the company’s license to finish the pairing process. In less than four minutes, video was flowing.
Later, I added a second camera and put the included Nooie video surveillance sticker on a prominent window in the front of my home.
Does the Nooie 360 Cam 2 support motion detection?
With built-in motion and sound detection, the 360 Cam 2 can not only record when something moves into its field of view but silently follow it. It tracked our family’s pet tortoise when I let him roam, as well as family members when the cam was set up in the living room.
If the camera detects movement, it records the action and then returns to its home position. The recordings are time-stamped, arranged day by day in a timeline and available on the app or cloud server.
The Nooie app lets you pick and choose motion events, as well as see live camera views.
The Nooie app lets you pick and choose motion events, as well as see live camera views.
Brian Nadel/Foundry
The Nooie app lets you pick and choose motion events, as well as see live camera views.
Brian Nadel/Foundry
Brian Nadel/Foundry
When the phone is held in a vertical orientation, the feed shows up small or full screen in horizontal mode.
You can pan and tilt the camera by wiping across your phone’s screen in the Nooie app (you must hold your device horizontally for a full-screen view), although I prefer using the four-way arrow control to nudge the camera to the right direction.
In addition to acting as a two-way intercom with the phone, it’s easy to tap the interface to manually record the action or take a still image for when a pet or child is doing something particularly cute.
The Nooie app supports two-factor authentication to help prevent hackers from accessing your videos, while the camera itself comes with a one-year warranty.
How well does the Nooie 360 Cam 2 perform?
The Nooie 360 Cam 2’s QHD video was a welcome change from lower-resolution cameras I’ve used over the years. Its motion detection software was generally excellent, capable of picking up a pesky raccoon nosing around plants on a porch at night. The camera was, however, tripped several times by trees swaying in a breeze. Luckily, the cam’s sensitivity is easy to adjust.
Setting up Alexa control to watch the feed on an Echo Show 5 screen took about a minute, but there’s no way to pan or tilt the cam via an Echo Show. The camera also works with Google Home, but not with Apple’s HomeKit platform.
While the 360 Cam 2 can send motion alerts to the app, it can’t text or email them.
During its more than two-week stay at my home, the Nooie 360 Cam 2 used only 2.1 watts when it was online, the same draw as the Wyze Cam Pan v2. Either cam will cost about $2.70 a year to run 24/7 if you pay the national average of $0.15 per kilowatt-hour of electricity.
Is the Nooie 360 Cam 2 worth the cash?
While it was never meant to function as a surveillance camera, the Nooie 360 Cam 2 can nonetheless do double duty, inexpensively keeping an eye on your kids and pets as well as your home.
Best Prices Today: Nooie 360 Cam 2
Author: Brian Nadel, Freelance Contributor
Brian Nadel is a contributing writer for TechHive and Computerworld and is the former editor-in-chief of Mobile Computing & Communications magazine.