Promising app for Xiaomi Ants Cam
Works smooth, even on iOS 9 public beta as per 17.08.2015. Very simple intuitive one-click interface. I love the panorama function. Good image capture options. You have the possibility to turn off the camera remotely (and also switch the recording LED to on/off although a user could cheat). Easy timeline-based navigation to display past recordings. Camera automatically adapts display quality based on bandwidth.
Integrated "Device Shop" does not add any value to the app (and is all in Chinese - hey guys please share with English speaking, too)
To register a new cam to the app can be a little nightmare because the cam build-in voice prompts are on Chinese only and I had to run through the process like 6 times before I got it right. But once in, it seems rocky stable. Some latency when opening a cam, but not sure it is due to the Xiaomi streaming server or my own router & internet.
Device Sharing is too complex as it can only be done AFTER your invitee has already created a Xiaomi account. You should be able to send a e-mail invite to download the App AND create an account AND validate the invitation, all in one process.
FAQ and MiHome Forum are in Chinese only. Either translate or remove link for the English App.
In the SETTINGS the second option is still in Chinese. It translates somehow "video surveillance storage, video surveillance will be stored in the open dish millet route" (yeah Google translate isnt quite good in this)
But the main reason why I took off two stars for this version:
1) Official App name displays in Chinese when installed on non-Chinese iOS. Needs to be in English for easy recognition.
2) Notifications display in Chinese language: please translate notification into English as I have several Ants cameras and never know which one is requesting my attention.
3) Notifications indicate China/HK time zone, probably from the streaming server. Pop-up time must be displayed in cameras local time (if not possible, use time from smartphone).
4) I have the "motion sensor" version of camera: camera senses strong changes in light as if it was a movement. In places with frequent weather change (cloud / sun) and where lights are automatically switched on/off with no real movement, it will trigger an alert, which is quite annoying and misleading. I experienced this in low-end cameras and hoped this would not happen with the Xiaomi cam.
5) Sound quality for listening and talking is very limited, even with good bandwidth. I wanted to use the cam to give instructions to somebody ringing at my door when I am away after receiving a Notification, but talk exchanges are incomprehensible.
Stylish Backpacker about 米家, v1.5.1
