Some time ago, D-link announced new cameras that they equipped with the newest technology. The company included edge-based person detection plus AI tech. If you want to know about it, stay a while and read our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review.
Today, we’re focusing on the DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera, which sports a built-in spotlight in its build. This feature will bring colour and enhanced visibility to nighttime vision.
Does it sound like something you’d need for your home security? If that’s the case, let’s learn more about the product in our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review.
D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera Packaging
Let’s discuss the camera’s packaging and contents in our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review.
The DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera came in the typical D-Link cardboard box. It features the usual blue and white theme that’s clean and simple.
The box’s front displays an image of the spotlight camera itself, while D-Link is written on the upper-right corner. Above the image notes the main purpose of the camera, while below it is the list of its functions.
At the back of the box, you’ll find a couple more information about the camera written there.
Inside, you will find the DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera placed securely. It comes with other items like the wall adapter, an EU 2-pin and UK 3-pin plug head, and wall-mount screws. Additionally, you’ll find anchor points in the package as well.
There are also some documentation, cable ties, plus stickers to alert everyone that you have a surveillance system installed.
D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera Review – Design and Functionality
This time in our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review, we’ll focus on the camera’s design and functions.
The design of the DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera is compact compared to other similar products. It only comes with two screws for mounting, and installation is extremely easy.
The camera sports common features, namely the two-way audio and IR illumination, which are present in similar products today. But what makes it stand out from the rest is the vibrant LED spotlight, PIR-based motion detection, and audio alarm.
This DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera isn’t your typical cam that works outdoors. It’s one that’s perfectly ideal for outdoor home security use.
These offer you a wider range of coverage that reaches up to 7 metres away. Meaning, the DCS-8630LH can readily see even in complete darkness.
A built-in LED spotlight features 400 Lumens of brightness and can immediately light up whenever necessary. With that, the DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera can offer coloured video capture even at night.
Its passive infrared sensor is placed on the lower portion of the camera that offers increased motion detection.
The DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera is made for outdoor placement. It comes with a cable of 7 metres which is utilised for power.
The cable is categorised into two parts for quick installation. One is fixed to the camera, while the other’s on the power adapter. These two are linked together via a locking connector found at the centre.
There’s a connected swivel bracket mount present, and it works for both ceiling or wall mounts. It’s also ideal for mounting on a pole.
Beneath the camera, you’ll see a rubber flap concealing the microSD slot.
When it comes to the speaker, you can find it under the camera as well. And with support for 2-way audio, you can utilise the DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera as an intercom system.
For the integrated speaker, it can trigger 100dB beeping notifications. The company calls this the “Siren”, which is made to attract attention.
Next, we’re discussing the key features of the camera in our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review.
Key Features of the D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera
Home Surveillance with Illumination
Monitoring your home at night has become easier than ever with the DCS-9630LH’s integrated spotlight. It features colour night vision that works in complete darkness, plus 150° wide-angle view.
With that, the camera captures full HD 1080p videos at 30fps.
It also has a built-in smart home hub that connects with other smart devices supported by mydlink. With that, you can create various stunning automation to enhance your home’s security.
See More in the Dark
This outdoor spotlight camera offers 400-lumen illumination, allowing you to see everything in low-light and even the dark. For the spotlight, you can automatically or manually activate this.
Endurance against Harsh Weather Conditions
The DCS-8630LH is IP-65-rated, which means it can withstand temperatures as low as -25°C, and as high as 45°C. You won’t have to worry about your camera getting damaged by the heat or due to freezing.
Hear and Be Heard
The camera’s built-in speaker and microphone allow you to make your presence felt even from afar. You can speak through your mobile device to broadcast live audio to the camera. With that, you can let people know that you’re watching.
Also, it lets you hear audio from the camera in real-time.
ONVIF Compliant
The DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera supports ONVIF Profile S. With that, you can record video streams to your ONVIF compliant NAS, VMS, or NVR with ease.
As a result, it allows for continuous footage recording and centralised viewing.
If you have an ONVIF compliant device, you can control the camera’s settings without utilising the mydlink application.
Your Footage, Your Choice
Aside from recording video clips and snapshots, the DCS-8630LH lets you access the footage anytime. These are accessible via Cloud, and you can also download them to your mobile device, wherever you are.
Another option is to store your footage in a microSD card. The DCS-8630LH supports up to 256GB storage expansion. What’s more, this smart camera records over old footage, reducing the occupied storage space.
Next-Gen Wireless Encryption
Privacy is one of the main concerns with IoT devices and Wi-Fi networks. Fortunately, the DCS-8630LH comes with 128-bit encryption, the latest security standard for wireless encryption. It ensures high levels of privacy for networks and devices.
Works with Alexa and Google Assistant
The DCS-8630LH works with Alexa and Google Assistant. You can use voice controls to stream videos to Echo Spot, Echo Show, Amazon Fire TV, and Google Chromecast.
Built-in Smart Home Hub
This camera has an integrated smart home hub that receives notifications and triggers actions from other mydlink smart devices. With that, the camera can serve as a central hub for your smart home.
Specifications
Now, we’re focusing on the camera’s specifications in this part of our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review.
The DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera has a minimum illumination of B/W mode (IR LEDs ON) – 0 lux. It comes with a fixed 2.7mm length, and an F2.0 aperture.
For its angle of view, the DCS-8630LH has 123.8°, 65.4°, and 150° views (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal).
The camera uses H.264 streaming for its video compression. For video resolution, the main profile is 1080p (1920×1080) at up to 30fps. Audio support is MPEG-2 AAC LC.
Connectivity
This camera from D-Link utilises the 802.11n.g wireless connection. It also comes with the newest industry-standard, 128-bit wireless encryption.
Bluetooth Low Energy 4.2 is being used for the camera, and it also has a microSD card slot. It can support up to 256GB capacity, while the 2T2R supports maximum data rates of 150Mbps with 20MHz bandwidth. In addition, it also supports 300Mbps using 40MHz bandwidth.
The camera weighs a total of 237g ± 5%, and it consumes a total of 8W ± 5% of power.
The power adapter of the DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera has an input of 100 to 240V AC | 50/60Hz. For the output, it’s 12V DC 1-A.
Operating temperature of the camera is -25 to 45°C (-13 to 104 °F). The storage temperature is -20 to 70°C (-4 to 158 °F). As for its humidity during operation, it reaches from 20% to 90% non-condensing.
Hands on with the D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera
This time, our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review will discuss and focus on the performance of the camera. First up, let’s take a look at the mydlink app from D-Link.
Like other cameras from D-Link, the DCS-8630LH’s camera setup is done via the mydlink app. It is available for both iOS and Android devices.
The setup process is simple, as is generally the same as any latest D-Link camera like the DCS-8526LH.
This application lets you configure sensitivity, motion detection zones, plus automation and scenes to trigger different actions.
What we loved about the DCS-8630LH outdoor spotlight camera is the fact that it has a 150-degree wide-angle view. Its angle is extremely wide. So, you might want to set it where it can view and cover about two corners of your area.
With its IP-65 rating, the camera was able to survive our somewhat chaotic weather conditions. Even if it was storming out and windy, the camera worked effectively and efficiently with no issues.
Additionally, it’s ONVIF-compliant. With that, we were able to record streams into our ONVIF-compliant NAS, VMS, and NVR systems. It’s excellent for centralised viewing, as well as continuous recording, 24/7.
The camera allowed us to record clips from the mydlink Cloud. A plus here is that we were able to utilise a microSD card to locally record up to 256GB.
When it comes to the quality of the recording, it’s pretty good and clear. We’re very happy with the camera, and its range of scope is far and wide as well. Even recordings at night were clear and sharp, which was great.
With the recently-updated mydlink app, changing settings and setting rules using automation was easy.
Another thing we liked about the DCS-8630LH is that it worked seamlessly with Alexa and the Google Assistant. So if you’re utilising Google Nest Hub or Amazon Echo Show-8, you can use the voice command readily. Doing so will allow you to look for your live streams with ease.
D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera Review Summary
D-Link Full HD Outdoor Wi-Fi Spotlight Camera comes with an integrated Smart Home Hub and a wide-angle view. It’s a feature-rich and stand-alone security camera that makes it one of the best inclusions to your smart home today.
Aside from its impressive features, it’s highly durable, so you won’t have to worry about it in different weather conditions. Also, it’s fully customisable via a user-friendly app, so everyone won’t experience difficulties using it.
Usually, person and glass break detection features are a premium offer, but D-Link offers these for free. With that, we’re ending our D-Link DCS-8630LH Outdoor Spotlight Camera review by highly recommending this product.
If you want to add this camera to your home security system, you can purchase it from the official website.