We all want to protect our stuff in house. Buying a alarm system or a camera can help. We looked at the Xiaomi Dafang 1080P already and I like the quality of the camera. Can the ZS GX1 compete with Xiaomi camera? Let’s find out!

Introduction & Specifications

I keep my house safe and use too much protection if you ask my girlfriend. I think you can never have enough security, since people still break in and steal stuff. Now with the ZS GX1 I hope I can minimize the risk of a burglar and if it happens that I can identify the burglar with the 1080P camera. The specifications of the ZS GX1 are good, but have a look yourself!

General
Brand:	ZS
Model:	GX1
Technical Features:	Infrared, Pan/Tilt/Zoom, WiFi
Features:	Backlight Compensation, Interphone, Motion Detection, Night Vision, Real-time video capture and recording, Remote Control, Screenshot, Support video control, White Balance
Motion Detection:	within 10m
Compatible OS:	Mac OS, Microsoft Windows 98 / ME / 2000 / XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista
App:	EyePlus
App Language:	Chinese Traditional, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish
Working Voltage:	5V

Network
Protocol:	DHCP, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, IP, LAN, NTP, P2P, SMTP, UPNP
Wireless:	IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
WiFi Distance:	15 - 20m
Network Port:	RJ-45
IP Mode:	Dynamic IP address
Web Broswer:	Firefox, Google Chrome, IE,Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 above, Other Standard Browser, Safari

System & Hardware
Mobile Access:	Android, iOS
Alarm Notice:	E-Mail Photo
Pan/Tilt-Horizontal Angle (Degree):	355 Degree
Pan/Tilt-Vertical Angle (Degree):	55 Degree
Local Storage:	Micro SD card up to 64GB
Maximum Monitoring Range:	120 Degree
FOV:	120 Degree

Night Vision
Infrared LED:	6 LEDs
Infrared Distance:	15m

Physical Environment
Environment:	Indoor
Waterprood:	No
Operate Temperature (℃):	0 - 60 ℃

Dimension & Weight
Product Weight:	0.2000 kg
Package Weight:	0.3800 kg
Product Size (L x W x H):	12.00 x 8.80 x 8.80 cm / 4.72 x 3.46 x 3.46 inches
Package Size (L x W x H):	14.70 x 13.00 x 9.40 cm / 5.79 x 5.12 x 3.7 inches

Package Content
Package Content:	1 x IP Camera, 1 x Power Cable, 1 x Holder Stand, 1 x Pack of Screws, 1 x English User Manual

Unboxing

The ZS GX1 comes in a box that is full of information. You have the specifications on there, the logo, a picture and the features all on the box. That makes it a box that is less attractive to look at then the Xiaomi boxes for example. First thing we see inside are the manual and the intruction books. When we take those out, we see the camera, which looks really good. Underneath the camera is a Micro-USB cable and some attachment material so you can place it on a wall or the ceiling.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Hardware & Design

The design of the ZS GGX1 reminds me of BB-8 from Star Wars. It has a nice look but is has a plastic feeling to it. That does not mean it feels like a cheap device, but I hoped for a better feeling.

At the back of the ZS GX1 we find the Micro-USB port, the Ethernet port, the reset button and the Micro-SD card slot. All well placed and hidden if you please the camera somewhere insight.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Software

You can view the ZS GX1 on an Application called EyePlus or via the web browser. There are camera’s available which only support an application or only a web browser. now with the ZS GX1 you have the best of both world. Let’s have a look on how you set up the ZS GX1.

Improve your home security? Click here to buy the ZS GX1!

How to set up

It is pretty simple to set up the ZS GX1, but it will take a minute or 2 to do so. First thing is to put the power adapter in the wall socket and connect the Micro-USB cable to the ZS GX1 camera. The Micro-USB port is located at the back of the camera.
When that is done, you need to open the EyePlus app on your smartphone and click on “Add Device”. From the list you need to choose what kind of device it is, in this case we choose the first option, “Camera”.
Now you get three options how you want to connect the ZS GX1. I choose the first option, which is via QR code. A QR code will show up on your smartphone and you will have to hold it in front of the lens at 10-20cm distance. The camera will scan the QR-code and make the connection.

Click on the images to view it full size.

Now you can view the live feed in the EyePlus app and see all the settings.

Eyeplus App

The app that you need to control the camera is the EyePlus app. You can download it for iOS and Android via the links below. This app works, but it looks like an app that has been made really quickly. Luckily everything on the app works and that is what makes it a good enough app to work with. You can easily view the images, play back captured video’s and change the settings.

Download for Android click here!
Download for iOS click here!

Settings

There are numerous settings that you can change in the ZS GX1. To see all the settings, please look at the images.

For example, you can turn the device on or off via the app. You can turn it off at a specific time. This way you can only let it record your house when you are away.
You can turn on/off the microphone or the night vision. You can choose the “Cloud Service” that you are using and select if you want to play the video’s from the SD card or from the Cloud Service. What is really handy is that option to set the notifications. You can get a notification when sound is detected or motion is detected. This make it a camera that can be used for a wide variety of use cases.

Click on the images to view it full size.

WebPortal

Not all camera’s support WebPortal servivces. Luckily the ZS GX1 support it. You need to log in with your username and password that you created in the App. You need to log in to this website: https://www.eyeplusiot.com/ (MAKE SURE YOU USE HTTPS, OTHERWISE THE WEBSITE WILL USE THE UNSAFE HTTP!).

There is one handy feature in the webportal. It will devide the captured screen into little squares and you can choose from which sqaures you want a notification and from which you don’t. This is super handy if you have pets and don’t want to keep getting notifications when they walk by. Here is how it looks:

Video Quality

I’m happy with the video quality, if the lighting is good. As seen on the image below, the quality is nice if there is no direct sunlight. If there is, the camera is focussing on the light and not on the surrounding. This might be solved if the camera is placed on a different spot when there is no direct sunlight.

The second photo is taken when the camera is exposed to direct sunlight and you can see that the quality is bit darker then the first photo.

Features

A camera that has no extra features is not good enough today. There are other brands that have the same video quality with a lot of features, like the ZS GX1. It is packed with features and here are some highlights:

Cloud Storage

You can take a membership and rent “Cloud Storage”. Now what is new about that? We have Google My Drive, Apple iCloud or Mega that provide cloud storage. Well here are the images and video’s taken directly stored in the cloud. If someone breaks in to you house and steals the camera? No problem! Visit the Cloud Service and you can view the captured material.

7 Day Recording Plan, with this plan you can view the last 7 days and you can save 1 hours of your favorite clips. Costs: $6,99 per month or $69 per year.

15 Day Recording Plan, with this plan you can view the last 15 days and you can save 5 hours of your favorite clips. Costs: $9,99 per month or $99 per year.

30 Day Recording Plan, with this plan you can view the last 30 days and you can save 5 hours of your favorite clips. Costs: $19,99 per month or $199 per year.

Recording Plan Pre-paid Card, with this plan you only pay for the used time. Costs are unknown to me.

Sound Detecion

The Xiaomi Dafang 1080P is a great camera, but misses out on one feature. Sound detection. With this feature you can use the camera as babymonitor as well. A feature I don’t want to miss on my camera. (Unless you have pets at home, they make noises when you are away and that causes the camera to give a notification every time a sound is detected.)

In the EyePlus app there are three colors seen in the timeline. Grey means no activity or sound. Orange means movement and Blue means sound. If there are orange or blue spots on the timeline, you can skip to there and view the event.

Improve your home security? Click here to buy the ZS GX1!

Playback

In the Eyeplus app, you can view back the capture video’s just by sliding the time line to the required time. This is possible since the video’s are captured in the cloud and are available when you want it. Super handy and this feature for me is the highlight of the ZS GX1.

In the app you can easily make a custom clip and download the file. If you for example see suspicious activity on the camera, you can just download that piece of the complete recording. This makes it super easy do provide just the needed footage. How do you do it?

Open the EyePlus app

Select the camera you want to view

Drag the timeline to the desired time frame

Click on “Clip” and select the duration of the clip

Rename the clip to whatever you like and click “Download”

Click on the images to view it full size.

Conclusion

The video quality is good, the features of the camera are amazing and the design looks really nice as well. I don’t like the fact that you have to pay extra for the cloud service, but I understand it too. The application looks a bit unfinished, but it gets the job done. For now it is on an acceptable level, but the Xiaomi Dafang 1080P has an app that works better if you ask me.

Luckily it is not about the app but about the camera and I think this is a camera that has a lot to offer. Not only 1080p video capturing, but also the play back feature and the sound detection are features that are really nice to have. If you are away and the camera detected movement or sound? Just play back to that time and you see what caused the movement or sound.

I would recommend this camera over the Xiaomi Dafang 1080P because of the features.