Soliom Solar S90 Pro 1080P solar powered security camera review

REVIEW – Over the past year, I have tested and reviewed a few security cameras and with a few exceptions, I have been pleased with them. Recently, there were a few accidents on the street in front of my home and I decided that it would be nice to have a camera facing the street. Keep in mind that I live 5 stories up and I want a camera that I can mount outside of a window. I need it to be 100% wireless so that during the winter I will not lose heat from inside my home nor will I let in cold air because I have to leave a window slightly open to run wires to the camera. The Soliom Solar Security Camera may just be what I am looking for.

What is it?

The Soliom Solar Security Camera is an outdoor Home Security Solar Battery 1080P Wireless Smart IP Camera, that features Night Vision, Two Way Audio and Motion Detection. It can be monitored by using either the Soliom iOS or Android App, and there is no subscription monitoring fee.

What’s in the box

1 x Soliom S90 Pro Camera
1 x Wall Mount Holder and Bracket
1 x Screwdriver and Pack of Screws
1 x Micro USB Cable (3.3ft)
1 x User Manual
1 x Warning Sticker

Design and features

Specifications
Video: 1080p HD, Live View, Night Vision
Field of View: 90° horizontal, 50° vertical FOV110°.
Motion Detection: Advanced rectangle PIR with Radar
Audio: Loud Two-way talk with noise cancellation
Power: Three Solar light panels (Parallel charging input)
Connectivity: 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi connection @ 2.4GHz
Internet Requirements: Requires a minimum upload speed of 2Mbps for optimal performance.
Operating Conditions: Weather Resistant between -4℉ to 140℉ (-20℃～+60℃).
Mounting Base: Separate Wall mounting base with adjustable solar panels and camera angles. Install height recommendation of approximately 8 feet.
Dimensions: 7.67 in x 8.66 in x 3.24 in (19.5 cm x 22 cm x 8 cm)

Features

• Ultimate Wireless Solar Outdoor Security Camera for home and business: Soliom S90 pro with built-in 10000mah battery is self-sustained by 3 solar panels. The accumulative current produced by the three solar panels is 500~1000ma per hour. If for some reason, the battery in the S90 drains out, the solar panels will fully recharge the batteries within 3-4 (sunny) days thus eliminating the need to take the camera down for a USB manual charge.
• IP66 Weather Resistant & Easy hardware installation: The solar wireless IP cam made from special plastic material to withstand extreme weather and also Soliom choose to use the customized new generation reliable battery for outdoor temperatures between -4℉ to 140℉(-20℃～+60℃). The solar-powered S90 security camera also comes with all accessories, tools, and instructions needed in the box, no hassle of running cords or wires around your house. An average install time of fewer than 15 mins.
• 100% Wire-Free with 3 enhanced antennas: The Soliom S90 Pro is a WiFi-enabled wireless IP security camera with 3 enhanced antennas. You can download the free Soliom App that allows you to remotely monitor your yard entrance, garage, office, garden, home, at any time. When in live view mode, you can manually take a snapshot, record videos. Simply Install the Soliom S90 within your home Wi-Fi range with good exposure to sunlight. You can share the camera account with up to 8 users to access the live view.
• Smart Motion Detection & Loud Two-Way Audio: The Soliom S90 Wireless Battery camera uses integrated technology combining advanced rectangle PIR with Radar. Both trigger sensors allow you to catch motions with less false alarms. When motion is detected, the camera will send an alert to your smartphone and record an 8-second video clip into the cloud free of charge and memory card automatically at the same time. Clear and loud two-way audio lets you listen and talk back to visitors, pets, intruders, etc.
• Advanced Day and Night Vision Ability: This outdoor solar security camera has an awesome 1080p full HD daytime video quality with the refined 5 layers of glasses lens, and high-quality LED lights to enhance night vision. The Soliom S90 Solar camera has a maximum of 32ft(10m) of night vision distance and can switch from day to night mode automatically. All features provide a reliable and clear 24/7 continuous outdoor home or office security.

On the front of the camera, there is the lens and the infrared LEDs. There are all protected by a clear weatherproof cover.

Underneath the camera, there is a speaker and a compartment the has a rubber/silicone sealing cover. In that compartment, there is the micro SD card slot, the power and reset buttons and the USB port for charging.



On the back of the camera, there are the 3 antenna connectors and the slot for the mount.


On top of the camera, there are the 3 solar panels that can be spread out as shown below. The two end panels can be lowered to each side or raised to be flat with the top.

Performance

The camera arrived in a box with good protection. Setting up the hardware is very easy. The solar panels are already installed so you just have to screw in the antennas, install the micro SD card which has to be formatted as FAT32, and attach the base mount. Once I finished assembling the hardware, I removed the silicone sealing cover from the bottom and used the micro USB cable to charge the built-in battery. I charged it for more than the recommended 12 hours. Once charged, I powered it on and it gave me a voice command confirmation that it was ready to be paired. I opened the app and selected “add a device” and was greeted by a loud pinging sound. My network offers both 2.4ghz and 5ghz wireless connectivity, so as far as I was concerned, I was good to go. The camera gave another voice command that it had received the pairing information and there was a display in the app showing the progress. as the loud pinging sound continued. The instructions indicate that you should set the volume on your phone top the loudest during the setup process.
Once the progress indicator reached 100%, it moved to the following screen:

I selected ok and it displayed the following troubleshooting screen:
I discovered that the camera needs 2.4ghz wifi that is available by itself. It was not able to connect to my router that broadcasts both at 2.4ghz and 5ghz. Since I have a sizeable number of wireless devices on my network that uses both frequencies, I did not want to disable the 5ghz to test. Instead, I added a separate 2.4ghz wireless access point to my network and finally, the camera connected and the rest was easy. I was able to select the device, create a password, choose the region and I was good to go.

After I inserted the micro SD card, it was time to mount the camera onto an existing Air Conditioner bracket that I have installed outside of my window. As you can see in the picture below, the camera mount cannot bend to a 90-degree angle, which is how I wanted and needed to mount it. Since I live in a building, I have to abide by the rules that do not allow me to mount anything directly to the surface of the building.

I decided to use the mount as a way to wire strap it to the bracket. Since I do not really need access to the speaker at 5 stories up, I installed it flat onto the bracket.

App

The camera footage has to be viewed via the app. Although it is meant to be mounted at about 8 feet high and would most likely be used to view someone approaching a house, I think it does a remarkable job at providing clear footage at 5 stories high and even in overcast conditions. It does get a bit blurry when I zoom in but keep in mind that the street is over 100 feet away. I can also recognize most of what is in view when looking even at night. The only issue I encounter is when I switch from SD to HD mode which seems to introduce a bit of stop and go footage. I have very good bandwidth so I may move the access point closer to see if improved signal strength solves this issue.
All of the snapshots of the views shown below were taken during very overcast conditions.
View in portrait mode:

View in landscape mode:

Zoomed in view in portrait mode:

Zoomed in view in landscape mode:

The app also shows the date and time, battery charge level, and wireless signal strength. The camera does provide an audible warning via the app whenever it detects movement. In my case, this only occurs once in a while because of where it is mounted. Also, there is the option to record to the installed memory card or to the cloud. The cloud storage is free for up to 20 clips per day. The following screenshot from the app shows the settings screen that includes the option to switch between the SD card and the Cloud.

Important notes:

• It only works with a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi router. Does not work with 5Ghz Wi-Fi
• It only works with the Soliom app and software. Other third-party apps not supported
• The PIR for S90 solar camera is a rectangle one that has a larger motion sensitivity area from left to right but narrows the motion area from the upper top to the ground so that it’s more sensitive to side-to-side movement than movement heading straight toward the camera.
• The PIR range is about 16ft.
• Do not expose the camera to any weather with the silicone flap open

What I like

• The build quality
• The truly wireless connectivity
• The weatherproof design
• The built-in solar panel that provides a continuous charge
• The video quality
• The pinch/zoom capability of the app
• The ease of installation once you have the isolated 2.4ghz wireless availability

What I’d change

• Allow for 5ghz wireless connectivity (Not sure what this entails from a technical design perspective)
• Allow for a base mount with better mounting options (angles)

Final thoughts

This Soliom Security Camera is quite large for what we see in security cameras on the market today, but justifiably so because of the solar panels that keep the battery charged even on an overcast day. This is great since absolutely no cabling or changing of batteries is required. The quality of the video even in SD resolution is very good. I also like the HD quality of course, but there may be some challenges with HD depending on the wireless signal strength which has the 2.4ghz restriction. The 2-way audio is also great, and even though I am using it perched 5 stories in the air, I can still hear the street traffic and some human dialogue at probably 100 feet away. In my opinion, this is a great security camera for the price. Great bang for the buck$$.

Price: $139
Where to buy: Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by Soliom.