Abode Cam 2 Review

The Abode Cam 2 is a teensy little camera that works with Abode security systems or smart speakers with a screen like an Amazon's Echo Show or Google Nest Hub. It fits almost anywhere in your home and works as a nice little extension of your security system.

This security camera lands on the more affordable side of IP cameras. We were excited to see its color night vision in action. It also has a clever design that makes mounting it to the wall easier.

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Off the bat, there were a few things we really liked about the Abode Cam 2. It was small enough to fit anywhere, and its video quality was decent.

But after a few days of testing, we weren’t fans. Features like its live recording, color night vision, and even the mic and speaker weren’t reliable. It became a bit of a headache.

After getting to know it, the best word to describe this camera is “inconsistent.”

The Abode Cam 2 shoots in 1080p, which is the standard HD resolution for security cameras like it.

Think of it this way—1080p is like those comfy sweatpants you put on after a long day of work. They aren’t the nicest things in your wardrobe, but they’re familiar and they get the job done.

The Abode Cam 2 has a 120° field of vision, which translates to about 10.5 steps across the room. Straight on, it’s not a lot, but at an angle, you can see most of the room.

This tiny camera works indoors and outdoors, so naturally, we took it outside. Here, we’ve got it set up on the front porch for the afternoon.

One issue that was consistently inconsistent was recording and accessing live video. It was unclear what we were actually capturing when we wanted to record an event.

There were several moments when we tried to capture testing from the Abode Cam 2, but the clip didn’t finish at the right time or it failed altogether. Our guess is that the Abode app is behind all these issues because we had similar problems while testing the Iota.

But whatever the issue, it was a serious problem. We haven’t run into something like this with other cameras. At least not from the app side of things.

To say that the Abode Cam 2 has “color night vision” doesn’t feel totally accurate. It’s more like “low light” color vision.

We’ve run into this issue before with other cameras that make this claim—there needs to be at least some light source in the room or area for color to kick on.

We were disappointed with how unreliable this feature is and never got that full-color HD experience.

Like many of its competitors, the Abode Cam 2 has two-way audio. This means you can talk through the camera or listen in on what’s happening while watching the live stream. But during our audio tests, we got really frustrated with this feature.

The volume changed on the microphone and speaker several times, leaving us talking through the app with nothing coming out of the camera. After several attempts, we managed to capture the Abode Cam 2’s speaker on full volume. It didn’t blow us away.

Audio from recorded clips isn’t good either. But it’s hard to know how high the mic was turned up for these clips. And speaking through the camera on the app sounds garbled and messy.

Abode Cam 2 is well priced and sized. It has basic features like motion zones that are easy to adjust. Its field of view is wide and the picture quality is reliable.

But if you’re looking for an extra camera somewhere inside or outside your home, you can find a better, less frustrating option. The Abode Cam 2 was inconsistent with so many important features that it’s hard to recommend this strongly.

Between the mic and speaker volume changing, the disappointing color night vision, and frustrating video recording, we can’t say we’re fans like we hoped we would be.

We like what Abode does as a DIY home security brand. It blends smart home integration with affordable, usually very easy, equipment. But when it comes to the Abode Cam 2, we think Abode can do better.

We’re hoping that as Abode evolves, the brand will make its app a little more user friendly and come out with a stellar camera down the road.

But, for now, the Abode Cam 2 was a disappointment.

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