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Xiaomi Aqara Wi-Fi IP Camera US $28.39 (~AU $36.14) Shipped @ LightInTheBox

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Some F&%$ng thieves stole my 2 bicycles from my backyard while I was on a short trip to Singapore (tickets bought in a OzBargain deal!) so I was in the market for a new security camera. As I couldn't find a good price on a Dafang, I thought the next best was the Aqara and I was surprised to find it for 36 bucks. Yes it includes the Zigbee gateway.

Please see more details of the camera on the last post

Some instructions to get the same price:
-Go to check out
-Select Paypal
-Select "Postal Service" US$0.00
-Untick insurance (you're paying with paypal)
-Try to use a card with no conversion fees as LITB and PayPal love to add markups to the rates

What makes this deal even sweeter is that there is currently a 5% cashback with cashrewards (not taken from the price above).

I have saved sooooo much money over the years with OzBargain (on products that I barely need ;) that I am very happy to do my first post and give a bit back to the comunity.

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  • +13

    I'm currently at a 66% delivery rate with LITB and a 0% refund rate on lost items. I figure a deal's only a deal if it actually gets delivered…

    • +2

      I've had better luck it seems - 9 of 9 deliveries accounted for (since start of Dec '17) - some did take some time to arrive (one in particular took at least 6 weeks)

      • +2

        I'm up to 3 months on this one and every ticket i raise gets closed immediately and I get told to be patient.

        https://t.17track.net/en#nums=LH202036493CN

        • +1

          …i guess it's a viofo A119S dashcam right? we have a batch of packages get reject by Customs again and again and still in China, if so please pm me the order number, i will help you get the refund asap

        • @MiniInTheBox:

          Yep, that's the one. Support keeps closing my tickets every time I open one.

          Order number is: 1711231226301630 dated 23/11/17

          Thanks

        • +3

          @HemingWay2Go: done, more detail please check your ticket. i suggest next time if you have any problem you can just pm me. i'm always here to offer support

        • @MiniInTheBox: I am waiting on an A119s as well, but not as long ago (ordered in Jan, been sitting at Aus Post Chullora NSW since 1 Feb). Submitted a ticket today.

          Is it likely to be in the same boat (literally and figuratively)?

        • @djkelly69: nope, only NOV orders get reject. yours is normal since it's arrive AU now

        • @MiniInTheBox: Ok thanks. Any idea why it would sit at Aus Post for a month after being processed?

        • @djkelly69: not sure, you can contact Aus Post to check that.

        • @djkelly69: Given it has been with Aus Post for quite awhile, I reckon you are not getting your parcel.

    • paypal ?

      • too late, more than 45 days

        • 180 days ?

        • @phunkydude:

          Thanks, I thought it was 45. I will look into it

    • I haven't had an issue yet with LITB or the others. Touch wood

    • +2

      Opposite - stuff from LITB arrives quicker than from the other usual Chinese sites.

      • Same for me. Was shocked when something arrived in less than 2 weeks.

        • 2 from 2 in complete deliveries

          70mai came in 1 wk.
          32gb sdm card came in 2 mths

          so mixed bag - prob different seller/shipper

    • I am at 100% on 3 orders since 2-12-17. 4th order on the way now going via Hong Kong according to Tracking.

  • +1

    Does this work in Australia without going through some painful hack process?
    Bought the Xiaofeng IP cam from recent OB deal, won't work outside China. Tried the hack but still couldn't get it to work. Bloody waste of money. Should be banned from selling to Australia.

    • +1

      Yes, it works in Australia

    • +1

      My 2 xiaofang cameras still work?

      • As long as you don't unpair them. Once unpaired you'll have a hard time trying to get it registered on mi home app.

      • Do the motion detection clips still download for you? This stopped working for me in Jan. Also, the 'transfer to router' feature no longer works.

        • Yeah they don’t download but I have microsd cards in mine

        • I have the same issue… I can see all the detected clips, but when I go to play/download, the loading indicator jumps from 0% to 100% and just sits there doing nothing…

          Might have to try putting an SD card in there.

        • @Marty131:
          I also have the SD cards in mine but still can't download the motion clips. It worked brilliantly up until recently. I have disabled the motion detection within the camera itself as was way too sensitive, but instead connected a xiaomi body sensor to the gateway which in turn triggered the camera and sent a notification to the phone. I have the camera pointing out the front window and it was extremely handy to see who was at the front door when not at home. It's a bummer it no longer works!

        • @ohagas:
          So to confirm: Motion detection clips no good, but SD card recordings are OK? I've never used an SD card in the camera before, how does it work? Is it like a dashcam, taking short 3 or so minute clips and overwriting old ones once the card gets full? I assume these recordings can be viewed and downloaded from the app?

        • @Marty131:
          Yes, a bit like a dashcam, though they are 1 min clips. The only way to view the videos from the app is to use the 'Look back' feature and scrub through the timeline, but this can be tedious and often times out. I also have a Mi Router and was able to use the 'Video transfer to router' feature which backed up from the SD card to the router twice each day. I was then able to view and download the clips using the Mi WiFi App. It worked like a charm, but unfortunately this has stopped working also.
          There is some speculation on the Mi Forums that this could be a technical issue at the xiaomi server end rather than regional blocking, however, I'd be surprised if such a technical issue wouldn't be fixed by now.

    • +2

      Bought three from China xiaomi store last December. Got the same message that can't use outside China. Then realize they lock the camera from sometime last year. The solution is that. Send an email to them with invoice and Mac address of the camera. They will unlock the camera within a few days. It works for me. Now my cameras work perfectly. Good luck.

      • as per my comment above, I'd be interested to hear if your motion detection clips download OK?

        • not working. It works in the beginning. Stop recently

      • hey mate, do you have the email address?

        • +1

          Send an email to [email protected]

          Dear customers,
          Congratulations! Your device unlock request has been approved.
          Your Spot is now unlocked for use outside of Mainland China.
          Again, we remind you that we may not able to provide technical support and after-sale service when the Spot is used outside of Mainland China.
          Thank you for choosing our products.

          This is their reply.

          I wrote it in Chinese. Good Luck

        • @cpj3822:

          this is because you purchased them from one of there listed resellers. themselves in this case… i am considering this for furture buys of non modable xiaomi cameras.

        • @cpj3822: thanks mate, appreciate it.

      • They've refused to unlock my two…

        • is it because its a xiaomi and not a ismartalarm device? i wanted to try and email them too but was unsure..

    • +4

      took me a while to figure out what i needed to do to get it working and couldnt find a decent guide that was helpful
      wasnt too bad in the end.

      download geo-location app
      download mi app
      register etc set location to china.
      set geolocation to china.
      follow install procedure. complete install.
      remove geo-location.
      keep mi app to china

      • What app did you use to trick Mi Home into thinking you're in China? The location spoof apps don't seem to work for me.

        • Second on this, what geo-location app you are using?

        • +2

          fakegps free - im on android.

          i put the locator in shanghai. im sure it would work anywhere in china as well.

        • +1

          @PreSsieGuY: This will be awesome if it works, big thumbs up in advance.

        • +2

          @xev: I still doubt they're using location instead of IP address to get it worked.

        • @PreSsieGuY: I tried, didn't work for me.

        • @scerfumfor:
          @scerfumfor what phone are you using?

          youre not connecting to singapore are ya?

      • Hmm can anyone else confirm that this works. If so will. Be buying another xiaofang

        • i might be getting another one because it definitely works for me. only thing stopping is that my partner keeps turning it off. thinks im spying

        • @PreSsieGuY: are you able to download the motion detect videos as well?

        • @silo: I haven't tried that function so far. Just set it up to record.

          I have been able to go back in time to see what happened yesterday

      • did this last night can confirm doesn't work. even had a vpn re routing to china. Anyone else had any luck?

        • damn thats a shame.
          i actually tried different variation in terms of getting my account outside of china.

          singapore, USA, etc but it would only connect when i set it in china.

          the geolocator worked for me every time i tried setting it up.

        • +1

          Haven't tried yet, but could it be an issue of having mi home app already installed and then using geo location app Vs using geo location app and then installing mi home app?

  • Support for the first post.

  • I have received all orders from them (5 maybe). I also have this camera. Very nice, only problem is that HASS (Home Assistant) is not able to manage its gateway (yet). I would have preferred to buy a cheaper cam and an extra gateway.

  • +3

    I have one of these and it works well - price is good too (I paid USD$29 for mine).

    Only downsides of this if you are using something like Home Assistant or Domoticz, etc:
    - HA doesn't yet support the camera itself
    - and with the gateway functionality of this camera - the Mi App has not yet been updated to allow you to go into developer mode and retrieve the key (password) of this device from within the app - so you can't add it's gateway component to HA/Domoticz/etc either

    and it's a fisheye lens (which could be good or bad depending on where you plan to use it)

    • What camera should we be getting for home assistant. I also have a spare rasp pi3b.

  • +2

    Xiaomi Camera Comparison Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwBZh1LCpmI
    Footage and Audio tests Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70iLDVsIsNk

  • +5

    And how do you think a camera would have stopped your bicycles from being stolen?
    You could have sat down when you got home and watched your bicycles being stolen on your PC monitor?
    Awesome.
    surveillance cameras are way over rated. Pretty useless really, unless you can capture something like vehicle registration for ID.

    • I agree. Police is unlikely to even bother looking at the footage. Don't leave your bikes outside when you go somewhere.

      Good deal though.

    • +3

      I have insurance so I am suposed to get most of their cost back (after the excess). When I talked to the police they asked for any footage to identify the thieves. As it is the second time I have bikes stolen (We put a higher keyed gate after the first) I really want them to get caught and I would happily help them get some time in the gaol.

      So yes, they are not going to give me my bikes back, but I got it for the small chance of getting justice.

      • some time in the gaol

        Did they steal your penny farthing?

  • +1

    yeah its hardly a deterrent to even cover their face nowadays. Friend had car stolen with good view of guys face but it didn't prove very useful (or hasn't yet). Slightly more money long term, get a yappy dog

    • +3

      A biting dog works more

    • Welcome to The People's Republic of Victoria.

    • Over-insure your car on agreed-value -> profit!

  • -4

    Ohhh stolen bicycles, you’ve been blessed get a car.

  • Can this be used for external?

    • probably not, but I am planning on leaving it looking out from a window

      • +1

        That's what I intended to do with mine, however the dafang has a much better picture.

        • Just make sure it's not pointing into someone else's window!

        • +2

          @McFly: I wouldn't do that, my neighbors are very ugly.

        • @McFly: hahaha we will have to wait for a "security zoom cam"

    • For the record:

      I previously bought a ~$100 EdiMax outdoor camera from MSY, and was pretty disappointed with picture quality and the iOS app. I needed (wanted) another outdoor camera for another location, and thought I'd try my $20 Xiaomi Xiaofang camera. It's installed in the corner of the wall/eaves and never gets directly wet from the rain. Have had it about 6 months and still working.

      • +1

        Same here, I have 3 installed externally facing under eaves. The only issue is they seem to sometimes desync with updates to the base Mi App and I have to reset them and reinstall. Which is not really okay and right now I am not sure if even that will resolve the issue with one of them. My recommendation is to go else where if you want more then 1 camera external and bite the bullet for a proper system $400-500.

    • +1

      It's the same

  • +1

    Anyone know if this will work with Homebridge on a RPi3?

    Trying to find cameras to add to HomeKit (unofficially) and it’s a tough find.

  • Is it possible to connect a USB charger to this for power supply and if the power supply fail, then the internal battery takes over?

    • +1

      The cable that comes with this is a micro usb cord, there is no internal battery in the camera.

      • Cheers mate. Is this camera better than the xiaofang and dafang then?

        • +3

          It has gateway function which is a bonus.

          The dafang gives a much better picture IMO, mainly as this has a much wider field of view, so everything is smaller.
          I have this and a dafang sitting next to each other looking out my front window and the dafang looks much better.

          I have posted links to comparisons of xiaomi cameras above.

        • Comparison of xiaomi cameras:

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwBZh1LCpmI

  • +1

    Can’t wait for the US$20 WyzeCam v2 to be available here!

    • Just reflash your Xiaomi to Wyze - the hardware is the same.

      • Interesting. Is this exact model the same as the WyzeCam2?

        • +1

          Another interesting link: OpenIPC

          OpenIPC is forked from fang-hacks and is based on a proprietary Xiaomi firmware (FIRMWARE_660R.bin) with implementations allowing the end user to take full control of their Wyze camera.

  • Pay zero to get this item! - Original Xiaomi Wireless Single Key Smart Light Control Aqara Wall Switch Wireless Version

    Can be combined I guess to get a freebie if I`m not mistaken…

    https://www.lightinthebox.com/original-xiaomi-wireless-singl…

    Or could be that there is a bit extra postage to pay…

    Anyways if anyone wants to check it out :) lol

  • -1

    Buyers beware of mininthebox and lightninginthebox… Beware…. Beware…. Beware….Don't do it. Don't do it… Don't do it…

    • Why?

  • Be nice if the Chinese could make a totally open source cheap camera, it would sell millions. Not totally sure how warranty could be managed though although I have some ideas.

    • They don't need to. Most (and many other other devices) already sell in their millions with (copied) opensource software. Western companies are also bad at abusing opensource, let alone maintaining it- which is far easier to do than maintaining a devices entire stack internally.

      The richness of the data that can be collected is one of the primary motivations for vendors to provide secret, compromised, vulnerable, obscured and otherwise 'feature rich' software. Cams like this are never designed for security, transparency or reliability as all are compromised in the effort spent harvesting the end-users information.

      Opensource is popular in China mostly as a rich source from which to Ctl+C . Projects seldom get many push requests from within the Chinese ASNs. Worse, proprietary logic as well as any copied code is seldom updated after the product begins selling in quantity.

      In China, it is not practical to be so open; Similar to the changes being made in our own jurisdictions, people and companies have no choice but to provide authorities access to everything, especially customer data feeds.

      As such, putting these insecure, unmanaged devices on your network is the digital equivalent of leaving your door wide open to the whole world, not just the people in your street. So apart from the thieves that scan the interwebs to collect data they can sell to those that can aggregate and use it, you have others that search with specific uses, such as when you might come and go from your property, your individual habits, things that may identify you and so on- AI can search for ID numbers, faces that have been correlated and identified elsewhere, things that get said (passwords, account IDs, names, locations, financial information, etc.

      Make no mistake- organised crime and nation states are way ahead of Google, Microsoft, Amazon & Apple when it comes to using machines to make sense of their burgeoning fragemented feeds of surveillance data, especially that exfiltrated from users by decicated devices like GHome, AEcho, MCortana, ASiri, etc.- not to mention attributing it all to an individual and their relations/associates/accomplices.

      What they can get out of simple IoT cams like these is almost as rich.

      The question is, regardless of how much data you leak, what happens when an algorithm makes an incorrect association? Who in those organisations will know enough about the algo to think about questioning it before they act on an alert, or just tell you 'The computer is never wrong'?

      I try to avoid having any of these 'mini HALs' around. Other compromised devices, let alone more targeted VDs and LDs are hard enough to defend against, even though I have (or rather, think I have) 'nothing to hide'

      • If it's open source (and update-able)I can code it myself thus avoiding just about every issue you mentioned. Mind you I could just make my own Raspberry Pi secure cam I guess.

        • Did you try?

          Compilation of the source normally fails and there is seldom any/much info about what you need to do to get it to compile. sssuming they make the source available. Let alone have any non-hostile support.

          And then you find it is the wrong version, not complete, code not commented in a legible let alone meaningful way. Good luck fixing it, or disabling the malware. Doing that will stop the device working right off the bat, without doubt. Lots to do to fix it, like re-implementing all the logic. And assuming you loved the device enough to do that, at the end of the day, plenty exfiltration and RA logic is embedded in the chips of these devices now (perhaps someone put one in the flash image and someone else put one in the wi-fi chip), so it's all for nought.

          Data exploitation is part of the business model and is sometimes why they get shipped so cheaply.

  • So does the Aqara support zigbee gateway directly - eg. I got a amazon echo plus would this pick it up?

    Also I can see this can only be added on the mainland china profile, is this part of the infamous Xiaofang's which are now blocked?

  • Does anyone know how to get the cloud upload function working on this camera? I assume it's supposed to upload clips to https://i.mi.com

    I don't know.

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