Home » Blog » Kuna Maximus Smart Security Camera Light Review

Kuna Maximus Smart Security Camera Light Review

Yaro

June 21, 2017

0

Although we have reviewed quite some smart security cameras in the past and recently, the Kuna Maximus Smart Security Light and Camera is unique in every aspect. It combines an outdoor light fixture with a hidden security camera, which tackles several issues commonly there with smart security cameras. If you are familiar with the Ring Floodlight Cam, this is a similar feature.

However, the Kuna Maximus Camera is a little different, since the camera part is more discreet compared to the Ring Floodlight Cam. The discreet camera can be useful if you want to spot intruders, although some will say that showing your camera is better to prevent potential burglaries.

Nevertheless, the Kuna Light Fixture does a decent job in keeping the camera secret. From a distance, it looks like a plain old-school porch light. The camera part is quite impressive with 720p HD video feed, decent motion detection sensor, on-demand siren and a relatively affordable cloud recording at $60 per year (compared to $100+ offered by most competitors).

The Kuna Security Camera doesn’t come with its light bulb, so you have to buy a separate one. However, the Kuna Security Camera also provides smart light control options, so it is another plus point compared to other smart security camera products. Because of the light functionality, there is no built-in night vision feature on the security camera, which is understandable.

So, let us begin the Maximus security camera review by discussing its key features.

Maximus Smart Security Camera Key Features

The Light Fixture

Of course, the most notable feature of the Kuna Maximus PorchLight Security Camera is the light fixture.As mentioned, the light bulb is not included with the package, so you will have to buy a separate one. You will also need to wire the camera with your standard 120V-60Hz circuit, which is relatively simple if you have an existing porch light.

Here are the steps we take when we test the product for this Kuna security camera light review:

• Turn off power to the light you are replacing (very important for safety)
• Uninstall the existing porch light, there should be three wires: power, return, and ground
• Add the mounting bracket if necessary. If your existing junction box already has one, skip this step
• Connect the wires of security camera to the ones in the junction box. Here, you might need a help from someone else to help hold the light while you connect the wires or vice versa
• Secure the Kuna Maximus to the mounting bracket, and turn the power back on

The Camera

Now, the camera part. As mentioned, the camera portion of the Kuna Maximus is pretty decent and will give you a nice 720p video feed resolution. There is nothing groundbreaking, like how the new Nest Cam IQ boasts an HRD camera sensor, however, it does the job well.

The Smartphone App

Because the Kuna Maximus is a smart camera, there is, of course, a smartphone app to accompany it. The Kuna app is available for both iOS and Android, and it is relatively easy to use. Integrating the Kuna Maximus Camera to the app is pretty straightforward, and you can use the app to customize alerts, light settings, cloud storage subscription, and all the basic features. Again, nothing groundbreaking but pretty decent.

Motion Detection and Built-in Siren

The smart security camera is equipped with a 100-decibel siren to scare intruders. There are several prerecorded messages you can use, which is nice, and the siren will work in conjunction with the motion detection sensor. When the sensor picks movement, it will start recording footage while playing the recorded message. However, there is a lack of person recognition feature, so it will also record footage (and play the sound) when animals enter your vicinity. You can fine tune the built-in siren and the motion detection behaviour with the app. Overall, works pretty well.

Our Kuna Camera Review

When the test package for our Kuna Maximus Camera review finally arrives, the first thing we do is to decide the placement. Thankfully, we do have an existing functional porch light, so installing the Kuna Maximus for this Kuna Review is relatively easy, following the steps we have mentioned above.

If you don’t have an existing porch light, however, the installation process becomes much more complicated. You will need to make a new 120VAC wired setup, which can be costly and time-consuming.

Now, once we have it installed, it’s time to test how it fares. As we have mentioned, the Kuna app is pretty decent, and you can fine-tune a lot of its features here. We tested the motion detection alert, by enabling the push notification every time the motion sensor is triggered.The motion detection works pretty well. We programmed it to give us alerts every time someone (or some animal) is within a 10-foot range, and only occasionally it detected motion beyond the desired range, up to 30 feet away. It is still relatively stable overall.

The video feed is up to 720p HD resolution, and the quality when we tested it is pretty consistent. However, there might be occasional hiccups in performance, depending on your Wi-Fi signal, if the Kuna Maximus receives a stable Wi-Fi, there shouldn’t be much problem with consistency. The audio quality is also pretty decent when we tested the two-way intercom function.

Pros & Cons

Let us end the Kuna security reviews with a verdict, and here are the things we liked and disliked from the Kuna Maximus Porch Light and Security Camera.

Conclusion

The Kuna Maximus Smart Security Camera Light, by itself, is a pretty decent piece of smart home device. However, the lack of third-party integration to smart home hubs might limit its usage. If you have an existing smart home control like Samsung SmartThings, Wink, or even Alexa, the Kuna Maximus might not be the right pick.

However, if you are only looking for a standalone smart security camera with front porch light as a bonus, the Kuna Maximus is a very decent choice.