Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW401 Dual watches over the yard and entrance simultaneously. Its rotating lens tracks every arrival

One camera points at the yard, the other at the gate, and you then switch between two images in the app. This is exactly how the Xiaomi Outdoor Camera CW401 Dual works. The manufacturer has packed a fixed and a motorized lens into one body, allowing the camera to monitor two locations simultaneously. So far, the new product has only appeared on the global website; details about its price and availability might be revealed on Tuesday during the presentation of Xiaomi 18 Pro smartphones.

Fixed lens monitors, rotating lens tracks movement

During installation, you manually aim the fixed lens (180° horizontally, 25° up and down), and it will constantly monitor its designated area. The second lens is motorized, and you can rotate it 355° horizontally and 95° vertically using the Xiaomi Home app. Their cooperation is interesting: as soon as the fixed lens detects a person, the rotating lens automatically starts tracking them.

Both lenses are equipped with a 3Mpx sensor with an f/1.6 aperture, which records video in 2K. For night vision, each received a pair of infrared and a pair of white LEDs. As soon as the camera detects a person in the dark, it illuminates with white light and switches to color image.

Siren, privacy zones, and power-saving recording

Artificial intelligence runs directly in the camera and recognizes people and cars, but some functions need to be enabled in the app first. If the monitored area is breached, the camera will activate a siren, flashing light, or a custom voice message and send a notification with a recording to your phone. Two-way communication, masking zones you don’t want to record, and integration with Alexa and Google Assistant are also included (neither of which speaks Czech, however).

Recording can be done on a microSD card with a capacity of 16 to 256 GB, which you must purchase separately, or to a paid cloud. With the camera, you get three months of cloud storage with seven-day history for free. AOR mode records continuously at a reduced frame rate and switches to full only during an event, thus not filling up the card as quickly.

Power cable is a necessity

The camera has IP66 protection and, according to the manufacturer, can handle temperatures from −30 to 60 °C. However, don’t expect a battery or a solar panel – it is powered by a 12V adapter with a three-meter cable. According to Xiaomi, the adapter itself is not water-resistant and is only for indoor use, so you must hang the camera within cable reach of an indoor socket and route the cable through a wall or window. While the RJ45 network port offers a more stable connection than Wi-Fi, it does not support PoE power, and the cable is not included in the package. Although the camera supports Wi-Fi 6, according to specifications, it is only in the 2.4 GHz band, so your router must also broadcast this network.

Price unknown yet

The new product is currently only available on the global version of the Xiaomi website and has not yet appeared in Czech stores. Those who don’t want to wait can opt for the CW500 Dual model, which Alza was selling for 2,099 CZK at the time of writing. It offers sharper image and 5 GHz support. We do not yet know the price at which the new product will arrive here.

Would you install a camera on your house that automatically tracks everyone who enters your property?

Sources: Xiaomi, Notebookcheck