Xiaomi Smart Camera C401 arrived in the Czech Republic. It rotates 360° and can watch over your child and dog

Xiaomi has brought another security camera to the Czech Republic designed for monitoring indoor activity. The Smart Camera C401 operates with 2.5K resolution and offers 360° rotation, and it also includes intelligent features for easier monitoring of children or pets. At the time of writing, you can buy it on Alza for 1 149 Kč.

Quick summary:
✅ It makes sense if you want to monitor your child or pet from your phone and remotely control the camera’s direction.
⚠️ Consider that the older C500 with a sharper 3.5K image costs 50 Kč less on Alza.
💡 For 1 149 Kč you get a 2.5K camera with Wi-Fi 6 and storage on a card up to 512 GB.

Sharper 2.5K image and 360° rotation

The camera has a 4Mpx sensor with a resolution of 2 560 × 1 440 pixels. Compared to the older Smart Camera C301 with a 3Mpx sensor and 2K resolution, it captures more details, which is useful for checking faces or a more distant part of the room. Two motors rotate the head 360° horizontally and 101° vertically, and you change the viewing direction in the Xiaomi Home app. You can place the camera on a shelf or screw it upside down to the ceiling and then simply rotate the image in the app.

In the dark, infrared LEDs with a wavelength of 940 nm help. These do not glow visibly red, so the camera does not disturb the sleep of children or adults. Alza mentions color night vision in its brief description, but the manufacturer only states infrared illumination. Therefore, in complete darkness, expect a black and white image.

Recognizes a crying child, dog, and broken glass

The most interesting feature is its artificial intelligence. The camera recognizes people and automatically tracks their movement, alerts you to a crying child, a dog or cat in the frame (it doesn’t recognize other animals), and loud sounds such as shouting or shattering glass. For each such event, you will receive a notification on your phone. Just be aware that all AI functions are disabled by default and you will need to enable them in the Xiaomi Home app settings.

You can also speak into the room. According to the manufacturer, the microphone captures voice from approximately five meters away and suppresses ambient noise, while a large-diameter speaker transmits your response. This way, you can calm your dog or call out to your child, but you always initiate the call from the app, not from the camera.

Wi-Fi 6, card up to 512 GB, and three months free cloud storage

The camera connects via dual-band Wi-Fi 6 in both 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. The older C301, however, only supported a 2.4GHz network. It stores video in the efficient H.265 codec on a **microSD card with a capacity of 8 to 512 GB**, which you must purchase separately. Recordings can also be backed up to a home NAS, but even then, a card must be inserted in the camera.

For the first three months free, the Xiaomi Home app stores recordings from the last seven days in the cloud; for longer retention, you need a cloud subscription or a card. According to the manufacturer, data is protected by the MJA1 security chip, part of the recognition takes place directly in the camera, and cloud transfer is encrypted. You can also view live footage on a smart display with Google Assistant or Alexa. The package includes a two-meter power cable and a ceiling mounting kit.

Older C500 offers sharper image for less money

Before ordering, take a look at the shelf next door. The Smart Camera C500, which arrived in the Czech Republic last December, has a **6Mpx sensor with 3.5K resolution**, rotates 116° vertically, and its lens can retract into the body if you don’t want the camera to see you. On Alza, it costs **1 099 Kč**, which is 50 Kč less than the C401. However, the manufacturer does not mention crying and loud sound detection for the C500, and it only accepts microSD cards up to 256 GB.

For parents and dog owners, the C401 makes sense

Anyone looking for a camera for a child’s room or wanting to check on a dog left alone at home during the day will likely not go wrong with the C401. Crying and loud sound detection are perfectly suited for these situations, and the camera costs **1 149 Kč** at the time of writing. Those primarily concerned with the sharpest possible image and physical lens cover will likely opt for the C500 for less money.

Would you entrust a smart camera with watching over your child or dog?