Experience with D-Link DCS-8627LH camera

My experience with the D-Link DCS-8627LH is satisfactory so far. The camera from D-Link convinces with a very good picture, color night vision and some other functionalities, which are not found everywhere else. The hardware is absolutely convincing. I rate the current app a bit worse, which reacts a bit sluggishly. The latency between input and execution of the function seemed a bit long to me. However, this is something that D-Link can still optimize on the software side.

• Positive
  • Very clear image
  • Very long power cable
  • LED headlight
  • Color night mode
  • Wizard for automations

• Negative:
  • App is not very intuitive
  • App and hardware reacts sluggishly
  • No integration into a smart home possible

First impression

The D-Link DCS-8627LH arrived beautifully packaged. The camera has a good weight and is small enough to be placed anywhere and unobtrusively.

A camera with very good image quality

Design

The appearance of the camera is unobtrusive and kept in plain white. Thus, the camera can be placed very well everywhere and is hardly noticeable, especially on white facades.

Installation

The installation is made very clever and simple from my point of view. After downloading the app from D-Link “mydlink”, the QR code can be scanned directly in the app and the camera is already assigned to your account. The camera is then configured, including integration into the WLAN. Only a few settings are necessary. For the use of all functionalities, one or the other setting is necessary. But these can also be done easily and conveniently via app.

Functionality

Alarm & Motion Detection

Probably the most important feature of a camera is motion detection and alerting via the mobile services. This worked very well and there were also no false alarms during the test period of four weeks.

The alarm in the event of object detection is triggered by means of an acoustic siren and notification via app.

Siren

The siren is rather inconspicuous compared to other providers and resembles a steady beeping. Also, the volume is not that of a classic alarm. However, an intruder immediately realizes that he has been discovered. From my point of view, this is much more important than waking up the whole environment.

LED headlight

The LED spotlight does not exactly illuminate the camera area as bright as day. However, this supports night vision very well and contributes enormously to a clear and colorful night image. The mock weaver is thus once again an additional means of making it clear to uninvited guests that they have been detected.

Image quality

The 1080p Full HD picture is very good. Of course, you will notice the lower picture quality compared to devices with higher resolutions. The colored night vision function is a highlight from my point of view. With the night vision function, it is also possible to detect the person.

Livestream

The livestream works flawlessly via the app. There is no jerking or anything like that. In the app, the frame rate can be set to 50 Hz or 60 Hz. The camera’s image can also be streamed directly to other devices via ONVIF. Or also makes integration into smart home systems such as Home Assistant possible.

Storage

You have two options for storing the data. The first is the use of the mydlink Cloud, which is free for the first year and costs CHF 5.00 per month thereafter. The second option is to insert an SD card. In this case, the data is stored locally and could theoretically be stolen together with the camera.

App

The app is simple, offers many features and the livestream is very easy to find. However, the communication with the camera is a bit sluggish. Whether this is due to the cloud connection or the app is difficult for me to say. However, it is certainly possible to improve them.

Glass breakage detector

An absolute highlight for me is the integrated glass breakage detector. By means of acoustic pattern recognition, the camera can detect and report a glass breakage. Of course, the glass breakage does not have to occur in the camera’s image. If a window is smashed, the app reports this immediately. This further increases safety, even for areas outside the camera image.

Conclusion

Experience with the D-Link DCS-8627LH camera is absolutely satisfactory. Unfortunately, the camera does not integrate with Home Assistant, so I am not currently using the camera any further. However, I will continue to follow the camera and app and will reinstall at a later date if necessary.

More information about the D-Link DCS-8627LH camera is available here.