Installing a CCTV is not difficult.
My house now already has an alarm system, but the thought of being able to monitor my place when I’m away, or when I’m unsure if I locked the gate, or the door from the comfort of my own bed does sound really cool.
That said, I decided to buy a three CCTVs online, and start installing a CCTV myself after I made some research on how to install and configure the CCTVs I purchased.
WHAT CCTV DID I BUY?
I can say that I am a Xiaomi fan, so it was only natural that I purchased the Xioami CCTV despite the fact I do not speak Chinese (Mandarin), and I definitely had not a single clue what Chinese characters meant.
However, thanks to YouTube, I bet I could learn how installing a CCTV is done, and so I did my research and watched a couple of videos. I do have a Home Improvement category on this blog you can check out to see what other things I tried fixing or doing myself.
READ ALL POST RELATED TO HOME IMPROVEMENTS
If some random girl in Malaysia could learn how to do braces and make a business out of it, I’m pretty sure I could definitely learn how to install my own CCTV without the need of learning Mandarin.
Anyway, the CCTVs didn’t cost that much as I got a good deal, buying them for RM80 per piece. Prices have since went down.
Each CCTV came with a cable and power adapter, which were needed for the installation.
GET THE BEST PRICE FOR A XIAOMI CCTV
INSTALLING THE CCTV
Installing a CCTV is actually really easy. The tricky part was to sync the CCTV with the MiHome App, which you can download on the Android Play Store, or the Apple Store.
After that, you need to follow the instructions pictures below.
1. Go to the MiHome App, and select Mainland China as your locale. This is a compulsory step regardless of where you are because if you choose other locations, you’ll not be able to use the CCTV. – if you are not familiar with Chinese characters, choose the longer Chinese wording under locale.
2. In the MiHome App, choose to ADD NEW DEVICE > ADD CAMERA PRODUCT choose your CCTV.
3. Once you have done that, press the SETUP button as you can see below, and wait for the voice prompt, before clicking NEXT.
4. Then, ADD your home network you wish to connect the CCTV to. This step allows your home network to work as a gateway to the internet, allowing your CCTV to be accessible online by the MiHome app. Here you need to add your home network name and passowrd as seen below. – Once this is done, a QR code would appear.
5. The next step is to use the CCTV camera to scan the QR code provided. This step is to sync you camera with your network, and you will know when it’s done when the blue LED light at the back of the camera turns blue, and there’s a voice prompt telling you it’s done.
Step 5 is the last, and if all is done correctly, you should be able to see areas covered by your CCTV through the MiHome App now.
I WANTED A PROPER XIOAMI XIAO FANG CCTV SETUP
Well, after you have set up your CCTV, you can basically place it anywhere in the house, but I wanted more, and hence why I decided to use half a day to do a proper installation of the CCTV around the house, with cables all hidden from view.
The work wasn’t easy as I had asked my partner in crime, Donovan to climb to the roof to hide the power cables.
In addition to that, I had to also extend the wires as the default wire provided was rather short.
After 3 hours of sweat, all three CCTV’s were nicely intact at strategic locations around the house.
PROBLEMS WITH THE XIAOMI XIAO FANG CCTV
Nothing is perfect they say, and so is the Xiaomi CCTV. Even wired CCTVs used at my workplace go black sometimes, so this one by Xiaomi is pretty good to be honest.
At only RM80, you really can’t expect much from the CCTV, but I can safely say I am impressed with the video feed provided specifically since it’s in HD.
On top of that, I also opted to get a 16GB memory card for all my CCTVs.
Anyway, once the CCTV was up, I could monitor my house from a distance, though sometimes the feed needed time to pop up. Putting your CCTVs closer to the router would solve this problem nonetheless.
Another major problem was the MiHome App which is unstable and seems to crash alot. While the app itself is always updated, it’s still very far from perfect but there’s where the 16GB memory card I bought was the key.
You see, the memory card would still record despite the MiHome crashing, or the CCTV being far from the router. This recording would be stored in the memory card, and can be accessed if needed, so there’s little to worry about.
GETTING A PROFESSIONAL CCTV INSTALLER IN KUCHING
Fixing a security system isn’t that all difficult nowadays, especially with Shopee offering the Xiaomi Xiao Fang CCTV system at a bargain. (Click here to find out the current price for such system)
The only problem would be making your CCTV installation look perfect, and that’s when an experienced installer would be needed.
I choose to install the CCTV myself because I love doing these stuffs and I do have all the installation equipment with me.
But if you don’t have those, get a professional, and be prepared to pay about RM400 for service charges because that’s the price I’d charge if I was doing the installation. – Hey, bukan senang panjat panjat, okay.