Meet the MERCUSYS MC500 - Smartly secure your home for JUST PHP 1.2K
Affordable home security is undeniably booming, and networking brand MERCUSYS has a new contender—the MC500.
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| This is the MERCUSYS MC500 |
Meet the MERCUSYS MC500 - Smartly secure your home for JUST PHP 2K
While there are now plenty of affordable home security cameras, not all of them are created equal.
The new MERCUSYS MC500 is jam-packed with features found on several higher-end outdoor home security cameras.
The build
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| The design of the camera |
Let's check the build first. The device arrived in a modern-looking CCTV camera-like design made with a solid polycarbonate shell and weather resistance.
In particular, the camera has an IP65 rating, which means that it is protected against dust ingress and is waterproof against water jets from any angle, making it suitable for outdoor use and protected against even heavy rain.
How to set up?
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| Everything inside the box |
The camera comes with an angled wall mount with cable management guides for a clean setup, the power adapter with a long cable for a versatile setup, and tux screws.
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| It's not highly recommended, but I mounted it on the wall using high-quality double-sided Velcro tape—no drilling—so I can easily move it to my new house next door once WiFi is available. |
After that, simply install the MERCUSYS app on your Android or iOS device. Then, sign up and log in.
Add the MERCUSYS MC500 camera to the app and make sure to connect to a 2.4GHz WiFi network.
Add the MERCUSYS MC500 camera to the app and make sure to connect to a 2.4GHz WiFi network.
The picture quality
The experience is better than expected.
In daylight, it uses a 1/32" Progressive Scan CMOS Not Starlight Sensor with the ability to record up to 1080p videos and can do up to 9x digital zoom.
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| Sample photo with zoom/crop |
While we should still manage our expectations and not expect smartphone-level picture quality, this has better details and richer colors than my older home security camera.
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| Video mode |
Note: Colors noticeably have stronger contrast and will look better in video mode.
Even when you crop a captured photo, the subject remains clearly visible. I tested it by taking a selfie with the device, cropping it afterward, and my face was still easily recognizable—a vital feature for outdoor cameras in securing our homes.
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| Panorama |
It also has a super wide field of view out of the box, allowing us to monitor the surroundings better. Moreover, it has a 360-degree horizontal panning range, which really works to eliminate blind spots. It can also tilt up to 90 degrees with a 130-degree tilt coverage.
The result is that the camera can even take panoramic shots.
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| Low light (without and with flash) |
In the dark, the MERCUSYS MC500 features an 850 nm IR LED (98 ft/29.9 m) with Color Night Vision. YES, unlike my other budget cameras with black and white night vision, it can take shots in the dark with colors.
Color Night Vision on a budget
Of course, the images will definitely show some grain, but this is not bad, especially for a budget camera.
Moreover, it has a built-in strong "Light mode", making it even easier for the cameras to see even clearer in the dark. The spotlight settings have 3 levels of brightness and have an on/off duration of 5 to 30 minutes.
The rest of the features
The MERCUSYS app will unlock the rest of the features of the camera.
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| The camera app |
In the app, users can select which 24/7 detection mode to use—either Home or Away modes.
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| Home and Away modes |
Home is ideal when the user is at home and wants to avoid constant alerts from pets or people moving around. Away mode is for when no one is home, and you want to be alerted to all motion.
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| The alerts |
In Away mode, the camera will sound the alarm (siren) on every movement detected—potentially scaring burglars or anyone with bad intentions from entering your place.
It even has a Baby Cry Detection in case you want to use the cameras indoors.
Agressive alerts in real-time
The camera control interface is also very easy to use and understand. From here, you can use the Two-Way Audio to hear and respond in real time through the built-in microphone and speaker of the camera. The speaker quality is fairly loud, and while there are minimal delays, you can converse with the person outdoors on your phone through the app.
It also has Customizable Activity Zones to let users receive alerts on the most important areas, such as doors and more. Users may also manually pan and tilt with an option for a panoramic view, as mentioned above.
The app also gives an option to turn off the camera temporarily with "Privacy Mode" and switch on or off the Light.
You can also manually set the alarms and their detection type.
You can also manually set the alarms and their detection type.
Moreover, you can compile a Video summary to see what happened throughout the day (One Video Summary for each of the previous 30 days).
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| FREE cloud storage for 30 days |
By the way, it has a FREE 512GB local storage for 30 days or a subscription to the MERCUSYS Camera Care cloud service. Users can also manually attach a microSD card with at least class 10 quality.
In the app, users can also monitor multiple cameras—in case you have several MERCUSYS security cameras for easy and more convenient home monitoring.
MERCUSYS MC500 key specs, features
- IP65 dust and water resistance Easy wall mount 1/32" Progressive Scan CMOS Not Starlight Sensor 850 nm IR LED (98 ft/29.9 m) with Color Night Vision Up to 1080p video recording Up to 9x digital zoom 360-degree horizontal panning range 130-degree tilt coverage 1 month free unlimited cloud storage PHP 1,199 price tag
Quick thoughts
The MERCUSYS MC500 offers smart, secure, and interactive outdoor surveillance for the ultra-affordable SRP of just PHP 1,199.
It also comes with person/motion detection, a built-in light and siren alarm for active deterrence, customizable privacy zones for tailored monitoring, and two-way audio for real-time communication without breaking the bank.
This camera is simply loaded with highly useful features vital for home security and our peace of mind.
In case you are wondering, the MERCUSYS MC500 is available in select IT retail stores nationwide as well as online stores in Shopee and Lazada.
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