Logi Circle Reviewed

At a glance
Product	Logitech Logi Circle 720p HD Camera (961-000393)   [Website]
Summary	Cloud-based wireless camera with night vision, two-way audio and "Day Briefs"
Pros	• Very easy Bluetooth Smart setup • Great audio quality, no microphone noise • Very good night vision • Support via phone and email
Cons	• Same price as Nest Cam with less features • No cloud storage optional plans • App documentation hard to find • No configurable motion detection zones • Short battery life when used off the base • Meh support quality

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Introduction

I've been looking at a lot of cloud cameras recently. Most walk a line between being security cameras and more of a "check in on the dog" type of camera. The Logi Circle is probably more of the latter.

You might think the Logi name seems familiar and you would be right. Logi is a new brand for Logitech, dropping "tech" from the name for a new line of products. Logitech's, err, Logi's press release states, "Building on its heritage as a technology company, Logitech has placed design at its core. It is crafting a portfolio of products that go beyond PC peripherals, to products that have a place in every aspect of your daily life. This brand reflects the company's reinvention, with a colorful new attitude and a re-imagined logo. You'll even see a new label for our latest product categories: Logi."

So let's review the new Logi Circle. The Logi Circle is a 720p HD cloud-connected camera, like the Nest Cam, available in white (model 961-000393) and black (model 961-000392) versions. It couples magnetically to its base, which can be wall-mounted, and manually tilted up, down and rotated. The Circle can be removed from its base, which also serves as a charger and run on its rechargeable non-user replaceable 1600mAh 3.7V battery that Logitech says can last for up to 12 hours. As I found out in testing, "up to" is most definitely the key phrase here.

The image below shows the Logi Circle callouts. Hidden near the lens are 6 IR LEDs (3 on either side), and the speaker and microphone, which support two-way audio.

Logi Circle callouts

I collected all the information I could about the Logi Circle from Logitech's specs into the table below. I've also included the Nest Cam specs for reference.

As the table states, the Logi Circle is a 720p HD camera. I confirmed the videos downloaded by the Circle app were at 1280x720 resolution. The Circle connects by 2.4 or 5 GHz Wi-Fi; there is no Ethernet connection option.

Inside

Not wanting to mess up the Circle, I relied on the FCC photos, which were very good. The image below shows how the Circle comes apart. On the far left is the IR LED module, three from the left is the lens, then the main board and on the far right is the batttery.

Logi Circle components

Going deeper in to the configuration we see the AP6330 WiFi+Bluetooth module. The datasheet block diagram indicates the module uses a Broadcom SoC containing 1x1 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (N150 class) and Bluetooth 4.0 + Low Energy radios.

Logi Circle board showing the AP6330 WiFi+Bluetooth chip

On the other side of the board is a Samsung KLM8G1WEMB-B031 8 GB eMMC flash, as well as an AIT8428G, which I assume to be the image processor, but was unable to find any information regarding it.

Logi Circle board showing the Samsung KLM8G1WEMB-B031 8GB eMMC

Lastly we see the Li-Polymer 1600mAh 3.7V battery that Logitech says provides "up to" 12 hours of battery life.

Logi Circle 1600mAh 3.7V battery

Introduction Setup, Features, Video Quality Video Quality-Night, Closing

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