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SwitchBot’s new outdoor security camera uses AI to describe activity around your home

This 3K outdoor camera can explain what happened and search footage by prompt

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SwitchBot has launched the Outdoor Pan/Tilt Cam 3K in North America and the UK, adding a new outdoor security camera for monitoring yards, driveways, entrances, garages, and small shops.

The camera is designed to cover a wider area than a fixed security camera. It can rotate horizontally and vertically, follow moving subjects, record in 3K resolution, and use AI to summarize what happened in a clip, such as a delivery arriving, an animal entering the yard, or someone approaching the house.

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It is available now through SwitchBot’s website and Amazon stores. Pricing starts at $79.99 in the U.S., CAD 89.99 in Canada, and £89.99 in the U.K. Some advanced AI features require the AI Guard Premium plan, which starts at $4.99 per month in the U.S. and £3.99 per month in the U.K.

A wider view with smarter alerts

The Outdoor Pan/Tilt Cam 3K has 360-degree horizontal rotation, 90-degree vertical rotation, and a 110-degree wide-angle lens. That gives it broader coverage for outdoor spaces where a fixed camera may leave blind spots. Motion tracking lets the camera follow moving subjects and record their path. Users can also set detection zones for specific areas, such as a front gate, driveway, backyard, or garage, while reducing alerts from roads or passing traffic.

One of its most interesting features is AI-powered event understanding. Instead of simply sending a generic motion alert, the camera can describe what happened in plain language, such as a delivery arriving, an animal entering the yard, or someone approaching the house. It can also recognize people, vehicles, animals, and objects, while natural-language search lets users look for specific moments in recorded footage without manually scrolling through hours of video.

What are the core camera features?

The camera uses a 5MP sensor and an F1.6 aperture, and it supports both infrared night vision and full-color low-light viewing through infrared and white LEDs. SwitchBot has included Wi-Fi and wired Ethernet support, microSD storage up to 512GB, cloud storage, two-way audio, and RTSP support for Home Assistant, NVR, and NAS setups. The camera is rated IP66 for dust and water resistance and can operate in temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius.

It can also work with other SwitchBot devices, such as lights, locks, sensors, video doorbells, and indoor cameras, which may make it more useful for users already invested in the company’s smart home ecosystem.

Sudhanshu Kumar Mangalam
I’ve got about 4 years of experience, mostly covering gaming, PC hardware, and smartphones. In my free time, I like…
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