Good news for those who love D-Link products! You will be thrilled to know that they have revamped the mydlink app which offers modern smart home users with more functionality and customisable and intuitive controls to monitor their smart homes at any time, from anywhere.
The mydlink app now supports smart Bluetooth setup that allows cameras to be set up really easily. I have received the HD Outdoor Wi-Fi spotlight camera to try out and I was able to set it up within minutes. Instead of drilling holes on my wall, I decided to use the cable ties (provided) to secure it on my guttering.
The mydlink app is compatible with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and free to download for iOS and Android. I was able to link it with my Google Home app as it was detected instantly via the app. But I do have a problem using Google Assistant to live stream the video on my Chromecast kitchen TV as I already have a Nest camera installed. My Google Assistant is only able to stream the Nest video as it can not work with two different brand’s cameras. Anyway, I can view the live video via the app on my smart device easily.
D-Link has also announced several new features that support the overall user experience. These include enhanced device scheduling, automation and privacy controls, as well as an improved event timeline to allow users to quickly and easily see when something has happened and playback the related videos.
The enhanced device scheduling is a great way to control when you want your device to turn on/off and set your automation (will discuss more below). The turn on/off feature is probably more suited to D-Link switches, smart plugs, routers & modems and whole-home Wi-Fi devices. For security cameras, I prefer to have it record continuously. The app introduced a more flexible way of handling schedules by allowing all schedules settings across all account managing devices (phone, tablets) for ease of management and assignment. I simply hover over and tap to set the timing.
The all-new Scenes feature gives users the ability to control the location: Home, Away and Sleep. For example, when you using the Home scene, it will turn on all the lights via a smart plug and turn off your home camera for privacy. When you using the Away scene, it will turn on all cameras and when you using Sleep, it will turn on outdoor cameras.
As for the automation control, it allows you to set up a chain of your automation rules which triggers one or multiple devices. For example, you can set it to send you a notification or video recording (subscription to Cloud needed or using SD card), or have the spotlight on or turn the siren on. This could be when a person, motion, glass breaking sound or sound above 80dB is detected. Once you set it up, it will ask you to set up the scheduling.
Instead of setting up your scene or schedule, you can simply go to the app to turn on the Privacy mode to stop live view, sound detection, motion detection, and any recordings instantly. It will remain off until you disable Privacy Mode.
This is my first time using D-Link gadgets and I am super pleased with the app itself. I love that the company are constantly looking for ways to improve their app and add more smart gadgets into our lives. I am currently using Swann CCTV and they have stopped updating the app for almost three years now. The app is not user friendly and unable to set up easily. It is always good to know that the mydlink portfolio has been delivering robust, secure, and highly-scalable technology for more than ten years, serving more than six million registered users worldwide. The platform is hosted across five regional data centres around the globe to ensure compliance with local privacy and data protection regulations in markets worldwide.
The app is so easy to navigate and user friendly. There are many helpful videos to show users how to troubleshoot! I can’t fault it at all! For more information, please visit https://eu.dlink.com/mydlink.
Disclosure: We received the sample for the purposes of writing this review, however, all thoughts and opinions remain our own. We have included an Amazon affiliate link to the product. If you click on this and buy, we may earn a small commission.