Most Wi-Fi cameras come with a hidden tax: a monthly subscription to store your recordings in their cloud. In May 2026 I bought the Zosi C290 with my own money to watch over our pool, and it skips the subscription completely.
Why I needed it
The pool was the only corner of the garden that wasn't covered. I already had another camera, but the trees have grown and I wanted a different angle to keep an eye on the kids when they're swimming. I'd seen a review in Italian but none in English, so I bought it to find out for myself.
4K, AI tracking and storage
The C290 is a wireless PTZ camera that can turn 360 degrees. What I loved in the first hours is that it detects someone moving and follows them, a bit like the subject tracking on a DJI Pocket, day or night, and alerts your phone. There are lots of AI detection options. I even spotted a "littering" detection, handy if people dump rubbish near your property.
Most garden cameras I've seen lately are 1080p. This one is 4K (8 MP), and that makes a real difference: it can be the difference between recognising a face or reading a number plate, or not. Tap the screen for a 2× zoom. It's digital, but because it's cropping a 4K image, it still looks like 1080p. Night vision surprised me too.
It ships with a 64 GB card already inside, and you can fit a larger one. When it's full it overwrites the oldest footage. You can buy extra cloud storage if you want, but the camera doesn't lock features behind it, unlike about 90% of the cameras I've tested.
Two-way audio and installation
The two-way audio is crystal clear, a bit like an Alexa speaker. From my studio I can tell the kids off ("don't dive that way!") and they can answer back. Installation is easy: it includes a drilling template. I mounted it on a wooden column with the included screws, and with a Wi-Fi extender it works great.
What could be better
It's an entry-level camera, and build quality is good but not the best. The SD card holder felt a bit loose, so I mounted it where it's not fully exposed to rain. And I'd love a solar-powered version. Still, at the offer price I saw at the time (somewhere between 59 and 79), it's a great deal. I'd buy another one.