Tired of ads just to view your own cameras?

Are Yi Cameras Worth It? An Honest Assessment

If you're searching for a Yi camera alternative, you've likely experienced the frustration that's led SafeWise to recommend against buying Yi or Kami cameras in 2025. What started as budget-friendly security has become something quite different.

Should I Buy Yi Cameras in 2026?

Yi cameras were once known for offering decent quality at rock-bottom prices. If you're asking "are Yi cameras worth it?" here's what's changed:

What Yi promised:

• Budget-friendly cameras
• SD card storage without subscription
• Simple app-based viewing

What you actually get now:

• Forced advertising - Watch ads before viewing your own cameras
• 90-second limits - SD card playback restricted without subscription
• Connectivity nightmares - 30 seconds to a minute of buffering, choppy video
• No support - No phone number, emails go to full mailboxes or get ignored for weeks
• Security flaws - Cisco Talos discovered vulnerabilities allowing attackers to disable cameras, delete footage, or view feeds remotely

Yi Camera Problems: What Users Report

The shift in Yi's business model has left many customers feeling deceived:

Subscription bait-and-switch: Users who bought Yi cameras specifically because they worked without subscriptions now find basic features locked behind paywalls. One user reported being charged £150 after cancelling their subscription.

Aggressive monetisation: The app now displays ads constantly - even interrupting you when you need to check your cameras for security alerts.

Technical issues: Poor 2.4GHz-only Wi-Fi means constant buffering, dropped connections, and choppy footage. Night vision lacks colour and loses facial details - making footage useless for identification.

Support void: With no customer service phone line, users are left to email support that either bounces back ("mailbox full") or goes unanswered for weeks.

The Security Risks of Budget Cameras

Beyond the user experience issues, Yi cameras have serious security vulnerabilities:

Cisco Talos researchers discovered multiple flaws that could allow attackers to:

• Disable your cameras remotely
• Delete stored videos
• View your camera feeds without authorisation
• Use cameras as a foothold to attack other devices on your network

When your security cameras become a security risk, it's time to reconsider.

The scOS Alternative to Yi

We designed scOS around a simple idea: your security system should work like a brilliant security guard who never sleeps, never gets distracted, and never asks for a raise.

It focuses on what matters. Our AI doesn't just detect motion - it detects suspicious activity. The difference? A cat walking past your door versus someone trying your door handle at 3am.

It only bothers you when it matters. Just like a person would, scOS knows the difference between your neighbour coming home and a stranger lurking in your driveway. You get alerts that mean something, not hundreds of notifications about leaves blowing past.

It's designed to be left alone. Set it up once and forget about it. No tweaking sensitivity settings. No training periods. No daily check-ins. It just works, quietly protecting your home in the background.

Everything is included. No feature tiers. No premium unlocks. No surprises. Every capability we build goes to every customer. See all features.

It works with any wired camera. Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Hanwha - whatever professional cameras you choose. Your security shouldn't lock you into one manufacturer's ecosystem.

Think of it this way: a full-time security guard costs around £41,000 per year. scOS gives you that same watchful intelligence from just £19 per month. That's the value of a subscription done right.

Making the Switch from Yi

Yi cameras might seem cheap upfront, but the hidden costs add up: subscription fees, time wasted on buffering, frustration with non-existent support, and the risk of security vulnerabilities.

scOS represents a different approach - professional-grade security with transparent pricing and AI that actually prevents crime. It's simple. An engineer comes to your property, sets up your Intelligence Hub, and connects your cameras. That's it. Your dedicated Architect ensures your system works perfectly from day one.

Your home security shouldn't come with advertisements.