The Glassview is the latest smart window camera from Sonoff, and looking at it, it seems to be a fairly ordinary USB-powered WiFi IP camera. And it is at least, at first glance – but read on – it’s actually quite good when you get into it…
The product is numbered CAM-S3W and comes with a very short permanently attached USB-C lead and a very long extension. You can add a microSD card for local storage, and it has sound input and output.
So up to now, nothing special, I hear you say, except for the fittings that come with it. I have an old Sonoff camera back in the UK sitting in a bedroom window upstairs. It wasn’t until I left the UK and left it running that I realized that, at night in the dark, the reflections off the window from its infrared light would make it almost useless. Rather oddly, the new camera has no IR light.
The official blurb says: “CAM GlassView is a 3MP smart window camera designed to deliver clear outdoor monitoring from inside your home. Advanced imaging algorithms minimize window glare and provide vivid full-color night vision, making it a practical alternative to traditional outdoor cameras.”
“With three mounting brackets for different window types, installation is quick and flexible. By mounting indoors, it eliminates the hassle of outdoor installation, power wiring, weather exposure, and theft—ideal for monitoring driveways, front yards, and apartments.”
“Built for both everyday users and smart home enthusiasts, CAM GlassView supports dual-band Wi-Fi, OpenEdge Local Web Console, RTSP, ONVIF, and local microSD storage for flexible integration and reliable recording.”
Dual band – I’d not even noticed that. Good. The docs give you the link to connnect the camera via RTSP to Home Assistant and other systems. Easy.
I kept wondering if there was a way to glue my camera to the window, which is a bit of a messy solution, when along came the Glass View. See pictures of the included accessories (below) that make it easy to stick to any window. Marvellous.
Setting up is easier. The device enters pairing mode and creates a hotspot named Sonoff_S3W-xxx. I set up the camera using the eWeLink app and then immediately went to install it into Home Assistant (HA), and sure enough, because it has ONVIF/RTSP capability: it’s dead easy to add into HA.
So there it is, sitting on the bench in my office. You’ll notice a slight curve in the imagery that’s to be expected because it is fairly wide angle.
There is only one sensor which shows up in Home Assistant alongside the video so the camera is not going to win any awards for its technical capabilities but it’s fine, and I’m sure it will be priced accordingly.
OOOH, this is an improvement – the IP address of the camera – just pop it into a browser and enter the password you added during setup and.. I like it – no more heading back to the eWeLink app for settings..
And finally I read this info… Very good, Sonoff:
“SONOFF has launched devices with built-in local web console to address user concerns about cloud privacy, network latency, and platform lock-in. This allows the device configuration to be accessed and controlled via a browser. Additionally, we provide standardized local API interfaces that enable devices to maintain local autonomy while unlocking more advanced features within third-party smart ecosystems.”