Can You Talk Through Night Owl Cameras?

2-way audio is a feature of many smart home security cameras that allows you to talk through a camera in your home from anywhere using your phone. I like to use this feature to talk to my dogs when I’m not home, and many use it to talk to their human family members as well. I was doing some research on Night Owl cameras and found some useful information about which of their cameras you can talk through. 

Can You Talk Through Night Owl Cameras? Night Owl has many camera options, but the CAM-WNR2P-OU wireless camera is the only one that has 2-way audio. This camera comes with the NVR wireless security system packages and can also be purchased individually.

Night Owl has both DVR and NVR systems and several models of each. Whether you are considering a complete security system for your home or a stand-alone security camera, you will want to know which Night Owl products you should purchase and how to use them. 

Night Owl Camera with 2-Way Audio

The only Night Owl camera with 2-way audio is the CAM-WNR2P-OU wireless camera. It’s compatible with the following security systems:

• Wireless NVR WNVR201
• Wireless NVR WNVRC20
• Wireless Gateway WG4
• Hybrid DVR HC20X

The camera does not work with Night Owl’s wired DVR systems.

The camera can also be used without a video recording device through the Night Owl app. A microSD card of up to 128GB or a monthly cloud storage subscription is required to record without a DVR or NVR.

Night Owl’s 2-way audio-enabled camera works indoors and outdoors and plugs into the wall using an included power cord. Additional features include:

• 1080p video resolution
• Night vision up to 100 feet
• Dual motion and heat sensors

Setting up the Camera

Here are the steps to connect the CAM-WNR2P-OU camera to your home’s Wi-Fi if you do not have a DVR or NVR system:

1. Ensure that your phone is connected to your home’s 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network.
2. Plug the camera into an outlet. The cameraCamera will inform you that it is in pairing mode.
3. Open the Night Owl app on your phone and click + to add a device. 
4. Follow the prompts to complete the set-up process. 

Using Night Owl 2-Way Audio

You can talk through your camera from your phone or tablet using Live View in the Night Owl app. Simply open Live View, and you can talk and listen freely. 

If you want to turn off the audio from the camera, press the audio icon on the settings bar. To turn off the microphone, click on the settings icon and select “Microphone off”. You can toggle the audio and microphone on and off as you wish. 

Night Owl is Google Home Compatible 

Night Owl’s 2-way audio-enabled camera is compatible with the following Google Home and Chromecast devices:

• Google Home
• Google Home Mini
• Google Home Max
• Google Home Hub
• Chromecast
• Chromecast Ultra
• Smart TVs with built-in Chromecast

Here are the Night Owl systems and additional products that can be voice-controlled d with a Google Home device:

• Hybrid DVR HC20X series
• Wireless NVR WNVRC20 series
• Wired DVR C20X and C50X series (not compatible with the 2-way audio camera)
• Smart Doorbell

Voice Control Your Night Owl Camera

You can give the camera voice commands such as “Ask Night Owl Connect to start recording” through any of the above Google assistance devices. However, to talk through your camera using Google assistant, you will need a device with a screen in order to view Live View and talk through it. The options are a Chromecast device or a Google Home Hub. 

If you own both a Chromecast TV and a Google Home without a screen, you can ask the Google Home device to open the camera’s Live View on your Chromecast TV with the command “Cast [camera name] on [TV name]”.

This link has a complete list of voice commands for viewing your camera’s live stream on your Google Home Hub or Chromecast TV. 

Connecting a Night Owl Camera and Google Home

Follow these steps to connect your Night Owl camera to your Google Home:

1. Open the Google Home app on your phone or tablet.
2. Select the Google device you want to link to your camera.
3. Select Account.
4. Select Settings.
5. Scroll across to Assistant. 
6. Select Home Control.
7. Tap the + sign in the bottom, right corner. 
8. Search for the Night Owl Connect app.
9. Enter your Night Owl username and password when prompted. 
10. Press Done.

Night Owl is not currently compatible with Amazon Alexa devices or any other smart home brands. 

Night Owl Video Doorbell

Night Owl’s doorbell also has 2-way audio. You can view the doorbell’s live stream and talk through it the same way you would the 2-way audio camera using the Night Owl app or a compatible Google Home device. 

The smart doorbell connects to your home’s existing doorbell wires. It requires a stable power supply of 16-24 Volts. It can be set up easily by yourself if you have a drill. Watch this video to help you install and set up your Night Owl Doorbell.