Top positive review
44 people found this helpful
A solid Wate-Proof and Vandal-Proof dome IP camera from Amcrest
By Jack Chu on Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2017
I purchased this Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 1.3 Megapixel Wi-Fi Vandal Dome IP Security Camera mainly to check the area around my garage (especially my garage door as I always forgot if I closed it or not). It's a dome style so it doesn't look too weird if I mount it outside my home and the Waterproof/ Vandal-Proof would ensure the device can last through weather and possible intentional damage. The package contains Amcrest IPM-751B (Black) IP camera, WI-FI antenna, Ethernet cable, Mounting kit, Power adapter (NO POE), and User manual. The power adapter is pretty long, I believe it's around 10 feet, and this makes it easy to find an optimum place to mount outside my home. Mounting kit includes screws/anchors/seal for in-wall installation. Amcrest has very nice tutorial on youtube showing how to easily mount the device on wall. The device is fairly easy to setup using the "Amcrest View Pro" app, available on both Google Play and Apple Appstore. I recommend using Ethernet method for first-time setup if you have a complicated home wireless network. There is an LED indicator inside the dome to show the current status - red means not ready and green means ready. Please see my video for a walk-through. PROs: - High-end spec with F2.0 lens, SONY IMX322, and Ambarella SL2m chipset. This ensures smooth and clear video capture in both day and night. Wide 92º degree viewing angle covers more area than normal camera. - Strong night vision with minimum noise. It claims Up to 98 feet night vision. In my trial, things are very clear with 10-20 feet range and I haven't had a chance to test further away. - Easy setup and live support. I like that Amcrest provides fast response when I asked questions regarding how to adjust the angle. I finished setting up IPM-751B in less than 20 minutes with Ethernet connection method (I highly recommend try Ethernet connection method instead of Wireless method). - A lot of feature supported by Amcrest. Free DDNS server so we don't need static internet IP. Free 4 hour 1 camera Amcrest cloud to keep recording online. Notification by alarm, such as motion detection, supported by Amcrest View Pro app. The best thing is 3rd party app such as Tinycam Monitor can access the IP cam too. - Motion alert can be controlled by detection zone. Email Alerts/Snapshots are supported as well. - Weatherproof is rated at IP67, which means it can withstand being submerged in 1m (about 3.3 feet) of static water for up to 30 mins. Vandal Resistant IK10 means it is protected against a 5 Kg object dropped from 40 cm in height. - Solid WI-FI connection. I can connect to my router which is 20 feet+ away without signal drop. NOTE: - This camera doesn't support Pan/Tilt so the camera angle has to be manually adjusted. Please see my video for a quick tutorial. - The camera prompt to update firmware the first time I boot it up. It's easier to check the status on web GUI as it doesn't show much info in the app. - This camera supports recording to local storage but memory card is not included in the package. I have to use my own memory card and the memory card slot is located inside the dome. Wish list: I really wish one day Amcrest can add IFTTT support for their IP camera.
Top critical review
10 people found this helpful
Fails where it matters
By CheeseMaker on Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2017
First, the good: The camera has great hardware, all-weather outdoor housing and optics. The dome design is great because would-be thieves can't be sure where it is pointing to and whether or not this is a pan-tilt-zoom camera that can follow them or not -so they are far more weary. So why the low rating? The camera seems to go offline in random whenever it wants to. This is so bad that WE MISSED A BURGLARY OF OUR CAR. The police shook their head when they learned that "the camera needed to take a break" the night before. This happened AGAIN with another break in of neighbours on the other Amcrest at the other end of the house. IF YOU ARE INSTALLING THIS TO CATCH CRIMINALS OR MONITOR CRIME - DONT TRUST IT. THIS IS TOY GRADE! Given that it is wired to the wall, I have to go to the circuit breaker and flip it off and on and wait for it to go online again. About once every 2-3 days. This is totally unacceptable. If I can't trust the camera to be connected when I'm traveling than what good is it? A deterrent? There are $5 camera dummies for that. So yes, there is a 64GB memory card we bought for it. Card doesn't do anything. No recording whatsoever. There is no control over the recording in the app so if I go to playback mode it just tells me "no recording" and there is no setting to rectify this. You can access the camera's software via browser and get to some more advanced features but it's a lot of cumbersome nonsense that doesn't change the fact the camera goes offline. The two apps, Amcrest View and Amcrest Cloud are HORRENDOUS (read Apple App Stores reviews before buying this). None of the basic things you need (start and stop recording, export clips, alert the phone if a camera goes offline) but many fine geeky settings with techno mumbo jumbo acronyms beloved by programmers that don't matter. It's a real weak link. Can this company not afford to hire an average UX engineer and product designer??? One annoyance in particular is that if you set a camera on HD it gets a wider field of view with greater outdoor coverage so I can see from my front door to the street corner. The apps keep resetting the camera back to low resolution mode (let me guess, Amcrest wants to save $$$ on the streaming and storage because HD needs x4 times as much). Standard mode narrows the covered view so I can't see my front door or beyond the corner anymore. Moreover when one app changes the camera mode, it would appear in that mode now on the other app. IF I WANTED A LOW RESOLUTION NARROW SCREEN CAMERA I WOULD'T HAVE SPENT X4 THE $$$ ON HD CAMERAS NOW, WOULD I? I thought that the cloud was a great option but as it turns out it only stores 6 hours and if you click on the button to add your other Amcrest cameras it says it's not supported. WHAT??? Ok, Amcrest is trying to sell you on a monthly cloud service thing for multiple cameras and more hours. That's fine by me but there is no way to sign up for this or upgrade in the app. Heck, it's not even easy to find this feature on their website. But if this lame free version is supposed to be a preview for what buying the app looks like -no thank you. These cameras and apps have done more harm than good. Missing two crimes and costing me hundreds plus the cards, wiring and installation. (And they cannot be used with non-Amcrest apps). Bottom line, the super lame software and cameras that go offline are the weak links here. Total fail. if you are looking for reliable security and reliable apps with even remotely user friendly interface -STAY AWAY from this unstable junk. *** update *** Amcrest service rep contacted me using Amazon reviews response to appear as if they are resolving the issue. I followed the instructions to get an RMA and return the unit but no response from the company. That was 2 months ago. No, there is no support.
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