best low cost ip cam for home use

martinorob

Hello,
i am looking for a good and low price ip camera for home use.
I know that there is this post
http://www.bensoftware.com/securityspy/helpcameralist.html

but I can't find any good ip cam on amazon.
I always use foscam but now I've read that is not raccomanded.

I'm looking for a small one.

May someone can give me some feedback ?

Thanks

Ben

I would stay away from Foscam. In my opinion the best low-cost IP cameras are the lower-end models from Amcrest. These should be available from Amazon as well as directly from amcrest.com (if you are in the US). Just make sure to avoid the "SmartHome" models, as these don't have a standard web interface and have no configuration options, which is a significant limitation.

martinorob

Thanks Ben,
I'm from Italy. So I'm waiting for the amcrest 2k on amazon

Amcrest UltraHD Shield 2K Dual-Band WiFi Video Security IP Camera w/ Two-Way Audio, MicroSD Recording, Super Wide 140° Viewing Angle, Full HD 3MP(2304×1296) @ 20FPS and Night Vision IP3M-HX2 (White)
https://amcrest.com/amcrest-hex-3mp-wifi-video-security-ip-camera-pt-856.html

are good enough?

Markmcg

Hi, what is the concern with Foscam? Seem to be working ok for me?

Ben

Some users have had success with Foscam cameras and SecuritySpy, however we receive frequent messages from others who experience problems. One issue is patchy ONVIF support, and inconsistent APIs across models, so trying to support them is a moving target and often requires manual configuration and trial and error. Other users have complained of low quality and short product lifespans.

brit1976

I had two Foscam Camera's one I had issues with working with Security Spy. I would agree stay away from Foscam. I just recently replaced it with an Amcrest and no issues. Both work well with Security Spy. Although I noticed the Amcrest 4MP is really foggy at night. Need to look at that.

paul2020

I've been very happy with this H.VIEW camera for £56:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Security-Surveillance-Weatherproof-Detection-HV-500G2/dp/B0798LGRT7

Spiv

I was using Wyze Cam with their RTSP firmware option. At $25, they are dirt cheap, but not super reliable for continuous streaming.

I'm now testing and love the new Eufy Indoor cams. Only $40 for the camera, or $50 for the version with motorized pan and tilt.

These things are amazing quality and value - 2K resolution (instead of the typical 1K), they support Eufy cloud storage, built-in microSD Card, and RTSP all standard from them - no special firmware.

In a few weeks ("mid July") they are supposed to release an upgrade that will add Apple HomeKit support.

Not clear if it will be basic HomeKit or the full featured HomeKit Secure Video (HSV) and whether RTSP can be used simultaneously, but HomeKit is just an extra from my point of view.

Would LOVE to see SS support the pan & tilt controls on this great camera

Ben

Hi @Spiv if you are able to put this camera online temporarily for us to test remotely, we should be able to create a profile for it that includes the PTZ controls. This would involve setting up port forwarding to the camera on ports 80 and 554, and providing us with your public IP address or hostname (e.g. your "viewcam.me" DDNS name set up in SecuritySpy). If so, please email us with these details (we can provide further information on how to set this up if you are unsure).

doodah

Ben, if he isn't able to set this up for you I just ordered one each of these. I will have them Thursday and will set up for a remote test for you if someone hasn’t by then.

Ben

Bad news about Eufy pan/tilt support I'm afraid. Testing with @Spiv's camera revealed that the camera does not have a standard web interface with pan/tilt controls that can be inspected to determine the appropriate commands. So I emailed Eufy and this was their response:

"I am sincerely sorry to say that for security and data safety concerns, we are not allowed to release any information on the HTTP requests and API informations for our security products at the moment. Sorry for the disappointment."

So at this point, adding pan/tilt support unfortunately does not appear to be possible.

doodah

I just got the cameras... What is the magic configuration to even get them to stream to SS? I've yet to discover how to set or find the username and password so SS can connect.. Do I need to add some RTSP port or parameters to get a connection?

doodah

Well I got it working... I had a time finding where to turn on RTSP. I contacted their support via chat and was told the PTV camera did not support RTSP. I found that hard to believe so I called and the person there helped get this setup. I asked him about the PTV and he also stated the only way to control that is via their app. His suggestion was to turn non the ability to track any movement. Will be interesting to see how well that works.

doodah

Ok.. here's a question.. the camera video is not bad for the price. But I keep having SS drop the stream and its saying "unrecognized request". Is there some magic incantation that Spiv had to do to make this reliable? If the camera is streaming the video via RTSP what sort of request could it be sending SS?