Wireless IP Camera thread

[Dr_ARCHer]

Ali2 brand is 0.3 Lux, so lower is better ?

Do you want to test this IP Cam ?

Lower is indeed better since it means you need less light to view an object. However, given that it has IR capability, effectively, this means that the camera can show an image with 0 lux.

Looking at Foscam and Ali2, both has aperture of F2.4. Both using 1/4" CMOS sensor, so with the given aperture, the minimum illumination should be the same (unless the CMOS sensor is different).

Don't mind if I can test the Ali2. Maybe I'll get the F series too so that I can compare the F series, the H series and the Ali2.

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

Last night, managed to set up the 2 cameras. Here are the snaps taken off the H series and the Edimax IC-7010PTn. Methodology is similar to the last one, except that I start off with just the room lights switched on rather than have a table lamp illuminating the objects.

First, with the full lights on, the IC-7010PTn gave me a decent enough image:

I have to manually focus the camera using the focus ring in front. The colours are okay, I guess. The oddity is that the image is in bmp format rather than the compressed jpeg. Perhaps there is a setting somewhere.

Next, I used H series gave me the following:

I can tell you that I was blown away. The colour vibrancy is very rich, and the image is very sharp. I didn't even have to adjust the focus ring.

Switching off the room lights and leaving only the toilet lights on, I got the following image from the IC-7010PTn:

This is with the IR LED turned off. With the H series by its side, I guess what you are seeing is the IR LED from the H series. Covering up the H series confirms that indeed the IC-7010PTn was benefitting from the H series' IR LEDs:

The IC-7010PTn has the option of turning on or off the IR LEDs. By default, the IR LEDs are turned off. Turning it on and turning the IR mode on shows the following:

The H series shows a similar B/W picture when the lighting is poor:

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

The Edimax IC-7010PTn has 8 IR LEDs:

The H series also has 8 IR LEDs:

Some preliminary comments
Despite the H series being a 'made-in-China' no-name brand, the image quality from the camera seems very good. At below S$300, this camera is quite good value for money, esp. when compared with the SMCWIPCAM-PZ or the IC-7010PTn.

The IC-7010PTn seems a less polished product. While trying to get the above images, I have the camera hang on me a couple of times. Also, some of the option buttons seem to disappear at times (e.g. there should be an <Apply> button on the set-up option for me to save the changes, but I can't find the button). I guess a future firmware update might be in order.

Which brings to the point about the H series. One issue is the uncertainty of future firmware support from no-name brands. I am not sure if the H series has a website or not, but certainly, I could get manual, software etc. from Edimax website.

For the sub-$400 cameras, my own preference is still the WVC200 because it does give colours when under low light conditions. The other cameras that I have tested (SMCWIPCAM-PZ, IC-7010PTn and H series) seems to be very aggressive in switching to B/W IR mode when lighting condition is bad.

But since the WVC200 is not in production anymore, that leaves only these 3 cameras to choose. If you ask me, I think the H series is probably the better value for money compared to the other 2 cameras. The SMCWIPCAM-PZ is better than the IC-7010PTn (no hanging), but I would have expected SMC to come up with an updated firmware to tone down on the aggressive B/W IR mode. The IC-7010PTn has potential, but I think a future firmware is probably in order to fix some of the issues I mentioned.

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

That Foscam is $103 SGD. IR / PT also have. 14 months limited warranty but I bought the Ali2 which has the Ir-Cut lens, picture is richer. It is a inhouse brand of that company.

Just order yesterday afternoon and they ship out by last evening via DHL.

So how is the Ali2? Do you have any other wireless IP cameras you can compare with?

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

The H-Series no-brand name that I mentioned is actually the SmartEye NC530.

http://www.ipcam-central.com/Smarteye_NC530_p/nc530w.htm

If you are using an IP app on your mobile phone (I am using IP Cam View for Android Devices by Robert Chou) and you have the H Series camera, select SmartEye NC530 as your camera brand and model.

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

When I bought my 2nd unit of the Asus RT-N56U, I also bought the F series no-name brand made-in-China wireless IP camera. This camera has PT function and supports IR mode. It has several IR LEDs surrounding the lens, much like the H series, SMCWIPCAM-PZ and IC-7010PTn.

Didn't manage to do any image test yet. But I did manage to set it up so that I can view from my Android mobile phone. The camera brand I chose was Foscam, which suggest that Foscam and the F series shares the same OEM.

 

[Greenback]

Just got myself a SMCWIPCAM-PZ. Can someone tell me how to set up my IP so that I can view the video from internet?

At the moment, I can view the video from my desktop, which is connected to the camera via LAN. But when I try to type if the IP server using another PC, I just could log in.

 

[ziggyy]

Hi Jason,

How's the Ali2 and its setup? Am thinking of getting one cheap camera to try to see my baby from my office and maybe on my phone if possible (using a samsung wave...)

Dr Archer,

How's the Foscam/F-series too? Seems like these 2 cams are almost the same price and I plan to use this as a baby monitor on my laptop/phone if I'm home and to see her cute little face when I'm bored at work (which is most of the time...)

Thanks!

 

[jason]

Hi,

Sorry for MIA for some time, I had moved on to another working environment which can't surf net unless I'm outside office.

So far, I'm quite happy with Ali2 camera, setup is similar Foscom and support WPA/WEP n etc.

Color is richer .. but since the price is so cheap... of course no zoom.

Samsung Wave I can't say ... maybe u can try to do on the demo test from www.ali2.com

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

Hi Jason,

How's the Ali2 and its setup? Am thinking of getting one cheap camera to try to see my baby from my office and maybe on my phone if possible (using a samsung wave...)

Dr Archer,

How's the Foscam/F-series too? Seems like these 2 cams are almost the same price and I plan to use this as a baby monitor on my laptop/phone if I'm home and to see her cute little face when I'm bored at work (which is most of the time...)

Thanks!

The F-series seems quite a good value for money camera. It has quite decent colours, can pan-and-tilt and have built-in IR LEDs. If you are looking for a budget wireless IP camera, the F-series is a good choice. The H-series is slightly more expensive, and this is because it offers H.264 encoding. I haven't yet figure out how to set the H-series to various default positions, but the F-series has that capability.

The Samsung Wave is an android phone, right? I am using the Android app IP Camera, and it supports all the cameras I have, including the F-series and H-series. The trick is to look for other brands that shares the same OEM. For example the F-series is the same as Foscam, and the H-series is the same as SmartEye.

Happy baby watching!

 

[DiscMan]

Hi,

Sorry for MIA for some time, I had moved on to another working environment which can't surf net unless I'm outside office.

So far, I'm quite happy with Ali2 camera, setup is similar Foscom and support WPA/WEP n etc.

Color is richer .. but since the price is so cheap... of course no zoom.

Samsung Wave I can't say ... maybe u can try to do on the demo test from www.ali2.com

Hi Jason,

can share how much u paid in total for he Ali2? i already got 2 SMC but the price is a bit steep to keep buying..

 

[jason]

75 or 79 USD inclusive of shipping for 1 Ali camera

 

[ziggyy]

Thanks Jason & Dr Archer.

Just ordered one Foscam to play around with. Decided to get that as an introduction to IP cams since there's much more user groups around. Easier when I have any technical problems....

Cheers.

 

[CoolRock]

Hi guys, I need your help on the purchase of a IP cam. I am intending to mount one in my house facing the door. It should be clear and has zoom features. I should be able to access and view the camera via web or my iPhone. Any to recommend?

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

Hi guys, I need your help on the purchase of a IP cam. I am intending to mount one in my house facing the door. It should be clear and has zoom features. I should be able to access and view the camera via web or my iPhone. Any to recommend?

What is your budget? Some things to consider:

o Wireless or wired. If wireless, wireless G or wireless N
o Digital zoom only or with optical zoom
o Pan-and-tilt or fixed
o IR capable or not. If IR capable, has built in IR LEDs or not
o Record photo/video to harddisk/NAS/built-in memory cards
o MPEG/MJPEG/H.264 encoding

 

[sobbysaddy]

what is the different betweent ip camera and the normal cctv camera? are the recordings saved since we can view it online? is there any different between wireless N or G. Is there any hidden camera that can view a view range if it were to mount it on the ceiling at the corridor?

need power supply? or near to a electric plug?

 

[CoolRock]

What is your budget? Some things to consider:

o Wireless or wired. If wireless, wireless G or wireless N
o Digital zoom only or with optical zoom
o Pan-and-tilt or fixed
o IR capable or not. If IR capable, has built in IR LEDs or not
o Record photo/video to harddisk/NAS/built-in memory cards
o MPEG/MJPEG/H.264 encoding

Hi bro, I am unsure about the budget factor but I have PM-ed you the requirements for privacy reasons

 

[CoolRock]

For ali2 dot com, what's their currency in? shipping time is how long?

 

[jason]

Go to their website and see lor

 

[ziggyy]

Ok, got my Foscam camera. So far so good and I'm glad I chose foscam. Had some problems linking my router to it but a google search and quick scan of the forums gave me the answers I needed

The Ali2 site was ok, delivery maybe 2 weeks + (hard to keep time when you have a baby...), came by courier. One of the IR light's bulb (or whatever u call it) came off, not sure if I'll need it since I haven't tried out the low light fuction yet. Firmware of the camera was the latest, so no need to update.

Camera wise, its good enough for my use, which is to monitor my baby when I'm surfing the net in another room and for me to see her when I'm at work. Haven't tried the audio in yet, that's the next project, need to find a cheap mike or something to pick up sound.

Oh and now tempted to buy one with zoom feature....