Dr_ARCHer
Master Member
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2001
- Messages
- 4,468
- Reaction score
- 0
Went to SLS today. Saw the Aztech WIPC401 on display at Cybermind and Fuwell.
Cybermind is out of stock the Intel 520 240GB SSD, but Fuwell has that, so bought that and the WIPC401. Came home, did a quick set-up. As I was connecting directly to my laptop rather than via the router, I had to use the supplied utility to locate the device, set the IP address to a fixed one (it uses DHCP by default to obtain an IP address) before I could configure the camera. This seems to be the case for the Foscam and the Wansview/SmartEye IP cameras.
Guess what? The user interface seems to be nearly identical to the Mediapro F series model that I bought (which is shares the same OEM as the Foscam FW8918W). Mediapro is selling a H series, which is the Wansview SmartEye NC530W model. Both models offer similar functionality, but are from a different OEM. Mediapro's H Series is retailing at a UP of S$319, but the cash price is stated as S$229. The WIPC401 is retailing at S$199, but if you ask to pay cash, you can get some discount off this. There is no more F series from Mediapro, but here is the B series
I have had dealings with Aztech for a long while... in fact, dating back to before there was Aztech. The company was known as AVS Electronics then, located in Kallang Basin. I bought my Apple ][+ from them (was attended to by Michael Mun and Patrica then). I've also had their sound cards, and lately their Powerline products and LED light bulbs. Considering that Aztech's WIPC401 is selling below say the H series, and that Aztech is more than likely to release updated firmware, I would say that the WIPC401 is worthy of consideration. Yes, it may not be the lowest priced pan-and-tilt wirelss IP camera with IR capability (that goes to Foscam/B series), but this price is about the same as some of the fixed view cameras (e.g. Prolink PIC1005WN), thereby making it a worthy competitor.
If you are looking for the cheapest pan-and-tilt wireless IP camera with IR capability, the Foscam/B series offers the lowest price (Mediapro is selling the B series at S$139 cash, UP S$199). However, price wise, it is similar to the Wansview/SmartEye/H series, and below the models of TP Link, Prolink, Edimax, SMC/Trendnet, Linksys and Dlink (models that offer pan-and-tilt, no optical zoom and IR capability).
Like I said in one of my previous post, the market for IP cameras is very competitive. It may be difficult for Aztech to compete on price, especially since the WIPC401 shares a very similar OEM design to the FW8918W. Thus one way for Aztech to stand out is to offer better support, which might not be impossible since Aztech is a local company.
Note: I made a mistake earlier when I thought the WIPC401 is similar in OEM to the Wansview/SmartEye NC530. This is incorrect. The design is actually more similar to the OEM of Foscam FW8918W/F series. Apologies for the confusion as I have too many different cameras and got them mixed up.
Last edited:
)
