Wireless IP Camera thread

[limchooc]

Hi.newbie here, I am thinking of getting an IP camera for home use to monitor maid and kids during day time while I am at work.

If I shut down wi-fi at night and turn it on again the next morning will the IP camera automatically connected to the wi-fi and come to alive again.

Also any recommendation on the boardband speed requirement for a normal non-HD motion detect camera and what is the estimated data usage per month.

Thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[stiwipl]

I have been using Dropcam since a week or so and it works rock solid. For newbies that don't want to play with too much technical stuff and NAS, it is a great solution. Just keep in mind that Dropcam is constantly uploading the video, so according to the reports it uses around 60GB per camera / month (you can switch the camera to SD mode should you wish so). It does reconnect automatically upon losing WiFi connection.

All communication with the camera and settings is through the internet. You can also schedule the camera to switch off or on on particular times or you can turn on location scheduling which works together with iPhone app.

 

[geckoSG]

Limchooc,

Most IP cameras should b able to find the wifi, from your usage pattern, u just want to monitor during day n switch off router n cam during the night.

This isn't a problem for most of the camera. In fact, it doesn't cost u much to have router on 24x7. Bandwidth wise, even HD camera streaming wouldn't kill ur 2GB plan. Most people didn't get a chance to view too constantly on their phones.

Uploading bandwidth. Keep it minimum 1mbps for good smooth streaming at least from my own tests n experience wif various brands

VStarcam now supports single login and setup once so that when u setup the cams via single login account n the details will remain on the cloud. Anywhere u go, as long as u have ur login details, no more need to worry what is the qr code of the camera.

They will release this info tomorrow. I'm sharing here in advance as a spoiler.

 

[stiwipl]

Btw, Dropcam has just released Dropcam Pro (US$199), you can find more info and comparison below:
https://www.dropcam.com/product
Also full good review here.

If I knew I would perhaps wait few days more as I just bought Dropcam (US$149). Anyway, Dropcam works fantastic for me and they have just polished their online website and updated mobile apps with new functionalities, such as pinch to zoom etc

 

[geckoSG]

Stiwipl, quick check wif u since u own 1 dropcam. Zoom is digital or optical? Next, does it have IR LED at night? Night vision depends on surrounding light or? How long is the power cable? And the storage of 720p (1280x720) to cloud, how smooth is the recording? Cos 4 cams only uses 2mbps to upload. It means each cam uploads at ard estimated 512kbps, which is quite a low bitrate to see 720p. Sorry a lot of question cos very interesting product from the way u describe it here.

 

[stiwipl]

Stiwipl, quick check wif u since u own 1 dropcam. Zoom is digital or optical? Next, does it have IR LED at night? Night vision depends on surrounding light or? How long is the power cable? And the storage of 720p (1280x720) to cloud, how smooth is the recording? Cos 4 cams only uses 2mbps to upload. It means each cam uploads at ard estimated 512kbps, which is quite a low bitrate to see 720p. Sorry a lot of question cos very interesting product from the way u describe it here.

1. Digital zoom since lens is fixed.
2. Yes it does have IR LED at night and it is better than I thought it will be but again I don't have much comparison / knowledge about IP cameras possibilities.
3. Power cable is 3m long but it is USB to MicroUSB so no issues here.
4. The recording is smooth, I get no connection dropouts, however Dropcam camera has pretty poor WiFi so it can't be too far away from the router. There is no ethernet input in the camera.
5. "720p" is definitely not the quality as we are used to from watching movies but it is perfectly fine for the monitoring and recording purposes and it seems that Dropcam Pro does record even nicer picture. See here.

It is a good product and works well for me, however it entirely relies on the cloud, there is no other than cloud storage. Also to access anything backwards (past 7 days) you have to pay US$99 / year + US$50 for each additional camera.

 

[geckoSG]

Thanks for the clarification, I done some research online and this is what I gather about this dropcam HD.

Pros
====

1. Quite clear image & recording (daytime)
2. Large viewing angle as compared to most IP Cameras
3. Easy setup
4. Scheduling when to Turn Cam ON & OFF
5. Cloud storage

Cons
====

1. Cloud storage could be EX in long term
2. Weak Wireless (from online reviews)
3. Lack of Color for the HD (based on picture and color comparison online)
4. Night vision isn't so fantastic as per pic below, guess its due to the number of IRs on the camera?

 

[stiwipl]

Night vision is much better than on the picture you posted. They could improve WiFi on newest Dropcam Pro considering it can work on both 2.4 and 5 Ghz WiFi networks. I think daytime colors are pretty good for this kind of device and price, while the newest Pro camera colors look even better but again I do not have comparison with other cameras.

 

[Dr_ARCHer]

Smallnetbuilder just reviewed Y-Cam, which is similar to DropCam in that it offers Cloud storage. Among Y-Cam, DropCam and DCS-5020, the DLink model offers the best night vision.

Depending on your needs, one feature not tested is when the B/W night vision will kick in when light levels drop. One of the best camera is the now obsolete WVC200 by Linksys.

 

[geckoSG]

I used to own a linksys too, it didn't turn out well for me in terms of images, etc. limited viewing angle too. Glad tat technology enhancements have moved ip cam to a higher level

 

[Hardcor?]

Hi Hi

Hi,
I just want to join in the fun. If any one of you need advise on IP camera please google easynsg. You will find lots of interesting stuff there.

 

[geckoSG]

If u want to share, share here can liao, dun divert users to ur site lor. The admin will take action for commercial spamming. Used to receive warning for too much sharing of single branding

 

[marixsales]

geckoSG & Dr_Archer,

Your T7833WIP have arrived, sorry for the delay in shipment. Look forward to see the both of you again in our office.

 

[guile]

Whats the difference between the T7838WIP and T7837WIP besides their price and looks? I look at the specs on Marix website and they are both similar.

Any reason why I should spend $30 more to get the 838?

 

[geckoSG]

They r in fact same hardware, main diffrence is the HD lens on the T7838WIP. U r paying for that set of lens. So if u do not need that HD lens. Just get T7837WIP will do, it is also HD on normal 3.6mm lens

 

[geckoSG]

Mounting wise take note that T7837WIP can mount on side of wall/ceiling n T7838WIP only ceiling mount. Buy sala U will headache.

 

[geckoSG]

I damn tempted to get the fisheye cam from D-Link sia...

 

[guile]

Mounting wise take note that T7837WIP can mount on side of wall/ceiling n T7838WIP only ceiling mount. Buy sala U will headache.

Hi thanks for the reply...any idea if still got promo at Challenger for members?

 

[IcehOt]

Hi Guys,
Need advise on IP Cam, i'm looking for outdoor IP Cam for surveillance.
Any Cam to intro??
The monitoring area is about 1.5m in width and 3m in length.

Thanks

 

[Hardcor?]

Advise

IcehOt,
If you need this just for viewing, you may want to try EasyN F-M106 (fixed) or F-M10R (pan and tilt) or the F-M1BR (pan, tilt and zoom).
What is your requirement? With recording on SD card, H3-V10R (pan and tilt) will be good.