- Oct 26, 2016
- 38
- 5
I was looking for an inexpensive IP cam and found this:
http://celare.cl/cctv-720p-1-0mp-3-...upport-onvif-two-way-audio-192vipcam-eu-plug/
I bought it from a local shop not the link above, so I do not want it to seem like I am advertising/vouching for them.
The box has no information on it about the manufacturer, only the model number "A192V2N01," which is not even listed on the configuration page. The instruction manual has a URL (http://vip.ipcam.hk) in tiny print on one page; it merely links to an Android APK, the iTunes store, and a PC executable.
The instruction manual merely provides steps to get the camera working with their mobile app — which I was not particularly interested in. Rather than going through that, I plugged the camera into my router and looked to see which IP address it grabbed through DHCP. Once I had that information, I pointed my browser to the address and successfully logged in.
As you might expect from a cheapo Chinese IP cam, the software has occasionally awkward phrasing and is buggy. After connecting it to my wireless network I wanted to get motion detection working. No matter what options I selected, I was not initially able to accomplish this; audio triggers were working and e-mailing my pictures as expected, but not motion. I moved onto some other things and decided to revisit the motion problem later — or perhaps use a third-party app to accomplish the same thing.
The web viewer relies on Flash, which was a major disappointment since I uninstalled it long ago. Chromium (Chrome) includes a sandboxed version of Flash, but my preferred browser is Firefox. Regardless, I did not want to leave a browser window open to keep an eye on the cam. The camera's web interface indicates that ONVIF runs on port 8080, RTSP on port 554, and RTMP on port 1935. I first tried to connect to either the RTSP or RTMP using VLC, but was unsuccessful. Given that the camera seemed to have ONVIF support, I assumed I would be compatible with any app that supports ONVIF. I tried SecuritySpy for OS X — since that's my platform of choice. I could not connect using ONVIF. I decided to open Wireshark at that point, began streaming from the web viewer, and attempted to find the full URL to the RTMP stream.
While doing so I noticed a URL with "hi3510" in it. This seemed like it could be a model number, so I Googled it. I found a link to this manual, which is for a Foscam FI9821W:
http://www.themadhermit.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/FI9821W-CGI-Commands.pdf
With this new info I went back to SecuritySpy to see if that particular model was supported — and it was. Sure enough, the camera worked perfectly using the FI9821W profile, including its PTZ controls.
Now let's get back to the firmware-based motion detection, which I had previously given up on.
After figuring out how to get the camera working in general and discovering its quirks, I decided to download the iOS app (named vipcam). To add the camera I had to scan the QR code on the box or input its UID manually. Ideally, I would have preferred to have just entered the camera's IP address. Once adding the camera I checked out the viewer, which worked generally as expected. I then noticed that the camera could be configured through the iOS app. This was not particularly interesting until I realized that there were options NOT PRESENT using the web interface, the most important of which being an explicit toggle for motion detection and the ability to adjust its sensitivity.
Motion detection was now working, but not particularly well. Rather than taking successive snapshots once motion has been detected, it takes one snapshot, and often barely catches whomever/whatever entered the frame. See the example below:
http://imgur.com/a/W9sHX
Other than the person's feet, it did not capture anything else. Ideally, it should take around 6 shots and then e-mail them all to me in a single message. Maybe lowering the motion detection sensitivity would help.
Another interesting feature present only through the mobile app is the ability to check for a firmware update (which might improve the motion detection). The app indicates that an update is available and offers to install it, but I am hesitant to do so. I would be less hesitant if (a) I could download a copy of the old firmware in case I want to revert back to it; (b) download the new firmware directly to my computer, so I could upload it through the web interface manually; and (c) if there was a means to contact the manufacturer for support in case the update bricked the device.
Another issue with the firmware is that time zone settings do not stick (at least with the version on my device, V9.1.4.1.5-20160331). The time/date in the snapshot above is actually correct, but the headers in the e-mails it sends out are GMT+8. That can be confusing when trying to locate a particular snapshot in your mail client.
I only toyed with the FTP/video recording/SD card functionality briefly. They seemed to work well enough, but I did not use them extensively. Your mileage may vary. Video clips cannot be e-mailed, only saved to FTP or the SD card. The web interface allows you to define three separate users (admin, user, and guest). While these accounts can be used to login to the web interface, user and guest do not work with the mobile app — which is annoying if you want someone to be able to view the camera without having admin access. The web interface allows you to change the username for these accounts; unfortunately, the PC software (which I tested in VMWare under Windows 7), only allows you to make administrative changes using the "admin" username. I only toyed with the PC software briefly, namely to see if it granted me access to any additional configuration options like the mobile app did. It was not aesthetically appealing.
This was my first IP camera. I wrote this review because while in the shop debating whether I should purchase it, I could not find ANY information about it online other than the link above. If I could have found a post detailing what I did above, I would have been extremely grateful. Yes, I realize it is a cheap camera and that my expectations should be realistic, but depending on location and socioeconomic status, inexpensiveness is retaliative. If anyone has additional information about this camera I would be interested in hearing it, as it appears to be a clone of another.
http://celare.cl/cctv-720p-1-0mp-3-...upport-onvif-two-way-audio-192vipcam-eu-plug/
I bought it from a local shop not the link above, so I do not want it to seem like I am advertising/vouching for them.
The box has no information on it about the manufacturer, only the model number "A192V2N01," which is not even listed on the configuration page. The instruction manual has a URL (http://vip.ipcam.hk) in tiny print on one page; it merely links to an Android APK, the iTunes store, and a PC executable.
The instruction manual merely provides steps to get the camera working with their mobile app — which I was not particularly interested in. Rather than going through that, I plugged the camera into my router and looked to see which IP address it grabbed through DHCP. Once I had that information, I pointed my browser to the address and successfully logged in.
As you might expect from a cheapo Chinese IP cam, the software has occasionally awkward phrasing and is buggy. After connecting it to my wireless network I wanted to get motion detection working. No matter what options I selected, I was not initially able to accomplish this; audio triggers were working and e-mailing my pictures as expected, but not motion. I moved onto some other things and decided to revisit the motion problem later — or perhaps use a third-party app to accomplish the same thing.
The web viewer relies on Flash, which was a major disappointment since I uninstalled it long ago. Chromium (Chrome) includes a sandboxed version of Flash, but my preferred browser is Firefox. Regardless, I did not want to leave a browser window open to keep an eye on the cam. The camera's web interface indicates that ONVIF runs on port 8080, RTSP on port 554, and RTMP on port 1935. I first tried to connect to either the RTSP or RTMP using VLC, but was unsuccessful. Given that the camera seemed to have ONVIF support, I assumed I would be compatible with any app that supports ONVIF. I tried SecuritySpy for OS X — since that's my platform of choice. I could not connect using ONVIF. I decided to open Wireshark at that point, began streaming from the web viewer, and attempted to find the full URL to the RTMP stream.
While doing so I noticed a URL with "hi3510" in it. This seemed like it could be a model number, so I Googled it. I found a link to this manual, which is for a Foscam FI9821W:
http://www.themadhermit.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/FI9821W-CGI-Commands.pdf
With this new info I went back to SecuritySpy to see if that particular model was supported — and it was. Sure enough, the camera worked perfectly using the FI9821W profile, including its PTZ controls.
Now let's get back to the firmware-based motion detection, which I had previously given up on.
After figuring out how to get the camera working in general and discovering its quirks, I decided to download the iOS app (named vipcam). To add the camera I had to scan the QR code on the box or input its UID manually. Ideally, I would have preferred to have just entered the camera's IP address. Once adding the camera I checked out the viewer, which worked generally as expected. I then noticed that the camera could be configured through the iOS app. This was not particularly interesting until I realized that there were options NOT PRESENT using the web interface, the most important of which being an explicit toggle for motion detection and the ability to adjust its sensitivity.
Motion detection was now working, but not particularly well. Rather than taking successive snapshots once motion has been detected, it takes one snapshot, and often barely catches whomever/whatever entered the frame. See the example below:
http://imgur.com/a/W9sHX
Other than the person's feet, it did not capture anything else. Ideally, it should take around 6 shots and then e-mail them all to me in a single message. Maybe lowering the motion detection sensitivity would help.
Another interesting feature present only through the mobile app is the ability to check for a firmware update (which might improve the motion detection). The app indicates that an update is available and offers to install it, but I am hesitant to do so. I would be less hesitant if (a) I could download a copy of the old firmware in case I want to revert back to it; (b) download the new firmware directly to my computer, so I could upload it through the web interface manually; and (c) if there was a means to contact the manufacturer for support in case the update bricked the device.
Another issue with the firmware is that time zone settings do not stick (at least with the version on my device, V9.1.4.1.5-20160331). The time/date in the snapshot above is actually correct, but the headers in the e-mails it sends out are GMT+8. That can be confusing when trying to locate a particular snapshot in your mail client.
I only toyed with the FTP/video recording/SD card functionality briefly. They seemed to work well enough, but I did not use them extensively. Your mileage may vary. Video clips cannot be e-mailed, only saved to FTP or the SD card. The web interface allows you to define three separate users (admin, user, and guest). While these accounts can be used to login to the web interface, user and guest do not work with the mobile app — which is annoying if you want someone to be able to view the camera without having admin access. The web interface allows you to change the username for these accounts; unfortunately, the PC software (which I tested in VMWare under Windows 7), only allows you to make administrative changes using the "admin" username. I only toyed with the PC software briefly, namely to see if it granted me access to any additional configuration options like the mobile app did. It was not aesthetically appealing.
This was my first IP camera. I wrote this review because while in the shop debating whether I should purchase it, I could not find ANY information about it online other than the link above. If I could have found a post detailing what I did above, I would have been extremely grateful. Yes, I realize it is a cheap camera and that my expectations should be realistic, but depending on location and socioeconomic status, inexpensiveness is retaliative. If anyone has additional information about this camera I would be interested in hearing it, as it appears to be a clone of another.
assword@ip.address:554/11