Budget Dahua Cams or china alternatives under $100?

Can I ask what advantage is gained by changing Amcrest firmware to Dahua?
 
I believe what they are asking is if for example Tripwire etc was added to the functionality when changing from Amcrest to Dahua Firmware.
 
Does anybody have a direct comparison or can comment on the Amcrest 5MP UltraHD and Andy's Loryta IPC-T2431T-AS 4MP. I was looking at the Loryta, on Amazon, and then came across this post with the discount code for the Amcrest cameras.

I am pretty new to a lot of this, but this is what I "think" I have learned:

Amcrest 5MP UltraHD
Sensor Size: 1/2.7"
Resolution: 5MP or 2592 x 1944
Min Illumination: 0.008 Lux @ F1.6
FOV: H: 103° / V: 71°/ D: 132°
Firmware: Amcrest Specific but can be flashed to Dahua Firmware


Loryta IPC-T2431T-AS 4MP
Sensor Size: 1/3"
Resolution: 4MP or 2688 x 1520
Min Illumination: 0.008 Lux @ F1.6
FOV: H: 102°/ V: 55°/ D: 121°
Firmware: Dahua Firmware

Both are rebranded or debranded Dahua cameras. With those specs in mind, the Loryta has a slightly smaller sensor and a smaller resolution and the Amcrest has a slightly bigger sensor with a higher resolution. So does that mean they would have roughly the same low light performance? I don't know as I only have the Amcrest cameras so I would not be able to provide a side by side comparison. But based on specs alone I would think them to be very similar.

**edited because I cannot math correctly, as pointed out below
That is not the case. A 1/3" sensor is SMALLER than a 1/2.7" sensor.

1/3" = 0.333"
1/2.7" = 0.370"

0.333 < 0.370
 
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Can I ask what advantage is gained by changing Amcrest firmware to Dahua?

I knew I had read it on here somewhere. I was able to find the post. There's a bit to read, but I think can give you some ideas of what you will get if you move to the Dahua firmware. Also would probably only benefit you if you use an NVR that takes advantage of those features. From what I am seeing BI doesn't take advantage of some of the features like Facial Recognition.

How To Upgrade Amcrest / Lorex to Dahua Firmware And Get All Dahua Features
 
the Loryta has a slightly bigger sensor
That is not the case. A 1/3" sensor is SMALLER than a 1/2.7" sensor.

1/3" = 0.333"
1/2.7" = 0.370"

0.333 < 0.370
 
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Leaving Blue iris to auto detect as Generic/ONVIF after providing an IP resulted in a "No Signal" screen. Scrolled down to Amcrest and tried a few random camera's finally one worked. Is there a better way? The Fisheye Dahua I connected yesterday was soooo smooth to setup. This one seemed to really Lag in response to various browsers log in attempts with the toilet bowl swirl of doom icon, spinning for over a minute.
 
Just ordered 4 IP8M-T2499EW on Amazon to replace my old Swann NHD-818 4MP cameras that are not ONVIF compatible. The code QUCJSYET is valid as long as it's being sold by Amazon. Brought each one down to $89.99. Thanks to the person that posted that code here.
 
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Leaving Blue iris to auto detect as Generic/ONVIF after providing an IP resulted in a "No Signal" screen. Scrolled down to Amcrest and tried a few random camera's finally one worked. Is there a better way? The Fisheye Dahua I connected yesterday was soooo smooth to setup. This one seemed to really Lag in response to various browsers log in attempts with the toilet bowl swirl of doom icon, spinning for over a minute.
Ok I take that back, I let the 3 laundry cameras be assigned by dhcp for now. And they were easier to get going. I really cannot use a Camera for the long haul that can be turned by Suzy Psycho or Wilhelm the Witless. One caveat though, 2 out of 4 mount screws were into studs with an 1- 5/8" Construction screw. The camera's are at defaults. And surprisingly, they are happy not enabling IR. So I could still
see the Panty thief getting a fresh set of drawers. Or the other problem. Some dipwad is opening dryer doors and letting them time out. Leaving the unsuspecting launderer with wet clothes and an extra 50 cents needed to finish the load. One good thing about people seeing the Camera cables hanging for a week, is it got a lot of people talking, and just having a camera there generally acts as a quasi active deterrent as well.
Amcrst.jpg
 
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I flashed 2 IP5M-T1179EW cameras with Dahua firmware.
Everything works fine except the mobile apps. Neither DMSS, IDMSS Plus nor Imou Life works with these Amcrest cameras.
The app would think the camera is not connected to the network.

I suspect that this is caused by Amcrest long serial number, 17 characters. Dahua serial number is only 15 characters.
Is this an known issue? Do we have a workaround? Is there any way to convert an Amcrest serial number into a Dahua serial number?


GPSEEK,

I was able to get DMSS to work on my iphone by unchecking "P2P' on menu, of course after firmware upgrade, than factory reset, static IP and its been 2 days so far that the mobile app is working.

Update: Smart PSS works, by unchecking box P2p on IP cam menu. I also purchased the Amcrest ( IP5M-T1179EW-28mm ) and did the Dahua firmware swap like on post #28.
 
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Was going to get a couple more IP5M-T1179EW-28MM but WUXJKDET no longer works :(

The Amcrest web live view is pretty slow, will try flashing Dahua firmware: DH_IPC-HX25(8)XX-Molec_MultiLang_PN_V2.800.0000000.15.R.200313

Whats the difference between PN and NP firmware versions?

DH_IPC-HX25(8)XX-Molec_MultiLang_PN_V2.800.0000000.15.R.200313
DH_IPC-HX25(8)XX-Molec_MultiLang_NP_V2.800.0000000.15.R.200313
 
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After flashing to the Dahua firmware DH_IPC-HX25(8)XX-Molec_MultiLang_PN_V2.800.0000000.15.R.200313 :

Pros:
UI is much faster

Cons:
NTP requires manual DST
FTP saves files as DAV vs MP4 with the Amcrest firmware
More false motion detect events
 
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Whats the difference between PN and NP firmware versions?

DH_IPC-HX25(8)XX-Molec_MultiLang_PN_V2.800.0000000.15.R.200313
DH_IPC-HX25(8)XX-Molec_MultiLang_NP_V2.800.0000000.15.R.200313

P=PAL
N=NTSC
In case both are present the first designates the default
 
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I just opened another new one. This time I used the Amcrest firmware and disabled the logo. Then I upgraded it to the Dahua firmware and no more logo. Do you remember if you removed the logo before you switched firmware?

Now the question is, can I load the Amcrest firmware so that I can remove the logo? Does anyone have the Amcrest firmware?
To remove the Amcrest logo do the following:
Setup>Camera>Video>Overlay>Logo Overlay>Disable>Save

If Dahua firmware is flashed before removing the Amcrest logo, I had a hard time removing it. Here is what I did to finally remove the logo:
Setup>Camera>Video>Overlay>Logo Overlay>Default>Save and then make sure Disable button is selected.
 
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Anyone have the original Amcrest firmware for IP5M-T1179EW-28MM ? Its not available on Amcrest site and support hasn't responded in over a week. Might just return it at this point..
 
@amcrestt wouldnt respond here even though they are a sponsor or to my requests for a copy of the firmware when my camera bugged out after a month of multiple requests. There's no support from them at all so I'd return it.