Noob looking for direction....

[Talon211]

Hello!
I stumbled across this page while trying to wade through reviews of IP cameras and thought maybe I would just ask the experts for some advice.

Background-
My son is disabled and over the years we have used baby monitors to watch him when we can't be in the room with him. The problem is that my house is 100 years old with plaster walls which can impede signals in the house. We recently purchased a WiFi monitor system, but it was crap and we are back to square one.

I will save you all the problems we've had with using traditional monitors and just jump into my questions. I'm thinking that using an IP camera of some kind is a better option, but having never used one before I'm not sure where to start. After doing some research I found the Reolink PoE IP Camera, Model RLC-420-5MP, It seems to have everything I need, except pan/tilt/zoom capabilities which isn't necessarily a deal breaker but would be nice.

What I need:
Nightvision an absolute must
Ethernet
Sound
Remote pan/tilt/zoom preferred but not required.
Some kind of App, software, or both that I'll be able to watch obviously. I'd like to be able to use the computer and phone/iPad/.

I have no need for recording, so I don't care about storage, cloud storage, etc. It's only to be used for real time watching.
From what I've read PoE requires a unit that can provide power, and since I'm not sure if my router will do that, I know I will have to get a PoE injector just to be safe if that's the type of camera I wind up with.

Basically I need a camera I can rely on. WiFi cameras and baby monitors are constantly losing signal and for us that's just not something we tolerate. Your thoughts or suggestions would be very much appreciated.

Talon211

 

[samplenhold]

If all you want is this one camera, then a fairly cheep way is with a LaView One PT. I have used a couple for specific indoor use, such as a dog monitor camera. It is wifi but also can be plugged into your router or switch with a Cat5e cable. You would still plug it's power adapter into 120VAC as it is not POE. It is pan and tilt but no optical zoom. Does have a digital zoom. It has an iPhone/iPad app for viewing. It has IR for night viewing. Two way audio. Resolution is 1080P and worked fine for watching my dogs but do not expect them to be as good as any of the security cameras most folks are talking about here. I think they are on sale right now for about $45.

LaView IP Cameras ONE Series

Dahua makes something similar called IPC-A35, but they are about $110 and I do not know the particulars of them.

 

[Talon211]

Thank you for the response, @samplenhold! It's much appreciated.
I took a look at that camera and at least on Amazon the reviews aren't spectacular. Have you ever heard of or used a Luowice camera. I found that one while looking at the LaView and it seems pretty identical but the reviews are much better.

 

[samplenhold]

Sorry, never heard of Luowice.

Realize that most of these named brand cameras are manufactured by one of the big camera producers and rebranded with their logo and firmware.

Reviews on Amazon and other similar sites need to be taken for what they are, not necessarily comprehensive. I always read the latest ones and the one star reviews. Most of the time the one star reviews are folks that seem pissed off for some reason and give a bad review. Unless I see that there are several complaints for the same thing, I don't pay too much attention to them.

I have been running the camera in the photo above for over a year. It gives me a good view of the dogs and what they are up to while I am away. When I had it connected via WIFI, it would go offline a lot. Once I connected it via Cat5e cable, it has not gone offline. If you have any specific questions about the ONE PT, especially complaints seen in reviews, ask them here. I will respond, or you can PM me.

Maybe others will chime in here.

Hope you find a good fit for what you are looking for.

 

[Talon211]

@samplenhold I treat the reviews the same way. I look for patterns, and always take them with a grain of salt. If you've been running that camera for a year then that works for me. One more question, can your camera be mounted on a wall or is it tabletop only?

 

[samplenhold]

Really not trying to sway you towards this camera. Just letting you know it is out there. It has worked for me for it's intended purpose. I actually have a few others around the house and in the garage. These are placed where it is not very convenient to run Cat5e, or I just have not gotten around to running cable and getting a proper Dahua camera for that position yet. My system is still evolving. All ten of my outside views are Dahua Starlite types.

The ONE PT can be set on a table/shelf or it can be mounted upside down. It comes with a mounting piece that you screw into something, then the camera can be attached by pushing it on and turning it. In the app, you can flip the view 180 degrees to compensate for it being upside down. However, mounting it on a wall sideways would give you a view turned 90 degrees.

 

[looney2ns]

@Talon211
If mounted in a corner, this cam can see most all of the room.
Review-Dahua IPC-K35A 3mp Cube Camera | IP Cam Talk

There is also these: https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-1920TVL-Security-Wireless-IP2M-841B/dp/B0145OQTPG/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2SNNWDIP5HZRM&keywords=amcrest+wifi+camera&qid=1564772166&s=gateway&sprefix=amcres,aps,163&sr=8-3
These are re-branded Dahua's. A fellow member here has used several of these for clients and they have worked well.

I also suggest you read this: Cliff Notes

 

[SouthernYankee]

I would also look at the Hikvision cube cameras. Stick with ether the Dahua or Hikvision cameras they are major manufactures.
IPC-K35A
IPC-K35S
DS-2CD2422FWD-IW
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW

also think about using multiple cameras so that you have coverage from different angles.