Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote access

[Checkerbird]

I am looking for an inexpensive camera to replace my 5 yr old Foscam FI8918W units.
I've got these outdoors, but under a carport where they've functioned very well 24x7 since 2011.
Unfortunately, by today's standards their video quality is crap. So I need to upgrade.

The motion detection on them is very good, reliable and sends emails with 6 snapshots attached to each email to show whatever object/motion in sequence triggered the event.
I would like to keep this kind of function in a new camera since that was a perfect way to do it. I could see all 6 images in one email on my mobile phone. Very smart design.

I need the new cameras to connect to my home network by WiFi. I must have remote pan and tilt. I'd like a wide angle lens and zoom too if possible.
They don't necessarily have to be "outdoor" rated, as I've had excellent luck with indoor units in my protected carport environment.
I need night vision preferably to around 30 feet or more.

I must be able to view and remote control them over the Internet at my office via a web browser on PC, Mac or Linux and if any stupid browser plugin is required, it must be able to work 100% perfectly from a computer that's behind a web proxy server since there exists no such thing as "opening up ports on a firewall". All web traffic there goes thru the proxy, or it don't go period.

I tried the Amcrest ProHD IP2M-841 and picture quality was beautiful but the firmware/software and motion detection are complete utter crapware.
I then tried a Foscam FI9821P and the picture quality is acceptable, the motion detect usable, but remote access and the retarded browser plugin make this camera worthless for accessing anywhere off my home network. (And yes, I've got all the correct port forwarding enabled on my home firewall... I'm a certified senior network engineer/architect by trade, so I *do* grok all the network stuff).

Does anybody make an afordable WiFi IP PTZ camera that has good video, and sanely-written firmware/software that actually works in a usable manner these days?

 

[SyconsciousAu]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

Is WiFi essential? Have you considered one of the 2mp POE mini PTZ offerings available these days? Nayr seems very happy with his black face Dahua PTZ. Sure you would have to run a cable out there but a single cat5e and some conduit isn't a big ask for even the most DIY challenged individuals. If the car port has power already, and I figure it must because the cameras do not power themselves, you might be able to use Ethernet over Power adapters to get your network out there. That would be far superior to wireless.

WiFi has a lot of limitations when it comes to streaming video. The higher your resolution and bit rate the more these limitations become apparent.

 

[Checkerbird]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

WiFi is important since I need 3 - 4 cameras under the large carport and do not want to string multiple cat5 cables out there or install a switch out there either. Bandwidth is not an issue at all, I have strong RF signal strength to/from the cameras and 54 Mbps capacity on the WiFi, which is actually overkill. The main issue I'm running into is software written by idiots who are still living in the year 2003 when it comes to browsers and network security.

 

[nayr]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

your wrong, bandwidth is an issue.

HD 1080p cameras use ~10Mbit on average, so your 3-4 cameras are going to saturate your WiFi.. and if you know 2 things about network security you know that WiFI is your weakest link and anyone can deauth your cameras and knock em off wifi.

Most people find they can get 2 HD cameras on a WiFi network at partial quality before the entire thing falls apart and they start ripping out hair.

If your a certified network engineer we should not be wasting any effort explaining to you the problems with wifi, and how it cannot guarantee connectivity.. I wont even watch Netflix on a WiFi connection because its so fucking annoying dropping, pausing, restarting.. and my home Wifi network is capable of 500Mbps

What self respecting network engineer is too lazy to pull an ethernet cable or three.. sigh.

Cameras have no security, put them on an isolated vlan with a firewall blocking everything by default..

 

[jasauders]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

I have to agree with nayr here. Wifi cameras are rarely a good idea unless some sort of situation calls for it. In your case, you're talking about upgrading cameras. Upgraded cameras beyond what you have would yield a higher resolution. That is going to amplify the load in your airspace considerably. Given these are permanent cameras, I would certainly string some cable. In fact, I have a box of cat6 on its way to do just that as I'm in the process of upgrading as well.

That said, wifi cameras do have their place/use. It's not that I'm saying wifi cameras are always a bad idea, but I don't think a handful of cameras in permanently placed locations make much sense. I run two wifi cameras personally, but they're acting as baby cameras and one day I will no longer need them in their current place (otherwise I would have wired them). They're both 3mp running at 5 FPS, and I've seen a *massive* hit in my wireless performance. I used to be able to push a single large file @ 20-22 MB/s to my server. Now I average about 4-5 MB/s.

I treat cameras in a similar way that I treat wiring/wireless'ing anything else. Is it going to move/be temporary? Yes? Wireless. No? Wired. Black and white.

This is just my 2c, but for your given scenario, I would certainly wire them. Plus if you wire them, POE becomes a possibility. And we all love POE. <3

 

[Kawboy12R]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

I'd recommend this one in the wifi flavour but you'll lose PoE option and require 12v- https://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/9163-Dahua-Mini-Black-Face-PTZ-(SD29204S-GN)

It's a real camera with the features you want but I suspect you'll have wifi issues when you try streaming 4 2mp at anywhere near full quality. 720P of the old cams with a really low bitrate isn't the same thing as 2mp with the bitrate cranked up. You may be satisfied with 2mp and low bitrate with the fps turned way down.

You can try it with wifi, but if/when you get those cams and the wifi doesn't satisfy you'll still be stuck with a buying a switch (no need for PoE because the wifi version of the cams are 12v only) and running Cat5. If you need to get 'net TO the carport switch wirelessly, find ye an olde fashioned Ubiquiti dealer and get a pair of M5 Nanostations for a bridge. Much better than a bunch of wifi cams connecting to even a good home router, but if the carport is attached to the house I'd find a way to get cat5 in there.

 

[dalepa]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

In theory, WIFI should work, however in practice it leads to hours of troubleshooting and frustration.

Since you have power at the carport to plug in the cameras then you can use power over ethernet plugs and a POE switch in the carport to power poe cams.


For a fixed cam, Hikvisin Turrets work well and have great day and night image quality.

Huisun 10x is a great PTZ solution, however it's out of china and basically no return policy. But you can't beat the features for the price. Im replacing all my cams with the 10x.



BlueIris is the way to go with lots of features and community support and phone apps.

 

[klasipca]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

Im replacing all my cams with the 10x.

wow, another brave soul

 

[alastairstevenson]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

And it's all your fault. Sorry - it's all down to you.

 

[whoslooking]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

Just stay off the Poe and go with the 12v, mine is still going strong,

 

[klasipca]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

Just stay off the Poe and go with the 12v, mine is still going strong,

Why? All mine are running of POE, as well as the one that had failed POE.

 

[Checkerbird]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

My internet connection is only 5Mbps up/down (rural WISP connection) so that hardwiring gigabit CAT5 to each camera is a complete waste.

I'm not recording multiple streams of 1080p full motion here, so any network links to the cameras themselves greater than what I am using it for is unnecessary.

I don't record these to a DVR, or hardly ever watch more than one at a time on a tablet when I'm home.

The old cameras are consuming maybe a quarter megabit WiFi bandwidth each, and the newer camera is hitting half to 1 megabit as measured by my AP.

I am not worried about anyone doing a WiFi de-auth or containment... the nearest neighbor is 2 miles away. All these cameras are doing is watching a carport/driveway of a rural home out in the boondocks.

I need software functionality that actually works and is usable for me... like the software in the old Foscam FI8918W cameras did.

 

[nayr]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

your on the wrong forums bro.. you want a webcam, we deal with security cams.. good luck, no idea what you want or what will make you happy.. go read amazon reviews I guess.. I cant imagine why anyone needs more than one ptz in the same area let alone 3..

foscam was probably your best bet.. if it didnt work, well I guess keep your old cameras because everyone needs plugins for h264 rtsp

 

[Kawboy12R]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

Ok, I guess your use is way out of the ordinary if no recording is going on and you only occasionally watch one stream at a time. If you're considering the Dahuas, they offer free software with their cams. Check it out and see if it does what you want. If not, check out TinyCam for Android. You can run it on a Windows computer with an Android emulator if you like.

 

[whoslooking]

Re: Please recommend me a WiFi PTZ camera with good motion detect email and remote ac

Why? All mine are running of POE, as well as the one that had failed POE.

I found the responce of the PTZ much faster when powered by 12v. But I'm still loving my mini bullet PTZ