Review - TOP-201 Super Mini 720P HD IP-Cam (The Cheapest IP Cam So Far !!)

DaveP said:
Its called 'dual' because its switchable between clear and IR blocking (2 options)

Inside the device is a electromagnet which changes the position of the IR filter so that its either in front of the sensor or not.
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It's more commonly known as double filter. But even as "dual filter".. clear is not a filter. what does it filter.. hmm.. maybe dust? Therefore it must not be called a dual or double filter. Agree?
Btw..do you know were top201 get the lens? Is it available separately elsewhere? Because most lens don't have built in IR filter.. or do they?
 
Therefore it must not be called a dual or double filter.Agree?
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I'm only a humble tired old man... If they want to call it a 'dual filter' then so be it :rolleyes:

If they want to call it a super duper box of potatoes then as long as it has an IR filtering part that can be removed for the purpose at hand then a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

Some lens are available with IR filtering / blocking but most are not.
 
I know that when I have ordered lens from Amazon and DealExtreme that I specifically look for the IR filter in the description if that is what I am looking for. More recently, I have picked up a lens for a GoPro which comes with the IR filter.
 
It's more commonly known as double filter. But even as "dual filter".. clear is not a filter. what does it filter.. hmm.. maybe dust?
Click to expand...
If you put something in front of the sensor that has a different refractive index from the film that provides the IR filtering - such as the air in a hole in the film - then you will change the effective focal point of the lens assembly. Hence the use of the clear film section, to reduce the change in refractive index.
 
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alastairstevenson said:
If you put something in front of the sensor that has a different refractive index from the film that provides the IR filtering - such as the air in a hole in the film - then you will change the effective focal point of the lens assembly. Hence the use of the clear film section, to reduce the change in refractive index.
Click to expand...

Thanks for making me realize clear can be called a filter too.. it filters the photonic density and reorient the angle of propagation of the bosonic quantum field.
 
Any tried IR photography with the top201?

10 years ago I owned my IR filters for IR photography where visible light are blocked and only IR light passing thru.. I Have filter from 650nm to 1000nm (noting visible light is from 400nm to 650nm). My question is to what IR range is the sensor of the 3518e of the top201 sensitive too? Is it down to 1000nm or just 800nm? For such sensors.. what is the common range?
 
I tried using a 720nm IR filter and 850nm IR filter (these can block all visible light below the wavelength). But my 1080p pinhole camera (my top201 coming in 3 weeks) with one of those IR block (similar to the IR cut switcher) can still detect objects with both the 720nm and 850nm IR filter. This means the IR block in the IR cut switches (I assume they similar) doesn't cut out all wavelength above 650nm (limit of visible light).. can anyone confirm if my observation is correct? It is common thing all ir filters in camaras don't really block all IR light above 650nm? If true, what filter can block 100% of IR light. What can you say or read about this?
 
Has anyone noticed that when you use an NVR with the top201 (and it's like), you can view the feed even if the password is different? With the CMS software, you can't view it if you don't use the correct password.. but using the dahua NVR.. it can be viewed irregardless of password. What part of CMS setting can you adjust such that even an NVR should obey the correct password (and where is it disabled)?
 
in other words, you can hack and watch the feed of any top201 by simply plugging a dahua NVR into any lan port of the building, office or home and the bugs in the onvif implementation removes the need for any password in the NVR. Try it.
 
and the bugs in the onvif implementation
Click to expand...
More likely that an RTSP stream is allowed by the camera without authentication. That's the end result of the ONVIF dialogue that's used to determine the camera capabilities - information from the camera on how to initiate an RTSP media stream.
Some camera firmware allows you to make a configuration choice about whether to require authentication and what method must be used.
Some camera firmware just doesn't have that level of configurability.
 
attachment.php


Does anyone know what is causing a 6510 (ESCAM QD520) camera with the May 2015 firmware to produce these problem images?

I am using the rtsp://192.168.1.10/user=User&password=Password&channel=1&stream=0.sdp format and recording on motion in the Android IP Cam Viewer Pro app

I also have a different model camera that produces the same problem, but not as frequently.
 

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A firmware upgrade solved that issue for me. It looks like you have an old firmware from late 2014.
 
johnjm said:
A firmware upgrade solved that issue for me. It looks like you have an old firmware from late 2014.
Click to expand...

The picture I uploaded was taken when I had the earlier firmware. I uploaded the new firmware today and it still seems to be occurring, but not as frequently.
 
I do get snapshots via FTP and email on motion detection alarms.

Examples on how to setup snapshots via FTP and email on motion detection alarms:

CMS ("Camera Management System")

Any of the same IE ("Internet Explorer") browser configuration settings shown below can also be accessed using the CMS program created by the manufacturer of this series of mini IP Cameras, using its right menu options. System -> Remote Config. Without the need to use a browser to access and change the mini IP Camera configuration settings.



Browser

Note: A IE browser must be used if you are not going to use the CMS interface for these mini IP Cameras to be able to access the cameras configuration settings using a browser.

You can use any non IE based browser on Windows based systems. Such as Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari to simply view the mini IP Cameras Main or Sub video streams without having access to the mini IP Cameras configuration settings. If you install the QuickTime media player and then use this URL: http://192.168.1.10/Login.htm. If you intend to use a Chrome browser, then you will need to enable NPAPI plugins first.

More details here including the CMS and QuickTime media player download links:

http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread...P-Cam-So-Far-!!)?p=19499&viewfull=1#post19499

From the mini IP Cameras Browser Interface menu using a IE browser:





Note: You will need to first configure FTP under the mini IP Cameras NetService configuration settings before you can check the FTP checkbox above and have FTP work properly. To even get snapshots via FTP on motion alarms.

You will also need to setup Email properly under NetService for the mini IP Cameras configuration settings to get emails on alarms. You will also need to set the snapshot settings to timing for alarms. See below.





Note: DirName ("Above") should have at minimum a "/" without the double quotes. Even if the FTP snapshots should not be saved in a sub folder like /Top201

Email motion alarms work fine as well with Gmail. smtp.gmail.com, user GmailUser@gmail.com, sender GmailUser@gmail.com, Receiver GmailUser@gmail.com need SSL checkbox checked and using port 465.



Important Note: The receiver field shown above, can have more than one email address separating them by a comma. You can have multiple email addresses in the receiver field. Example:

Code: 
MyGmailName@gmail.com,MyYahooName@yahoo.com





Don[/QUOTE]

I struggled getting FTP to work, finaly I managed to get it to this far that snapshots being send with email, the camera has created a Folder on my FTP drive but no snapshot being saved on motion detection.
I tried to switch off email notification but that doesn't solve the problem. What am I doing wrong?
 
OK - First off thanks so much to lojix and TheUberOverLord for all the work they did in creating and supporting this thread. It is exactly what I was looking for to get my feet wet with IP Cameras and the whole video security thing without breaking the bank. I have read through the entire thread - am not sure I understood most of the discussion, but I had to start somewhere.

I have my first top-201 (it has also been upgraded to the latest firmware) up and running in CMS and BlueIris. I have changed the IP address, changed the password, disabled the Cloud and RTSP. When I have both CMS and Blue Iris running side by side, I notice the CMS video seems to update much more frequently than the blue iris video. The CMS video updates seemingly every second while the Blue Iris video is at most every 4-5 seconds. Is this "normal" and/or expected? If not, are there likely suspects to look at first? I assume it is a setting inside of Blue Iris, but don't have a clue where to start looking.

I have read a number of posts about whether or not the Top-201 is intended for night video or day video or both. I also have read posts on how to change the unit to make it better at night video and/or convert it to POE. I have to admit, I didn't follow most of this discussion. [URL="http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10-100M-PoE-Splitter-with-IEEE-802-3af-Standard-12V-1A-Output-DC48-57V-Input-Power/1810034358.html"]I have more or more less concluded that I will convert it to POE using this converter.[/URL]

With that said I have no idea how to make it better at night video. Did anyone ever find a solution that worked? If not, is there a different unit that might do better at night video?
 
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I found the setting in Blue Iris. It was set to 5 sec update. I changed it to unrestricted:
 

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Hello,
does anyone know what means the status code of device ?
my problem is as follows: I have 2 exactly the same models of cameras, 6510 , after upgrade to newest firmware, I cannot acces additional stream from one camera, I tried all possibilities, reset config to defaults, copy config from working camera, flash firmware again, switch settings on client with working camera, still the same result, when I trie to telnet to camera it show something like this:
RTP: onDescribe engineId 0 , clientId 1RTP: procDescribe
RTP: contentBase is rtsp://192.168.1.150:554/user=admin_password=DmqtXN1T_channel=1_stream=1.sdp/
url is rtsp://192.168.1.150:554/user=admin_password=DmqtXN1T_channel=1_stream=1.sdp?real_stream
RTP: content: v=0
o=- 38990265062388 38990265062388 IN IP4 192.168.1.150
s=RTSP Session
c=IN IP4 192.168.1.150
t=0 0
a=control:*
a=range:npt=0-
m=video 0 RTP/AVP 96
a=rtpmap:96 H264/90000
a=range:npt=0-
a=framerate:0S
a=fmtp:96 profile-level-id=4d001e; packetization-mode=1; sprop-parameter-sets=Z00AHpWoLASaEAAAAwAQAAADAMhA,aO48gA==
a=framerate:25
a=control:trackID=3
m=audio 0 RTP/AVP 8
a=control:trackID=4


RTP: procDescribe: RTSP/1.0 200 OK
Content-Type: application/sdp
Server: H264DVR 1.0
Cseq: 2
Content-Base: rtsp://192.168.1.150:554/user=admin_password=DmqtXN1T_channel=1_stream=1.sdp/
Cache-Control: private
x-Accept-Retransmit: our-retransmit
x-Accept-Dynamic-Rate: 1
Content-Length: 412


v=0
o=- 38990265062388 38990265062388 IN IP4 192.168.1.150
s=RTSP Session
c=IN IP4 192.168.1.150
t=0 0
a=control:*
a=range:npt=0-
m=video 0 RTP/AVP 96
a=rtpmap:96 H264/90000
a=range:npt=0-
a=framerate:0S
a=fmtp:96 profile-level-id=4d001e; packetization-mode=1; sprop-parameter-sets=Z00AHpWoLASaEAAAAwAQAAADAMhA,aO48gA==
a=framerate:25
a=control:trackID=3
m=audio 0 RTP/AVP 8
a=control:trackID=4


RTP: onSetup 0 1
RTP: procSetup
RTP: procPlay
RTP: RTP Session num limit : 1/1
RTP: procTeardown
RTP: DefaultRsp: RTSP/1.0 200 OK
Server: H264DVR 1.0
Cseq: 5
Session: 341680




RTP: ClientDisconnect 0 1
RTP: onClientConnect enginedId 0 , clientId 1 , ip:port 192.168.1.132:45391
RTP: procOptions
RTP: procOptions: RTSP/1.0 200 OK
Server: H264DVR 1.0
Cseq: 1
Public: OPTIONS, DESCRIBE, SETUP, TEARDOWN, GET_PARAMETER, PLAY, PAUSE




RTP: onDescribe engineId 0 , clientId 1
RTP: procDescribe
RTP: contentBase is rtsp://192.168.1.150:554/user=admin_password=DmqtXN1T_channel=1_stream=1.sdp/
url is rtsp://192.168.1.150:554/user=admin_password=DmqtXN1T_channel=1_stream=1.sdp?real_stream
RTP: content: v=0
o=- 38990265062388 38990265062388 IN IP4 192.168.1.150
s=RTSP Session
c=IN IP4 192.168.1.150
t=0 0
a=control:*
a=range:npt=0-
m=video 0 RTP/AVP 96
a=rtpmap:96 H264/90000
a=range:npt=0-
a=framerate:0S
a=fmtp:96 profile-level-id=4d001e; packetization-mode=1; sprop-parameter-sets=Z00AHpWoLASaEAAAAwAQAAADAMhA,aO48gA==
a=framerate:25
a=control:trackID=3
m=audio 0 RTP/AVP 8
a=control:trackID=4


RTP: procDescribe: RTSP/1.0 200 OK
Content-Type: application/sdp
Server: H264DVR 1.0
Cseq: 2
Content-Base: rtsp://192.168.1.150:554/user=admin_password=DmqtXN1T_channel=1_stream=1.sdp/
Cache-Control: private
x-Accept-Retransmit: our-retransmit
x-Accept-Dynamic-Rate: 1
Content-Length: 412


v=0
o=- 38990265062388 38990265062388 IN IP4 192.168.1.150
s=RTSP Session
c=IN IP4 192.168.1.150
t=0 0
a=control:*
a=range:npt=0-
m=video 0 RTP/AVP 96
a=rtpmap:96 H264/90000
a=range:npt=0-
a=framerate:0S
a=fmtp:96 profile-level-id=4d001e; packetization-mode=1; sprop-parameter-sets=Z00AHpWoLASaEAAAAwAQAAADAMhA,aO48gA==
a=framerate:25
a=control:trackID=3
m=audio 0 RTP/AVP 8
a=control:trackID=4
Click to expand...

I was not able to get any reasonable information from logs.
I realized that in version information there is some system status and on working camera is code 1091, on the other is code 1164 so I thought there is any problem with it.
thank you in advance.
Lucas
 
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