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

bls said:
I just updated my IPC Board Camera web page at http://ve6sbs.sbszoo.com/projects/ipcam_ipc/ipc_mods.htm and included a link to that version. (At least I'm pretty sure it's that version. I have several different versions saved and it's hard to tell which is which without IPC including the .10010.1303 in the file name, but my camera has the version you want and the Build date matches so I'm pretty sure it's the right version and, if not, let me know and I'll try again. :))

Barry
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thank you very much for your page, after upgrading to firmware from january 2015 solved my problem .
 
I can do FTP and have a script check the destination directory for activity.
Has anyone setup timed FTP snapshots?
I've managed the FTP setup itself (Settings/System/NetService/FTP) but I can't quite figure out the actual timed snapshot part.
I can see an FTP option for the various alarm settings and I can see the record section. I tried setting a timing based capture mode but it doesn't show FTP as an option and setting it up doesn't seem to do anything. (set a period for today as Regular)

I'm probably missing something obvious.
 
TheUberOverLord said:
The 6510 version of this Network IP Camera does not have any alarm inputs/outputs exposed anyway. I will ask the manufacturer about why this no longer works as it once did in the past.

Don
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I'm hanging on your lips. I need exactly the same to present webcam images on a webpage. So an FTP Upload (best case same filename each) every X minutes or an HTTP get picture would be perfect.
 
I havn't opened the cam to have a look at the board. Could it be that there is a kind of connector used as "alert" switch? This could be fired by an arduino or something else to triger the alert screenshots. Or is it possible to trigger the alert over network? Within network settings (where also FTP is configured) I've seen an Alert Server with a Port. What is it for?
 
TheUberOverLord said:
Not sure which of the three questions you asked that you are no referring to in your above statement? FTP, Alarm Server or Alarm Input/Output.

Don
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It was related to the Alert Server where the camera works as Sender, not as receiver of some signal.

My camera is on the attached screenshot and the details I posted a bit earlier in thread sniffed by wireshark as JSON (communication between cam and Internetexplorer CRM)
 

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I would assume that. Which other idea could be behind such option? A scenario could be a door contact or an IR sensor which fires a signal and the camera takes a snapshot.

As I understand from reading the thread my firmware is already the newest. If they not implement am http screenshot to take a picture with "wget" from Server or an timer related FTP on a new release this would be the only chance for using this cam for Webcam purposes.

I have seen that there is an approach to use "motion" with an rtsp stream. So I could try to rape a raspberry to grab images from rtsp stream. But this is a lot effort. If somebody is interested: https://tyrolite.wordpress.com/2015/03/07/building-motion-with-ffmpeg-and-rtsp-support/
 

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actruck said:
Would one of you happen to have a part number for a power supply that will work with this camera?

Also, has anyone used any of these cameras with the IR filter? They are a few dollars more but have night vision.

http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/Top-201-IR-H264-1MP-Super-Mini-Network-IP-Camera-Home-RTSP-TCP-IP-Night-Vision-/281719626339

Thanks
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Most, if not all, of these cam's in a small metal enclosure have night vision as most come with an IR lens (a lens with no built in IR filter) and there's no space in such a small enclosure to include a switchable IR cut filter. For clarification, an IR filter filters out, or removes, IR light to keep the IR present in sunlight from affecting outdoor image colors during the daytime.

This and other such cameras in a small metal enclosure are best used indoors (as there usually isn't much IR in indoor lighting) and outdoors at night with an IR light source. The only difference between the camera you mentioned and other TOP cameras without IR LED's, is that this one includes an IR light source (not an IR filter as you wrote). Personally, I would get one like what's shown on page 1 of this thread and use a separate IR light source if one is needed as I doubt the LED's on this camera will provide enough IR unless you only want to see things fairly close by. Also because outdoors, spiders are attracted to IR and you'll quickly end up with spider webs in front of the lens which you'll likely have to constantly clear and a seperate IR light source mounted nearby will solve that problem.

As for a power supply, any of the 12V 1A wall wort type units like many cameras and many other devices come with these days and sold for $2-3 just about everywhere will work. Just search for "12v 1a power supply" on ebay and take your pick.

Barry
 
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I have opened my cam and see the connector. Tommorrow I'll check some things with Multimeter. If we have indeed a +5V, GND and Switch connector it is very easy to use an Arduino nano as trigger. The housing has enaugh space for. If on the camera also a serial Port would be avail could it connected to the arduino to. E.g. to change the Pulse rate from Camera Telnet on Arduino.
 

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1) The +5V I need to power the Arduino nano which I plan to put into the housing. If Arduino get powered it short the signal Pin to GND every X seconds. Normally an Arduino is oversized for this job. A NE555 would do the same

2) USB: you are sure that this USB is a slave port to connect to a PC's host port? This would be a great option but the existance of +5V on this connector let me think that it is a host port.
 
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Near to P2 is a Power Regulator which could generate 5V for different purposes on the board. Let me check tommorow, then we are clear. It's a win/win anyway. If we have a USB Slave to use as normal USB Webcam it would be better for me than building a automated switch with an Arduino. Using "motion" on raspberry with an USB cam is much more efficient than grabbing from RTSP, as you see on my images posted above. By the way, the images get better by using the low quality stream. The raspi CPU is on 80% then. But I don't need a 720p camera to get lowres Images ;)
 
On the 6510 boards that I have, pin 4 on the P5 connector all have +5V on them and my understanding was that pins 1 thru 4 were for an optional Wi-Fi board as several in the past have commented that's what their boards had connected to them.

Barry
 
As @bls wrote, if it's an USB Host connector it could be easily used for a Wifi board. USB Slave Webcam usage would mean bypassing the whole Linux system on camera or linux system have to emulate the direct flow camera chip -> USB. I cannot believe, if I see that the camera get very warm over the time, that 5V are enaugh to power the camera board over time. USB delivers 500mA max.
 
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If you strip a WLAN USB Stick to have only the PCB and solder (or plug) it to the USB connector you only need the correct driver kernel module to have a full WLAN. So maybe somebody could check whether a realtek or ralink USB kernelmodul exists in the cameras linux system. For the manufacturer it is easier to use existing USB WLAN adapters than to build an own daughter board. As you can see here, the camera I have is offered with WLAN to. I don't think that they use a totally different board just to have WLAN http://de.aliexpress.com/item/P2P-O...ed-IP-Camera-WifI-IR-Outdoor/32313211840.html
If yo scroll down in the aliexpress article you exactly see the WLAN module and how it is connected to the camera.
 

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Yes, and that means it is an USB host connector which is able to Power an USB WLAN Board. I assume you also could connect an USB keyboard to this connector. For using the cam on a PC as Webcam it would need an USB slave connector.
 
The P5 +5V is powered if the cam powersupply is plugged

Shorting Pin 8 to GND triggers an Alert with this config (see Screenshot)

Can somebody explain the functionality of "Interval" and "Delay"?
 

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