Sad to say it, but the old Hikvision/Annke cubes are failing

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I seriously cannot complain about these little units. For $50 to $90 each, they were workhorses, especially when wired with PoE. Their wifi matrix antenna left a LOT to be desired, but the video quality was excellent, and the firmware was top-notch. My kitchen unit just failed, so I took one of the old spare units out to replace it. Nope, it's not doing too well, either. I just bit the bullet and ordered another Amcrest IP4M-1051B 'renewed' unit to replace it. Better picture, better wifi, and great price; $67 before tax, a $10 break from a "factory new" unit.
 

SouthernYankee

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So far i have been lucky, i have had five annke I61dr cube from more than 18 months, and one Hikvision DS-2CD2442FWD-IW cube from more than a year.

I do not like the form factor of the IP4M-1051B I like the cube.
 

area651

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I agree I like the cubes better from what I read on here. It seems my IP4M cameras are all wanting to stutter. They're running wireless though. I just wish I could get a line to where they are. Damn 2 story houses!
 
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If I felt like disassembling the camera, tearing off the matrix antenna, and soldering a pigtail, it might still be a good camera. I agree, the smaller form factor of the 'cube' is better. In this case, this is one of only two wireless cameras inside the house, and it was working fine for months, then just stopped. I tried messing with it via LAN cable, but even after a full reset, the wireless was still extremely weak. :( I suspect a failure in that matrix antenna component is to blame. They should have just stuck with thin film metal strips inside the camera body.
 

Arjun

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The indoor Amcrest PTZ's are the way to go. I always go with type of construction instead of cost. The Annke / Hik cubes always seem to use thinner flexible plastic
 
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