Will Blue Iris support two-way audio with <this camera>?

[Xenon]

I bought a Reolink E1 Zoom some time ago to put in our "nursery" to monitor our twins. The video and "one-way" audio work OK in BI (not great because WiFi, I assume), and the two-way talk works (albeit pretty poor audio quality) in the Reolink app.

It has taken me many hours of scouring BI and Reolink websites as well as forums like this to determine that, maybe, that camera only supports two-way audio in their app and nowhere else.

Of course, what I'd really like is someone to recommend a camera (wired or wireless, I can run a cable if I have to) that plays nicely with BI. However, I have found that people seem to be loathe to make any specific recommendations. FWIW, I'm US based.

Barring a specific model, can anyone point me to a way to determine if a specific camera model will be supported? I know that two-way talk is inconsistently implemented, but is there anything to look for? Any brands that seem to be better or worse?

 

[TonyR]

The Amcrest IPM2M-841 supports 2-way audio with the BI app on your smartphone. OEM'd by Dahua for Amcrest, it's also available in white.

 

[Xenon]

The Amcrest IPM2M-841 supports 2-way audio with the BI app on your smartphone. OEM'd by Dahua for Amcrest, it's also available in white.

Thanks!

I've seen that this forum really doesn't like WiFi cameras, but for a monitoring situation like this (not security), would most people allow an exception?

 

[wittaj]

Thanks!

I've seen that this forum really doesn't like WiFi cameras, but for a monitoring situation like this (not security), would most people allow an exception?

Yes, wifi cams have their purpose for non-surveillance type activities. To monitor the nanny or the kid or the pets, yes we can accept the wifi limitations as we are watching KNOWN people, so if the video is pixelated or jerky we are ok with that for that function.

 

[TonyR]

Thanks!

I've seen that this forum really doesn't like WiFi cameras, but for a monitoring situation like this (not security), would most people allow an exception?

The only way I'd have wireless cams is the way I have them now: a dedicated 802.11n, 2.4GHz Access Point for 3 cams, nothing else uses that AP. Its assigned channel is at the max separation from another 2.4GHz channel in the house. There is no other house near me for about 300 yards and we're separated by dense foliage and trees.

Those 3 cams are indoor, non-critical pet cams (Amcrest IP2M-841's) streaming to Blue Iris and are adequately reliable for their jobs. They take their turns losing signal/reconnecting usually about every 12 hours or so for about 20 seconds which I would not tolerate for an outdoor surveillance cam pointed at my house and/or property.

But for me, this works in my situation: dedicated AP, non-critical application and periodic, short-term video loss.... if any one of those 3 conditions can't be achieved or tolerated, then I also do not recommend using wireless cams.