Wireless IP cam for temporary projects

[Optimus Prime]

Hiya Gang. I need a wireless PTZ IP camera for occasional temp projects. The trash Amcrest I have just doesn’t cut it. What is the current favorite? Does not need to have high zoom capacity, needs IR, outdoor rated is not necessary but would be a nice. I have an extremely good mesh WiFi system twitch lots of available bandwidth.

This actually needs to be wireless. It’s not for my security system. Yes, I know it will still need power. Yes, I know wireless cameras are not as good as wireless. This is for temp hobby projects and temp occasional monitoring where I cannot run an Ethernet cable back to my switch.

Thank for your feedback.

 

[bp2008]

"Mesh wifi" if it uses radio to link between access points is not what I'd call extremely good.

Anyway the camera's wifi is probably just awful, with an awful integrated antenna that may be too close to other parts that generate RF noise. I'd suggest trying to find one with an RP-SMA connector for the antenna, and that way you can get a better antenna for it if necessary. IP2M-866W looks like it probably has that type of antenna connection, though I couldn't verify that as the detailed specs are kinda missing.

 

[Optimus Prime]

@bp2008 You're right. If I was in a commercial environment this would not be great. But it covers my 3000 sq ft home, plus more than my 1/4 acre lot, and does so while compensating for a 30-foot wall running through my house that blocks wifi signals. I get near gigabit speeds from my laptop on WiFi, and have not had a single WiFi complaint from my wife in two years now. It is "good enough".

Unfortunately, the camera I hate is the Amcrest IP2M-841. It is wireless. I'm not sure I'm willing to purchase another Amcrest product unless Dahua has significantly upgraded the hardware in it.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Keep in mind that a camera is a real bandwidth hog. Video is a constant, non-stop, stream. A PC, tablet or phone makes a few transmissions then goes quiet for relatively long periods. The camera never, ever stops. A dropped packet results in re-transmission which can result in yet more dropped packets in an endless loop. You stand a chance IF you wire the access points back to the router, but you're still stuck with the bandwidth capability of the router on top of the WiFi problems.

 

[bp2008]

Wifi cams are usually using older wifi standards too, so they use a ton more airtime to transmit the same data as a new laptop would, even in the best of conditions.

 

[Optimus Prime]

There are WiFi cameras that work just fine. I installed four wireless Hikvision Cubes in a restaurant on and they don't miss a beat. The Amcrest camera is unusually awful.

All I'm asking for is slightly better reliability with PTZ. I'm not expecting mission-critical, commercial quality precision. If the little blackface Dahua had IR, I'd use it and forgo the outdoor rating.