- Amcrest 5MP POE Camera, Outdoor Vandal Dome Security POE IP Camera, 5-Megapixel, 98ft NightVision, 2.8mm Lens, IP67, IK10 Resistance, MicroSD 256GB (Sold Separately), Cloud, NVR (IP5M-D1188EW-AI-V3)

I was looking for a camera to go alongside our Nest video doorbell 1st gen and was looking for a high quality camera with ONVIF support and a wide viewing angle, and since it would be low to the ground in an urban environment a tamper proof dome camera was generally the only option. This came up and I saw others’ photos and got two, both 20% off with a coupon (for a total of just under $100). If you get more than one, check around because I saw a “2-pack” for about $110 (at the time the coupon and buying two individual ones would be cheaper). After getting it installed I noticed just how awesome the camera really was. I did wish it was higher than 20 fps but it’s not gonna capture many action shots. I wound up using the other camera to mount it to a junction box with conduit on my roof 3 stories high, to replace a 2MP 1080p bullet camera and once again HUGE improvement and excellent quality. My only gripe, is the seemingly weird IR blowout. I’m not sure if it’s because of the way I angled the cameras within the dome, but the IR in both seems to reflect off the dome or something and back into the lens causing a slow fogging effect until the image is completely washed out and unusable. However the camera’s low light/ambient light performance is phenomenal and with some adjustments to its exposure and gamma you can change in the camera’s settings, it looks amazing still. It also has a substream at D1 resolution which I use for a live feed in our living room. The pricing doesn’t scream “I got some cheap cameras”, there is true value in these. Overall, I’d buy again if we are looking to upgrade some of our other cameras.

This camera was by far the easiest POE/IP camera I have setup to date. I would honestly say it was easier to setup and configure than it was to convince my wife to assist me with installing it on the back porch. That being said I did see 2 minor issues with the camera that could be a simple adjustment on my part or just a limitation of the camera itself. I test this camera out using a handful of different NVR and automation software's. Anything from Home Assistant & Zoneminder to the free to use excellent NVR software from Amcrest themselves. The motion tracking and zone configuration allowed for some pretty unique automations through Home Assistant, and the added ability to record locally on an SD card and the NVR software at the same time allows for redundancy. The image quality of this camera is leaps and bounds better than the Ring cameras I have setup that were triple the price of this one, even in low light the camera outperforms them. The only real issues that I ran into with the camera has to do with the IR LEDs on the camera. The LEDs are arranged in a circular pattern around the lens but when the camera is mounted to an eaves or a bracket that acts like an ceiling mount some of those LEDs are covered up by the housing of the camera. This doesn't affect the overall picture quality just makes the top part of the image a little darker than the rest due to those being covered. If the camera is wall mounted this isn't an issue since the lens would be pointing straight out from the body of the camera rather than out the edge of the camera. The other one is so minor it's funny, because this is a vandal proof camera the whole camera has a shell that slips over the lens to stop people from moving it, but it's a finger print magnet and makes the image a bit blurry until you find the spot. White gloves are definitely needed when placing this on after installation. Overall, I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for excellent picture quality at a fraction of the cost of the competitors. Add in that it can be used with almost all NVR software (MotionEye has a bad delay) and this camera becomes the best bang for the buck that I have tested so far.

This is a review of the Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 4MP POE Dome IP Security Camera. (IP4M-1028E) Summary – This camera is doing a great job for what I need. I wanted reliable dome cameras to be used on the exterior of my home for security. This camera did everything I expected BUT did not give me any digital zoom. So putting that aside, if you want a POE dome camera that is to be used in a fixed location where you do not need to pan-zoom, this is for you. Price is also hands down excellent for the quality and features offered. I use Amcrest for many of my needs and can say these have proven more reliable and full-featured than other name brand cameras much costlier. To keep this an easy read, I will list the pros and cons. Dahua makes a great all metal - low-cost mount and this camera was a perfect fit for it. The mount even came with the screws needed to mount my dome camera to the mount. Was surprised the hole alignment was perfect and saved me a ton of install time.) Dahua DH-PFB203W Waterproof Wall Mount Bracket for Dahua Dome IP Camera IPC-HDW4431C-A ,IPC-HDBW4431R-ZS,IPC-HDBW4431R-S, IPC-HDBW4431R-AS Pros -The camera offers a ton of software and platform options. What I mean is that you can set up the camera to be used from an app, work on a network video recorder (NVR) or use on a computer. -Offers many ways to save your footage. MicroSD card, FTP-software, NVR and Cloud. -The camera can be set up without any special software using the IP address assigned when you connect it. -Between the cd and paperwork in the box when you receive it and the website, you get all the software you would need-desire and they are all FREE. Nothing to pay for. I use mine with the free Amcrest Surveillance Pro as well as have them linked to an NVR. You can also use alternative non Amcrest software like Blue Iris if you prefer. -Excellent full HD resolution at 2688x1520p at 30FPS, it has 118 degree wide view and uses quality sensors and chipset. (The photo you see will clearly show this.) -You can set up alerts such as tamper, motion, can edit areas in which motion should not be detected and will also offer push notifications-emails if setup. (Highly recommend setting up connection as HTTPS and this can be done with a few clicks and one reboot when done.) -Camera is a POE camera. (Power over Ethernet.) This is a great feature, especially when running cameras outdoors. Instead of running your camera a power line and ethernet, just an ethernet cable is needed. (You must have a special POE switch, NVR, etc. as these devices are what sends both data and power over your ethernet cable.) An alternative is a POE injector. It is a device you can buy if you do not have a POE device that you can place inline somewhere to add the power. I have approx. 150’ run to my camera and from what I understand you can go almost 300’ or 100M from POE source. -Camera is well built – metal and sealed. Inside are silicon packets even to help control moisture. (Camera is already well sealed with a rubber seal.) Should you ever need to do a factory reset, the button will be located inside the dome. -Excellent night vision. (See photo.) Cons -While I am very tech and IP camera savvy, was not able to get intelligent digital zoom to work on any platform. (Phone, PC or using the Amcrest Surv. Pro software.) Note - This would be a 5-star rating if the zoom worked as advertised.

Für meine Zwecke nur bedingt verwendbar. Obwohl im Setup vorgesehen, ließ sich die Aufzeichnung per FTP oder auf NAS nicht aktivieren. Ohne Probleme funktioniert die Amcrest-Cloud, die aber in der kostenlosen Version nur eine stark eingeschränkte Aufnahmedauer erlaubt. Die Ansicht der Bilder und des Livestreams war nur in Chrome möglich, für Firefox und IE habe ich kein passendes Addon gefunden. Habe die Kamera wieder zurückgegeben.