5.0 out of 5 stars
Was Amcrest's Best 4K Night Vision Camera Yet. Now dead after 1 year, 6 months.
Reviewed in the United States on 12 June 2019
Update 12/10/202:
Amcrest reconsidered:
"I have consulted with our techs and they have assured me that our firmware updates are working properly and this issue is mostly likely caused by the power being disconnected during the install process. However we have decided to issue a one time replacement."
Note, the firmware update was done via the web interface while the camera was still mounted on my house and connected to an Amcrest POE injector installed in my garage and continuously powered, so I'm not sure how the power could possibly have been interrupted. On the bright side, they are RMAing this camera and sending a replacement. Thank you Amcrest!
Update 12/9/2020:
Sadly, I updated the firmware on this camera and now it is stuck in a reboot loop. The camera was working perfectly until I pressed the Upgrade button on my browser to update the firmware to V2.622.00AC000.0.R.201022.bin. Now the camera starts up, displays live video for a few seconds, then reboots. I contacted support who were unable to resolve the problem. They suggested contacting the RMA group which I did. They said the camera was purchased 1 year and 6 months ago, so it was out of warranty and Amcrest does not warranty firmware upgrades.
Maybe it was a coincidence that the camera failed during the firmware update and has nothing to do with the firmware itself. My experience tells me the camera would be working perfectly today if I hadn't put Amcrest's latest firmware on it....sure seems like just a software problem.
I am still very satisfied with my other Amcrest cameras, but I won't be updating their firmware.
*************
I've been using Amcrest IP cameras for several years now for home and business security. I purchased this camera to be the primary camera covering my driveway and front yard. It has a 112 degree field of view which is perfect for my application. The daytime 4k video is amazing but I was surprised by the great night vision quality compared to the other models I've used. I highly recommend this camera. Now for some more specifics of my experience.
This is a POE (power over ethernet) camera which also has an optional 12V power connector. I went with Amcrest's POE Injector for ease of installation. I just connected an ethernet cable from my network to the DIN port on the injector and then connected the camera to the injector with a second cable. I was delighted to find the weather seal has been re-designed to allow the ethernet cables RJ-45 connector to fit through the seal cap so premade cables work great.
The camera has several options for where the video is recorded. I wanted at local copy stored on the camera which requires installation of a micro SD card. I'm using a Samsung 64GB 100MB/s (U3) card. Using motion/sound triggered recording at the highest resolution, highest frame rate, and highest quality on my active street, this gives me about 4 days of stored video. Installing the SD card was a bit more of an operation than I had expected. Other Amcrest cameras I have used have small a weather sealed panel which can be removed revealing the sd card slot. This camera requires not only removing the back cover, but also the camera board inside. It is not a difficult process, just 5 screws to remove, but the documentation is not very specific. Fortunately, this is a one time task so it is not a big deal. Just make sure you don't touch the camera lens itself, or if you do, make sure you clean it before closing it up.
I used the free Amcrest View Pro app on my Android phone to setup the camera. It is very straight forward and walks you through the process step by step. Once complete, I was able to view the live video and audio feed from anywhere. I can also playback the stored recordings as well. In addition to the app on my phone, I use Amcrest Surveillance Pro on my pc. This app is also free and the primary way I monitor multiple cameras simultaneously during the day.
Once the camera was setup, I went the the extensive customization options provided by the camera. Amcrest has done a great job giving you access to nearly every aspect of the cameras operation so you can set it to meet your needs. I went through the more detailed configuration options to specify motion detection recording and sound detection. The options provided are excellent. You can specify the times/days you want motion detection to be active, the thresholds for the amount of motion require to trigger the recording, up to 4 separate regions, etc. Likewise, the sound detection allows you to define your schedule and threshold by viewing a live graph showing the sound level.
Once the sun went down, I was able to check the night vision capabilities of the camera. It was immediately clear that this camera does a much better job than the 3 or 4 MP models from Amcrest. I'm not sure if it is the new Starlight sensor or the improved built in IR illuminator, but I have no problem seeing people walking 70 feet away at night. Not only that, but the camera maintains a good shutter speed so moving people/cars are not a blur. I am very happy with the night vision performance.
The built-in microphone is very sensitive. I have no problem hearing people in my yard, dogs barking, birds singing, sirens, etc. The camera has a noise reduction option to filter our some of the background noise, but I found the audio quality to be better without noise reduction.
Overall, this is a fantastic, versatile camera. The daytime 4k video performance is excellent, the night vision is great and the audio recording is impressive. The android app is very good at home or away. The PC app works well, but I'd say it is due for an update. Alternatively, Amcrest suggests purchasing Blue Iris software which works well with their cameras. Considering the features and performance this camera offers for a relatively little extra cost, this is an excellent value.
150 people found this helpful
