Always on camera available through web browser

[hardwareguy]

Hey everyone,
I've been lurking the community for a little bit and learning but still have a question that I couldn't find the answer to.

For my job, I require a (cheap) camera that can be watched through a web browser that isn't Flash based. We are currently using a Tenvis TH661, which meets all of our needs except the browser is flash based, which won't be supported in the near future. The quality of the recording isn't important since it's literally just pointed at a TV for our remote workers to access and see if captions pop up on the screen. Any help is appreciated!

 

[TonyR]

Consider the Amcrest IP2M-841, a re-branded Dahua. The same form factor as your Tenvis TH661, it is ONVIF compatible, provides RTSP, is 1080p, IR, 2-way audio plus mike in/speaker out, has pan/tilt/digital zoom, record to micro SD card, wired or wireless and has alarm in/out, great with Blue Iris, VLC, etc. Comes with wall/ceiling mount, 1/4"-20 tripod mount female insert on bottom. Available in black or white for under $40 !

As far as browsers, it works with Pale Moon (32bit), SeaMonkey, IE, Safari 11, Firefox 49.0 and Chrome with Amcrest Web View Extension.

I've installed 4 of the V2 versions and 3 of it's lower-res (720p) cousins in the last 4 years and all have functioned with no hiccups.

I currently use 3 of them with Blue Iris; 1 on front porch to look at deliveries, 1 in garage and 1 in sunroom to watch the dogs; two of the 3 is operating on Wi-Fi. I have also set one up with Tinycam Pro on a Sony smart TV (Android).

VERY hard to beat for $40, IMO.

EDIT #2 of 4/1/21: V3 as pictured does NOT provide relay I/O nor jacks for an external mic and speaker.

 

[jwadsley]

Just an update on this, the camera, which I have, and with the latest firmware, does NOT require any plugin, it simply loads up in Chrome or Edge and you are good to go!

 

[hardwareguy]

I just wanted to thank you both since I finally had some time to set up the Amcrest camera and it works perfectly for my needs. It took a while to get it set up (which was more a problem with the network setup at work then the camera) but I found that I had to be connected to the same Wifi network as the camera when running Amcrests IP scan tool. After upgrading the firmware, like jwadsley said, I'm able to view the camera through Chrome with no plugins or addons. Super simple interface and after port forwarding the DDNS is a nice feature too. Thanks guys!

 

[alastairstevenson]

Super simple interface and after port forwarding the DDNS is a nice feature too.

Just checking that you understand that by doing this you are allowing the entire internet access to the camera, which is located on your work network.
IP surveillance cameras are notorious for having security vulnerabilities that can be exploited with malicious intent.

 

[hardwareguy]

Just checking that you understand that by doing this you are allowing the entire internet access to the camera, which is located on your work network.
IP surveillance cameras are notorious for having security vulnerabilities that can be exploited with malicious intent.

Yeah I understand. I keep close watch of the network activity but if anything terrible happens I'll just quit and work at walmart.

 

[alastairstevenson]

I keep close watch of the network activity but if anything terrible happens I'll just quit and work at walmart.

The best intrusions are the subtle ones you don't notice ...