IP Camera Resolution

A

abrogard

Getting the hang of it
Apr 22, 2015
117
6
My Foscam clone IP cameras have poor resolution.

Is that because they are clones or would genuine Foscams be as bad?

Are all IP cams just as bad?

Is it preferable to get this other kind of camera, what is it, a wired digital tv thing or whatever? Are they much better?

If they are better surely there's a 'half way house' that uses wireless technology to network them and their technology for image?
 
Have a look at Hikvision. I own 2x Foscam (genuine) and 4x Hikvision. The latter make the former look like a steaming pile of ... yes you know.
 
My first IP camera was a Foscam. It would look dreadful if I connected it up now. IP camera technology has moved on at a rapid rate.

What is the specified resolution for your (unspecified) IP cameras? Anything that's VGA is going to look very poor compared with 720P or 1080P.
Are you viewing the main stream, or the sub stream?
 
Here is a quick comparison of 4 random 720p images from random cameras from google:
http://imgur.com/a/7aWi0

You can try to compare your own Foscam clone to these and see if you're happy with 720p resolutions other cams offer.

I only listed 720p cameras here for you to compare your Foscam clone, higher resolutions cctv images can be found as easily from google image search for example.
 
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Yes, mine seem to be 640 resolution. That's VGA?

One of them just died. Or can't be connected to anyway. That's a recurring hassle I have with them.

The point is cost, even before performance. I pay $60 for these. How much must I pay for a 720 camera? Back when I bought them there was a big difference. You went Foscam clone or paid at least double that.

I will research the Hikvision etc.

cctv, that's the acronym I couldn't remember. Do we really need cctv to get good images? Good enough to identify an intruder's face?

The images provided are clearly better than mine. And I see that one is a Foscam from two years ago a 19821W. So maybe it's only the clones that are poor res.
 
abrogard said:
Yes, mine seem to be 640 resolution. That's VGA?

One of them just died. Or can't be connected to anyway. That's a recurring hassle I have with them.

The point is cost, even before performance. I pay $60 for these. How much must I pay for a 720 camera? Back when I bought them there was a big difference. You went Foscam clone or paid at least double that.

I will research the Hikvision etc.

cctv, that's the acronym I couldn't remember. Do we really need cctv to get good images? Good enough to identify an intruder's face?

The images provided are clearly better than mine. And I see that one is a Foscam from two years ago a 19821W. So maybe it's only the clones that are poor res.
Click to expand...
The clone is not the issue its the cameras resolution..640x480 is vga...foscam does make 1.3mp camera but there are MUCH better options available...where are you going to place the camera and what are you using it for?
 
I have one camera on the drive, under the large eave and two cameras in the shed. One was meant to scan the rear of the place but I haven't been able to site it properly yet so it's just hanging around as a sort of backup.

The cameras are for security - frightening intruders off first and keeping a record of who it was second - and for giving me some experience in setting up and running such a system.

You should be able to see my driveway and the execrable picture I get at 203.171.115.83:99

When I look at it via firefox I get at least a bright picture.

On ispy it is terribly dim. I wonder if that's because the model of the camera hasn't been specified accurately enough?

What sort of effect do errors like that have? These clones don't give you much model and manufacturer information, in fact none. Is there something within the things that I can use to track down exactly what they are for the sake of informing software such as iSpy?

Like for instance the MAC address? I can get that. That's unique isn't it. Is it traceable back?

And what's this VLC? Should I use it in preference?
 
abrogard said:
I have one camera on the drive, under the large eave and two cameras in the shed. One was meant to scan the rear of the place but I haven't been able to site it properly yet so it's just hanging around as a sort of backup.

The cameras are for security - frightening intruders off first and keeping a record of who it was second - and for giving me some experience in setting up and running such a system.

You should be able to see my driveway and the execrable picture I get at 203.171.115.83:99

When I look at it via firefox I get at least a bright picture.

On ispy it is terribly dim. I wonder if that's because the model of the camera hasn't been specified accurately enough?

What sort of effect do errors like that have? These clones don't give you much model and manufacturer information, in fact none. Is there something within the things that I can use to track down exactly what they are for the sake of informing software such as iSpy?

Like for instance the MAC address? I can get that. That's unique isn't it. Is it traceable back?

And what's this VLC? Should I use it in preference?
Click to expand...
Vlc is a standalone video player...ispy charges for remote viewing and email alerts so its a no go...
are your cameras connected via wifi? or ethernet?
What is your budget per camera?
 
VLC? You mean Video Lan? Is that what it is. I use it all the time. Have I got mixed up somewhere. I can't find the reference inside iSpy any more but I'm pretty sure I saw VLC or something similar in there as a menu option somewhere and I was thinking it was some kind of comms protocol, not a video player. Anyway I can't find it now.

iSpy charges for remote viewing? You mean via iSpy, of course. Why do I need it. I can view my cameras remotely via any browser, can't we all? Except one camera per page. Is that the point? Viewing with iSpy type convenience?

And email alerts I've only ever had configured successfully one time for a short period but they were sent out alright from my cameras via my IIS on one of my computers.

My cameras are all wifi. Of course they are set up originally when received via the ethernet connection and presumably could be left connected via ethernet.

But the whole point of the wireless ip camera to me is the ability to move it around. Hide it here, there, anywhere, do what you want with it without fussing with cable.

That's why I don't have cctv. I mean perhaps I wouldn't have cctv anyway because of cost but I don't even look at it because of cabling.

My budget per camera? There's no ongoings so I guess you mean price I'm prepared to pay for a camera. Well it's not much. I said I paid $60 for them but that was a mistake. I think I paid only $40. Looking around now I think I'd go as far as double that if I was to get 720 resolution and perhaps greater reliability and lifetime (I've got one here I've had for four years - got another one dead after one year) .

Maybe $100 if there were some really great features.
 
Thank you for that. Extremely interesting.
:)

if iSpy is a no go because of charging for remote viewing, as fenderman says, then what's the alternative?
 
abrogard said:
Thank you for that. Extremely interesting.
:)

if iSpy is a no go because of charging for remote viewing, as fenderman says, then what's the alternative?
Click to expand...
Yes you can remote view directly from your cameras but then you cannot view the recorded footage and make use of other remote functions like scheduling, enabling and disabling alerts. If you stick with one brand of camera like hikvision or dahua you can use their free software, or you can use blue iris which is exceptional but will require a powerful pc if you run many 3mp cameras...
Another issue with remote viewing from the cameras is that you if you are port forwarding instead of using vpn you are exposing cameras with security vulnerabilities to the internet.
I would go with wired cameras..wifi will cause issues...the hikvisions are a great choice...the 1.3 and 2mp hikvsions will have slightly better nightvision than the 3mp cameras...
 
You make some very trenchant points.

Thank you.

You also make it obvious I'm not thinking too well. I should have thought about viewing the recordings at least.

That's long been an issue with me. A couple of years ago I had something that was recording from the cameras - the software that came with them I think - and I found that I could only search it slowly in real time and couldn't find software that would allow me to smoothly scroll up and down, back and forward, through a couple of hours or four hours of recording.

Gave it up in disgust. Put it on the back burner. And obviously put it right out of my mind.

Time to bring it back to the forefront. I want to get a good grip on this whole thing now. Set up my own system properly so it is really useful and then setup for brother and brother in law.

I don't understand the ramifications of the vpn and port forwarding thing. I use port forwarding typically. But I also sometimes use vpn.

Yes, I saw I could get a hikvision for around 80 or 90 dollars. Around my price point.

What issues on wifi?
 
abrogard said:
You make some very trenchant points.

Thank you.

You also make it obvious I'm not thinking too well. I should have thought about viewing the recordings at least.

That's long been an issue with me. A couple of years ago I had something that was recording from the cameras - the software that came with them I think - and I found that I could only search it slowly in real time and couldn't find software that would allow me to smoothly scroll up and down, back and forward, through a couple of hours or four hours of recording.

Gave it up in disgust. Put it on the back burner. And obviously put it right out of my mind.

Time to bring it back to the forefront. I want to get a good grip on this whole thing now. Set up my own system properly so it is really useful and then setup for brother and brother in law.

I don't understand the ramifications of the vpn and port forwarding thing. I use port forwarding typically. But I also sometimes use vpn.

Yes, I saw I could get a hikvision for around 80 or 90 dollars. Around my price point.

What issues on wifi?
Click to expand...
wifi is simply not a stable method of transmitting video 24/7 without interruption...even small packet issues can cause video loss.
 
then i guess it is that instability that causes my cameras to get 'lost' so frequently.

incidentally i can view my logs or recorded files remotely via my IIS installation easily enough.

and i can access the 'tools' menu of the camera remotely if i'm an admin login - that gives me access to scheduling on some cameras I've had, i think.

i think i provided the IP for my camera to let you see the driveway and forgot to include the login. Just for interest's sake, if anyone should have any interest in seeing the pic from these foscam clones, here's the full info: 203.171.115.83:99 guest login guest pswd.

- - - Updated - - -
 
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