Non-PoE indoor camera recommendation (UK)

freddyq

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I'm after an indoor camera to keep an eye on the kids in the play room.

There is no ethernet connection in the room and getting one there will be messy so I need it to be Wifi and mains powered. Also would like good 2-way audio capability and compatibility with BlueIris so we can use the BI app to monitor on the phone (I don't think I'll be recording any footage from this camera and if I do it'll only be a day's worth). Not so fussed about low light performance.

Nice but not essential: PTZ, getting the video to stream to my Google Home hub and any motion/face detection capabilities.

Having searched through posts on this forum there is mention of an Armcrest camera which I believe in the UK is this one. It seems to tick all my boxes so I just wanted to check if a) if there are any gotchas with this camera and b) are there any other UK-available cameras I should consider alongside this one?

Thanks!
 
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Hi FreddyQ,
I've just purchased a EZVIZ C1C 1080P wireless camera at £29.99(also cheaper for 720p version). Its brilliant little camera and works with Google Home. I'm not sure about BlueIris but there is an app to use on your mobile to monitor the camera. It also has two way audio so you can listen and speak to the persons being observed.
I bought it as a Webcam to use with Zoom as you can feed the RSTP feed from the camera into a free program called SplitCam which can then be selected as the video source in your chosen Video Conferencing Software.
Fozzie
 

freddyq

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Hi FreddyQ,
I've just purchased a EZVIZ C1C 1080P wireless camera at £29.99(also cheaper for 720p version). Its brilliant little camera and works with Google Home. I'm not sure about BlueIris but there is an app to use on your mobile to monitor the camera. It also has two way audio so you can listen and speak to the persons being observed.
I bought it as a Webcam to use with Zoom as you can feed the RSTP feed from the camera into a free program called SplitCam which can then be selected as the video source in your chosen Video Conferencing Software.
Fozzie
Thanks - that looks good, especially for such a bargain basement price. Doesn't support H.265 so bandwidth usage might be an issue but to be honest I'm not as clued up on that domain to make a judgement.
 

freddyq

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sebastiantombs

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Nest is cloud only, to my knowledge, while the Amcrest can be handled locally or through the cloud. Cloud based is problematic when it comes to security. Whatever you choose don't use P2P or PnP for it. That's an open invitation to get hacked.
 

freddyq

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The Armcrest ProHD is available on a website called Onbuy.com for £55. I take it they are importing from China going by the price and estimated delivery date. Anyone heard of this site? Am I OK to buy a Chinese import of this camera?

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I always thought this was a Chinese website but looking at their terms and conditions I found this :-
Company Information
14.1Company name: Visor Commerce Ltd.
14.2Country of incorporation: England and Wales.
14.3Registered number: 09108414
14.4Registered office: Unit J7, The Fulcrum, Vantage Way, Poole, BH12 4NU
14.5Main trading address: Unit J7, The Fulcrum, Vantage Way, Poole, BH12 4NU
14.6Other contact information: See our website.
14.7VAT number: GB 193 6794 54

Seems they are a UK company with UK VAT number. I would say you are in no greater risk buying on their website as buying from Amazon or ebay??
As for chinese imports they are ALL chinese imports.
Fozzie
 

freddyq

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How about using a Powerline adapter with integrated PoE?
Oooh I didn't think of that! I could do that yes, if the powerline adapter is chunky that might be an issue as the plug socket is behind a wall unit but if it's not chunkier than a normal plug then all good.

Now that ethernet could be an option via powerline can I ask a silly question? Is the primary benefit of wired over wireless security? What are the other key benefits of wired?

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SecuritySeeker

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Oooh I didn't think of that! I could do that yes, if the powerline adapter is chunky that might be an issue as the plug socket is behind a wall unit but if it's not chunkier than a normal plug then all good.
They are usually a bit chunky. If It it's a single outletyou could also use an extension cord. If it's a dual outlet you can still do that but you might not be able to use the second outlet without causing interference.

Now that ethernet could be an option via powerline can I ask a silly question? Is the primary benefit of wired over wireless security? What are the other key benefits of wired?
Not really, WPA2 is reasonably secure (especially with a good password) , WPA3 would be even better but I doubt there are any WiFi cams that support that yet.

There is the 'deauth' attack but that is not something to worry about if it's just to keep an eye on your kids.

The main advantage is reliability and stability of the connection. Wired Ethernet is still better but Powerline can be quite stable, depending on your home's electrical wiring.

Having said all that, keep in mind that you also need a way to watch and listen to what is happening. You may find that a standard wireless babycam is much easier to work with and actually quite reliable (more so than WiFi). I have both an ipcam and a regular babycam in my youngest's room, the babycam is simply on 24/7 and it's way easier to deal with than having to setup a PC, tablet or phone.
 

freddyq

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I always thought this was a Chinese website but looking at their terms and conditions I found this :-
Company Information
14.1Company name: Visor Commerce Ltd.
14.2Country of incorporation: England and Wales.
14.3Registered number: 09108414
14.4Registered office: Unit J7, The Fulcrum, Vantage Way, Poole, BH12 4NU
14.5Main trading address: Unit J7, The Fulcrum, Vantage Way, Poole, BH12 4NU
14.6Other contact information: See our website.
14.7VAT number: GB 193 6794 54

Seems they are a UK company with UK VAT number. I would say you are in no greater risk buying on their website as buying from Amazon or ebay??
As for chinese imports they are ALL chinese imports.
Fozzie
Interesting. Totally agree these devices are all imported, so if onbuy are VAT registered then I may just order from them. I'm not in a rush so can wait for delivery. Especially as its half the price it is anywhere else.

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trollmar

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Hi,

thread is kind of old. Unlikly the amcrest pro isnt available in Germany right now.
I need LAN, Onvif and PTZ.
I bought a Ranger2 from imou. But i couldn't use PTZ with onvif.

Are there any other recommendations?
 
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