Amcrest 5MP Turret POE Camera, UltraHD Outdoor IP Camera POE with Mic/Audio, 5-Megapixel Security Surveillance Cameras, 98ft NightVision, 132° FOV, MicroSD (256GB), (IP5M-T1179EW-AI-V3)

The media could not be loaded. Great camera! Easy Install and setup! Great picture quality! I bought the Amcrest 5MP UltraHD (IP5M-T1179EW-28MM) and I am extremely impressed with the performance of this Amcrest camera considering that it cost less than $50. There was a recent theft in my neighborhood and some kids ringing doorbells and running off at night (frightening my wife when I’m at work). My existing cameras captured a very poor and brief image of the criminal’s vehicle so I decided it was time to up my game. I really liked how I can use this one camera without committing to a large multiple camera NVR system and installation. There are so many different ways to view the live feed and recordings even when I am out of the house and get an alert/snapshot.Unboxing: My initial impression is that the camera is extremely well built, and it seems quite durable. The plastic housing is hard. The lens angle adjusts easily along multiple axis, and stays exactly where I point it. There are instructions in the box, a mounting template with hardware and plenty of guidance on the Amcrest site. The connections and the cover for the reset and MicroSD card slot are well protected and sealed up tight. I have no concerns about water getting inside.Mounting/Wiring: Even though it can be mounted fine without it, I opted to mount it on an Amcrest AMCPFB203W wall mount bracket. I have brick and new vinyl siding so running a ton of wires with large connectors was not something I wanted to do. I put the connectors inside the wall mount, and connected the mount to a wooden corner bracket I made and stained to blend in with the brick. I then attached it all with one screw/molly. I mounted it near a gutter so I could hide the cable behind and along the downspout. I ran the cable along the foundation under some decorative rocks, into the house near the dryer vent and connected it to my network. I really appreciate the flexibility that the ONVIF/RTSP compatible cameras allows for installation and operation.PoE is AWESOME!: The camera can be connected/powered using Power over Ethernet (PoE) with a PoE injector or switch, or regular Ethernet with a separate power cord. With PoE, I was able drill one tiny hole for the Cat6 cable and then crimp the RJ45 Ethernet connector on myself and have power and data all in one network cable. You shouldn’t have to turn your home into Swiss cheese in order to feel safe and secure. PoE allows you to install cameras without destroying your home! I highly suggest getting a crimping tool for anyone running Ethernet cables. The RJ45 connector requires at least a 5/8 inch (16mm) hole. If you can put your own connector on after you run the wire through something, you can drill less than a ¼ inch (6mm) hole. You can get a spool of cable and make your cables any length you want. Since it is always powered with PoE, it can capture recorded video before the motion starts and I don't have to get on the ladder to change batteries like I do with my other cameras.Setup: The camera can be auto detected by most software. There is also a QR code or serial number (be aware that the QR and S/N are on the tag attached to the cord and not the camera body itself). The Amcrest View Pro software was simple to configure on my android phone. I also tried a demo version of Blue Iris I installed on a Windows 10 PC. It also works with my Synology NAS home cloud server using Surveillance Station software providing tons of capacity for file storage. I was able to set the camera to alert on motion easily. At first, I was getting some motion activated recordings due to wind in the trees and squirrels, but it was simple to set the motion detection to ignore some areas of the frame and minimize false alarms. There are tons of features included in the software that I’m still trying out.Picture quality: This camera has incredible picture quality for such a low price point. I can zoom in on people walking and driving by without losing much quality at all. My Arlo Pro 2 cameras are only 2MP so this 5MP camera really blows them away with the increased the range, clarity and definition. I usually have some ambient light from the streetlights and the neighbors, but the night vision illuminator lights up dark areas in front of my home for about 100 feet. My spouse was really impressed with how clear the picture is.Audio: The microphone is incredible. I have audio triggered recordings turned off because there is highway noise behind me. Even with the highway noise behind me, the mic can often pick up the voices of people talking as they walk down the street.Flexibility: I really love how versatile this inexpensive camera is. I can put up to a 256GB MicroSD card in it to store the recordings or connect it to my Windows 10 PC, or even to my Synology NAS personal cloud server. I can access the camera through the web, through the Amcrest app on my phone, through Blue Iris or my Synology Surveillance Station software. I’m also not locked into any proprietary camera system because it is compatible with multiple platforms or no platform at all. All you need is the camera, a way to connect it to your network, and then you can use the app.Overall: I am thrilled with this purchase (I am a computer/electronics/gadget/smart home enthusiast). This camera is absolutely phenomenal especially considering this price point. I’m already considering where I can place and connect additional cameras. The next time there is a thief in the neighborhood, I’ll be able to pull up a clear image of the people/vehicle when it drives by or be alerted if someone comes near my home. I highly recommend this camera.

NOTE: This review is based off of personal experience and is a matter of opinion on the device used. Your own personal experience could be completely different.Have you ever just wanted to feel secure about your comfort zone? Do you hate having random techs come to your house to install equipment and not know if you truly are safe? Amcrest has your back. Creating a considerable variation in camera technology and software, there's no room for error. You can feel great about yourself when you know what you are getting and have that feeling of being secure because it belongs to you. With Amcrest, you can feel good about adding a whole new level of safety, to personal security.I recently purchased an IP camera that Amcrest has to offer. Model number IP5M-T1179EW-28MM. This model has a hard plastic mold as the base for the unit. The casing seems easily destroy-able by vandals, and the camera it's self was not smooth for placement, seems a tad rough to turn the angle of the camera for correct positioning. The mold needs some work on fluent movement as to not feel like I am breaking the casing during adjustments. There is no dome or cover protecting this camera lens so using this camera outside in -20F weather scares me over time. I personally would not use this camera for external use in strong winter conditions. The IP rating is IP67 which protects it from harmful dust and can be immersed in water up to a meter or 3.3 feet for only 30 minutes.o Installation was incredibly simple. A print out was supplied with markings for hole placement, the cut out was a little off centered to the camera mold, but it still placed correctly.o If no hole is wanted you can easily wrap the wire under the camera's casing with drill free hassle.o Simple to follow instructions included with the camerao If your Ethernet is not power supported (PoE), you must purchase your own power supply for this camera. This was one of the only negative impacts I have experienced after purchasing this camera.o Image quality is just as advertised and can easily be adjusted to ones needs.o Night vision works extremely well and dark spots are clear as day.o Connection to IP camera software is simple and there is little to no delay.o Sound quality is actually impressive for a security camera.** Live streamers can easily set this camera up for use in streaming software, and actually take a toll off of their PC's hardware. **Application installation was a quick and easy process, step by step included. Note that your QR code is hiding in plain sight wrapped on the power cord it's self. I was having issues connecting the phone application to the camera at first using this Amcrest app provided in the setup instructions. There are other Amcrest applications that can be used and with my experience I do not recommend using the one stated in the instructions. Even though I was on the same network it constantly confirmed that I was not on the same network as the camera.I was able to get completely setup easily on the web browsing application. This web app is incredibly simple to use and flows very well. The tools available are pre-setup, and basic to any webcam, but give you personal functionality.o Playback feature is fantastic, but note if you connect your cam to your own personal cloud you can only view footage in the web application recorded to the SIM card. Unless there is something I am missing.o Rotation of camera is a nifty feature if you accidentally installed your camera upside-down.o It was really simple to dig and find out how to remove the embedded water stamp by Amcrest. Having the ability to add your own logo would be a neat feature for them to add.o Labeling the camera was simple.o Main stream / Sub stream both easily adjustable for quality and even encodingo Overlay customization is simple and straight forward.o Areas with constant movement such as trees or office chairs? No problem. You have the ability to focus on certain points and tell the camera not to record with movement in that section.o Recorded footage is easily downloadable from your FTP, but I do find the labeling and organization a tad sloppy, personal ability to tamper with how data organizes would be a nice feature.o Amcrest really wants you to use their cloud storage system because there are plenty of links directing you to their service. I personally have not used the service and cannot make any recommendations on the service its self. Purchasing the camera does include one month free of the Amcrest cloud service.o If you are tech and looking to add a custom UPnP you are out of luck, you can only modify the ones given in the web application.o Connecting your own cloud is a simple process as long as you know how to properly use your own router and its settings.o Overall the web application is easy to use and play around with settings.Quality is important in any product and many companies are slacking these days. Amcrest has found a way to produce quite impressive quality products and sell them at an affordable price to the consumer. This keeps customers coming back for more equipment to purchase; knowing that there is value in it's worth. After my personal experience with this user friendly camera, I can honestly recommend using it for your own personal security setup.