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Looking for a Web/IP Cam

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  1. #1

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    A small tangent : I need a decent webcam (or 2).
    What brand and model would you recommend that is reasonably priced and easily found in Hong Kong.

    Type 1 : Weatheproof (heavy direct rain), Wireless, connect to wifi, stream video or just still pics every few mins. It will be outside in a very hot direct sun for the summer and stormy winter.

    Type2 : Same as type one but remote controllable to pan, zoom in/out etc.


  2. #2

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    Did you miss this thread?

    https://geoexpat.com/forum/84/thread352936.html

    Seriously though, that's what I would recommend. They crap all over anything else that I've seen at a similar price point. I've not been paying attention to this market for the past 2 years, but I would be surprised if any of the lower end consumer stuff has really caught up.

    Further caveats: I only have experience with the indoor stuff, not the weatherproofed ones. And I'm using a video server rather than the manufacturer-provided interfaces.


  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    I was in there then @shri booted me out of it

    Seriously though, that's what I would recommend.
    Any specific models to look at?

    I'm guessing I'll find these at usual places (298, Wanchai, Mong Kok, SSP) ?

  4. #4

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  5. #5

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    This post by @kimwy66 might be worth looking at and also the rest of the posts / recommendations.

    https://geoexpat.com/forum/117/threa...ml#post3533976

    HowardCoombs likes this.

  6. #6

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    > I'm guessing I'll find these at usual places (298, Wanchai, Mong Kok, SSP) ?

    Damn, I'd forgotten about this part. Most local places will only have these with Chinese language firmware. If the person setting them up can deal with that, then you're good. But I ended up ordering mine from Amazon sellers so I could get English.

    > Any specific models to look at?

    Sorry, like I said, I am using indoor only. DS-2CDxxx series, one dome and a couple of square boxes. When I got them, I was comparing them to home consumer stuff (Panasonic, D-Link) and to low end (but significantly more expensive) Axis cameras. The 4MP Hikvisions blew everything away in terms of picture quality (resolution, ability to handle high contrast scenes, quality of IR illumination in the dark).

    I've not used the outdoor/PTZ stuff at all- that's another step up in cost and complexity that I didn't have any use for. I have no idea whether adding these requirements boost price significantly, and I suspect that they do. As you're out of the consumer/SOHO space with this gear:

    https://www.hikvision.com/hk/Product...gapixel-series

    The other question is, what will you have these hooked up to? If you're expecting a magic cloud connect solution, I have no idea whether Hikvision lends itself to this. I know that if you go into the web interface, you can stream images and control the camera, but this might not be secure or it might be a clunky pain to do with individual cameras over the internet. I'm using a dedicated video server to handle my cameras- not hard to set up, but it's additional hardware and time.

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  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by shri:
    This post by @kimwy66 might be worth looking at and also the rest of the posts / recommendations.

    https://geoexpat.com/forum/117/threa...ml#post3533976
    I changed our cameras! We had problems with Foscam, and then Ring came along with Alexa control, and working in with our home automation system.

    So we now use Ring inside and out - for ease of use, Alexa, price. We have one ultra HD IP camera set up outside which is Amcrest.

    3 Ring cameras are standalone, with solar panel chargers, connected to a wifi 4g box, also running on solar, so entirely independent of telphone & power lines.
    shri likes this.

  8. #8

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    I was going to suggest looking at Ring (got a tech friend who just installed some) but held back because PTZ and serious weatherproofing?

    Probably worth putting the weatherproofing to the test, as ease of use is supposed to be up there.


  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by jgl:
    I was going to suggest looking at Ring (got a tech friend who just installed some) but held back because PTZ and serious weatherproofing?

    Probably worth putting the weatherproofing to the test, as ease of use is supposed to be up there.
    We put our first one up 18 months or so ago, and have had no problems with them. The outside ones are a mix of wired floodlight cameras, plug-in spotlight cams and solar spotlight cams. No issues with water getting in thus far.

    Ease of use is fantastic. The only one that required an electrician was the wired floodlight, which took an hour. Actually getting the camera set up online was very smooth, 10-15 minutes. Notifications come through very quickly, and talking to people works ok (does suffer from lag but can be understood). Siren is a bonus that I have used to discourage unwanted visitors, they clear off pretty quickly when you talk to them then sound the alarm. (we are very rural and at this time of year get a few dodgy white-van people who have been known to pretend to be looking for work cleaning roofs, but a lot are lookouts for burglary gangs).
    shri and jgl like this.

  10. #10

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    I don’t know which brand to recommend

    but I have one to avoid, ebitcam...

    the image is bad and WiFi connection is weak

    installed today and I regret it


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