Reviews: Amcrest Security Dual Band 4 Megapixel IP4M 1051B

While H. Zhang experience Enterprise grade camera with a consumer grade price.

 One can expect a long list of features that a typical good IP camera has from this camera – video in various resolutions, mirror/flip transformation, two-way audio, pan/tilt, alarms including motion/audio/tamper detections, SD card, all sorts of network and system configurations… I doubt one can find a common IP camera feature that this camera is missing. I would like to focus on what makes this camera an enterprise grade, standing out from common inexpensive consumer grade IP cameras.
This is not my first IP camera. I have already had a system consisting of half a dozen network cameras in and outside my home, half cheap consumer grade IP cameras, half lower end enterprise grade IP cameras from leading brands such Axis, Samsung. As usual, my first concern for this camera is its ONVIF conformance (i.e. future proof and compatibility with my existing system). I have found a camera’s ONVIF conformance is usually a very good indicator of product quality. I would say this camera’s ONVIF conformance is exceptionally good. It takes seconds to discover and set up the camera. It supports RTSP over HTTP, so only one port is needed for everything – video streaming, snapshot, ONVIF services (e.g. camera configurations, pan/tilt…) and web GUI. Most cheap consumer grade cameras use up to three different ports, making WAN access (e.g. access outside home LAN) configuration unnecessarily complex. Its full feature support of PTZ presets surprised me – supporting adding, deleting and editing presets. The pan/tilt operation is very responsive. The camera supports SD card. To my surprise again, it supports ONVIF Profile G for edge storage that is usually found only in enterprise grade IP cameras.
The video streaming supports three encoding methods: H.264, H.265 and JPEG. Cheap consumer grade IP cameras usually do not support JPEG that can be handy under some circumstances. The encoding can be selected easily with an ONVIF conformant client app. H.265 should be preferred, but some older Android devices or PCs may not support H.265, so you can select H.264 or JPEG. The most impressive part is H.265 at 4 MP. It is fairly common for an IP camera video to have some delay or jerkiness at high resolution when there is a lot of movement (e.g. during PTZ operations), hence increasing the data rate significantly by the nature of H.264/H.265, but the video has little latency and remains smooth under all circumstances.
This is my first camera using a USB cable for powering. Out of curiosity, I plugged it into my laptop computer and it works! A little happy surprise. The camera can be mounted on a tripod (my video was taken when the camera was on a tripod). It can be handy if you bring it with you on the road. Its well-designed bracket with a swivel makes it adaptable to all kinds of locations.
I originally thought about comparing it with some enterprise cameras costing over $1K to find its shortcomings compared with cameras 10x more expensive to make this review look more balanced, but not sure what good it would do. If cost is not a factor for you, just go for the few major brands. I have used this camera for only a few weeks. I will come back to report if I find any issues with this camera.
The short video clip shows how to get the camera set up and running in less than a minute, and few basic operations of this camera (video streaming, pan/tilt, examining and replaying videos stored on an SD card…). I have also recorded a 4 MP H.265 video from this camera with the app (Onvifer) to show the excellent video quality of this camera, but Amazon allows only one video for a review. I will try to provide a way to download it later. One of the pictures is a 4 MP snapshot from the camera.

A review Steve S say Diamond in the Rough.

 This is my 8th Amcrest Camera and I keep buying them despite their faults because they are the best of a number of pathetic choices in the marketplace. I like them for the video quality, value, hardware reliability and open architecture allowing me to store ftp, NAS, SD local, time lapses, email alerts and store as much as I want, where I want (google drive, OneDrive, my server, website) without getting bled by a monthly fee for the rest of eternity like Nest, changing batteries or buying a base station like others. Full disclosure I’m a techie but basic functionality like viewing on your phone is easy. I can have one of these up and running in 3 minutes out of the box. Here is the bad: full functionality setup requires a PC using Amcrest webview, a pathetic beta quality chrome extension. It works, but is horrific to use, especially having to remember your IP. The mobile Iphone app is ok for viewing but adjusting motion detect sensitivity and levels is impossible and playback is lame (add cameras every time), clunky interface to review events and things like setting up email is only available on the PC interface. The iPad app seems like it is 5 revs back from the phone version, super buggy. One of my cameras can always playback on the PC but sometimes to never (randomly) times out on the mobile app P2P while other cameras are solid. Uploading to a NAS is solid but FTP events, especially periodic images will delete old images (a serious but old open bug on the support site). So, I keep buying hoping Amcrest will eventually invest in product support to make their platform better. From where I sit, it seems like most of their investment is in marketing and email blasts. The camera hardware is solid. If they spent some money completing the apps, they could own the market. I hope Amcrest folks reads this!

My friend Francis Styck Talk Total control.

I needed a camera that I could record to my NAS, this one will record to NAS, FTP, or their Cloud, every configurable and good quality and easy to setup.

As Amazon Customer tell us Easy install, great daylight picture, very well pleased.

I researched this wi fi camera for its dual wi fi channels,illiminating the need to disable the 5G band on my dual band router. Connected via Ethernet cable directly to my router to illuminate any chance of interference installing the app. I purchased this item to monitor my mechanical room at a remote location in case furnace went out, causing pipes to freeze and burst.
Camera works flawlessly and I can monitor it from hundreds of miles away. Night vision is OK,but I remied that issue with a small nightlight that is left on. Very pleased with it and plan to add more in the future.

My friend Jacqueline Anderson experience Works great as advertised..

Setting the camera up on Android phones (4 of them) was extremely quick and easy. It took a total of 2 or three minutes to set them up. However, setting the camera up on a desktop PC was quite different. The instructions and software left alot to be desired. It took approximately an hour or so to figure it out. I needed to reference the forum boards online to get it to work properly. Once set up, it works perfectly. For 4 phones and one PC (two tablets later on) I couldn't be happier with the purchase and the price ($99.00).

This a word from LThompson experience Excellent Quality, worth the upgrade..

I upgraded from the IP3M-841B. I was impressed with the difference in resolution and the increased view angle. Camera setup easily. I use Cat6 NICs for cameras and set a static IP without issues. Web access for setup preferred Google Chrome with the Amcrest app. Added the camera to Blue Iris Camera software easily. No problems with motion detection or recording.

Review Amazon Customer Talk Great camera, easy to use.

I bought this camera for my business to use as a security camera. I have two other Amcrest cameras, both IMP3's. This one seems to be better with it's responsiveness, and clearer picture as well. I recently had my internet switched to a different ghz than the typical 2.4 or 5, and my other two cameras were not able to transfer with it. However this one still works with this new network, which is a lifesaver for me. The microphone picks up sound well, however the speaker (speaking from my phone through the camera) is not incredibly loud (especially not for a store, may be better for home use there).
Overall I would highly recommend the camera, and I will be purchasing from Amcrest again when I need a new one.

My friend Robert Forester tell us Very good picture quality.

I was surprised at how good the picture quality was. I set it up into my wifi and then added it into my NVR so it records along with my outside cams. The PTZ works very well.

A review Jay said Amcrest Cams - So Far So Good.

I have 10 Amcrest WiFi cams and all have worked great since I got them. They are all located in an area with a strong WiFi signal.

While Kevin Sullivan said Sleek looks, great performance and ease of use. Field of view cannot be beat!.

After using hardwired cameras for years I doubt I will ever go back after using this camera. The ease of use, mobility, and amazing field of view is hard to beat for the price.

Install:
From out of the box to active was less than five minutes for me. (Granted I had the app pre installed in anticipation of the cameras arrival)

Performance:
The picture is hard to beat, the wide field of view covers the entire room without needing to pan or tilt. And the night vision clarity is great!

After approximately a month of use my only critque is the APP to use the camera. It has taken me a bit of a learning curve with it. But after learning some of the quirks it is still quite easy to use.

Bottom line is that this is a great addition to cover a wide area for reasonable cost.