Amcrest 5MP POE Camera, Outdoor Vandal Dome Security POE IP Camera, 5-Megapixel, 98ft NightVision, 2.8mm Lens, IP67, IK10 Resistance, MicroSD 256GB (Sold Separately), Cloud, NVR (IP5M-D1188EB-AI-V3)

I was looking for a camera to go alongside our Nest video doorbell 1st gen and was looking for a high quality camera with ONVIF support and a wide viewing angle, and since it would be low to the ground in an urban environment a tamper proof dome camera was generally the only option. This came up and I saw others’ photos and got two, both 20% off with a coupon (for a total of just under $100). If you get more than one, check around because I saw a “2-pack” for about $110 (at the time the coupon and buying two individual ones would be cheaper). After getting it installed I noticed just how awesome the camera really was. I did wish it was higher than 20 fps but it’s not gonna capture many action shots. I wound up using the other camera to mount it to a junction box with conduit on my roof 3 stories high, to replace a 2MP 1080p bullet camera and once again HUGE improvement and excellent quality. My only gripe, is the seemingly weird IR blowout. I’m not sure if it’s because of the way I angled the cameras within the dome, but the IR in both seems to reflect off the dome or something and back into the lens causing a slow fogging effect until the image is completely washed out and unusable. However the camera’s low light/ambient light performance is phenomenal and with some adjustments to its exposure and gamma you can change in the camera’s settings, it looks amazing still. It also has a substream at D1 resolution which I use for a live feed in our living room. The pricing doesn’t scream “I got some cheap cameras”, there is true value in these. Overall, I’d buy again if we are looking to upgrade some of our other cameras.

This camera was by far the easiest POE/IP camera I have setup to date. I would honestly say it was easier to setup and configure than it was to convince my wife to assist me with installing it on the back porch. That being said I did see 2 minor issues with the camera that could be a simple adjustment on my part or just a limitation of the camera itself. I test this camera out using a handful of different NVR and automation software's. Anything from Home Assistant & Zoneminder to the free to use excellent NVR software from Amcrest themselves. The motion tracking and zone configuration allowed for some pretty unique automations through Home Assistant, and the added ability to record locally on an SD card and the NVR software at the same time allows for redundancy. The image quality of this camera is leaps and bounds better than the Ring cameras I have setup that were triple the price of this one, even in low light the camera outperforms them. The only real issues that I ran into with the camera has to do with the IR LEDs on the camera. The LEDs are arranged in a circular pattern around the lens but when the camera is mounted to an eaves or a bracket that acts like an ceiling mount some of those LEDs are covered up by the housing of the camera. This doesn't affect the overall picture quality just makes the top part of the image a little darker than the rest due to those being covered. If the camera is wall mounted this isn't an issue since the lens would be pointing straight out from the body of the camera rather than out the edge of the camera. The other one is so minor it's funny, because this is a vandal proof camera the whole camera has a shell that slips over the lens to stop people from moving it, but it's a finger print magnet and makes the image a bit blurry until you find the spot. White gloves are definitely needed when placing this on after installation. Overall, I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for excellent picture quality at a fraction of the cost of the competitors. Add in that it can be used with almost all NVR software (MotionEye has a bad delay) and this camera becomes the best bang for the buck that I have tested so far.

As part of my job as an IT System Administrator professional I have experience working with lots of technologies. When it came to installing a surveillance system on my home I knew exactly where to turn for my home. About a year ago I installed 6 of the Amcrest 5mp turret cameras. Fast forwarded to today and they are working great! I added the Amcrest 5mp dome camera which I am providing feedback for today. I found this version of the camera to be quite similar to the other Amcrest cameras I have, in fact it shows the same firmware version as my turret cameras. I really like how these newer cameras can show the live view in the web browser natively. I placed this new camera in my chicken coop in such a location to watch the egg boxes for the hens. I followed the instructions in the box and quickly was able to add it to the other cameras I have using the Amcrest ViewPro app. I would suggest that Amcrest includes a page in the manual on how to add a camera to an existing installation. The documentation included with the camera only had setup instructions for new installations. It would be great if part of the setup procedure also would set the system time on the camera. During the first week of testing the camera never checked in with a time server automatically and remained set to its default time reporting the year 2000. I had the camera up and running on the Amcrest ViewPro app within 5 minutes of opening the box. The camera has performed flawlessly for the time I have had it. I installed a 2gb SD card for local recording and I also use an installation of Milestone xprotect installed on a PC in my house for additional DVR functionality. Adding the camera using ONVIF was simple and straightforward. I really enjoy the quality of the image in low light. The sensor is REALLY good! I did find it curious that the torx driver included was for security torx fasteners; however the screws on the camera housing were standard torx and not security torx. Security torx screws would have been a nice addition and made this camera a little more tamper resistant.

Product Packaging: • Box is perfect with specs, information and sealed. • Well packaged and arrived with no damage. • Comes with mounting hardware, a sticker guide and waterproof ends for the network cable. (I appreciate that these match the color of the cable/camera (black) so it doesn’t stick out.) Instructions: • Quick start guide is great and very clear Functionality: I can make all of the necessary configuration with any browser. Currently using Chrome. Saving is very important as I make any changes. Customer Service: None needed, official website documentation was sufficient. Overall experience: • Completely honest, I am not a fan of dome cameras but decided to give this one a shot • Connected to my network quickly and joined it to my BlueIris server. • Very surpassed at the size of this camera. It was actually smaller then I expected but it is very solid. Image: • The wide field of view is fantastic to see. The image is crystal clear and the coverage is amazing. I am now able to adjust some of my other cameras since there is so much overlap now with this wider angle which is awesome to be able to do. Night Vision: • The night vision kicks on and looks amazing when needed. • I only need about 15 feet of it and it produces that perfect Playback: • I like the option to select file type when looking at recordings. This makes it much quicker to sift through all the videos of the day that motion or AI has seen.

Nice enough camera, good resolution to see my yard from the second floor. My only issue is the IR LEDs cannot be disabled under the current firmware from 3/20/22. Reverting to the previous version available on the Amcrest website solves the issue. In hindsight, from a second story if I was looking to capture passing cars I would choose an 8MP/4K camera. UPDATE AS OF 8/20 After a month of troubleshooting with support the firmware issue still has not been resolved with multiple days between responses. I'm going to return and buy something else. UPDATE AS OF 9/22 Same nonsense support issues, they actually closed the ticket on me since I didn't respond to their request of "I apologize for the inconvenience caused. I will check with the team and from you shortly."