A Review of IP cameras, or Surveillance Cameras: Amcrest, Wyze, Arlo, Reolink, and more

 A friend asked me about IP cameras, or surveillance cameras.  He wanted to put one outside to monitor package deliveries, and also wanted to use a solar panel instead of running a power wire to the camera.  Here's some of my answer to him, and more.  

I've been using web-based IP (Internet Protocol) cameras starting with D-Link DCS-900 "Fast Ethernet Internet Cameras" back in 2008 or so.  Those were a pain to set up -- you had to learn "port forwarding" -- but worked very cool at the time and worked well.  I've since used Amcrests, Arlo, Wyze, Eufy (not extensively), and Reolink cameras.  

I generally use my cameras to keep an eye on several structures and houses, but after the fact.  I don't rely on them to tell me if a person is walking around the house in that moment, for example. I use the cameras to confirm that garage doors are closed, and as evidence after the fact, in case someone breaks into the house or steals a package - which luckily I do not have ongoing problems with.  I generally put my cameras inside windows and they look out.  I don't want to deal with cameras getting stolen if they are placed outside; and I don't care if the cameras match the interior decor. 

One big criteria for IP cams is that I want the cameras to send stills or videos to the cloud or to an email address for no fee.  Many companies originally did that and then changed their plans.  Wyze cams will store your videos for 7 days, for no fee.  It's called Cam Lite Plus and is a bit difficult to figure out.  They'd rather you pay. of course.  One issue with Wyze cams is the 5 minute cooldown period between recording motion events unless you pay for Cam Plus, a monthly fee.  I don't pay and I don't mind the cooldown period.  

I bought two Arlo systems in 2018 and 2019 based primarily on the company's promise of free 7-day cloud storage of motion events.  Just a few days ago (January 2023), the company announced that it would no long offer free cloud storage for my model of cameras.  I would not recommend Arlo cameras to anyone due to this broken promise (and the clearly specious excuse that the cameras were "end-of-life" but hey, if you want to pay for a subscription plan, they won't quite be "end-of-life".)  Arlo has proven that it can't be trusted to honor its promises to customers. 

I've used Amcrest 720P and 1080P IP cameras since the D-Link cameras, since 2014 at least. I use Amcrests for their ability to email motion-activated still images.  I don't use them for cloud recording.  The Amcrests can be a pain to set up, but once set up, they are pretty reliable.  Amcrests can work off wifi and also hardwired with Ethernet cables.  

Here's an Amcrest camera at Amazon: 

Amcrest ProHD 1080P WiFi 2MP (1920TVL) Indoor Pan/Tilt Security Wireless IP Camera IP2M-841B (Black)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0145OQTPG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

I see from Amazon that I bought one in 2018; all of mine except one are still going strong.  White one is $36; black one is $40.  This is about what I have paid over the years, they have not gone down in price.

Amcrests are not perfect.  The setup can be a PITA compared to Wyze cams.  The web interface is OK but old. The Phone app interface is OK but old. I do recommend them since they are pretty rock solid once set up.  

Reolink allows you 7 days of free cloud recording but you are limited to one camera (sure, you could create a second account, which I have done) and you have to effing renew your $0 plan every month, for every account.  I hate that kind of corporate busywork. The Reolinks are unreliable in my experience.  The Android phone app more often than not tells me that it cannot connect to the Reolink.  The Reolink clips to the cloud don't match the clips that are recorded on the SD card on the camera itself.  Like Amcrests, Reolinks can email stills of motion events, but the stills are not as sharp as the ones from the Amcrests.  

I have heard good things about Eufy and tried a couple.  One simply would not connect to my router at the time.  The other would connect.  I returned both.  The Eufys seemed fine, and folks in online forums liked them MUCH better than Wyze. However, Eufy (same company as Anker) made a huge mistake.  They actually lied about the security of their cameras.  

Anker’s Eufy lied to us about the security of its security cameras: 

https://www.theverge.com/2022/11/30/23486753/anker-eufy-security-camera-cloud-private-encryption-authentication-storage

As you do your research, you will find that vital information whether one has to pay subscription fees to have images or videos recorded in the cloud is VERY difficult to find, even in third-party reviews!!  This kind of informatoin must purposely be lacking from these review sites since they take advertising dollars.  A lot of reviews will say hey, you can put an SD card in the camera and it will record 24/7 or something like that, and you can view events from the SD card from weeks past.  But WTF -- what if someone breaks in your place and steals the camera and SD card in it (even easier if the camera is outdoors)?  Unless you have stills or video sent to the cloud, that SD card is useless. 

I researched many if not most of the other options out there -- TP-Link, Nest, Blink, Ring.  They all have subscription fees AFAIK to work like you'd want. 

Here are some somewhat random notes and observations: 

All IP cams that I know will only take 2.4Ghz wifi, not the 5Ghz band. 

The best thing about Amcrest and Reolink is that they will send email alerts with still images.  Getting the email alerts set up can be a pain, however.  Reolink has the same email settings as Amcrests -- and better online documentation and forums.  If you have trouble getting an Amcrest camera to send email notifications, then check what Reolink's forums recommend.  

Once I tried to see a license plate from my Amcrests (and then tried with all my cams, most of which are 1080p).  I generally could NOT decipher a license plate from the still image from any 1080p cams.

I like Wyze cams because they are quick to set up, easy to use, and have a good phone app that lets me see if my cameras at various structures are on or off.  The phone interface is great -- well-designed.  There's no way to view the cameras or events on a desktop computer, unless you use outside tools like tinycampro or an Android Bluestacks simulator.  

I turn the Wyze cameras on and off from the phone app all the time.  This is near-impossible to do with Amcrest cameras.  I can see what cameras are completely off, either no internet or power, which is useful if I need to know if power or internet has gone off at a property.  There's sometimes significant time lag between the time power comes back on and the Wyze app shows cameras back on; sometimes you have to push the ON button in the app for the Wyze app to realize and show that all cameras in a home are indeed "on".  

Reolink has cameras with solar capability.  They seem to have everything you or I would want.  7-day cloud recording, what seems like good support, tons of models, indoor and outdoor cams.  I am just not impressed with the still images sent by email (very low-res), the finicky nature of the cameras, and the poor layout of the apps.  I have had to mess with my basic E1 cameras an inordinate amount.  They often are disconnected on the phone app but are later accessible.  They often do way too much motion detection, too many alerts, using up my a data plan at one house.  The events in the SD cards in the cameras don't match what's in the cloud or what was sent over email.  If the camera detects motion, shouldn't the stills sent via email match what is stored on the SD card and in the cloud?  Not with Reolink.  Granted, I bought the cheapest version of the brand. 

I have the original Arlo outdoor cameras (VMC3030, but of course this model of camera came in a ton of confusing other names, matched with base stations).  They require a base station (cameras don't connect directly to wifi, have to put a damn base station connected to your router, WTF) and take rechargeable CR123A batteries or something like those.  They gave free 7 day cloud recording.  I still use them but believe that free 7-day cloud recording is gone from newer models.  These cameras are cool -- I do use them outdoors and the rechargeable CR123A batteries last about 3 months -- so the cameras are completely wireless.  The cameras have a good design with mounts that use strong magnets (so does Wyze).  When they work, they are OK.  But one of them (10 feet from the base station, at the front door) constantly disconnects, it's a "bad" camera because the second camera is a good 100 feet away from the base station and does not disconnect as often.  Arlo cameras get great reviews and might do what you need, but they are more expensive.  They are also a pain in the butt, requiring constant fiddling since they require base station, need to recharge batteries, and often disconnect.  With Wyze and Amcrest cameras, you set the camera up, and you are pretty much done -- they can go and go with no issue for months and months.  Amcrests take long time to set up, and you will have to consult forums to get things like email settings.  Setting up Wyze cams is pretty much dead simple, with the phone app to set up and get going.  Of course, figuring out the best way to set up Wyze cams takes a while; there are some tips and tricks to know.