Amcrest 2MP Outdoor PTZ POE + IP Camera Pan Tilt Zoom (Optical 25x Motorized) Camera Security Speed Dome, CMOS Image Sensor, 328ft Night Vision, POE+ (802.3at) F1.6, IP66, IP2M-863EW-AI-V3

Initial look and feel: This camera is extremely well built, heavy metal. While unpackaging, I decided to add an SD card which I am glad I did. Inside were some silica gel packets. Had I not opened the back panel, I would have not known this. It also looks like due to heat during travel, the wires protective casing melted a bit to the silica bags. I really appreciate the fall out proof screws on the removable panel. Inserting the SD card was easy as well everything went back together well. Installation: The stand off arm is well built out of metal as well. The only supplied mounting hardware was for concrete so I bout some lag bolts as I wanted to mount it to a wood area. The safety connection between the standoff arm and the camera was three chain connectors (manual states it could be these or a wire). There was an issue where the bracket side on the camera’s hole was too small to fit the chain connectors so I had to drill it out a bit. Connection: Connecting to the camera once on the network was very quick and simple. Adjustments like IP, time, etc. were simple and easy to find. After getting its new IP, formatting the SD card and all other adjustments I brought it into my Blue Iris. This too was rather quick and displayed almost instantly. I also utilized the sub stream for my motion and the main stream for recording. Settings: Basic settings were easy to configure. Setting up PTZ presets was easy but remember to click the save icon each time you add one or else you risk losing them. The speed of the PTZ movement was fantastic to have such a variance from slow to fast. Building preset locations and putting together the tour takes some initial time investment to understand but once understood, moves quickly. Overall: I really enjoy this camera. I’ve wanted a PTZ for some time and being able to have such a fast, smooth PTZ added to my system is incredible. It integrates with Blue Iris really well. Things I really liked: • Video quality Night vision (No supplemental needed) • Solid construction (Metal) • POE SD Card slot • PTZ can move crazy fast and still be smooth • Tons of settings to play with and fine tune Things I wish were a bit different: • For any of the AI functionality, you must use IE for the plugins • Wish it would have come with motion tracking feature • Didn’t find the AI options to be very helpful as it was difficult to really get it to work right • Does not have microphone built in

Amcrest IP2M-863EW-AI PTZ camera is another home run product. It is a Power over Ethernet (POE+) device which means you only run a single CAT5 cable to it for power and data, however, this connection must originate with a POE+ Switch or Power Injector. The “+” means it requires the higher power (802. 3at) of the POE standard, generally because of the additional requirements of the motors and IR in a PTZ camera. The supplied 12 volt power adapter is intended for initial configuration. The 25x optical zoom is incredible and quickly focuses on the subject. Night vision, like all their current offerings, provides clear images in total darkness. This is a very well built camera, made of high grade metal in both the housing and mounting arm. As such, it’s heavy at 6.6 pounds, so be sure to select a sturdy mounting location. The “Amcrest Pro” app on your phone allows viewing and some configuration settings. Many of the Amcrest camera products use a Chrome plugin, however this did not work. Full configuration is accomplished by logging into the website at the cameras IP address and entering your username and password. Here you’re able to upgrade firmware, manage user logins, create PTZ presets. The camera also supports the ONVIF standards which means it is compatible with Blue Iris DVR software (as well as others). Once the presets are created, you can select them through Amcrest Pro or Blue Iris. The PTZ speed and accuracy is incredible. The camera supports up to 256GB Micro SD card for recording. I am using Blue Iris and did not add the SD card. Perhaps a bit on the larger side for mounting on your house, this PTZ camera would be perfect for business solution where you want people to know there is security surveillance. I highly recommend this product.

I have the IP2M-863EW and needed a second unit but that model was no longer in stock so I opted for this one. They look the same but I am a bit disappointed with this model. The lens has far more fish eye to it's resolution. The corners of the screen are distorted. Also....the plain EW model will go full screen in the software and still show the controls, the AI model will not. This model just seems to be a bit lesser overall. That being said, this is a solid camera. It has great zoom and weather hardiness. The picture generally has great color. I cannot get either camera to PTZ on Blue Iris 4 or 5 but maybe there is something I am missing.

This camera features 4MP resolution, 32x optical zoom, and AI-powered motion detection and alerts. It also supports two-way audio need external power, so you can communicate with visitors or pets remotely. he Amcrest AI PTZ POE IP Camera is easy to install and use. It can be connected to your home network using a wired Ethernet connection or wirelessly using Wi-Fi. The camera also supports remote viewing and control using the Amcrest Smart Home app. I have been using the Amcrest AI PTZ POE IP Camera for a few months now and I am very happy with it. The camera is very clear and the motion detection is very accurate. Pros Works in Blueiris 4MP resolution 32x optical zoom Supports 3D positioning in Blue Iris ( love this) Easy to install and use Supports remote viewing and control Cons: Two-way audio requires external power and does not work with POE

This camera offers clear video quality and smooth performance through the app. Installation was simple and did not take much time. I had a small configuration issue and contacted support, where Luke assisted me. He was knowledgeable and resolved the issue quickly. Overall, a good purchase.

Really nice camera with some cool features. The clarity is amazing as is the zoom level. Having POE is also a plus. My only gripe is with the Amcrest web program and it wanting to install an add on into Chrome. DON’T DO IT! It was working just fine with the “required add on” and when I installed it, the camera would no longer stream. It took a while to find where it installed itself so I can delete all the files associated with it. The only annoyance now is the fact that is constantly reminds me to put the add on back on, which I won’t do again.

We all know, IP security cameras have the best quality and can run circles around wifi cameras, the only problem is that they are usually super pricey. Enter the Amcrest PTZ camera. It’s everything that I wanted in a PTZ camera for my home. Quality wise, it’s on par with the SUPER expensive verkada cameras I use at work, but 1/4th the price. Prior to purchasing the camera, I was a little concerned since I don’t have an Amcrest NVR (my NVR and other cameras are by montavue) but after talking with Amcrest customer service and finding out that they are a Dahua OEM I thought I would give it a try, knowing if all else failed the camera was ONVIF compliant. Camera was plug and play with my NVR which made things super easy. Everything works great with the rest of our system and my wife loves that she can drive the camera around from her phone to see what is going on outside the house.

Initially Blue Iris wasn't able to control PTZ capabilities. Turned out to be an issue with HTTPS, so if Blue Iris discovery is being redirected to port 443 (the https port) and then failing, maybe same problem. Still unable to delete the bad https certificate with any of the Amcrest utilities (haven't tried Factory reset yet). OSD text placement using amcrest utilities don't appear to be able to change location of text. Amazon description listed the "connectivity" as "wireless". That is wrong for this model, which must be hardwired to network. I have another IP2M model that is BOTH.