All hail generic Chinese IP cams
Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 2:26 pm
I initially built out my setup with Grandstream IP cameras, mainly because they got good reviews here and on Amazon, and it was very straightforward to set them up. But it $125+ a pop the investment started to add up very quickly. Plus I prefer the darker color, and Grandstream now only makes white cameras. Recently I found some cameras on (where else) aliexpress with virtually identical specs, virtually identical aluminum housings, in the original dark color, for about a third to a quarter of the price! Video quality is almost as good as the GS cams, certainly very acceptable considering the price. The downside is they are a little quirky to set up, as you generally need to use the CMS program or something similar and fiddle around a bit more. Definitely helps to know the default IP address beforehand. But once you have them set up, so far they've been solid as a rock. Please note I have no interest in aliexpress or any other vendor, just putting this out there for those who want to build a system as inexpensively as possible.