Looking to make sure I can evaluate notifications from my security system (smoke, motion, door sensors) so I don’t need to call my neighbours in case of false alarm I am looking for some kind of IP camera so I can take a look at the situation myself. However every single recommended camera I could find needs an app (+account) just to set up the wifi. Afaik it is nothing more than using the QR code to connect to the camera with bluetooth to set the wifi ssid and password, and seems nobody heard of WPS… But an app is just a no-go for me, not to mention the forced account creation.
Are there any IP cameras out there that don’t need that madness? Or will I just have to figure out a way to build something of my own with an ESP32 or similar (I’ll take pointers to existing projets).
Thanks for the answer. Seems HikVision and Amcrest is not really locally available and Amazon prices are pretty prohibitive. I have not verified myself but Dahua and derived devices seem to have lost their web interface Guess some ESP32 CAM like will have to be the solution until I have some spare money for something better.
lf what you want are all indoor cameras, I can strongly recommend the Amcrest IP4M-1041 for less than $50 USD. It’s made by Dahua, and still has an HTTP: web interface. Default IP address is same as Dahua devices, 192.168.1.108. Hit that with your web browser, change the admin password, and configure as needed.
If you need a still-lower price point, for an older Amcrest device, the IP2M-841B is another option for $10 USD less.
Which kind of APP do you prefer for this act ?, a web-APP or Android APP, your life would be so much easier if you just created a free “whatever” emailaddress “where-ever” for this only purpose ( Cam-Account ), and after you’ve easily have installed/configured your cam, choose optional appropriate “accepted” APP that you want to use to access your “Local” located Cam from
PS: You don’t even need to “move around” with the app you used to setup ur cam, pick an old mobile-phone( i know i have a few laying around, still suitable, valid for android 5-6> ) , leave it at home, let the battery drain, recharge the phone if you need to, most likely u dont have to/need it, the next 6 month or more
No app at all, that was just the point. Due to me having 0 Android or iDevices of my own. My phone runs Sailfish OS. It is also completely insane I need to download an Android/iOS app, create an account etc just to give the camera my SSID and password. Buying junk that supports this kind of insanity is counterproductive, even if I only need to do it just once. The point is supporting manufacturers who do things right, and not rewarding the ones who do it wrong by buying their stuff. And yes I am willing to make my life difficult for that. I categorically refuse to buy/use any product or service that can only be used by using an app. Even if it is only one time.
It’s not the “Camera” that needs the SSID/Password it’s the software/app(api) inside it that you( and your router-software) want/need to communicate with. still Local ofcause, im sure you already have setup access to your local network, yourself without any need o any APP(s)
It’s not the “Camera” that needs the SSID/Password
Oh yes it needs it, otherwise it can’t connect to your network and is thus useless. No SSID/password, no IP, the camera is not reachable/usable/part of your network. That is the whole annoyance, most cameras can’t be set up to connect to your local network without an app.
So what I was looking for. If wifi only, it has a hotspot which I can connect to and set the SSID/password through a web browser. If it has ethernet it might get an IP, but those seem to be very rare and expensive. And I since I need wifi for my application, I still need a web interface to set the basic wifi parameters.
Another solution might have been WPS, but I haven’t seen a camera that supports it. That would just work with a button press on the camera and wifi ap.
I have one Amcrest and a few Wyze Cam 3’s around my house. No cloud or setup program needed.
The first thing I do with any Wyze camera is to flash it with Wyze RTSP. After that I just need the camera IP address to view through Home Assistant.
Thanks for this as I to was looking for a IP cam that has an internal Web server so it could be accessed by just about anything with a Web Browser.
“Foxcon” used to make these devices (I have two different models of theirs) however due to their age they have some ‘issues’.
the oldest one only has a 640x480 camera as well as the night vision is dismal at best
the newer one requires a special H.254 browser plugin that ONLY WORKS with 32bit browsers
However outside of the above limitations ETHER of the devices can be viewed on anything local that has LAN access and COULD be opened up for WAN/Global access by a simple IP forward firewall setting.
What did make these devices EASY to initially setup is they have RJ45 jacks as well as the wireless.
Sadly most all modern devices assume you wish to view video on your tiny cell phone screen, require an ‘account’ with the OEM and MOST push hard for ‘rental service’ on THEIR cloud.
I went ahead and ordered a Amcrest IP4M as it appears that not only does it have a web interface but appears to also be compatible with a NAS I have. (I have a Amcrest doorbell cam that I’m mostly happy with - however IT does not have a web interface ether).
I can tell you, the IP4M-1041s have been extremely reliable for me. I’ve had several for a few years now. Outside of two wifi module failures (wired LAN is still good) they’ve all been perfect.
Guess some ESP32 CAM like will have to be the solution until I have some spare money for something better.