IP2M-851 Outdoor Video Camera

[weng638]

Does anyone own this model IP2M--851B camera? I just received it 12/2/2017 and can't find it on the Amcrest Support web page and called tech support today (Sunday) and the hold was too long so I hung up. I'm trying to locate where to install the Micro SD card inside the camera and installation instructions. The quick start guide that came with the camera is no help...only mentions setup up procedures. Please email me at weng@satx.rr.com if you can help.
Thanks

Bill

[markcm]

Did it come with a torx wrench? I removed the dome cover and the SD slot was located on the circuit board behind the camera lens assembly. I also had to have the cover off to access the holes for mounting the camera. My camera was a bit different yet similar in style, model IP3M-956.

[evillord]

I bought 4 of these that just came in the mail a couple days ago .. so far I have opened 2 of them and they don't work right ..

and yes there is a SD slot for them .. if you use the torque wrench to open/remove the dome you will find the SD slot ..

as for my issue that I hope you are having better luck with ..

1 - wireless config doesn't work even in a enclosed very quiet room and I can 'hear the click's transmitting to the device it fails every time ..

2 - ethernet over wireless config - works but craps out during setup when you are forced to set a new admin password so I don't know if the setup really ever fully completes. I have to exit the app and go back in and into device manager then it starts working and I get a video stream

3 - PTZ doe snot work at all on either camera

4 - if after getting a video feed I unplug the camera to move it to the location I want it and plug it back in .. I get a solid red LED .. it never goes green and never connects to my wireless.. I bring it back to the area I configured it and same thing .. It becomes a paper weight .. I have to factory reset it before I can communicate with it .. even putting a ehternet cable in it does nothing without a factory reset ..

5 - I have tried configuring the camera direct (opening a web browser, btw firefox plugin didn't work, Edge didn't work but Chrome did) ..

6 - using Chrome and the plugin I still have no PTZ function on either camera.. Unplugging ether camera again 'breaks' the camera and requires a factory reset to get back into it ..

having to factory reset thee and reconfigure them every time you loose power is not a good feature

having no PTZ function when I purchased a model for that specific reason is not good either

I am 0/2 with these cameras!! I have 2 more in the box and I don't know if I should bother or just ship them all back and try a different model or a different brand all together ..

Has anyone else had better luck with this model? and same issue as the person above stated there is no online support for this model ..

[evillord]

update:

When I get a solid RED light on the camera and have no connectivity, I am able to now get it to go green and access the camera by plugging a Ethernet cable back into the camera - BOTH the Ethernet interface connects AND the wireless interface (I can then manage it from ether IP) .. and then I can unplug the Ethernet cable and the wireless connection stays connected ..

Note for those buying this product, keep a 400 foot ethernet cable handy to run out to each camera on your roof every time you need to restart them from a power loss or a reboot

I tried to set the default interface to wireless to see if that fix this problem .. it does not ..

still no PTZ function either .. I tried to even use the Amcrest Surveillance Pro application and when under the PTZ control config .. there is no options for this camera and I get a error that it failed to get the PTZ config for this camera.



On a side note for the IP config tool:
I made the assumption the scan feature used BROADCAST since it did not prompt me for any networks specifically to scan or that it would pick up my default interface and IP network but it does not (after doing a wireshark packet capture) I found you have to go into settings and enter your IP network to scan .. it maybe a good idea to pop this up at least on the first run of the tool .. it may save some support calls if someone doesn't open up wireshark ..

[markcm]

Here are a few thoughts:

These are not PTZ cameras, although the lens is manually adjustable, there are no servo motors for remote PTZ functionality

When I configure my camera's IP, I use a different IP for the LAN vs the WAN. For example, I set the wired LAN address to something like 192.168.0.50 and then set the wireless IP address to 192.168.0.150. Your router may not like trying to switch between a wired and wireless connection on the same IP.

For connecting with the cameras, I have had decent luck using Chrome browser with the IE-Tab add-on, the amcrest configuration App seems to work, and another browser I just discovered is Pale Moon

Assuming you get these working, you will next find that covered dome cameras do not work well in outdoor low light situations and wish you had bought a model without the covered dome. For an Amcrest model, I'd try the Amcrest IP2M-844, and for improved performance I'd look at something like the Dahua HDW5231R-Z or HDW5231R-ZE (note that Dahua is the manufacturer of Amcrest products)

[cschmidt]

I have one. I had to chat with support to find the firmware page (https://amcrest.com/firmwaredownloads#searchbox)

I can't figure out how to switch the snapshot encoding from BMP to JPG nor MP$ from DAV.

What's the deal here?

[evillord]

Mark,

Thank you for pointing that out .. I had asked the sales guy for a camera that supported wireless, ptz and 2M or better in a outdoor camera and that was the model I was given .. I returned them and am getting another model..

[wingmanxd]

At the end of March 2018 I purchased mod# IP2M-851W.
From the start in never worked correctly.
It had trouble with the Wifi and also with it recognizing the SD card to record video.
I tried to work with the service people over that past few months to resolve the issues but
finally they gave up and offered to replace the camera.
I really don't want another Amcrest camera as I have lost confidence in their products.

What I expected was a refund of the purchase price of the product.
However Customer service strung me along until the return period expired and then gave up even trying to help.
I have all the emails that document this interaction.
If I had known that this product was going to be so unreliable I would have returned it immediately.
I should have done more research to find out how this company treats its customers.
Return your camera in 30 days or else you are stuck with it.