4MP ProHD Indoor WiFi, Security IP Camera with Pan/Tilt, Two-Way Audio, Night Vision, Remote Viewing, 4-Megapixel @30FPS, Wide 90° FOV, IP4M-1041W (White)

I previously purchased another brand advertised as an indoor/outdoor camera, but had multiple issues after setup and wasn’t able to get reliable support from the manufacturer. My wife has been pushing me to get a replacement and since I’ve had positive experiences with other Amcrest products I own, I decided to give this one a shot. I was hesitant at first because the overall rating isn’t great (4* at the time of my review), but I am so glad I decided to get this one. This review will probably get a bit lengthily, so I’ll add a tldr at the end if you want to skip to it. Before I break everything down READ THIS IF YOU PLAN TO USE WIFI: You will need the included Ethernet cable and your router before you can connect to WiFi. Had I read the instructions before I started setting this camera up, I would have saved time by not installing it in the wall first, rooms away from my router. I read dozens of reviews before making this purchase, and one consistent complaint was the lack of instructions. I can’t say that I agree with most users here; I found the instructions very thorough in terms of actually turning the camera on and setting it up for the first time. I connected via WiFi, but there are detailed instructions for mobile and Ethernet as well. The back of the quick start guide also has links to alternative access methods and physical installation guides. Is absolutely every manual for each setup/installation method included in the box? No, but links to everything are provided in the Quick Start Guide and we’re all ordering this from a computer or mobile device anyway, so why not save the paper and use the links? But I digress… First off, everything came packaged nicely and was well organized. This isn’t something that will necessarily increase my rating, but would definitely count against it if I received a box with a jumbled mess. I found the physical installation itself to be very straight forward, but as mentioned, there is a link in the included guide to help with setup if needed. I ultimately installed the camera on my wall, as you can see in the picture, but there are also rubber feet on the bottom if you just want to set it on a different surface in your home. Note that this device cannot be set up level on vaulted ceilings without purchasing a separate bracket or mounting plate due to the angle of the ceiling. If you have flat ceilings, or choose to install on the wall like I did, it will install just fine with the included hardware. The included USB to micro SD cable is very long and had no problem reaching my wall outlet from the mounting position just under my ceiling, so that was also a plus. I mounted the camera before I connected it to WiFi, which was a mistake, but it was easy to unscrew from the bracket and take into my office where my router is to connect with the included Ethernet cable. The Quick Start Guide does a great job of walking you through the steps to get the camera connected, and once I had the app downloaded and entered my WiFi credentials, I was able to bring the camera back into my living room and operate it with no problems. When it comes to using the camera and app, I recommend going through the tutorial that pops up when you first log in. If you skipped it by mistake (like I did), you can access it again from the main menu. There are A LOT of features, and even after going through the tutorial and playing around with them, it’s easy to get lost or forget what function is “hidden” behind another icon menu. That said, all the functions and features seem to work exactly as they should. I did find the tracking feature a bit quirky at first, but this was my fault and not an inherent issue with the device. When I first tried tracking with the camera, it kept wanting to pan up to my ceiling fan (which was on at the time). Even when waving to the camera and walking around, it would start to follow me, then immediately go back to the fan. As soon as I turned the blades off, it tracked me perfectly. There’s also an option to set the tracking sensitivity, but the standard settings worked well once the fan was off, so I didn’t play around with them. Another thing I really like is HD mode. I attached pictures to my review of Standard Definition “SD” and High Definition “HD.” I only pictured a small section of the room the camera captured for privacy reasons, but there is still a big difference. Accessing, operating, and recoding the camera from the phone app works really well, even if the menu options themselves are a bit clunky. The privacy mode is also nice to have when it’s just my wife and I at home and we don’t want to feel like we’re being watched or recorded. I did not test desktop access because I don’t plan to use it. If there’s one negative I could give the device itself, it’s that it’s pretty big and conspicuous. I didn’t purchase this to be a hidden camera or anything, but it would be nice if it was a bit smaller, or was at least all white and didn’t have the black “Amcrest” logo printed across the front. tldr; I am very impressed with this camera, both from a function standpoint and the price point. Having mobile access and control, as well as the ability to record, were must haves for me, and this device delivers. The camera could be a bit more discreet, and navigating the app can be a bit unintuitive in some instances, but this thing is packed with features and everything works exactly as advertised. Overall, this was a great purchase for an indoor security camera.

The overwhelmingly best feature of the Amcrest 4MP ProHD Indoor WiFi Camera is the ability to set-up and use it over a LAN without 3rd party intervention. The Ethernet port and HTTP access allow the user to fully access and control the camera without depending on the Cloud, third-party services, or even Internet access (so long as HTTP access is available through a local router). Many cameras now require an external account to allow set up, maintenance, and/or access for their product; and I have been burned by that paradigm when the third-party goes out of business, no longer supports the appliance, or starts charging $$$ for its use. The 4MP ProHD checks all of the boxes for my purposes with a clear image, strong night vision that sees the entire room, motion detection with advanced features (region definition, sensitivity control, etc.), and multiple storage options (card, FTP, NAS). The camera has a depth of options that allow users to customize it for their needs, like independent Ethernet and WIFI definition (I have them each on different subnets), static IP, and user-defined port assignments for HTTP, RTSP, and HTTPS. For all of the many positives, the technology appears to have some limits of which the prospective user should be aware. First, it appears that the camera should be set to allow DHCP address assignment until after the SMTP server is set up. The camera would not initially connect to any SMTP server (I tried four, each from a different provider) when a static address was assigned. However, once the SMTP server info is entered, tested, and saved under DHCP, the IP address can be set to a static value; and email subsequently works fine. Second, it appears that the camera is only compatible with the NFS NAS protocol. (No SMB, for example.) Finally, I have not yet been able to connect with my FTP or NFS NAS servers using the camera. My servers are running on Linux (Ubuntu). I suspect that the Amcrest 4MP ProHD camera is built on an architecture that is (somehow) incompatible with the Linux permission structure (but I don't know this for sure). I can work around this limitation because the RTSP access appears to work just fine. Despite these issues, the quality, features, price, and, most especially, the ability for direct and independent control make this the best camera on the market for my purposes.

Just received and setup with BlueIris security software. Straight forward setup. Have setup a couple of Amcrest cams on my BI system over the last couple years. Using MAC address filtering and hidden SSID and it was easy with this firmware on camera. No issues with this one vs some of the latest Fxxxxm camera firmwares. Longevity will be decided later ;-) Attached image shows a slight fisheye shape on edges (minus 1 star), but image straight out looks fine for security. Note that I could not find the MAC address anywhere on package. Had to login into the cam using the DHCP IP address, shown on ethernet wired connection, then went into its setup menu and it shows the MAC addresses for both wired and wireless. Setup static IP for wireless, plus other personal preferences in settings...

It got replaced by a 28$ lightbulb camera that is more reliable. This camera no longer maintains the ability to hold power after only a few months of use, and will regularly reset itself sometimes every 3 minutes. It does not matter if I change the power source, it still struggles to maintain its existence let alone actually stream/record video. 90% of the time you can get into the UI but it won't have any video it can decode, so you restart it again. The fact that a no name random rebrand lightbulb camera for 28$ is more reliable makes me glad I don't plan on having any more Amcrest cameras. The noise it makes when it resets drove my wife and I crazy wondering what it was until I said time to replace this camera that refuses to work, and while troubleshooting it heard the noise and my wife put the puzzle together. 0/100.