May 062015
 

box_1
I spotted these Plug and Play IP Cameras (IP900) at K-Mart for $30 a pop, so decided to grab a few to see what they are like.

A quick look at the box reveals the following about the camera –

  • Allows for Live Viewing and Remote Recording
  • Motion Detection and Tilt Rotation Capability
  • Two-way Audio, with a Built-in Microphone, Speaker, and Talk-back Function
  • View Footage Via Free Smartphone App
  • The Plug and Play IP Security Camera Aims to Reduce the Likelihood of Theft
  • Live Viewing and Remote Recording is a Convenient Way to Protect your Property and Loved Ones

When I opened the box, I found –

  • The Camera itself
  • A 5V 2A power supply with 100CM cable
  • A 90CM ethernet cable
  • An application CD
  • A mounting bracket with screws
  • Instruction booklets
    Contents

On first appearances, they look like FOSCAM FI8918W clones.

According to the Quick Start Booklet, the specifications of the camera are:

  • CMOS sensor with a 3.6mm Lens
  • 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
  • 355′ Pan Angle
  • 90′ Tilt Angle
  • IR Distance of up to 10 metres
  • MicroSD Card up to 32GB

Setup is very easy, just need to plug the power suppply into the camera and hook up the network cable from the camera to your router.
Once the camera has finished booting up, you can run the Search tool from the application CD to start setting up the camera.

When you start the Search Tool, it will scan your network for your cameras, and display them in the Cameras box.
As you can see, I currently have 3 cameras on my network. Clicking on one of them in the Cameras box will bring up the details in the Information box on the right.
IP Cam Search Tool

Clicking on Open on the bottom right will open up the web inteface for the Web Cam. The default username is admin with no password. After logging in, you will be presented with this page.
web1
If you want to use the IE controls, you’ll need to install the oPlayer file from the Application CD.

Compared to the “Server Push Mode” controls, The IE controls gives you a few more options to control the camera like Frame Rate (from 1-30 fps), Enabling/Disabling the OSD, and being able to take videos, pictures, control the IR LED and flashing green Signal Lamp on the front, and listen to what the camera is hearing. You can switch the resolution between 640×480 and 320×240 on this screen too.
Differences between controls

Clicking on the “Tools” button on the bottom brings up the control panel on the web interface where you can set up the date and time, change the admin username and password (which you should do right away!), set up the WiFi capability and network settings of the Cam, as well as the email alerting, and motion detection settings.
All of these settings can also be managed from the PC IE View application on the Application CD.
Web Control Panel

Remote access is provided through a “cloud” provider – hence the need to change the username and password.
Once you’ve downloaded the Android app p2pipc, you can use it to search for cameras by tapping the “Tap here to add camera”, and then tapping “Search”. As long as you’re on the same network as the camera, the app will display the cameras that are on the network and allow you to add them to the app. Once the cameras are added to the app, you will be able to access the cameras as long as the camera can connect to the internet.

The quality of the snapshots are fairly clear in both day light and low light. You could easily make a face out from ~7 meters, which should be fine for an indoor camera.

Conclusion?

These cameras are great value for $30, allowing for eyes and ears while you’re away from the home. The resolution is only 640×480 but there’s still enough detail to make out faces in the event of something happening. You can take photos on the mobile app if need be, and can also do motion recording and set the camera up to email you if there’s any motion occurring in view of the camera. Recording to SD card is also supported, however I have not had the chance to try that out yet. If there’s enough interest in this post, perhaps I will blog my results with this camera.

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  54 Responses to “OfficeOne Plug And Play IP Security Camera (IP900) Quick Review”

  1. Hi, I also have my IP900 up and running in Ispy and in Netcamstudio. Recently after a factory reset the IR lights do not come on in the dark. Nor will they come on manually. When the power is turned off, brief wait, and then on again, the LEDS light up but go off again straight away. Any ideas on how to get them going again?

  2. I have OfficeOne SC4DVR and im having trouble setting it up, im getting a signal from all 4 cameras but no display, and the big problem is the menu’s username and password. i tried alot of default passwords that i can think of and none of them works. pls help.

  3. We have set up the same (2 Cameras). No settings are changed, the IP is assigned via DHCP. It can be accessed via mobile for a couple of days and then it shows offline. If there is a power failure the camera rotates automatically and the view changes. Will i have to set local IP’s instead of DHCP?

  4. Hi,
    Have installed windows 10 and have lost cameras. software provided for installation is not recognized . Does anyone have a solutions? Search web without success

    cheers

  5. Hi my partner just brought this from cash converters it come wit the camera and cord we were wondering if we could hotspot the device tho were just on internet via our phones. Reading this Paige my understanding is I might not be able to just go from my phone to set up? Please can you walk us thru on how or what else we need to for please thank you stacey

    • You will need something to plug into the cameras to configure them. A laptop or netbook at least. You can’t get them to connect to any wireless access points otherwise.

  6. I am having trouble getting the email notification setup. It keeps saying error connecting to server every time I try a test. I have tried setting up both a hotmail and a gmail account using the server configurations I find when I search google but both setups do not work.

  7. My mini CD failed, can you tell me where I can download it please.
    Allan

  8. Please tel me where i can download ip900 camera firmware.. Mine keep reset to factory defaults by itself. ?
    Thnx

  9. Does this work on Mac/Apple OS?

  10. The P2PIPC.apl software keeps crashing when a camera is attached.
    This has happened since i upgraded to android version 5. Is there a fix for this?

  11. Hi all,

    My video feed is upside down.

    Anyone know how to fix it?

  12. Hello, has anyone tried setting up the remote recording functionality for the IP900 camera?
    Thanks

  13. […] bought this camera the same time I bought the OfficeOne IP900 cameras, but never got around to using this until now. The camera seems to be fairly easy to setup. […]

  14. How do I turn off the stupid siren for motion sensing, I’m not using it for this reason, Cheers

  15. my ip900 cam didn’t recognize my sd card (microsd) both 32gb and 128gb, but this card is ok in my phone and laptop, what can i do?

  16. Can you please reupload the file? we cant download from google drive. it says it has a virus and the owner can only download the file.

  17. I have 2 IP900s bought from K-mart at $5 each on runout. I dont use them any more. I’m not sure a virus is the right description, BOTNET seems more appropriate….

    https://packetstormsecurity.com/files/141523/Wireless-IP-Camera-P2P-WIFICAM-GoAhead-Backdoor-Remote-Command-Execution.html

    Might be sensible to spend money on a trusted IP camera brand instaed.

    • I’m actually still using these cameras, however I do have them firewalled off from the internet. For $30 at the time, they were reasonably priced, ignoring the fact that they’re wide open.

  18. Hello. I have lost the CD of OfficeOne IP Camera IP900. Anyone has the CD could let me download it. Thank you,

  19. Do any of you have a working zip file for the CD? I badly need it right now! Thank you so much!

  20. Does it have application for andoid?

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