Amcrest 1080p IP2M 841B camera is on sale for $64 on new egg

https://flash.newegg.com/Product/9SIA9VH3JJ2321?SID=02c26e9e12bf11e7b8af3a9735d29f560INT&AID=10440897&PID=1225267&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&icid=WP_11_03242017%3Fnm_mc%3DAFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction--cables--na--na&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-Slickdeals+LLC--na--na--na&AID=12087162&PID=4485850&SID=02c26e9e12bf11e7b8af3a9735d29f560INT&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-Slickdeals+LLC
Came across it on slick deals.
I have one and love it.

Do these integrate in ST easily?
What is needed to do so?
What capabilities does it offer?

I didn’t see anything in the description about P.O.E. Power Over Ethernet. Does then manual say anything about having that feature?

Is there any presence mode to suppress the event record when you are home?

If not, has anyone tried using presence mode of their home automation system to power down the camera when at home and power it up when away?

There’s a community-developed device handler for this camera, if you ask in that thread the people that have been using it can tell you how well it works.

Not this version. There is a model with POE though.

https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-Ethernet-Optional-Recording-IP2M-841EB/dp/B01H2JFE5W

The thread for this device type is also a good place to see if anyone’s doing this. This camera has alarm i/o contacts and that could be a good way to control recording (or PTZ position) based on triggers from ST, if you can wire up a z-wave open/close sensor with external contacts.

$65 is a great deal for this camera imo.

1 Like

They record to SD card or FTP, so it isn’t like you have to use their cloud if that is your concern. As far as powering off when home, it wouldn’t be an issue, except that they pan stop to stop to stop to stop when powered on. I have never had any luck getting my Foscam/Amcrest to go back to my preset “home” position afterwards. They always end up aimed up at the ceiling fan after a power cycle and sending motion alerts every minute if the fan is on. So you would need to open it up and reset the position constantly.

Currently $83 on Amazon

https://smile.amazon.com/Amcrest-IP2M-841-1920TVL-Wireless-Camera/dp/B0145OQTPG/

You can save preset positions on the camera. And you can program the camera to go to a specific preset position when there is motion using the camera interface. So as long as the camera powers up to a position that is likely to include motion, you can set it to automatically go back to the previous preset position.

Also, I think I might have read that there are preset position controls in the community DTH, so you might be able to automate this with SmartThings as well, but I’m not 100% on that, since I’m still using my cameras outside of ST.

One option for turning on/off, is to use a SmartThings outlet and program it to turn on in Away or Alarmed modes, and turn off in Stay/Unlock modes. This may be more reliable depending on the reliability of your presence sensors.

I know that you are supposed to, but I have had 6 of these cameras and they have rarely if ever returned to the home position I set. They have always just returned to center, which is aimed up at the ceiling

Pardon the crappy red pen but have you programmed your preferred position as a preset, and then set the PTZ to go to preset “X” in the motion detection tab?

I’m glad it works for you. The original question was if there would be any issue with powering off the cameras when home. I gave an example of what could be an issue with turning them off and on based on arrival. Repeatedly posting that yours return to your preset does nothing to add to the OP question of " if there could be an issue"

Sorry, no offense intended- I was hoping to be helpful to you with a fix for your example, and give the OP of an idea that might work if he tried to use the camera in a similar situation. I’ll sign out of this thread now so as not to cause additional trouble. :confused: