I have been using the Aztech WIPC408HD IP Camera at home for years. My first IP camera was a D-Link which failed in ease of set-up. It still works, but it could not reliably do remote monitoring and playback via smartphone app. I researched on Aztech IP cameras and was attracted by the price of the WIPC408HD, which I felt was the most affordable tilt-and-pan IP camera at that time. It costed the same price as the D-Link which does not support tilt-and-pan.
Last week, Aztech passed me the latest WIPC411FHD IP camera for my review together with the PSD500 personal storage dongle. The product sports a new green packaging that is striking compared to the previous black overall. It is the highest-resolution IP camera within the Aztech product range.
Compared to the WIPC408, the WIPC411FHD has higher resolution (full HD), wider viewing angles (90-degrees), built-in mic and speaker for 2-way intercom. It supports remote pan (355-degrees), tilt (120-degrees) and zoom (3x digital).
Getting the WIPC411FHD working out of the box is seriously simple. After plugging in to the power and LAN cable, I started the “Aztech IP Cam 2” app, clicked the “add” button, scanned the QR code below the IP camera, entered the security code (refer to manual), and it is done. The app supports up to 4 IP cameras.
When I tap the IP camera, I can view the live footage, tilt, pan, and zoom by swiping the screen or using arrow buttons. I can also snap image or record the footage and save onto the smartphone.
I like Aztech WIPC-series IP cameras because I can set up remote recording into the micro SD card slot, which I can configure to record only when the camera detects motion. Using the smartphone app, I can easily review the footage triggered by motion, to determine if it was any cause for alarm. It is possible to leave the app running in the background, so that when the IP camera detects an event, it can trigger a notification on the smartphone.
Advance setup can be done through the web browser by logging into the IP camera’s IP address followed by the port number (8081 is the default). From the web app, I can manage the IP camera settings, like media encoding format, network parameters, motion detection areas, alarm action, recording schedule. When doing continuous recording, full HD can be recorded, but when configuring to record only when an event (alarm) is triggered, only low-resolution can be set.
The WIPC411FHD can support micro SD card up to 128GB, but if you need larger storage, the new Aztech PSD500 lets you store all the recordings on a separate portable storage of up to 2TB. The IP camera can be connected to the network by direct Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n up to 300Mbps). Like all the Aztech IP cameras, the WIPC411FHD has built-in infrared light to record in pitch darkness of up to 8 metres.
The 2-way intercom can be quite useful in case of emergency or when you want to impose the “big brother” surveillance effect. Using the smartphone app, you can speak to the selected IP camera like a walkie-talkie. The built-in speaker is quite weak by default, but fortunately there is a speaker-out connector to plug external speakers. There is also a mic connector to improve the intercom.
Final Words
From the WIPC408HD to the WIPC411FHD, Aztech has not changed the user interface, which might not look fancy but certainly works. Nothing can be more delightful than getting products to work out of the box. For that, Aztech made it tops for me.
As a leading Singapore-brand company in electronics and communications equipment, Aztech has made their products adequately user-friendly and affordable. A major advantage of getting a local brand – as I have personally experienced with Strontium – is the support you can get that is closer to home. Besides IP cameras, I also own 3 Aztech homeplugs that work great for me. As a long-time user of Aztech products, I highly recommend their products.
Retail price is S$229. Look out for COMEX 2016 deals. Aztech has a good track record of great deals in IT trade fairs.
