1st, the setup:It took me less than 30min to get it to work on my local network.
About 30 more minutes to set up remotely, with DDNS. Besides, it was the 1st DDNS I ever set up.
And I'm just an average computer guy.
Conclusion: Easy to set up.
Edit:
Setting up email server and ftp server was a bit more of a pain, since the format to be used is very strict. It's still doable for average users. But the result is great. The many options give so much control over the camera, such as setting up the number of pictures sent by emails or to the ftp server once motion has been detected. It's also possible to set up a time interval during which one can deactivate the motion detection alarm, to avoid receiving too much emails or pictures.
2nd, the camera itself:
Produced a very sharp image with just the right luminosity when viewed on my local network.
The fps slowed down a bit when viewed on a remote network.
The night mode is just great. The infrared LEDs are really bright, which gives an excellent picture in pitch dark.
There is also a Moon Light mode, which works best at very low brightness, and improve the picture by increasing the light sensibility, while decrease the FPS. I was told about that feature by the customer service.
Conclusion: Does what's it supposed to do, and even better than that.
3rd, the customer service:
I'm always reluctant to contact CS, but I gave it a shot, and it was so worth it.
When I asked questions, the agent always gave me relevant and practical answers, while offering additional tips related to my questions. (Moon Light mode, using an ac power surge to turn off the camera when I was looking for a software-oriented method, and how I could get a IR illuminator pointing at the ceiling to be able to use the night-mode without turning on the red LEDs)
Conclusion: highly recommended product!
Problem: this is the first ip camera I buy, and I'm afraid I may be disappointed with any model I buy in the future compared to this one.
Note:
The camera is connected to a pretty slow wifi connection (90kbytes/sc), and remotely accessed from a faster connection (about 500kbytes/sc), which may explain the decrease in fps..The camera arrived and I had it working on my network within half an hour, despite the fact that I have a 5 year old Lynksys router that required a little more manual work than normal. I'm also a Mac user, and this proved no handicap.
My neighbor, who owns a Logitech system, oohs and ahhs about the video quality. I like the fact that I can put it in DVR mode using the microSD chip and not worry about keeping a computer on.
On the second day, I set up web streaming. This was slightly confusing at times, but I kept plowing through and with just a little trial and error got it all working within 45 minutes.
In the end I never did need Sharx Tech support, so I can't comment on it, but the setup is really not bad at all, imo.
Really, the only problem I had was that I originally ordered a 32GB microSD card. I learned later that 16GB is the largest it supports. So I had to wait for the replacement card to arrive to get the built in DVR working.
Bottom line is I'm very pleased.I had purchased an older version of this camera in 2010 from amazon.com. It was easy enough to set up however, accessing it remotely from your iphone or from another computer outside your wifi network can be a challenge. And this is where great after sales service comes in handy because the manufacturer's tech department will email or call you persistently just to make sure that you got everything done.
But it doesn't end there. I lost my manual after I moved a few months ago. The warranty has expired as well as the phone support and when I called them for instructions on how to set up the remote access, I admitted that I lost my manual. And they did an amazing thing. The tech support confirmed that indeed my warranty has ended but they will send me, by PRIORITY MAIL AT THEIR EXPENSE A NEW MANUAL. Further, they asked me to coordinate with them to ensure that I am able to set up my remote access correctly.
I have never heard of this kind of outstanding service from any other tech company these guys are passionate about supporting their customers. I'm a corporate trainer and I run service excellence programs and I always start off my workshops with an anecdote about a true example of excellent service I've always chosen some Malcolm Baldridge awardee but going forward I will always be talking about Sharx and their cameras.
Oh and by the way, the product is excellent. I'm always out of town, and the longest I've been out is 5 months and the camera works without fail clear, sharp and the alarm system works (it starts taking pictures every second once it detects movement and stores it in the SD card and for good measure starts emailing you the pictures in case the intruders decide to tamper with the camera).
I kept it in my closet for close to a year since I have been travelling yet this morning when I plugged it in, it powered right up and picture was clear as the first day I got it. Brilliant little camera made by brilliant folks.This is a very clever gadget... an impressive product.
Very good image quality for a security camera, including the night vision, and going IP/wireless is a great way to avoid having to drill through walls and run wires throughout your house. It works as advertised to access via the Internet through a web browser, tablet or smartphone (in my case, an iPad and iPhone.) Only caveat is I haven't been able to access the camera through our company's network, which I believe is due to the corporate firewall something to keep in mind if that's how you plan to monitor the camera while at work.
What really impressed me are the additional features. Video recording with a Micro SD card works perfectly, generating a series of 10-minute long Quicktime files. Depending on image resolution, it's no problem to record continuously for 3-7 days with a 16GB card. But to save disk space and to avoid having to wade through days' worth of files, the camera also has the ability to record only when its internal motion sensor is tripped. My favorite feature is that the camera also can, when the motion sensor is tripped, instantly email me a series of still JPEG's with the image of whatever tripped the alarm, and it works flawlessly. All of these recording and email functions are user-customizable with a wide variety of settings.
An important warning: setup of this camera is not trivial, on the contrary it is quite complex. Be ready to devote several hours to it, going slowly through the user manual and calling on Sharx tech support if necessary. If you are impatient about setup or leery of diving into the details of your router's programming, this is not the device for you. But if you're willing to give it some time and effort, the manual is outstanding very thorough and accurate and the phone tech support is great as well; you're talking to a true expert on the camera rather than someone overseas reading a script. 30 minutes of phone tech support per camera is included.
All in all, I am extremely satisfied with this camera and think it is more than a fair value for the price.I ran into some trouble, on a Saturday afternoon, because of my complex office network, and emailed tech support, who was in NH. That person spent the rest of the day, until 11 at night, walking me through the setup. It would not normally be this hard, but it turned out I had some unusual issues, which (s)he finally tracked down. It only took me 15 minutes to set up a second camera.
I have never received such comprehensive, accurate, and unrelenting support for a product, ever. Just amazing.
Good quality video and audio, automatic emails and saving to flash memory, available on any device anywhere in the world. The setup can easily be changed remotely. An in-depth printed (!) manual. What's not to like?


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