Side by Side Comparison of: Amcrest vs VIMTAG

The picture quality is decent for the live view. If you access the "Playback" feature (where you can see video from hours or days ago) the video quality gets clearer.
It was very simple to set up and all of the items needed were shipped with good packaging.
You get four cords for the four cameras to connect. Two of the cords are shorter (60') than the other two (100').
I saw a review about the DVR being loud, but I don't think it is. It's quiet enough for me. It sounds almost like the sound a computer CPU would make while it's on.
I did not receive any circular stickers showing where to drill the holes like the Amcrest video tutorial online shows. You might have to measure the holes yourself.

Since we moved into our home several years ago we always thought that having an alarm system (Vivint) was all we'd ever need to protect our home. We also put up several yard signs indicating that our home was indeed protected by an alarm system and that would be burglars should find another home to plunder.

Nevertheless, our home was burglarized and when the police arrived the very first thing they asked us was if we had a video camera that possibly got a picture of the bad guys or their vehicle. That's when it hit me, if you don't have a camera system keeping an eye on your home when you are away then you are blind to anything that happens at your home when you're away.

The next day I ordered the Amcrest 720P HD 4CH system.

The most difficult part of the installation by FAR having to run the cabling through my attic. Dripping in sweat, covered in insulation, and working in very confined spaces almost got the best of me, but I knew that in the end that it would be worth it.

When the cabling was finished and I started up the system and saw the HD quality video feed I was immediately impressed. For a little background on myself, I'm a network engineer and I'm used to working with Cisco routers, switches, etc that cost tens of thousands of dollars. The thought of purchasing a complete home video surveillance system (minus monitor) for $325 had me initially thinking that this wasn't going to be a quality product and I must say that I was wrong. What an excellent product this is and a great investment for only several hundred bucks!

Take it from me and buy an Amcrest system to supplement your existing home security system. You will be glad that you did!

Why I bought it:
My wife wanted to purchase a security monitoring service and after doing some research I was unimpressed with reviews and the cost for the services from many companies in my area, so I decided to buy and install my own. The quality of this product is great for what I was needing and I now have my own personal monitoring system around my home.

I have absolutely no experience with video security systems and this was incredibly easy to install. I honestly did not even read the instructions because it seemed pretty straight forward, and it was. The hardest part of the install was moving around my attic with the wiring, but that had nothing to with the product. It took about six hours to install all 4 cameras with most of that time being spent crawling through tight spaces in my attic to connect the wires into the video cameras. The time spent setting up the equipment was maybe 30 minutes. I was also very happy to see that I could hook this up to my television and now with the push of a button I can see all four cameras on my television screen. This is great for checking the front door when there is an unexpected visitor, or to see what the noise was in my backyard.

There is also an app for this video security system that works perfectly. From anywhere I can instantly check on my home. I have used the app every day since I installed the system and I have never had any problems with it.

I honestly do not have any complaints with this product and my wife is satisfied with these security system in place of a pricey monitoring system. This has saved me a lot of money and I am completely satisfied (I really wasn't expecting something this great considering how affordable it was). I would recommend this product to anyone in search of a home video security system. Feel free to ask me any questions you have.

Amcrest 720P:
1) Cameras are heavy-duty metal, not plastic.
2) Set-up was pretty easy. I learn more from visual examples instead of a manual, so if you are like me I suggest you review the various Youtube video's instead of the manual. Most folks don't read instructions, but at least check out the video's first.
3) Iphone app was fairly easy, but had to make adjustments in the phone settings for it to work. Problem is, I have too many internet users at home, so my supply of internet won't support all of the users and the HDCVI. Not a big deal because when you're away you can simply connect it up to the router then.
4) Had a small technical issue five days after installation, but Amcrest made it right and very fast.
5) I purchased the 4 camera system, but I highly suggest you buy the 8 camera system because once you see the cameras in person, you will want more viewing angles. Since you can't add cameras to a 4 camera system, you are better served getting the 8 system and only use the number of cameras you want/need. I now wish I had the capability to add 2 more cameras. The system works just fine with 1 hooked up or all connected. So it's better to have the ability to add more if needed.
6) The most impressive thing is one of the cameras aided the Police to identify burglars in the neighborhood only 12 hours after initial installation! When the Police came to review the footage, I had to "learn up" quick on how to review the recorded footage.

Bottom line is most electronics are made in China, but I believe there are certain grades of products made there. The Amcrest 720P is not the cheapest grade and probably a higher grade than you would find at your local box store retailer or home supply warehouse. I like the 720P over the 960H because it's much clearer and has a wider viewing angle.

I will be referring this product to my friends.

My first outdoor security camera system and straight up this is what sold me on this one over any others on Amazon.... 1. Picture quality is great 2. Night vision is amazing. 3. I have an app on my iPhone and works great every time. Last thing that really sold me was I called a couple of customer service companies phone numbers to ask questions about the product and amcrest was the ONLY one who answered the phone EVERY TIME and answered all my questions. GREAT PRODUCT very cool to see on my phone all the cameras from work.

Update Feb 7, 2016
I now have 3 cameras!
There are so many different reviews about this product and many are not accurate or updated.
If you want tech support go to the Vimtag website and NOT fujikam. Vimtag is located in NY state and their support is really good. At least that has been my experience so far.

The quality of the camera/s for the price is beyond what you pay! We have one camera mounted on a wall up as high as possible so no one can touch it. The "reverse" image works perfectly. I can pan the camera in any direction which is a god send if I need to see if my father is on the floor somewhere.

The picture quality is really good for the price of the camera. Not perfect all the time but for my purposes I can tell who is there and what is going on. The color is true. The night vision is strange but it works!

The app might be the issue for me. I have an iPad and iPhone. I find the iPad is much more reliable most of the time. The iPhone is too small to clearly see but good enough. The iPad is so much better for details and it seems to load faster.

I use the motion detection all the time to see if and when aids, nurses and possible unwanted people come and go from my dad's apartment when he is asleep. There is usually, but now always, a still and a 15 sec (more or less) video clip. The issue for me is there are times that motion is missed or not recorded. the still is not always of the person but the video often shows who it was that came and went.

Often there are phantom stills of things from months ago. many of the stills are blank.
My feeling is that the app needs updating? I am going to bring this up with tech support.

I do recommend this camera. but it has had its challenges

(This review began with 2 stars. I changed it to 1 star and now give it 4 stars. It has been a long journey but please read or skip down to the November 26, 2015 update. The company is now Vimtag. They have great tech support and their tech people return phone calls and responded to my email via phone as well and on Thanksgiving day to boot! I am much happier. See below for information that they gave me to help with some issues with this camera.)

I have a very mixed review and experience. I purchased one camera (from Amazon) at first but now have 2 (both from amazon).

I have a 94 year old father that lives in assisted living. He has been there for 4 years now and the things that have happened will curl your toes and hair! He is a fall risk and has alzhimer's. He uses a walker in his apartment. Part of the reason that I wanted a camera was to see if he was safe at night when his private aids were off and to see if the facility staff were doing their checks that we pay a hefty fee for. In the 3 nights that I have used the camera I have learned that the staff is only checking him one time over night. Not good for someone that is on oxygen and is a fall risk! So the camera has been a great help.

My current experience with the cameras... I tested the first camera at my home and everything worked well. Setting up with my father's internet/wifi was not a good experience. It took 3 different days of attempting to get the wifi to work/connect. I am not using the facilities wifi. I am paying for a high quality private system. Finally that is working and working very well. Well at first it was. It is now very intermittent. I believe it is the software.

I set up the motion alert for both cameras. There is a still photo that shows up but... there is a delay evidently and half of the pix do not show who was there. In other words...there is motion but by the time the camera records the still the person is gone. Well what good is that? That does not help me at all! Also a large number of still photos are blank. I have been in the rooms with the cameras and one can clearly hear the camera clicking away taking the stills but when I look online or via cell Phone or tablet there is no human to be seen. Sometimes there is a blur of a hand. I am so disappointed as well as upset.

I have a question. Is there any way to turn off the clicking sound that happens whenever the camera detects motion and takes a still? I really don't want the people that are caring for dad to know this is happening and it is also very distracting. There must be some way to turn it off, the same way one can turn off the shutter sound in a cell phone. This is a digital devise so there should be no moving shutter parts right?

The good points...
The picture quality is really quite good. There are choices for quality in the setup area.
I have tried to get a hold of customer service or tech support but so far no success. Maybe someone else has had better success.
I'm sticking with this system for now, hoping I can find assistance. If not then for someone that needs reliable alerts and still photos this is not a good match.

I would use the record function if it went to the cloud but it does not. :-( The recording quality is good actually but to have to remove the card every time one wants to save a recording is not going to work for me. It would be fantastic if the camera/s are in your own home. Easy. But not for someone that lives away from the location with the cams as I do.

If this was in my own home I would give it all 5 stars I think.

For the money it is a good quality system/camera.

Bad news is...if someone unplugs the camera it resets and you loose anything stored that was not recorded on the internal card.
Oh and another thing... if you have lots of movement the still pix from motion detection only stays in the "record" section for about 2 hours or less. Then they are erased! I find myself checking the darn feed way to often so I can save to my phone or computer the photo/pix with the time stamp and date.

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I just changed my rating to 1 star. I can not begin to share how upset and frustrated I am.
Last night, when I need the camera the most so I can know if anyone is checking on my 95 year old father, the camera in the bedroom area went dead. I thought that someone might have unplugged it but NO. The app and website just was black. Nothing on my cell phone app. I went to the website via my computer and the camera was working! I had to shut down my phone can start it again. Then magically the live feed was back.

Before this all happened the camera was clicking and buzzing away every second. Then the camera died. It was crazy!

Now I can't even log into the website. I have also been logged out of the app and when I try to log back in it does not accept my user name and password!!!! This is horrible!!!
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November 25, 2015
FYI - the company is now VIMTAG. It is located in New York.
I will update after I talk to customer support. Fingers crossed!
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November 26, 2015 update
New experience and so much better. Now give it 4 stars but the jury is still out!

Evidently the app and web sites for the cameras were down last night for updating. I asked if there was a way for them to notify customers. There was a huge silent pause and then i was told they would try to have an announcement via the app in the future. What?

The right website to go to is VIMTAG.US that might be [...]
You can find customer support on the home page as well as a tab for products. Both the contact 800 number and the email will get you a real person. Today I talked to 2 of the 4 tech support people.

The first tech person that I talked to was able to answer most of my questions and issues. One that he did not know the answer to he referred to the senior tech person who called me back at a time we agreed to. Who knew??

In case you are having some of the same issues here is what I was told:

I was told to make sure the camera/s is on 50hz for america use.

To turn off the clicking that can be heard in the camera every time motion is detected you need to make sure I/O is turned off. I/O alarm. If you have it turned on there will be an audible sound similar to a shutter click. Trust me if you don't want anyone to notice the camera you need this turned off! You can get to it via your app or on the website where you view the camera/s feed.

I was told to change the night time sensitivity to "50" for the motion detection notification and to "37" for day time.

I did not get an explanation for why many or several of the stills show a gray icon with the word CAMERA in it. When I click on it the display is black. I have a time stamp and date to indicate there is/was motion but no was of knowing who/what it was.

I was also told to change the length of the alert still to 6 from the default of 3. I don't quite understand but will be testing this over night tonight.

Don't give up if you have this camera. DO call the Vimtag tech support.

Vimtag (Fujikam) 361 HD, IP/Network ,Wireless, Video Monitoring, Surveillance, security camera,plug/play, Pan/Tilt with Two-Way Audio and Night Visionexcellent camera, after purchase and test some cameras of security, I can say this and really the best of all and fulfills WHAT promises, simply the best, fast delivery and the product is everything as described. and the installation of reamente 5 minutes without complication and can still access the camera on your computer or cell phone and free and very efficient and easy comprehension REALLY am very happy and grateful and I will definitely recomVimtag (Fujikam) 361 HD, IP/Network ,Wireless, Video Monitoring, Surveillance, security camera,plug/play, Pan/Tilt with Two-Way Audio and Night Visionmend this product to friends and relatives,. thank you

I really love this camera and to look at a room anytime on my phone. Will get more sometime to cover other rooms.

The Fujikam model 361 is a great wireless security camera with reliable web software with a lot of features that you might want or expect in a security camera. Some of these include:
• Remote Live Video Streaming Via Smart Phone, Tablet, PC
• Remote Pan and Tilt, Motion Detection Alert
• Video Recording To SD Card, Digital Zoom
• Real Plug And play 5 Minute Setup, Night Vision,
• 2 Way Voice, HD 1280 X 720 Clear Image Quality
There are no extra fees for cloud service and everything resides on a mini 32 GB SD card which must be purchased separately. It works very well and it is remarkably easy to set up. The setup instructions are good and I had no problems during setup and installation. I had it working within 15 minutes after taking it out of the box. The picture is good, the remote rotation (side-to-side and up-and-down) works and the sound quality is good. The camera comes with a mounting kit so that you can put it up wherever you need it. It is a really nice camera for a very reasonable price and I am going to buy some more of them. Note: This camera is primarily for indoor use although it will work if placed outside. However, it will not be able to withstand bad weather. An outdoor version that is designed to withstand bad weather will be released sometime in the future.
The product customer service is great! I contacted them with a question about the infrared feature and the customer service agent answered without a long wait. He was very patient and helpful in explaining the camera features and software settings.
The Fujikam model 361 is an excellent camera, its customer service is great and I would highly recommend this camera.

I travel for a living and have always been concerned about leaving my house empty for days at a time without knowing what's going on while I'm away. So recently, I began comparing and reviewing about 10 different surveillance camera options, most of which required a DVR with wired cameras. I settled on this camera because it was both wireless and did not require a DVR, because of the reviews it received, and because its price point was hard to beat.

Setup was very easy, requiring only a brief direct LAN hookup to my DSL router to establish the connection to the camera. Then you simply download the app on your smartphone, create an account, scan the QR code at the base of the camera, and voila, you're connected! You can now remove the Ethernet cable and place the camera anywhere you like, as long as it's in wireless range of your router.

Most of the setup was straightforward, though the online documentation could provide better descriptions of the features and menu options. For instance, if you just want the camera to record only when it detects motion (which is what I bought it for), you have to disable the "schedule recording" option altogether (I had it set on the "24/7" option thinking it would always be ready to record but not actually record until it detected movement--I was wrong).

Also, the camera requires an SD card (not included) to save the videos it records. It mentions using an SD card in the documentation, and there is a menu option for it as well, but for the first two days I was under the impression that it was referring to the SD drive on my laptop and that the videos would be saved to the SD card I inserted into the laptop. As it turns out, the camera itself has a Micro SD slot to store its own videos, and that's what the instructions are referencing. NOTE: Be sure to get a "micro" SD card (smart phone size), not the standard size SD card that you might use on your laptop. You can pick these up at Best Buy (about $15 for a 32GB Samsung card).

You can control the camera via your smartphone or your desktop/laptop. One great feature is the ability to control the camera's direction remotely. You can set the camera to a live shot, and pan it up, down, and side to side for a nearly 360 degree viewing radius.

I actually purchased two of these cameras and set them up in different locations of my house, and I can control both of them through the same GUI and account. Although you can only actually see one camera view at a time, you can switch between cameras very easily and very quickly (all cameras are in a list and you just click the one you want to view). I will very likely add a few more to my collection very soon (I believe you can have up to eight on the same account, but you'll want to check that).

All in all, this is a great little surveillance system for a great price.

Great security camera for my little apartment! Just a couple of things to note: The camera must be connected to your router ONLY for the duration of the setup. The little light below the "router" symbol on the camera should flash green three times if it is connected properly. The little light below the "wifi" symbol will flash red, because you haven't set up the wifi yet. Follow the instruction card in order to set up your camera account and hook it up to your wifi. After everything is set up, the light under the "wifi" symbol should be flashing green. It is now ok to unplug your camera from the router and set it up wherever in your home! Unplugging the power supply to move my camera from one spot to another did not ruin anything. To set up the camera's options, open the MIPC app and press and hold the screenshot image from the "Camera List" screen. A menu with Settings, Records, and Delete will pop up. Click Settings to tinker with the options. My favorite way to use the camera is to go to Settings>Alarm Action and toggle the Turn Alarm On button whenever I leave the apartment. That way, the alarm is activated whenever I am gone. When I come back home, I toggle the alert off. Simple. I have set off the alarm a couple of times by accident. It doesn't call the police or anything, but you get a snapshot and a recording of whatever the camera is looking at. If somebody broke in a stole the camera, you'd still have these things available on the app. I had to adjust the motion sensitivity a few times, but everything works great!

Amcrest HD 720P 4CH Video Security System - Four 1280TVL 1.0-Megapixel Weatherproof IP66 Bullet Cameras, 65ft IR LED Night Vision, 1TB HDD, HD Over Analog/BNC, Smartphone View (Black)This is a great DVR. You get "HD" quality video from four included cameras. Don't jump right away for this system. Do your research! Find out if this is what you want or (My advice) splurge for 1080p or above or even make the ultimate investment and go with IP cameras/ NVR (network video recorder.) You may ask "Why?" Well there's a few reasons: One, HDCVI. (this camera type, [uses coax type lines] ) only allows up to 1080p. Now you may think this is okay, but with IP (internet wired) cameras you can get a much higer resolution/ pixel count and that's going to mean a better image altogether than what is even imaginable with that of HDCVI cameras such as these. Second, these cameras require an additional power block with four pigtails (one for each channel); whereas IP (internet) cameras can use Poe ( power over ethernet) to use one cable for data and power with no separate adapters or wires. Finally, the maximum megapixels (resolutions) HDCVI can get is a little over 2 megapixel. Here on amazon there are dome and bullet IP cameras found that are 3,4, and 5 megapixels. Search for these TRULY high def. cameras and you can read the reviews and find that they have stunning quality that will blow these particular cameras out of the water.SO! Why would I recommend these cameras then if you can find better? (much better DOES exist) It boils down thing one thing and one thing only: Cost. I could have gotten a set JUST like this with a hard drive same size and and four cameras but instead they be 1080p with 2.1 megapixel cameras but the price jumps to $400. The product set I am referring to is here: Amcrest Full-HD 1080P 4CH Video Security System - Four 1920TVL 2.1-Megapixel Weatherproof IP66 Bullet Cameras, 65ft IR LED Night Vision, 2TB HDD, HD Over Analog/BNC, Smartphone View (Black)So if you are tight on a budget, as my family was, these cameras are great, but do come with the price of pulling your wires to the cameras from the dvr. This is by far the most difficult and time consuming part. Be sure you have a fish tape to help you pull the wires. This will help you greatly. Just an FYI, this system is listed as a "DIY" system, but can be a little daunting for those without a technical background, so find a friend/ relative to help you with initial set up. If you are technically skilled and/ or a die hard DIY'er have at it!! I loved installing it and this is not my first amcrest system I have installed.I did NOT have to port forward my DVR/ to my router, but I did set it up as a back door to my DVR in the event I need it, I can just use a browser to access the remote graphic user interface (GUI). One quirky thing about the web browser, be it on the local network (LAN) or remotely (WAN) your browser has to have a plug-in installed. This could be inconvenient if you're using a public PC or a friend's computer; just a tid-bid of info.I read so many reviews on this product before I bought it, thinking remote viewing was going to be a nightmare, but I felt good when I was able to get it up with motion alerts without the help of Amcrest support. For most people you SHOULD be able to go into main menu> network settings> all the way to bottom of left column to "P2P" option> and finally check "Enable." From here you should be able to scan the QR code it generates in your app and make a "peer to Peer (P2P)" connection without having to port forward in most cases.This is not a fancy system. You CAN find better and you can spend boat loads more of money but I chose this economical system and I am very happy with it based on what I spent. The next system that I invest in will be an IP based camera system with a built in power supply for the cameras in the NVR, but that's down the road when I can burn through more money lol. Comment or message me with questions. I hope I am able to help. Thanks!

I purchased the system on Prime day. The mailbox was demolished with fireworks over the 4th so I now needed surveillance to keep and record video of the vandals. I read the instructions and was a bit overwhelmed but in actuality it was very easy. You need a monitor for the setup, and I didn't want to run Ethernet cable, so I took a recommendation and purchased a TP-Link extender, I have only hooked up 2 cameras off the garage but they work great. I had initially set them on all the time, but have since changed them to motion. The last 2 cameras will require me to attach them to the soffets and drop the lines from the attic to the basement where the recorder is located. I can check everything from my smart phone from the Amcrest link app. So far, so good - day time recording is great, night time is OK but can give you some strange sights, I get some reflected glare from a spider web on a illuminated driveway. Overall, it came together A+ and the price couldn't be beat. Update 9/23/16, I'm reducing my stars to 4, the reason being is that while the app works, and the software works on my Mac Pro notebook, there is no way to review a recording using a 'fast forward ' option because it doesn't exist in the software. To review using 'fast forward ' you have to be in front of the HDD unit and then use the supplied remote, max is 16x and using a remote monitor plugged into the HDD. Amcrest told me that they are aware of the issue and working on it - bummer. Update 10/15/16, finished hooking up the last 2 cameras, front door and rear deck, every thing went smoothly, had to run the wires down from the attic to the basement through a wall, cut the sheet rock top and bottom, drilled hole through header and base boards, ran the wires, then put back the sheet rock and retaped. Attached the cameras, set up the motion area that I wanted covered, had the wife and dog go out the back door and then went back to the main unit and did a review playback, everything worked just fine. Installation book could use some clarity on the instructions. Bottom line, correct install with hidden wires takes some thought time and some physical work, items work as stated, overall clarity is really decent, daytime better than total darkness, but the night is decent. I know I made the right choice with the wired cameras, because the wifi cameras require a 115 outlet for the power transformer. The front and rear cameras are mounted on my soffets and we have a raised ranch, not something I want to have to climb a ladder to do very often. Just leave slack in all of the wires, attic in case you need to replace a non-working camera, at the HDD unit in case you need to change the camera power supply. Bottom line, think things out, draw up a plan, have the necessary tools, drill bits, stud finder, tape compound, etc. I would give it 5 stars if the instructions were better and you could do a review from my iPhone/smartphone with a fast forward. Latest 7/17 upgraded to 3TB HD - wired is way to go, wireless cameras can be hacked.

Gave this 4 because it does work and the menus are good english language sensible menus. I have bought so many of these from over seas vendors that cannot even structure menus and buttons with the english language. I will caution you that it has a fan inside and the fan is way too high RPM (my opinion). I ended up snipping the red wire and putting a resistor inline to slow it to 50%. still can hear it but its much less noisy. Otherwise the software is ...average compared to other products like this.

I ordered this 8CH surveillance system and I received it within three days. I took it out of the box and hook it up for a test run and it worked great. One of the 100 ft. cords was faulty and I did not receive the remote control with it. I contacted Amcrest through there website explained the matter and within three day I had the remote and a replacement cord. So far it has been work very well and it is as clear as your own eyesight. I'm happy I went with the eight camera instead of the four. Again no complaints here so far.

Oct 14, 2015 This is my second write up on this system. The system is working fine and every once in awhile around two am the system seems to reboot itself and wake me up to a alarming noise. One of my cameras will flicker and blink and also goes out for a few seconds and then comes back on. I have a feeling I will need to purchase another camera in the future. Other then that it is still a nice working system.

Jan 31, 2016 I've had this system for a little over five months now and a few things I do not like. First; I have one camera that goes out when the temperature goes below 35 degrees, and a second one flickers in cold weather also. Second; In the morning around seven o'clock the system will try to reboot itself to locate the camera that it has lost its signal in the cold weather. Sometime I will turn the DVR off until it warms up outside for the camera so I will not here the beeping every 5 minutes. Third; You can hear the hard drive while it is running with a humming sound. Overall it is a good system so far, and very clear during the day and night.

Here are a few helpful tips to save you time and money:-Buy longer cables -- it's easy to underestimate the length you'll need, and these VideoSecu 4 Pack 150 Feet Pre-made All-in-One Video Power CCTV Security Camera Cables with BNC to RCA Adapter Connector 1OA were affordable and work well-Unless you're putting the DVR unit right next to your modem or router, then I highly recommend buying a Wifi bridge (TP-LINK TL-WA801ND Wireless N300 2T2R Access Point, 2.4Ghz 300Mbps, 802.11b/g/n, AP/Client/Bridge/Repeater, 2x 4dBi, Passive POE). This will transform the system into a wireless system. It's very easy to configure and basically acts as a wireless adapter for the DVR unit-If using an iPhone/iPad to remotely view the feed, DO NOT BUY THE "PRO" VERSION app - it does not support this unit. However, the free version does, and works very wellMy only gripe is that one of the cameras is not working. Amcrest says they'll send me a new one when I send it back. Depending on how that turns out, I may be adjusting the rating.See the pic for the view from the iPhone app:

This is a great system. I purchased the 1TB / 4 bullet cameras / 720p / 1280TVL system for $379. I had a security specialist install the wiring, which is no small job! The resolution is amazing (see my attached pictures; one is daytime, one is night time)! It was rather a nightmare to get the system's software set up correctly, to get it online, and to get customer service. If you call their customer service line - you will likely always be about the 14th caller - and you wait and wait and wait...only to get to someone in India who doesn't understand how to help you, AT ALL. They'll then perhaps take your name and number and tell you someone will call you back - this never actually happens. The user manual, btw, is absolutely horrible and will get you nowhere! I can't even explain just how bad it is. I finally emailed the company and asked for some human help so I could get set up; by the next day I had an email with a direct phone number to the most helpful man EVER! He was located in TX, btw, not overseas. He got me online first, and then he was able to remote-in to my PC and get my system all set-up the way I wanted it set up. He was utterly amazing, and I never would've figured out on my own what he did to get the system up and running. So, I knocked off a star for not having immediate customer service available, and for the system not being user-friendly or intuitive. Once you do get it hooked up though, it's quite an amazing little system. You can also access your system via your phone using the Amcrest View app....which does, btw, seem to crash at times.

I ordered this for use inside my home, but looking outside to my front porch as I don't have the greatest wifi signal. The picture is clear, the app is very handy and works better than the desktop program. I had no issues setting it up to my network. I like that I can change the camera direction from the app, talk to someone in the room, etc. What I really don't like about it is that the nightvision is useless if you're looking through a window. At first I had it on my windowsill (the base is quite large) but at night the image was only of the windowscreen. So I used a 3M Command Strip to secure it to the top of the window sash b/c the base is large as a temporary fix. But that did not help as the glare from the window creates a mirror effect so all you see is the camera. The "fix" seems to be to have a porch light on. While that does work, I'm not interested in changing out my vintage porch light to an automatic light or leaving the light on at all times. Other options would be to mount it outside, but it has to be plugged in to an outlet to work.

We have a new pup and she has a knack for getting into trouble. I wanted a surveillance camera I could use to help keep an eye on Maisie Grace. I also thought it would be cool to be able to check on the girls. Finally, I thought this would be something I could use when Maisie grows out of her puppy phase as an outdoor camera.

This was a good call.

The price is very reasonable, the process to synch to my network was simple, and installation was simple. You do need to connect the unit to your LAN for the initial setup but after that, it's a pretty straightforward process - I think I was watching from the camera in less than fifteen minutes.

The app is pretty robust and runs like a charm on my Pixel phone. You can also log on to vimtag's site and access your camera - or cameras (the app supports multiple cameras) from any browser. You can run it in a motion detector mode, an alarm mode, or set up schedules to record. A piece of advice - make sure you get a MICRO SD card - the camera needs this to save video. You can control tilt, pan, and zoom from the app and activate the microphone by touching the screen. All in all, it is a pretty reliable and simple app. The Auto mode works pretty well, but you can adjust the color and contrast settings as well as HD or standard definition. The camera boasts a night vision mode as well.

Vimtag's paper and online documentation are not the best, but there are several reviewers who have done a great job of walking you through the procedures if you have any problems.

At some seventy bucks are you getting top quality? Nope. But to be absolutely candid, I worked in Loss Prevention for some years and have worked with cameras not a lot better than these - that likely cost the company more. You definitely get a good deal for the dollar.

I purchased this cloud box because we already have 2 Fujikam cameras in our home, and not only did we want to save more video footage per camera (they are limited to the SD card that is stored in each camera otherwise), but we also wanted to save that footage to something other than the cameras themselves, in case of a burglary, etc. Before this cloud box came out, if your Fujikam camera is stolen, you lose all your videos and photos--which defeats the purpose of a video camera in the first place, in my opinion (unless you're wanting it for live view only). Since we purchased the Fujikam cameras about 9 months ago or so, the name of the company has changed from Fujikam to Vimtag (I guess Vimtag must have purchased the company?). I would never have known this if I hadn't called the 800 number with a question about the cameras when I was setting them up. That being said--their customer service is wonderful. They are extremely helpful and patient. The only drawback is that they're open from 8:30-4:30 EST Monday-Thursday, half a day on Friday, and a partial day on Sunday, so if you need to talk to them for technical assistance, make sure you plan accordingly for not only the day of the week, but also your time zone. This must mean the MIPC (Fujikam) app that I had previously downloaded for the cameras must be obsolete, although it appears it's still working. There's also a Vimtag app, though, which seems both easier to use and user friendly-it tells you this in the installation pamphlet), so at this point--I still have both apps on my iPhone and iPad and go back and forth between them to look at the cameras and cloud box videos. You can also view the cameras for live view and the footage from the cloud box over the Internet on a computer, which is a bonus.

The reason I called their customer service/technical assistance department in the first place regarding this cloud box was because I thought it had wifi capability (looking back over the Amazon description now, I see wifi is not mentioned, so that was my mistake). When I talked to them several months ago about my camera question, I also mentioned that I would really like to have cloud capability in case the cameras were stolen, as I would have no video footage of the thief. That person told me they were coming out with this cloud box and to keep an eye out for it; however, I could never find it for sale on the Vimtag website, and I looked weekly for a long time. I finally did a Google search for it, which led me to this Amazon seller. I was under the impression from the rep I spoke with that the cloud box would have wifi so you could hide it somewhere in your house, away from the cameras, router, etc, which really appealed to me. When I set it up, though, I could only get it to work via Ethernet. That brings me to another point: one of the main sellling features of this cloud box on the product description says you can "hide it in a closet." Well, you can't do that unless your router is next to a closet and you have a power outlet next to it as well. This box has to be connected to your router and electrical power--so a person robbing your house is probably going to notice that it's next to your router, since most are left out in plain view. I don't see how it would be feasible to hide this box in a closet in its current configuration. I finally called Vimtag tech support after much frustration and gnashing of teeth, and a very nice man told me that they are working on making this device wifi capable and to give it a few weeks, because a software update would be available that will allow wifi connection. That was approximately May 19, 2016, so I'm (im)patiently waiting. My intention is to hide this box somewhere in my house where it won't be found easily once that occurs.

This cloud storage device was fairly easy to set up, but I'm also a techie person and know computers and gadgets pretty well for the most part (I still think most people would have no issues with it, though). You can either activate it from the Vimtag app or go to Vimtag.com and add it from there (you have to set up an account with a username and password first). If you already have their cameras, then you will need to "add" a new device first, though, before you can do anything else, which I don't think was the very clear in the instructions. To make things even easier, as it steps you through the process--there's a scan tag on the device that you can scan with your iPhone (not sure about android) to easily add it to your list of devices on your Vimtag account (or you can input the device code on the bottom of the unit manually) and give it a name (I used "cloud box").

Once you've added the cloud box to your account, then you click on each camera that you want to hook up to the box, choose each camera separately--one at a time--and select the storage device for that camera to be the cloud box (if you were previously using an SD card). Playback of the videos is pretty smooth and easy to figure out. I'm not sure I'm getting 60 days worth of video storage yet. It looks like the 2 cameras I have store up to about 3-4 days worth of videos, but I have my cameras set to record 30 minutes of video footage at a time once motion is detected, and they're both set up in busy areas, so there's a lot of footage for a 24 hour period. I'm not complaining about that, though, because that's a lot more than I had with the SD card, I just don't know if that equates to the 1 TB of storage this device is supposed to have, although I know videos can be notorious space hoggers.

As I mentioned, the installation guide that came with the box is pretty straightforward. I didn't have too many issues setting it up, other than the frustration of not having wifi when I thought it did, but I was able to get that figured out after a call to tech support. So far I'm really happy with its performance. The video and/or photo footage for each camera is easy to locate and plays back nicely on a phone or tablet, or a computer after you install their video plugin. One aspect I really like about the whole setup process is that you don't have to do it all via a computer like you do several other different brands of video cameras I've used in the past. Everything you need to set up this box is available using the Vimtag app. If you check the system settings on your cameras and cloud box occasionally, you will see a red tick mark next to the software update selection, which lets you know that a new update is available for that device, which is really convenient. You can update it right from the app and then it will restart that device with the new software features. I've had a number of software updates on my cameras already, adding new features and such, and it's been a breeze so far. No problems (knock on wood).

My biggest complaint I have about this box is the SMELL. It comes right out of the box with a strong chemical odor, and once you plug it in and get it running--it circulates throughout the whole room via the fan inside the cloud box. It literally made me nauseous. I had to try not to breathe in too much while I was messing around with it, trying to get the wifi to work. I've had it about 3 weeks so far and the smell has dissapated a little bit, but the whole room still smells like it. If you're sensitive to that kind of thing, you might want to watch out for that. Other than that and the wifi capability, which I hope will be resolved soon, this is really has been an excellent investment for our home, safety and security (the cameras are also excellent if you get a chance to try them). I don't think you can beat the entire package as far as price, camera clarity, storage capacity and ease of use compared to some others on the market that I've tried. I don't work for this company or have any relationship with them--this is an unbiased opinion and I paid full price for it!

I have now had this Fujikam 361 HD security camera for 5 months. Here is my experience with it. It is solid and well made. It is bigger than you might think. It is easy to set up. The live feed image quality and audio is excellent. Remote pan and tilt works extremely well with a swipe of the live image on a smart phone. Price is excellent. I do have a few gripes. Motion sensitivity is extremely difficult to set and I'm still trying to get day and night settings that do not over-capture or under-capture. Sometimes I get no recording at all with motion and other times I get a recording every 2-5 minutes for hours for no apparent reason. The clicking sound when the motion sensor is activated is kind of annoying and makes visitors inquire if you are snapping their picture. It rarely and unreliably sends a motion alert to my Samsung S5 phone. My biggest gripe is the software. You must use the manufacturers software to view any recorded imaged. It is difficult to sort through captured images and video with the manufacturers online software especially if there are dozens of "false alarm" motion recordings. As I said above, it is very difficult to get the motion sensitivity setting just right so I tend to over capture rather than risk not recording. It is not possible to download any recorded video or pics to your computer without removing the SD card and inserting it into the computer. You can then save the recordings by copying the files over to your computer from the SD card but still so tedious to sort through them there. I wish this camera would allow me to email images to myself. The camera hardware and software does not allow email of motion triggered pics or video to yourself. (More basic Linksys security cameras have this email function built in.) You have to use the manufacturers software to view any pics or video. Tedious and takes forever. If it emailed the recorded images you would not have to upload them to the manufacturers website and would also have more privacy. I'm still looking for something better but not able to find it at this price point.

I was very excited to receive this product. As soon as I got it I set it up right away (which took about 5 mins) and I was very impressed with the quality of this camera. I am very happy with my purchase though I wish there were a way to mount it without having to keep it directly plugged in to a power source. It works fabulously & I will definitely be purchasing more from fujikam!

**UPDATE**
After using the camera system for about 2-3 weeks I have to admit that the MIPC app is not very good at all. I'm constantly having to reset the app because the picture keeps freezing on my phone & the touch to pan and tilt doesn't respond on time , if at all. Also the app crashes on my Acer All in one tablet. Basically I HAVE to use my laptop... Which it still freezes. Disappointed with the app you have to use with camera.

Good cameras but software and tech support is a problem. Picture is clear. Hardware setup was simple (plug and play) but setting up remote viewing was another story. The included instructions don't help. Actually tells you to go to YouTube to get more info. After about an hour I was able to review remotely on my phone and tablet. Everything was fine but after 4 weeks, I couldn't view remotely. It then took about 4 weeks of phone calls and emails to tech support before I finally got someone I could understand and who could make sense of what was happening. The final explanation was that the problem was that I was using a WiFi extender and that sometimes causes a problem even though he didn't know why. We then set up port forwarding and I can now view through the IP address.

I have to say it does its job but needs a few improvements.
Good: cameras are easy to install(if you consider camera installs easy in the first place), wire length included should work with most household installation(I have a two story 2200sqft house), 720p is quite clear on close range objects, DIY cameras, very extensive book included, online support (if you get on google or youtube), playback wonderful, phone app is free
Bad: wire quality poor or camera (some of my cameras flicker on and off randomly then reset themselves so I suspect its wiring), system randomly resets itself( I still have not found a consistent pattern to the shutdowns), no expandability unless you order another, booklet should be model specific not all inclusive, ptp setup is best left to the pros, phone app could use some improvement for the more savvy user(I only use for checking in)
Ugly: as I stated random resets of main unit, unit blows ports on my internet router every time there is a rainstorm( its up to 3 now), for the price this thing really should be able to add some extra wireless cameras, cords require power for every camera so prepare to get a 8-16 port power strip, and the motion sensitivity is waaaaaayyyyyyyyy to sensitive outside (example: wind blows it goes off, spider drops it goes off, leaves fall.... you guessed it, it goes off)

Overall this is a quality unit which despite the kickbacks keeps itself running!

A couple of things: The reviews are for all the Amcrest products not just the one I purchased, the 960H. So if you get excited about 1000 + reviews, look closer. I bought it because of the reviews and the pictures of the night vision. Found out that was taken from the 1280p model. Set the system up and make sure you get the software to work before you install it. I almost had to put mine back in the box and return it. The first problem I had was during the initial set up. I cant get the security settings to allow this device to send emails from my Gmail or Yahoo accounts. I had to lower my security settings in my email and still having problems with that. Next was the Mobil app. I loaded the pro version and could not get it to link up. If this happens don't spend to much time messing around with the network settings on the DVR. I loaded the basic app and was able to get it to work but wasted several hours watching videos to only uninstall the one I installed on my phone and reinstall the Amcrest link basic. The pro version sets up exactly the same way, not sure why it didn't work. Thankfully the image quality is very good both at day and night. I love the system. I would recommend taking all the video wire off the spool before you run it through rafters or where ever you are going to put them and run your hand over the cords to erase the cord memory. This is done by lightly pulling the cord through your hand. Because it is tightly wound on a small spool the cord memory causes the cord to pinched if you are running it any distance you will have knots or even damage the wire. I bought another 120' and it was pretty hard to run with all the twists in it. the 60' were worse. If I had taken them off the spool first It would have been much easier.

This should be a 5 star product. The instructions do not help if something isn't right. The videos are basic and helpful if there is a problem. It has taken me 8 hours to relocate my internet modem, run the wires into the ceiling and out to the ends of the house through the attic. I expected this would be a permanent install and be usable for quite some time. Its a great value, I don't see the need to have higher resolution. Its very nice at night, just what I wanted. A lot of work with the cords to do it right.

Really like the quality of the camera resolution and the actual hardware has been great. I have two 8 camera systems in my retail store and I wish that both of them were these Amcrest systems based on the image quality. My other unit is a Swann

While the Swann unit has had it's fair share of issues, we've had to get two replacements...setting up the software and getting it enabled for remote viewing has been fairly easy and it's supported on my phone, tablet and over the network. It's a great feature and I love having the access.

The amcrest unit I purchased I have never been able to get the remote viewing to work. I've tried several times to enable and set it up. I've made several calls to tech support and have never been able to get it resolved. Every time we've dealt with Amcrest support too, it's honestly been big disappointment and not very helpful. We've had them hang up on us. We've had them tell us they would schedule a callback the following day and never do so. We've left messages with no callback. And then when we have had them on the phone they were not very helpful or had any ideas on how to work through the network issues.

I'd give this product a SOLID 5 stars if I could just get the remote viewing to work. I've essentially given up on the idea since installing it month ago and am just living without it.

Happy with purchase although I wish I had bought the higher resolution and more channels. We bought the 720P 8 channel model. There was an unknown vehicle in our driveway about 20 feet away from the camera and the license plate was not clear. Be aware that a monitor is required and not included. It was easy to install but the program could be more intuitive. Setting changes such as the date after daylight savings have to be changed on the unit itself rather than on the website or they will not take. The website says that changes are saved but they are not. We bought a second unit with 4 channels for a rental property and our tenant has not been able to get the app to work on his Android phone. We had no problem with our IPhones.

I ended up retuning it.
I thought the features and function were great. The video quality was pretty good and the motion alerts with live video to my phone were very useful. I was able to be alerted when the dog sitter came and talk to her through the camera.
My two knocks, and why I returned it are: (1) the motion sensor was tooo sensitive. Even when turning it way down in the settings. To cover a room it had to be pointed in the direction of the window. Every time a branch or the power lines blew (a minimum 20 feet way) I'd get an alert to my phone. Let me tell you how that freaks you out at night in a new house you are still getting used to.
(2) No Zwave or Zigbee compatibility which meant that I couldn't connect it to a hub later for better and integrated functionality.
As a stand alone camera, I was still happy, especially at the price. But being unable to resolve the alert sensitivities sealed it for me.

We have this placed in our living room mostly to keep an eye on the 22-year-old when we are away. I bought this one because I didn't want my living room video stored in the cloud and the price was good. Also, I liked that I didn't have to have a separate hard drive and would just record to an SD card on motion. It mostly works well. Set up is pretty simple. The video is decent quality and the app is easy to use.

There are a few quibbles I have with it. 1. From time to time the thing needs to be rebooted or the video won't capture. 2. Getting the motion detection settings right is difficult. The challenge is getting it set so that it will capture video when someone walks across the room, but not too sensitive that it will start recording when a bird flies by the window. 3. It would be nice to have an on/off toggle in the app so that I can turn it off when I'm home without having to unplug it.

One thing I hate about this device is you have to download a PDF file to read instructions. Way too many pages to print.
Took me an hour before I gave up and called support to ask why the printed password wouldn't work.
I had to "reset" the device and nowhere on the PDF instructions even said this. I'm having a hard time finding a place to put it. While it looks small, it's not. I was planning to put in window but too big to sit on window sill. Dragged a table to window. Too low. So now it sits on top of the box it came in on table. I thought I could watch video by playback. You have to use one of those itty bitty SD cards, take it out and put in computer to watch video on what went on. If you can watch playback, I can't figure out how by instructions. This device will work for now. But as soon as I can afford it, I'm getting a security company to put in real camera's.

** Be aware that reviews for the Vimtag B-1 outdoor camera and the VT-361 indoor pan/zoom camera are mixed together in these reviews so be SURE you know which camera the reviewer is talking about. I review both cameras **

2/22/17 update - Today, FiOS updated my internet service with 150/150 service with a 2.4Hz and 5GHz dual band router. In order to update the Vimtag wifi on both the B-1 outdoor AND the VT-361 indoor cameras, you HAVE to run a CAT 5 cable directly from the modem to each camera and then drill down into the app and update the router name and password. What total a pain in the a$$ because I have 4 Vimtags, two B-1 outdoor and two VT-361 indoor cameras. Apparently you can also use a laptop with a CAT 5 cable as well but I was too far along in the first process to switch over and I was too aggravated at the clowns at Vimtag. To add insult to aggravation, the bozos at Vimtag DO NOT anwer their phone. It's "leave a message and we'll call back" or "email us". I chose the latter and got called back about 20 minutes later and informed about the CAT 5 cable from the modem to each camera. So if you order these from Amazon, put a 100 foot Amazon basics CAT cable in with the order because you're eventually going to need it.

12/26/16 update - I have two of these cameras front and back at my home. I just installed the Ring Pro doorbell camera and it blows the Vimtag B-1 cameras away. The Ring Pro is easier to install, a LOT smaller, requires one doorbell wire, can be mounted without using a doorbell at all with a 24vac transformer, has a 160 degree field of view compared to about 100 degrees for the Vimtag, The Ring Pro can pan and zoom and has audio communication which the Vimtag B-1 also lacks. I pointed my Vimtag front B-1 camera at my front door and the Ring Pro covers everything else. The Ring con is price - $199 versus $99 for the B-1 but I found the Ring Pro from a new seller for $99 but the jury is still out on that acquisition because the second Ring Pro has not arrived yet. But even at twice the price, the Ring Pro is 4 times the camera over the Vimtag. The final plus for the Ring pro is that rather than fooling around with a 32gb card and hoping you capture and event, for $30 a year, Ring will keep the data in their could for 6 months. I looked at the Nest doorbell cam but the monitoring for an outdoor camera is $200 a year!!!

In summary, give the Ring Pro a hard look before the Vimtag B-1 and certainly the Nest cam.

Original review -
This review is for the outdoor B-1 camera (NOT the VT 361 indoor camera!) that I have setup overlooking my driveway. It works really well but I have a requests for improvement

Pro -
Easy initial Set up but lots of "drill down" settings
Installation is not difficult, it you mount it upside down it has a "flip" control to invert the image
The app works well on my iPhone. It's better than the D Link app which cuts out frequently
Very Clear image
Highly weather resistant - I live north of Buffalo, NY and this camera can take weather beating
There are a LOT of settings and it takes a while to get familiar with all of them and figure out how to get it take snapshots and record.
On line upgrade is simple and only takes a few minutes

Con -
Wish it had a wider view.
Wish it would pan, zoom and tilt and voice/sound
Requires some skill to install outside due to the large RJ-45 coupler for set up. I used a Carlon 4" x 6" box custom configured for the camera.

Overall this camera is crisp and clear, has an on board 32GB card and the iPhone app works well. My one star deduction is for the limited viewing width, no pan and tilt and ingenuity required to install outdoors with the large plugs for the RJ-45 connector, power and reset button

VT-361 Indoor camera - This camera is a lot better than the B-1 outdoor camera because of tilt, pan, zoom and voice functions. Uses a 32GB storage card that works OK. I paid $99 for my VT-361 and for $69, it's a lot better deal. I have no issues with the VT-361 other than updating the wifi for a new modem/router or password change requires a CAT 5 hardwire hookup. If you have the VT-361 camera 20 feet in the air in a large entrance way, get the ladder out and practice your cussing right now.

I wanted a camera to check in on my dog and chose this one based on all the great reviews and it being an Amazon Best Seller. Perhaps all the hype raised my expectations too much. It's OK. It was easy to set up, sort of. The first day, I could only get a picture if I left it plugged into the router; it would go black when trying to use wifi, although I completed the set up process and it had said I could unplug the cable. Today I managed to get it to work without the cable allowing me to move it to a better location. A lot of reviewers talk about the HD video. Well, I have seen some moments of good picture, but most, especially movement, is pretty broken up, and the lag time for me is an issue. Sometimes the lag time is a few seconds, but sometimes the lag time is much longer, perhaps closer to a minute. So, if I see my dog doing something he shouldn't, I wouldn't dare to use the voice feature because it may be long over and he may be sleeping on his bed by the time I see it. The lag also applies to the pan and tilt. That feature may be useful if you decide you want to monitor a different part of the room, but if you are trying to follow something that is happening, realize it may have already happened and it can take a few minutes to have the camera actually turn to see the new area. At the low cost, I will keep it, but I don't see it being as useful as I had anticipated.

I've had the cameras watching my house for about a year. They're ok. They're not very clear. You can't make out tag numbers or faces. If I get robbed, about all I could tell is the color of the person's skin and the color of the vehicle they drove. The images won't be convicting anyone. The plus is that I can watch from my phone or computer thanks to Cliff Hoyer helping me in setting up the DVR in application. He's fromCustomer service. I'll be doing hd cameras if I move.

this system does record , it does have infra red , it does have a good sharp picture . but i have had it for a couple years now and have not been able to get it to pair with my phone and the Amcrest app ! i have spent endless time on the phone with there techs and still does not work ! and that was key for me when buying this , so i would be alerted ! ! not so happy !

😭 , no help on putting it together.Every one, does not have a computerGuess that's how you read the direction. Calling doesn't work. Still no sound 🤔Get past that and still not sure what else it does but got the camera to work 😁

A year after install, one of the cameras doesn't work - I've replaced 2 times. The night vision is spotty on the others, the cameras seem to need to be reset for night vision every once and while. The customer service is just ok. The app kind of sucks, hard to export videos, not intuitive. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this if you actually need cameras for security. We'll probably be replacing with a 1080 system.

the operating system sucks the way you search is annoying and thers no fan to keep it cool
i wish it had better functions better searching
my free camera software on my pc is way more intuitive
i would get something else
the cameras are great night vision is really nice too but the dvr sucks

Very hard to get it setup to record correctly. I have had 4 calls with the technical support. They are very nice but I can't get it to record at a specific time. The tech resets the paramaters each time and then reboots my camera. I lose whatever I have recorded but that doesn't really matter because I can't get it to record at the right times anyway. It seems to keep changing the time zones. I'm pretty technical but this camera is too buggy and I'm spending over 2 hours with the help desk. 30 minutes a clip. I haven't tried other cameras but this is very hard to schedule a recording.

Half of the time I can't get it working and I have to wait until I go to my mothers house to reset it. It's very buggy. I often can't move the camera

**Update**
Dropped one more star. I still only use this for live monitoring since the motion detection feature gets really frustrating. In addition to all other issues, one of my cameras periodically shows offline and can't be accessed. It comes back on its own after a while. Also trying to use these for live monitoring with audio on gets annoying after a while because of the constant device generated background noise. It must be a noise from the tilt/pan motor but it comes through constantly even when the camera is still. They should find a way to filter that out. I am definitely looking for a better security camera now.

The good:
- It was fairly easy to set up
- Tilt/pan feature is nice and has a good range
- It's nice to be able to listen in - I have not had a chance to use it for a two-way conversation to see how good the speaker is

The bad:
- The motion detection feature has been the most frustrating part. It just did not work for me. I ended up getting so many false notifications that I disabled the alarms and just use it for keeping an eye on things when I am away. I played around with the sensitivity settings and still could not get it to work. I put one in a dark attic with no movement and it would still send me motion detection alarms.
- The software is not that good. There are no controls on the video playback. You don't seem to be able to select videos/images you get with the notification on your device to delete the ones you don't want. Given the false notification issue, you end up with a bunch of useless images/videos.
- One of the units seems to have an issue with a flash of light that gets captured on the videos and snapshots. There is a sudden click that you hear along with the flash and a couple of seconds of the video or some of the pictures get completely blurred because of it.
- No cloud storage. You have to use the SD cards, but you can also save the images/videos on your device.

Also the "Super HD" title is misleading. The picture is just ok, but definitely not "Super HD". Overall it's an ok unit for the money, but I will be looking for one with better motion detection capability. If anyone has any suggestions for a better unit, please comment.

It has been a year and I really can't stand this thing. It would seem easy enough to set the sensitivity to capture motion from a person and not from a leaf dropping from a tree or dust in the air, but I simply can't reliably. It either captures everything sending notifications every few minutes or seconds, to absolute ignorance of motion. It does not help that after each adjustment you need to turn it off and turn it on to make the setting changes take effect - really you do even though it says you don't. But there is no guarantee of this and after a year I have given up. It is not reliable. You ask it to record from one time to another and nothing happens. So you try resetting the setting to ask again and it works once. Then it doesn't. Why? I don't know. You get the sensitivity of motion close enough and ask it to stop notifying you then bam - it fails to notice any motion whatsoever. Why? I can't tell. You think - I will just record for a set amount of time to capture the entire babysitting time expecting to fast forward through the footage to save time - but no - no scanning. What I ended up doing was to use the screen capture while showing the video feed on the screen. Well this lets the entire household know you are filming and whatever is said by the computer is picked up on the screen capture. So you are looking at what is being filmed but experiencing ghost vocals during playback (who is talking?). Any way, maybe this would work in another household where motion and playback is not important so I gave a second star. But for me, it is a frustrating piece of red glowing purposeless plastic.

PROS:
1) Easy to setup.
2) Nice & simple design.
3) Showed a good image when it worked.

CONS:
1) Stopped working after day 3.
2) Could not get it to work again even after resetting it to manufacturer settings, re-downloading the app and trying to set up a new account.
3) I noticed it did not always record moving objects/persons as I programmed it to when I sat in the same room with it while doing my computer work. Neither could I get it to record me as I blatantly moved in front of it.
4) Camera head which rotates on the black base felt like the movement was not smooth.
5) The original made for packaging/box did not look like it came brand new from the factory due to the multiple etched impressions and smudges I saw on it, and I then suspected that it was previously owned or used by someone else.
6) Expected a brand new camera but believe I got a refurbished one.
7) Customer service had odd hours opening at 10:30am the earliest on the weekday that I called.
8) Customer service personnel said they had to have someone else call me back to help me reset my password, which lead me to believe the company was not entirely professional or well established.

CONCLUSION: I returned this item for a full refund.

The features and quality of this camera are decent, but there are 2 major drawbacks: both the Android and iOS apps only allow you to remotely view for some variable amount of time before the streaming just stops without warning, and the apps sometimes cannot connect to whatever "account" needs to be created. In the latter case, the app must be force closed and, in the case of our iPad, the device must be restarted in order for the connection to the service to complete successfully. Another drawback is the fact that the "MIPC" Android and iOS apps do not maintain their settings each time the app is opened - you have to unmute the sound every time you look into a camera feed, for instance.

I was really only looking for a simple solution here to replace a baby monitoring system - a camera in a room that I can view on a smartphone/tablet at all times for any duration of time. I need to be alerted to movement of a child - even in the middle of the night - and I can do this with this camera and app. Perhaps there is another app that can connect to this camera without the need for some account to be created, certainly seems like our video feeds are going through some offsite system somewhere - doesn't give you the warm and fuzzy, that's for sure.

This worked great the first 10 months. But then I started experiencing signal loss on all the cameras just out of the blue. My husband contacted the company only to get nowhere. When they finally had him try some troubleshooting none of it worked so the representative puts him on hold for fifteen minutes then comes back on and says try this list of troubleshooting and says call back if it doesn't work, then hangs up. Just recently contacted the seller and they are claiming they cannot find my order number. I wish I'd had a better experience. Haven't even had the unit a year. Will be purchasing our next unit locally.

Ordered this camera set up worked great for about a week, then one camera started acting up after going back and fourth with the company over replacing the messed up camera they tell me i have to pay $15 to get a new one the new one is only $25 dont waste your time go with a company that backs there products

Cameras have never worked spent so much time with their useless tech people I can no longer have them replaced even though they never worked. Would not recommend TS&CS will waste your time

CAUTION!!! DO NOT BUY!!! I purchased this system in December of 2016 for my father as a Christmas gift. He paid $300 to have it professionally installed because he wanted a clean and finished look to everything in his home. It worked for a few months before failing. After numerous phone calls to the company's Technical Department that left him with a bad taste in his mouth for Amcrest, the company passed him off onto the RA department. It was exchanged for a "new" unit under RA5007747944*. The "new" unit took almost a month to arrive and he was almost ready to down a bottle of Advil and call Amcrest again to find out what had happened to the replacement when It finally showed up. My father plugged in the "new" unit and was pleased with himself when he was able to get it set up. This feeling lasted for all of 30 minutes before the "new" unit failed. During this time we had a death in the family. Coupled with that and the headache known as Amcrest, the whole problem was shelved until just recently when I prodded him to call Amcrest again to try to and get this resolved. A few more bouts with the Technical Department and was told to email the RA department again. This is where we now are.... Waiting for the RA department again, who will probably send us another poorly refurbished unit in about a month. Don't waste your time with Amcrest unless you're a glutton for punishment. I'd give this zero stars if I could. Garbage from product to support.

Wow. What a terrible system. God help you if you forget your password. You actually have to email tech support and give them more info than you need to log onto your bank site.And then they don't call you back.Terrible.

It quit working when I needed it. When I went to check for video it was no longer recording and I had something stolen.I would not buy this product.

This has not been a reliable system. Cloud box seems to record ok, The data labeling has been erratic. Cameras purchased for this system are not reliable as well. First camera worked great for three months then stopped recording. Confirmed this by purchasing second camera. Second camera records but has software issues. Would definitely not recommend purchasing if you want to be sure it is going to work every time it is activated.

Impossible to completely deactivate the microphone on the camera. This is very important if you don't want the sound to be transmitted. You can go to setting and turn the volume to 0, but sound still can be heard. For example, if you connect to camera from your office pc with speakers attached, you WILL HEAR the conversation. I called their tech support twice and explained the problem and asked if anything else can be done. They couldn't help.

I ordered this quite awhile ago when it was called "Fujikam". I still have that camera, which works flawlessly, and wanted a second. I'm disappointed to say that the Vimtag seems to be unable to connect to Wifi. I tried a replacement and got the same issue. How do I know it's not a problem with my home Wifi setup? Because I have the previous model that was called "Fujikam" that IS able to connect to my Wifi. I had to troubleshoot this myself because the "product support" doesn't really have the capability to help troubleshoot issues like this beyond suggesting a return / refund and a few obvious fixes. I AM able to connect to wired Ethernet but that's not going to cut it for my situation. The setup process using the Android app doesn't even work, either. You're supposed to hold the phone near it as it plays a sound or show it a QR code, neither of which worked for me.

Avoid this. If you run into a problem during setup, you're going to have a hard time resolving it. Also, I heard that it's very easy for someone to hack in and view your camera.

I can't believe this camera gets good reviews. When it arrived (late) I thought it looked well made, and after reading all the positive reviews
I was it expecting it to work well, that was not the case.
I had to use the included cable to set it up, it would not connect via wifi. Once I got it working all it would do was display real-time video,
with no instructions and no customer support available I could not get it to do what it's described to do.
After two hours of trying to get it set-up I re-boxed it and sent it back. What a waste of time!

This was such a useless purchase. Overall the camera is fairly user-friendly however no matter how much you adjust the sensitivity of motion detection it constantly records from the slightest change in lighting, etc. I had hoped to use this as more of a security device while away on trips etc but when my home is empty, lights off the motion detection is constantly triggered by as far as I can tell by watching the videos, absolutely nothing at all. I could have gone much cheaper than this but should have looked at more expensive systems/cameras. Avoid this at all costs unless you feel like sifting through hours and hours of useless videos of absolutely nothing at all.

I cannot believe Amazon even sells this item... The worst possible thing that could happen with this product happened to me, 1 day after setting it up. Ironically, using this camera for peace of mind actually put me at more risk of criminal activity. Here's why...

I read other low ratings for this noting that people gave high ratings for discounts, and that this camera does not encrypt your wifi password when you set it up. I'm no expert so google it- lots of expert info online about how risky these are. So I see all these warnings and I'm like, tons of people rated high so it can't be THAT risky. I even called Vimtag and asked their tech guys about it. He claimed "bank level security", but could not offer my any documentation, encryption methods, nothing. I ignored my paranoia and installed it anyway. Then it got weird...

It worked for a day, I was liking the image, and alerts etc... I had it pointed out my front window sitting inside on the sil. I got a movement alert to my phone and later checked the live image. Somehow, the camera was now facing the opposite direction pointing up my stairs. The recorded video on the SD card was of me, walking down the stairs. It turned all the way around and recorded me in my house. I was the only person home and absolutely did not move the camera myself.

I then noticed that my 2015 Mac Pro which was closed/asleep, had gone from 100% to 75% battery within an hour or so - again, while closed/asleep. I had JUST taken it off the charger. My router records also showed thousands of access attempts from IP addresses all over the world had just happened.

I called tried to change my wifi password and someone had already done so. They also changed my device access code for the router. I factory reset and within minute it had been changed again. Now my net is disconnected, pending replacement of my router for security reasons.

Why Amazon sells a product with known security risks speaks volumes about their priorities to me. I thought people were being paranoid, but turns out exactly what they warned about happened to me within a day. DO NOT USE THIS PRODUCT. So shady... I now have the pleasure of resetting all my passwords and info and not having access to the net for several days while I clean up this mess. I only hope there are no other precautions I'm missing that will pop up later... Ugh...