The whole Tenvis IP camera series appeared to be the similar,
however the Tenvis IPRobot3 tend to be an outstanding one and anyway out of my exception.
Some where Tenvis series are very similar with the foscam brand excepting IPROBOT2 and the advanced one IPROBOT3.The description seems nice and not only the appearance is great but also the built in software is quite different from Wansview, EasyN, and other brands I have used so far. I was surprised to find there are detailed tutorials and new firmware updates on the professional forum.And the camera uses GM8126,which is widely adopt by regular HD IP cameras.
Compatibility:
The IPRobot3 can be compatible with many third party clients such as ONVIF protocol. Some can only partially because I did not try the whole functions such as pan and tilt adjusts. Maybe Tenvis does not emphasis these features.
Other third party camera software such as Synology Surveillance Station or the Onvif device manager can easily access to the live video. Other standards used are Pelco-D protocol for PTZ control, and P2P which allows a plug-and-play access (automatic detection) from any P2P client.
Outstanding Characters:
I upgraded my firmware from version 1.1.3.2 to 1.1.6.2. Although I'm quite helpful to perform firmware updates, I'd a difficult time using the provided Batch Upload utility. Upgrading from you interface was finally easier. Possess seen people reporting the actual opposite.
The embedded speaker is extremely loud and clear and, in the beginning, all this looks perfect for 2-way communication, but unfortunately using both speaker and mic. Together creates a bad Larsen effect immediately. Plugging a speaker and placing it from the unit helps. This is a pity though that Tenvis failed to add a volume control from the interface.
There is a Micro-Sdcard slot but little freedom of what about it.The storage device is used to be a buffer once the network seriously isn't available, and whatever is stored into it gets gone to live in the network storage whenever a connection is resumed.
Pros:- 4.2mm lens provides a wider view- Alarm interface (RS485 connector) with possibility to set parameters from the user interface- ONVIF compatibility for video streaming- Multi-zone detection configurable from the Web interface- Masks (to hide part of the image) can be defined- Sound detection can be used to trigger the alarm- Supported by Robert Chou's IP Cam Viewer (Android/iOS/BlackBerry)- Tenvis has an active customer support service including their own forum.- Programmable automatic reboot
Cons:- No backup/restore function for configuration.- No Log- Two-way use of audio impossible due to Larsen effect- No volume control for the (loud) speaker- Would be nice to have an extended ONVIF compliance (for controls)- Would need an option to keep some recordings (videos) on the SD Card.- Somewhat picky on microSD cards used.- Stability problems at time.- Tends to stick in night mode (IR and B/W picture) even in full indoor light.- Proprietary .v264 video format requires Windows (only) program to view.
Short Summary
Although there's room for improvement, the Tenvis IPRobot3 is really a surprising device that complies with standards normally seen in more expansive IP cameras. The interface is usually somewhat more confusing than average, and in addition could be slow and unstable from time to time. I'd need to see higher information on their site, such as the streaming examples above.The 720p image, whilst not by far the most colourful, is sharp plus a bit wider than normal.
