Review on 📸 Amcrest 2MP Outdoor PTZ POE + IP Camera with Pan Tilt Zoom (25x Motorized Optical) ProHD POE+ Security Speed Dome, CMOS Image Sensor, 328ft Night Vision, POE+ (802.3at) IP66, 2MP, IP2M-863EW-AI by Devin Lee

Original Appearance: This camera is very well built with heavy metal. When unpacking, I opted for an SD card, which I was very happy about. Inside were bags of silica gel. If I hadn't opened the back wall, I wouldn't have known. It also appears that the cable protector has melted somewhat into the silica gel bags from the heat of the trip. I really appreciate the anti-drop screws on the access panel. Inserting the SD card was easy and everything fitted together nicely. Assembly: The stand is also well made of metal. The only mounting hardware provided was for concrete so I used a few screws as I was going to mount it to a wooden surface. The safety connection between the tripod mount and the camera consisted of three chain connectors (the instructions state these can be these or a wire). There was an issue where the camera hole side of the mount was too small to fit the chain links so I had to drill it out a bit. Connection: Connecting to the camera on the network was very quick and easy. Settings like IP, time, etc. were simple and easy to find. After getting its new IP address, formatting the SD card and doing all the other settings, I transferred it to my Blue Iris. This was also fairly quick, appearing almost immediately. I also used an extra stream for my movement and a main stream for recording. Settings: The main settings were easy to set up. Setting up the PTZ presets was easy, but remember to click the save icon each time you add one or you risk losing them. The PTZ movement speed was fantastic to have such slow-to-fast spread. Creating preset locations and assembling a tour requires some investment of time to understand at first, but once you get the hang of it, everything goes quickly. Conclusion: I really like this camera. I've wanted a PTZ camera for a long time and it's amazing that I can add such a fast and smooth PTZ camera to my system. It integrates very well with Blue Iris. What I really liked: • Night vision video quality (no additional components needed) • Sturdy construction (metal) • POE SD card slot • PTZ can move insanely fast and still works smoothly • Lots of settings to play with and tweak I would change a bit: • For each AI function you have to use IE for plugins • I wish it came with a motion tracking function • I didn't find the AI options very useful as it was difficult to get them working properly • No Built-in microphone