Review on 1.0 Megapixel 720p USB Camera - Equipped with IR 📷 Cut and IR LED for Advanced Day and Night Smart Video Surveillance by Etai Gopala

Well, first of all, this thing arrived in a multi-purpose universal camera box. There was no branding or a unique identification mark to indicate my camera type. No software, no manual, nothing. I'm surprised it was actually printed in color! Inside the thin cardboard box, the only protection for the camera was a thin foam sock taped around the camera inside. There was no other padding in the box, no shipping foam or anything else. Cheaply packaged and shipped but I think that's what I get for only spending forty bucks on the item. Next, tracking down the maker/manufacturer was a bit of a hassle. Finally I found out on GOOGLE that ELP is the actual manufacturer of the camera. I thought my trouble was almost over! I was wrong. This was just the beginning of a long line of problems. I checked out the ELP website to find out how easy it is to tilt the camera at the base. You know, something like an instruction manual. So I enter what looks like the model number out of the box. NOT RIGHT! Not even close. Mistake. Good. Look into the camera. Cool, there's a little silver tag on it. Glad one worked. Model: ELP-USBFHD01M-DL36 for anyone interested. So I'm trying to download the user manual and maybe some software for it. If you hover over the download button on the product page for that camera, you will get "Related Products". Big. there is no help. There is a "Support" link at the top of the main feed and then when you hover over it you get the downloads! HOORAY! Clicking it will give you the following: • USB Camera Software for XP,WIN7,WIN8 • CMS IP Camera Software • Face Recognition Smart IP Camera Software The first link is just an INDICATOR of what yours is USB Camera will appear and you need to select to start and stop recording. There aren't many security programs out there. two others? Norton Security Suite 360 immediately removes them as viruses. I still haven't found an instruction manual, but I found that the collar just above the ring with holes for screws and legs isn't the one with a cutout for the camera lens, but a ring in between and a bottom ring. This pivots to disengage from the bottom ring, releasing the camera for rotation, and also unscrews completely, allowing the base to be screwed to the mounting surface. After using the camera for a while and looking for a good motion activated security kit. while the image quality is VERY good for the price which brought my STAR rating back to where it was. The camera works perfectly and has a nice long cable, which was unexpected. I suggest you also get a BOOSTED USB extension cable to complete the wiring to your computer from a door or window as the USB cable probably isn't long enough to reach it. However, its length is long enough to reach a door or window and get to a good spot off the road, and still have a nice clean line inside without the need to connect to the outside. For the disappointment suffered, inadequate packaging, poor shipping protection, lack of support for a simple user manual on the manufacturer's website, time spent finding software to run, I gave 1 star. However, I added a star for the simplicity of the design, ease of installation, and sufficient length of the cable. I added 2 stars for the 720p picture quality for the price which was the biggest surprise.