TENVIS Wireless IP Pan/Tilt/ Night Vision Internet Surveillance Camera Built-in Microphone With Pho

This might be the first review on Amazon of the Tenvis JPT3815W. I originally wanted to go with the Foscam since it was the most popular of the same type of IP camera, but decided to take a chance with the Tenvis. The little booklet manual was easy to follow and has good illustrations and photos. Set it up first with the ethernet cable before attempting wireless setup. The software auto-detects your network and puts the camera in the same IP address range. I got it all working and was viewing over the LAN in under a half-hour. With some port-forwarding knowledge, you can set the camera up for remote view on your smartphone, which I did with the excellent Android phone app, TinyCam Monitor Pro. Picture quality is good and focus can be manually adjusted by turning the ring around and night-vision works very well.

When operating, a green LED flashes continuously but unfortunately there is no way to turn it off in the software and hopefully the manufacturer will have a fix for it sometime in the near future.

I was looking for an inexpensive way to monitor my house while away and this product exceeds my expectations. While the setup can be challenging, the Tenvis technical support was very prompt! This product allows me to monitor my house (and pets) where ever I may be through either 3G access from my smartphone (either android or iphone) or internet access. The Pan and Tilt functionality of this camera allows me to monitor my entire living room with just one camera. Therefore, I'm able to sit at work and scan my living room to make sure my everything is ok. Also, it has 2 way audio where I can hear what's happening at home and also talk through the camera. You can also record through the camera (to your pc) and take "snapshots" of moments in time. I've looked at other surveillance systems and for the price of just one camera, this could not be beat. You can add up to 9 cameras and monitor your entire house. There is also an "alarm" function that will email you if there is "motion" in front of the camera. It takes "snapshots" of the motion and includes them in the email. This amazes me for the $60 price range. To get the most functionality out of the camera remotely, you must use Internet Explorer, but you do have limited functionality from other web browsers. The "smartphone" functionality is much more limited than using a web browser, but to be able to view your house through your phone is pretty impressive. I've just ordered two more cameras for my house which is still "cheaper" than many of the other surveillance systems I've seen that ultimately have fewer bells and whistles. I've very impressed with the camera!

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I have 3 JPT3815W cameras (plus 1 of a different brand). These are about as easy to install within a LAN as any other wireless device. However, setting them up for access from outside a LAN is more difficult. To be specific, I happen to have an Actiontec DSL Modem and I was able to achieve remote viewing only after configuring the modem to allow 'port forward' for each of the cameras. To accomplish this, I assigned port numbers of 8080, 8081, 8082, and 8083 to each camera respectively. After this I signed onto the Actiontec and created a port forwarding table. (I did this by entering each one of these numbers as well as each cameras IP address). Then, because my Internet service provider uses Dynamic IP addressing, I signed up with a DNS service provider. I elected to sign up with NO-IP at a cost of $15 per year. (Note that DYNDNS charges $20 per year). However, if only one domain is being setup then there is no cost to sign up. After obtaining my DNS account with NO-IP, I was able to create 4 separate hostnames and to then associate each camera's IP address and port number to that particular hostname. (Tenvis offers technical support if it is needed).

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These cameras are nice when they work, but they don't work very long. Ordered 2 of them. First one failed the second day it was in use. Second failed 2 weeks after the return window closed, which means I get to deal with warranty support via Tenvis. Both cameras were mounted inside the house. Meanwhile my Foscam, which has been abused by being mounted in a cold garage, is still going strong more than a year after I bought it. Tenvis appears attractive because it's about $25 or so cheaper than the Foscams, but the failure rate has been unacceptable.

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We've been upgrading our security system from Logitech cams to IP cams, and let me tell ya, the difference is stark. Logitech's security cams have always been wonky, but now with the addition of these new IP cams, Logitech's shortcomings have become stark. Do yourself a favor, and get these IP cams instead.

> Foscam vs Tenvis

This Tenvis looks to be identical to this older Foscam FI8918W. Tenvis performs just as well as this old model Foscam, but has a slightly narrower Pan & Tilt range:

Tenvis: Horizontal 270°; Vertical 90°

Foscam: Horizontal 270°; Vertical 120°

That 30° difference in the vertical lens movement can be a big deal, depending on the environment where you're using the cams. A little extra coverage is never a bad thing.

> User Interface

Tenvis just doesn't even come close to Foscam in this department. Foscam is much more refined, pleasing to the eye and just downright easier to use. Tenvis, by contrast, appears much cruder and rudimentary. The UI is loaded onto each cam itself, so all you need is a web browser to view all the options. Tenvis basically has the same features, but just not laid out as nicely as Foscam.

> No IR LED Control

One stunning omission with the Tenvis' functionality, is that you can NOT turn off the infra red LEDs manually. This is important, because IR LEDs will NOT work through glass. Even though IR isn't visible to the naked eye, the cam certainly sees it, and if you try to place this in a window looking outside, all the cam sees is a white spotlight reflecting off the glass. So in that instance, turning off the LEDs would be helpful. Also, there's some cam locations that have plenty of light, even at night, so turning off the LEDs would help make the cam more stealth. As it is, this is just not possible with Tenvis.

> Performance

The wireless range doesn't appear to be as good with Tenvis compared to Foscam. However, adding a longer external antenna seemed to help the issue. I got this one: WIFI 10 dBi 2.4GHz Antenna and they work quite well. About 3.5x longer than the antenna that came with this Tenvis. Definitely worthwhile.

> Value

We got this Tenvis for about half the cost of the new Foscam FI8916W New Housing. At that price, we just couldn't pass up on adding another cam to our system. This cam is excellent for the money, but Foscam is better constructed, IMO. This one just feels a bit cheap by comparison. However, once it's mounted, none of that really matters, since it functions just fine.

> Not As Many PTZ Presets

Foscam has 8, Tenvis has 6. No stark difference, but certainly worth noting.

> Works With Blue Iris Software

We recently upgraded our software to Foscam Blue Iris Professional, and let me tell ya, it's fantastic. Puts Logitech to shame for sure. Blue Iris works with almost every webcam, USB cam, and IP cam on the market. Setting up this Tenvis on it was quick and seamless.

**Note** You can use EITHER Foscam or Tenvis settings for this cam. Both work. Just good to know, in case some unknown conflict arises.

> Picture Quality

The images from the cam look fantastic. Seems to be on par with Foscam in this dept. Nice, crystal clear images, and very detailed. Almost looks HD, even though it's the old standard of 640x480.

> Pan & Tilt

Tenvis isn't as smooth as Foscam with the pan and tilt movement. The motor works fine, but the images can be a bit jerky. This might be related to wireless range. Nothing terrible, but worth noting.

> Iffy Mounting Bracket

By far, Tenvis is inferior to Foscam in this dept. Their mount just feels cheap by comparison, and like it could easily break if you over-tighten your screws. Plus, the angle adjustment knobs just don't stay in place as nicely, or clamp down as tight as Foscam's mounting bracket. If you bump your Tenvis, or don't handle it gingerly, the bracket moves from where you've set it and you have to make readjustments.

> Loud PTZ Motor

If you're planning on recording audio from this Tenvis, be aware that the mic picks up the PTZ motor while it's moving. When the PTZ motor stops, you can hear audio just fine. But once that motor kicks in again, you won't hear much, other than that PTZ motor whirring quite loudly into the mic.

> Setup

You'll need some knowledge of IP addresses and basic routing, but nothing difficult. A few paragraphs of reading at most. Very easy to setup and get going. Mine was up and running within 15 minutes. Granted, it was another day or 2 of tinkering to refine everything exactly how I want it, but the initial setup took no time at all. I didn't even read the enclosed material; just jumped right in and got it all setup in a snap.

Bottom Line -This is a fantastic IP cam for the money, but the user interface isn't as user friendly as Foscam. If I need another budget cam, I'd definitely get another Tenvis. However, if there's a deal to be had on Foscam, I'd pick that one over Tenvis for sure. We're quite happy with our Tenvis, particularly at the price we got it for. Hands-down it kicks Logiteh's arse; very nice to finally be dumping WiLife. Happy! ;oD

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