Amcrest IP5M-T1179EW-AI-V3 Is Decent but Demands Some Tech Skill

Here is my review of the Amcrest 5MP UHD PoE camera. I have several different brands of camera throughout my property. All of them prior to this camera had been wifi cams. This is my first PoE camera. The camera comes on a plastic base that is moveable but only manually. This particular camera does not have the ability to move the image within the app, but it appears that other Amcrest cameras do have this ability. The camera is designed for indoor/outdoor, and the plastic is actually durable. I know this because I did a drop test, and by drop test I mean I accidentally dropped the camera from about waste height onto wood paneled flooring. The camera is a bit bulky but due I think that is due to the indoor/outdoor design and that it can rotate nearly 180 degrees in its base. The camera came with the unit, a mounting bracket, and mounting hardware (screws and plastic anchors). I will admit that my initial opening of the box was filled with disappointment due to no power supply or ethernet cable accompanying the camera in the packaging. I was expecting at least a power supply since it requires a 12 VDC input and is not a USB style input like many other cameras. Once I found an extra 12 VDC power supply and extra ethernet cable I began the setup. I downloaded the Amcrest view pro app and followed the instructions on the instruction booklet that came with the camera. The camera does require a dedicated Ethernet connection or can be connected through an ethernet switch. I could not get the camera to send data through an ethernet splitter. I ended up placing the camera facing onto my back patio because it was the closest area to the only ethernet switch I had. I originally had intended to place the camera near my chicken coop to compare the movements and quality with that of some other cameras I own but I did not have an extra switch available. As for the picture quality, the UHD video is good during daylight hours, and decent with the IR activated during night. The delay from live feed to your phone is maybe 0.5 seconds. I had notifications set in the beginning but disabled them after a day or so. The app allows for both motion detection as well as audio detection. You can also set a specific recording schedule. The app also has various options on the main viewing screen, including talking, audio, resolution, snapshot, recording, mirror image, night vision, replay, edit image, fisheye mode, auto track, and privacy mode. Many of these features were not accessible on this camera. Overall I did not know what to expect with this camera but think its a fairly decent camera. The pros are the image quality. The durability. The ability to adjust the camera and mounting hardware. The cons are the PoE camera not coming with a power supply or ethernet cable. This camera would also be more difficult for people who aren’t necessarily tech savvy. 7/10.