IP wireless indoor camera with sophisticated menus and wide range of functions

This IP indoor camera will monitor the area between the garage and the laundry room in my new building.

Until recently, I was pretty unbeleckt the subject surveillance cameras.
Of course, I've worked with webcams on the PC, the introduction to this application, however, I had imagined difficult.
After but a few days ago already the Instar Outdoor Camera IN-5907 have successfully and relatively easily put into operation, this concern has almost done because of the almost exemplary usability.

Good cheer, I have therefore taken the IN-6012HD in operation.

The delivery is next to the actual camera a wall / ceiling mount with mounting hardware, a wireless antenna, a power supply, a one meter long LAN cables, detailed instructions, and a software CD.
In the camera to a 4GB card SD card instead of a 2GB model is also used in opposition to the product description on Amazon.
This can easily be replaced by another SDHC card up to 32GB capacity when needed.

The camera itself makes a relatively high-quality impression.
The case is in my model made of white glossy plastic, which is prone to fingerprints and dust unfortunately.
On lens for night vision mode and the top center you can clearly see the 10 IR LED's the twilight sensor.

The operation is signaled by a red LED on the front panel, network activity of a blue LED.

Problems with a large wiring harness there are not at all unlike the IN-5907.
The 3,5.mm plugs for audio in and out and the connector for an alarm system are housed small and almost invisible on the back. Prima!

The basic commissioning of the IN-6012HD easy to designed.

The camera is simply connected to the AC adapter and the LAN cable.

Then it starts and you can after a few seconds, either the search tool instar Camera Tool to install from the CD and find the camera or equal to the own router look (AVM eg in the index under the heading Network or under the menu item Home Network / Network ) has been assigned which IP address the camera.

By clicking the Instar tool to the matched entry or the entry of contracts awarded by the router IP address in the browser (IE, Firefox, Chrome) then you get to the user interface of the camera.

Then to see the awaited first live video has the Internet Explorer only an ActiveX plugin installed / enabled.
For other browsers the somewhat more complicated installation of Quicktime Player is necessary.
Both are in the manual but very well described and easy to perform.

The User Interface (WebUI = WebUserInterface) has at the top of menu items for accessing the SD card, a quick screen snapshot on the same, a link to the online help (very good and detailed) and the option between the H264 and MJPEG codec to choose.
In addition, you can there by shortcut to enable / disable the alarm 4 defined areas,

On the left side of the web interface to seven different menu items are with commendable many configuration options:

- Live video: You can here or off

- Software: Language Preference / Restart reset / backup (useful for multiple cameras) to upgrade the firmware and option

- Network: IP Configuration / WLAN / DDNS / P2P / UPNP

- System: Information on the camera / Date-Time / User Management / IR on-off / ONVIF configuration / PTZ and a system log

- Multimedia: Audio / Video / Image Settings

- Alarm: areas / actions / timetable / SMTP / Email / FTP / Audio alarm / SD card

- Recording: Schedule / video / photo series

All in all, a huge variety of information and settings.
But still even for a normal user or a beginner to a very short time to understand what I find very important.
I find the structure of the menus an outstanding success!

Next links below are incidentally still options for PTZ (Pan / Tilt / Zoom) camera functions.
Tilt up / down and left / right, and HSCAN VScan and stop as well as start-up and storing of 8 possible positions. That should be enough :-)

I would like to highlight the following points:

The immediately conducted by me and firmware update WebUI worked perfectly. Please afterwards but still the chronicle of the browser so that it does not delete a strange behavior of the web interface like me coming (double menu items, non-functioning buttons, etc.).

To connect the camera via WiFi, you should click after the successful connection to the wired network / LAN directly to the menu Network / WLAN, activate this, select from the search results and select the WLAN and then enter the associated password. After pulling off the LAN cable and the power plug and then the latter directly again. Then the camera reboots and joins now with the WLAN.

In wireless, I could notice a significant delay of the live video, despite near-perfect connection.
The H and V scan was almost 6 seconds of delay, which I find really unacceptable.

In the second connection to the WLAN with me no on / off the camera more, incidentally, was necessary.
I could simply unplug the LAN cable, wait a few seconds and then connect with the new IP address.
The static IP from the LAN then was no more, the DHCP server was reactivated.
Here you have the change from LAN to WLAN so obviously always described the static address in the next point reschedule. But that should really not happen too often.

To call the camera comfortable with the browsers (eg, via a bookmark), or when using the smartphone apps or the remote access from the Internet is recommended to set up a static IP address under Network / IP configuration. There simply disable the DHCP server and take over the existing values ​​with "Confirm".
Then the camera always retains the same IP address.

This is even offered free of Instar an own DynDNS service I find great. Although I could also use the my AVM Fritz box but not everyone has this option. Thus one comes without any major adjustments from the distant Internet on the camera. I have tried this with neighbors and we saw ourselves on the laptop (and I had another alarm mail in the mailbox, see below) :-)

The also integrated P2P and UPNP services I have never used, but it is good to know that these options are available for the future. Prima!

The ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) compatibility ensures a future-proofing of the camera and the usability of the many available on the market free / purchase software tools.

By using the built-in speaker and microphone, and the zoom feature you can build a simple intercom with the PC or Smartphone. This works but apparently only with the Internet Explorer, the Firefox missing the menu items in the live video right below completely. Why this??

Those who prefer a more comfortable and high quality, can connect to the Audio In and Out higher quality microphones or speakers.

The alarm function can I find simply outstanding. In a very short time I have the alarm ranges and the desired result-defined actions and a timetable. And that as a beginner in this field!
In the first use of this feature with the IN 5907 I was initially surprised, because I had 10 messages of my camera in the mailbox that have been sent automatically to be give me address each case of an alarm and were provided equal with 6 pictures!
Even describing the SD card with videos / photos to a motion alarm worked great.
Also, an audio alarm is possible if you connect a corresponding loudspeaker, or directly using the integrated.

It is also possible to send the files generated when the alarm on an FTP server. I will still try my Zyxel NAS. A very useful and very interesting for me feature.

Recording of series of photographs or videos by schedule: Also easily set up and very useful to eg every night or at the weekend to take days just controlled with short absences. However, the option is missing to me also enter hours / minutes or areas to define a period as two weeks for the holidays.

The smartphone access via in-house app "Instar Vision" has to input the necessary data to work immediately and makes a real head turner. Because you can impress with his fellow man if you take quick glances into the garden from afar :-)
The third-party app Tiny Cam Monitor has recognized the camera and works with it.

Under the point system / PTZ can be the pan / tilt / zoom function very precisely define. How quickly and often to a V / H-held scan, alarms should be disabled while etc.

The also available Windows software I have not even installed because this is a limited version to 7 days. Personally, I find the price of 50 for a bit excessive and would look around for an alternative.

Still on the subject of support: I had initially in setting up the IN-5907 but one way or another open question, especially after the firmware update (see above).
The instar Support has responded to me very quickly and helpful and even called me and clarified the last issues remotely! For an especially big thank you from me.
Something you can experience nowadays unfortunately far too rare. Brilliant!

Once I tried that also got wide-angle lens, I'll describe their function even briefly.

All in all I'm very pleased with this surveillance camera.
Only the selected surface material, the violent deceleration in WLAN mode and the cutting back on the use of the my favorite Firefox encounter me on something sour.

I give the camera but overall still like the full 5 stars, it's fun to use it.

Perhaps instar can verrringern by a firmware update the wireless delay and enhance the support Firefox something?
Then there would be hardly anything else really to complain.

I hope this review could assist you in your buying decision ...