IP camera review: Sineoji PT335V IP Camera

IP camera review: Sineoji PT335V IP Camera

One of the more affordable cameras here, the Sineoji PT335V Megapixel Wireless Pan & Tilt IP Camera is small and rounded, with an inoffensive all-white design.

Installing it is more complicated than with the other IP cameras because it is the only one that has to be connected to a router with an Ethernet cable for set-up.

Using the mobile app, you find the camera on the network, then enable wireless connectivity in the settings menu. The Ethernet cable can then be removed so the camera can be used wirelessly.

Setting it up on the computer uses an even more antiquated process. Getting it to play nice with Internet viewing means messing with your router settings.

Sineoji has thoughtfully provided a YouTube video guide to the process at youtu.be/kGNkI-JyGQw.

Once set up, the camera can pan an impressive 355 degrees, which lets you view a whole room easily.

When the camera detects motion, it can take snapshots automatically, then upload images to an FTP server or send them to an e-mail address.

The camera can also be set for automatic recording at preset times or configured to patrol a certain route, automatically panning and tilting at several preset positions.

Two-way communication for sending or listening to audio is also possible, but it was tough to use the system to hold a conversation, as the camera's microphone picks up a lot of ambient noise.

The mobile app packs too many buttons into a small area, making the interface cramped. The PC viewer has a significantly improved interface, lessening the likelihood of hitting the wrong button, and more settings available.

If the room is dark, the infrared LED does an adequate job of lighting the area, illuminating objects within 10m.

The colour generally looks washed out and there is some visible pixellation at lower resolutions.

The biggest annoyance is the slow response time on the mobile app - about two seconds to respond to a swipe on the touchscreen. Control feels somewhere between sluggish and unresponsive.

The camera is noticeably more responsive when you use a PC's Web browser.

A helpful feature in the mobile app lets you record directly to the mobile device, mitigating the lack of an SD card. It uses the H.264 video compression standard to conserve bandwidth and space. If you want to record directly to an SD card, Sineoji's PT339V is the same camera but with an SD card slot. It costs $199, or $40 more.

The Sineoji PT335V Megapixel Wireless Pan & Tilt IP camera gives decent video image quality and is complemented by a decent range of features. But a complex set-up means spending some time configuring the settings for your router.

Background story

TECH SPECS

Type: Pan and tilt

Video resolution: 1,280 x 720 pixels (up to 25 frames per second)

Connectivity: Ethernet port, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi

Recording medium: PC, smartphone

Viewing angle: 355 degrees (horizontal), 90 degrees (vertical)

Night vision: Yes

Two-way communication: Yes

WPS connectivity: No

Mobile app: Available on Android and iOS, free

RATING

Features: 3/5

Design: 2/5

Performance: 3/5

Value: 4/5

Overall: 3/5


This article was first published on June 25, 2014.
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