Which is the best IP camera on the market? If you ended up on the post you are likely looking for an answer. You are curious to know more about the most effective video surveillance technology for your home or business use. Being a surveillance system enthusiast, I would like to share with you my top 10 surveillance camera list which hopefully will help you choose the best IP camera. If you are interested not only in best IP cameras, but also in other types of video surveillance equipment you can also check out Summer Top 10 Best Surveillance Cameras product review article which along with best IP camera reviews includes trail camera (Stealth Cam G42), baby monitor (Infant Optics DXR-8) and even a fake camera (Loftek Dummy Security Camera) reviews.
But let’s get back to the best IP cameras of 2016. Few words about the chart methodology. I truly believe that any product’s worth can be only fairly evaluated by customer experience. Yes, you guessed it right, I mean the people who bought the surveillance cameras and actually used it. Because the most valuable feedback comes from users who have tested cameras in real life situations, I based this best IP camera chart on multi user ratings found on the largest online market Amazon.
I have carefully reviewed surveillance camera specifications, features and user experiences to bring you this best IP camera chart. Each product was ranked based on its user rating and price to value ratio. In case you are interested in learning more about any specific item on the best IP camera list you can do so by reading detailed product descriptions that I wrote. For your convenience I also included direct links to Amazon if you need to check the price. I was initially thinking to include actual prices, but realized that it would be better to provide you with price ranges as prices tend to change quickly with new surveillance video products becoming available on the market.
Best IP Camera List Highlighted
The list of the best IP cameras of 2016 is topped by PHYLINK Bullet Security IP Camera which offers 1080 pixels true HD resolution. Thanks to automatic IR filter the footage from this IP camera is crisp and clean from blur. This gadget is equipped with infrared night vision which allows recording up to 26 feet radius even when it is pitch dark. With this #1 choice on the best IP camera list you are guaranteed flawless recording during the day or night time. PHYLINK Bullet camera is very simple to set up. You just need to connect to a router, download a smartphone app, scan a code and voila. No router configuration or software installation is needed. Thanks to the P2P server technology you can start seeing recordings on your phone literally within minutes. Another nice thing about this camera is that it is completely water proof, so you do not have to worry about those rainy and highly humid days.
Sometimes it is better to see for yourself than hear about it for hundred times. Here is a sample recording from PHYLINK Bullet Security IP Camera:
The only relative disadvantage of PHYLINK Bullet Security IP Camera might be its price in excess of $200. As an alternative, those of you who need more reasonably priced high quality surveillance video equipment take a closer look at Microseven® M7B57-WPS which is the second best IP camera on the list. It is priced approximately $100 less than PHYLINK Bullet Security IP Camera, but measures up in terms of performance and functionality. Microseven® M7B57-WPS 1.3 megapixel camera is capable of recording at 960 pixel high definition producing stunning footage quality.
This is certainly one of the best wireless IP cameras equipped with Wifi and PoE combo. Microseven® M7B57-WPS is also one of the best IP cameras in terms of connectivity as it can be powered both by regular power sources as well as via Ethernet. Thanks to this feature you could mount this video surveillance camera further from power sources than you normally would. The only downside seems to be its sound recording quality which is not astonishing, but is still decent.
#3 on the list of best IP cameras is Dropcam Pro Wireless IP Camera which is currently a very popular choice. This camera tends to continuously rank among bestselling IP cameras and deservedly so. It is very quick to setup. The whole process literally takes a minute or two. The quality of recording is pretty good for such a small camera. Dropcam Pro offers a wide field of view compared to comparable cameras. The camera has impressive 130 degrees field of view. Equipped with night vision this camera is going to catch any object during day or night.
You can use Dropcam apps to access video feed on your iOS or Android mobile device. You also see video recording from a personal computer. The downside of this camera is that it is not weather proof and you probably won’t be able to record outside.
But don’t get too upset if you need a weather proof camera, as #4 on the best IP camera list is Lorex LDC7708B 700TVL which will have you covered. You can mount this surveillance camera with confidence outside and be assured that it will record everything with high quality within its field of view. Along with high quality day light recording Lorex LDC7708B 700TVL has some of the most impressive night time recording ranges. Its night vision ranges from up to 90 feet in total darkness to 130 feet in ambient light thanks to two ProLux IR LEDs. In addition to a longer night vision range, these IR LEDs illuminate recording area more evenly and produce high quality night recording.
Another cool feature of this weatherproof dome IP camera is its Smart IR technology which allows it to record clearly from a close range. Without this technology objects may appear blurry when recorded. This feature might be especially handy to identify peoples’ faces. See a comparison of two video recording snapshots taken with and without IR technology.
There is not one specific disadvantage about this camera. However, there are instance when Lorex LDC7708B 700TVL may not switch from the night to the day mode of recording. This means that you may end up with a black and white recording for a portion of a day. This problem does not seem to be pervasive and tends to occur in the settings with very limited sunlight.
If you are looking for the best wireless IP camera on a tight budget (under $50) then your best bet might beTENVIS JPT3815W Wireless IP Camera. The main reason why I included this surveillance camera on the best IP cameras list is its solid functionality given its modest price tag. First of all the camera has enhanced WiFi reception capability. I am talking about WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g here. TENVIS JPT3815W has a pan/tilt capability which you would expect on a well-rounded indoor IP camera. You can move it 340 degrees horizontally and 90 degrees vertically. The night vision range is up to 40 feet achieved by 0.1 Lux illumination from ten infrared LEDs. Not the longest range but still decent (especially if you are planning to use this camera for indoor video surveillance purposes). TENVIS JPT3815W is equipped with ¼ Color CMOS image sensor based motion detection. When a moving object is detected the camera sends automated email alerts. Set up is fairly easy. However the customers who purchased it have complained about the installation instructions not being very clear.
