Update April 2020: the APP for this camera is no longer available on the Android Playstore and the QR Code takes you to a dead website – another nail in the coffin for cloud-based cameras?
I don’t think the camera is ONVIF compatible, the picture quality is variable and it seems to keep logging off then back in. It has just lot the job to my spare (and wonderful) Q8 camera. ACTUALLY, too late now but it was I believe down to power. I used a 200ma USB supply with which the other (Q8) camera is happy. Bringing the Q9 into my office it is reliable (even overnight) on a different supply able to manage (arbitrarily) 1 amp.
As some of you know I have various IP cameras dotted around both in the UK and Spain – just to keep an eye on things. I received this particular camera from Banggood back in January 2019 – a miniature fish-eye type camera which connects (as do most) via an app – in this case the free Android App HDMiniCam and the quality/ersolution claim is H264 1080p.
Update October 2019: I thought I’d finally found a use for this little thing… I recently returned from Spain to the UK and in the not so distant future I’ll be going back. Brian Gentles apparently has this camera running on iSpy – I’m waiting to hear back from him.
Just because I can, I have security cameras everywhere but when I last headed off to Spain it never occurred to me to keep an eye on the heating system water pressure in the UK. Aidan Ruff and I were talking about this over dinner as I was pondering how to put a water pressure sensor into/onto the incoming mains water and to cut a long story short, this little camera can be magnetically mounted anywhere – in this case to monitor the manual water pressure gauge and control panel without invalidating any warranties – HOWEVER on experimentation, despite it’s undoubted small size I’m not 100% happy about the quality, at least in low light conditions. It was just fine on my desk but in a cupboard not so good. Take a look at the Q8 camera page.
The HD MiniCam app for the Q9 can handle multiple cameras as the thumbnails are quite small. My camera is white, not black.
Well, the good news is, it works – it took seconds to connect to my phone via the free app though I’ve not tried a PC connection yet. What I find interesting about this model is the size and the fact that it has it’s own rechargeable battery. Oh, and a magnetic stand. Here you see the fish-eye effect.
Since starting it up it has worked 100%, plugged into the USB on my PC. The fish-eye view and inconsistent frame rate would prevent using this as a Skype webcam but then that’s not what it is intended for. Sound quality in and out is fine.
Here is the actual white camera. There are two clearly marked buttons – one for on-off, the other for setting up etc. Yes, the green and blue indicators are bright. One of these cameras would be easily hidden but for the bright lights. Underneath you see the magnetically attached stand who’s base is adhesive, not magnetic. I’ve not tested battery life yet.
The 150 degree wide angle fish-eye lens is as you can see here on the top. For actual use, I could see this going in the car, a lot less obnoxious than the camera I have now in the car and it could be used for recording minor accidents or near misses. Along with others of it’s kind, I’m not sure the magnetic connection would stand up to a severe accident.
The camera takes a microSD, not supplied. I happened to have a couple floating about.
https://goo.gl/sxYYyB
More Security Cameras — https://goo.gl/rxHohN
For general use in terms of value for money, my much larger Alfawise camera previously blogged about is better if ultra wide angle isn’t important.
Update December 2021: One of our readers asked me about this camera, setting up etc so I’ll take this opportunity to point out that the blog, now very popular, was originally started as a journal for my own use. Apart from passwords (which for obvious reasons are kept elsewhere) everything I know about my various projects can be found in the blog system. The only update I missed on this camera is that a year or so later it is no longer in use as I replaced it with a better quality model with pan and tilt (generic using V380 app).
Has anyone had any success with the a9 camera on getting it to work on anything but the chinese app.
I would like to use it with my own pc based software.
Thanks in advance
Tom
Greetings.
Considering using one of these in bird box but have couple of questions if someone could please provide answers.
1. Is it in focus down to about 70 mm or can the lens be adjusted to suit?
2. If powered via micro usb and there is long power cut which drains battery, once power is restored will it auto restart and link to router?
Thanks
At the end of the day, did anyone actually get the A9 to port forward?
It is a great little camera, I use it instead of those endoscope type cameras around my house. Since it has a magnet, I simply attach it to the end of a metal stick, and I can look into my ducts, under-car, in eves, etc. It is amazingly good for this. Can also tape string to it.
Just wish I could leave it, and access it from outside my house.
Also, you can find them new for $15/20eu, hard to beat. I would buy dozens and for friends if this bloody thing was easy to set up.
I have found 12345678 works as WPA2 password for connecting as a detected wifi device. Not much help, because from information in instructions for similar devices, the AP Hotspot mode is ‘still under development’, ie,not implemented despite sales description. Just put the (fake, only 16Gb) supplied 32Gb tf card in, now camera is bricked and cannot turn off or anything. Constant little blue light, which I assume will finally go out when the battery dies.
I have the black version, and was hoping to use the live stream as P2P so I could monitor the field of view while recording water voles. Within direct wifi range. I don’t have the WPA2 password, tried 8888..
Any idea what I can do about just using it P2P as a viewfinder with my android phone and still save videos using the built in DVR in HD on the microSD of course? A poor mans FPV like they use on drones is what I hoped.
Since the cloud servers are now all down, this is about the only use for these cameras. Everyone like you should claim a full refund. You will find you cannot remote view away from your home router wifi anymore.
Hello Pete
useing ONvif device manager
I get ONVIF version 2,04
see attached screen shot
regards Brian
For my heating system water pressure gauge, I have a micro magnet attached to the dial pointer itself and a reed switch on the outside of the gauge aligned with where the dial should be pointing when the water pressure is normal. I use a python script running on a Pi to poll the reed switch every hour to see if the reed switch and magnet are still aligned and notify me if not via Node Red. Of course, this doesn’t top up the water pressure itself – that’s the next step to fit a server-controlled valve.
Thst sounds good Andy.. As it happens the WIFI camera turned out to be a great idea for these reasons….
I have only WIFI in that cupboard… the heating control relay was acting up due to electrical noise. I added an ESp-WiFi-controlled (Sonoff TH16) immersion heater for emergencies…. that evenyually failed – I figured noise spikes were causing problems for the ESPs..
The first camera (A9) I fitted was intermittent, I thought it might be a crap camera. WRONG. Its working a treat back in my office,
The fact that the second camera occasionally stopped working – led me to remove the over-the-mains WIFI and bodge a cable from the house to the kitchen to a “proper” router/WIFI access point (today I’ll get on the roof it it stops raining). Immediately all the problems went away – and I could watch both the gauge and the TH16 (which also has a temperature sensor) with the camera from the comfort of my office (garage, other side of the building) (camera has pan and tilt). Yes, you’re right.. some kind of servo controlled valve – just on-off would do in my case.. the fitter put a hand valve on in and out so I’d need 2, or leave one on. if you come up with results on that do let me know.
Pete
Hello Pete
I ordered the beast from Amazon it was delivered today.
here is Banggood exact same item 4 weeks away and 4€ more expensive???
https://www.banggood.com/SV3C-SV-B06W-HX-HD-1080P-Waterproof-Camera-ONVIF-H_264-IR-Night-Version-M-otion-Detection-Two-Way-Audio-Baby-Monitors-p-1534995.html?rmmds=search&ID=47184&cur_warehouse=CN
Have it working on ispy
Have it working on Digoo NVR also. Good picture audio has pan and tilt have not got that far in tests
regards Brian
S3VC… ehm… why they put a CLEARLY damaged POE switch on their homepage? 😀
https://sv3c.com/
“Are you using the A9?”
No.
I have bought all my outdoor cameras from amazon, all china rebrands like wansview,ctronics,reolink,luowice.
They all support ONVIF / RTSP.
I got the feeling if the camera has a old school LAN connector than a linux system is in place which support RTSP.
I couls go along with that – I have an Alfawise here and 2 litle internal cameras in Spain(both used outside) which have those connectors and are definitely ONVIF.
usually, but not always, the presence of an ethernet connector is a good sign of open protocols available… stay away from the full wifi models…
Hello Pete and Mr Shark
it must be the second coming the SV3C firm has a web site giving clear English and Italian pdf files on this camera including setup for 3rd party progs
here are
English
HX series
1-WIFI Camera(HX Series) Quick Start- Phone App User Manual.pdf
2-Search Tools-User Manual.pdf
3-IE(Internet Explorer)- User Manual.pdf
4-Motion Detection and Email Notification- User Manual.pdf
5-FTP Server- User Manual.pdf
6-Set TF card Recording on Phone App.pdf
7-PC Software(P2P client)- User Manual.pdf
8-WIFI_RTSP.pdf
9-Blue Iris Manual for HX_WIFI CAMERA.pdf
10-How to add HX_WiFi camera to Ispy.pdf
11-VLC_User Manual.pdf
12-AP mode configuration WIFI operat instructions.pdf
Here if anyone interested is web address
https://sv3c.com/cd/#toggle-id-1
regards Brian
This looks useful Brian… I’m having second thoughts about the A9 – it keeps logging out and back in – sitting no more than 2ft away fom the access point. Keep info coming…
Check this out – I’ve switched cameras.. couldn’t be happier…https://tech.scargill.net/xiaow-q8-1080p-ip-camera/
Hello Mr Shark
thanks for the info.
I think you can add SV3C to your list of possible firms to use
A German buyer is useing Motioneyeos auf einem Raspi3 for onvif
with this camera
regards Brian
motioneye on RPi is good only for very few cameras and at low resolution… as you start having even half a dozen of fullhd cameras, it starts to struggle… buy a decent nvr, they’re pretty cheap these days…
Hello Pete
follow up to previous comment
SV3C Wireless WiFi Security Camera Outdoor,1080P HD Night Vision Home CCTV Cameras, Waterproof IP Camera
Item model number: SV-B01W-1080P-HX
Compatible with Blue Iris(Please CHOOSE as this- RTSP: //192.168.X.X:10554/tcp/av0_0, RTSP PORT: 10554, ONVIF PORT: 10080), Ispy, VLC or other 3rd party software.
Possible??
NO CHINESE AP
regards Brian
Looks good – though at £40 from Amazon not cheap…
Hello Peter
I have come to the conclusion their is no such animal as a ONVIF Chinese camera. The last one I returned to Amazon. My son is
stuck with one of Ebay which I refuse to connect too his house router as it try’s to communicate with China.
I have just spent the last hours going through Banggood looking at onvif cameras, in most in the question and answer “is it really onvif” the answer NO although clearly states in salesgob that it is.
regards Brian
unfortunately you’re right… there’s a video of DrZzs and TheHookUp in a recent big event (don’t remember if it was CES or something similar), and pretty much EVERY chinese brand was going to produce ONLY cameras that use some sort of cloud, usually because this allows to monetize the item on the long term (do you want to see camera feed of the thief breaking your window a week ago? Pay…), and almost none of them allows rtsp or onvif anymore… just go for DAHUA or some of its rebrands/subbrands for GOOD ip cameras… or i think Reolink are very good, too…
Security is a mess with such products. Yes. You can buy a cheap china camera of course.
I’m running about 10 Cameras on my site, all china products. They are cheap and the picture / live stream is good enough for my purposes.
But I never use the infrastructure of them like Cloud / P2P / App etc. !
I’m using only ONVIF / RSTP of the camera to get a live view and but them all in a isolated network without internet access.
My firewall log is full of myriads entries from the cameras to try to connect a china / shenzhen server, independent of P2P is switched on or off.
Actually Marcus, no, I try to avoid the cloud in all my stuff – hence Tasmota, ESP-GO and other firmware for ESP8266 etc.
Are you using the A9? I’m not at ALL happy with the APP, how did you manage to get it to talk ONVIF/RSTP? If you have a solution for that camera I’ll switch to it as it has a tendency to be trying to log in a lot.. I never know if that’s a call fo action or a notificationa as the translations are rubbish. I’m using Windows 10 64 bit.
install this and see if it finds your camera… it searches for onvif stream urls in your network: https://sourceforge.net/projects/onvifdm/
soon this will be native in windows 10: https://blogs.windows.com/windowsdeveloper/2019/10/15/announcing-windows-10-support-for-network-cameras/
if a camera has open protocols, it’s usually listed on this site: https://www.ispyconnect.com/sources.aspx?letter=A (spoiler: A9 is not…)
That Onvif Device Manager – sure enough, picked up 2 of my cameras here in the UK, NOT including the A9. I’ll try my VPN now to see if it can find the Spanish ones.
try in settings app of that A9 to see if onvif can be enabled
I will – but for now, I’ve switched caameras and solved my problem – I originally looked at these cameras…
Goo but I didn’t have a REAL use for them – I do now, one of them is on my deak in Spain and it just told me I left my desk light on (just a case of adjusting a Node-Red timer). The other has JUST been pressed into service in my kitchen cupboard.
Maybe this security problem is existing with this camera too ?!
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2019/04/p2p-weakness-exposes-millions-of-iot-devices/
Just be aware that dashcams generally operate in a pretty inhospitable environment, in terms of heat. Batteries in particular do not like getting too hot.
The better ones run from a super capacitor+USB, just to give them a few seconds to shut down cleanly.
May be something to keep an eye on.
Indeed – I’m thinking Spain in the summer – good point.
For all I know there could be a super capacitor in this one. I’d rather not destroy it founding out just now but worth a second thought. As for USB, it does of course charge and run on USB.