Amcrest 1080P WiFi Camera Indoor, Nanny Cam, Dog Camera, Sound & Baby Monitor, Human & Pet Detection, Motion-Tracking, 2.4Ghz Only, Pan/Tilt Wireless IP Camera, Night Vision, Smart Home ASH21-B

I am new to Amcrest Smart Home, which is what this camera is optimized for, but it took less than seven minutes from the time I opened the box and powered on the camera, to the time I was seeing live video in the Amcrest Smart Home app. Though I’m generally not a fan of “Smart Home” apps, the Amcrest app is intuitive and easy to understand. I especially like that they have English words under the icons, so that I’m not expected to try to figure out what each icon means. That’s a huge plus.There is about a 3-second delay in the video when viewing the app over Verizon 5G. The delay is about 2 seconds when I’m on my home wifi (the same wifi as the camera is on). Both of these delays are quite normal and common for products like this. There is about a 6-second delay (on Verizon 5G) when pressing the “Talk” button in the app, until the speaker turns on in the camera. If I needed to speak to someone in range of the camera right away, to prevent a problem or alert them to something, six seconds is a LONG time. I understand the reasons why delay is inherent in devices such as this, but ut would be helpful if Amcrest were able to reduce that delay through firmware adjustments. The “Listen” feature is immediate when I tap the speaker icon, but it takes two seconds for spoken audio to play in the app. The audio sync with the camera appears to be perfect, so that’s very good.I don’t have much need for the baby monitor function, but running it through its paces, I can see where it could be very valuable. I thought being able to set the loudness threshold on the microphone was a very nice touch, to keep the app from notifying you if the baby is just moving around, but not in distress.The rest of the features, Full Screen, HD/SD Quality, Snapshot and Record all functioned as expected. Video quality is really good for a WiFi camera, especially when viewed over Verizon 5G. However, I don’t think it’s any better than my other Amcrest cameras…which isn’t really a problem, since my more than 25 Amcrest cameras all look great. I have this one set to 1920×1080, 20FPS, Bitrate 2048, and it’s smooth and clean looking, even in low-light conditions, which is something I’ve come to expect from Amcrest cameras.Though the Smart Home app works great, I will be using this camera primarily with BlueIris, and it was a bit challenging to get the settings just right for use with that software. However, I knew that going in, because the Amcrest marketing materials state that the camera is optimized for the Amcrest Smart Home app. Frankly, I didn’t expect it to work at all with BlueIris, so it was a nice surprise when it did. I do wish pan/tilt worked inside BlueIris, but I can always use the Smart Home app to position the camera when needed, so that’s not a dealbreaker.The packaging was almost all cardboard, with just a couple of sections of foam to protect the top and bottom of the camera. I LOVE this about Amcrest cameras. There is a minimum of plastic/foam in all their packaging, and that is a huge positive to me. The Quick Setup Guide was very simple and succinct, understandable since the app really walks you through the setup. I would have liked to try the Smart Tracking feature, but I couldn’t figure out how to turn it on. I pressed the button that matched the icon in the manual, but it didn’t track me. I won’t be using that feature, so it’s not a big deal. But it would be a good idea for Amcrest to include that in future editions of the Quick Setup Guide. Rather than just describing the feature, they could actually instruct people how to turn it on.My overall impression of this experience is basically the same as I’ve had with all my other Amcrest cameras. They just WORK. To not have to spend hours fiddling with a camera is a very good thing. Especially one like this, where you maybe want to throw it in your luggage and have a camera watching your hotel room or VRBO while you’re out.If you’re looking for a great quality camera for use as a nanny camera, doggie camera, or just add it to your collection of home security cameras, this camera is a great addition.

I opened it as soon as I received it, and found the packaging to be organized very logically. It was easy to find everything I needed to get started, and everything was self explanatory. The camera itself was much smaller than I expected, which was a pleasant surprise. The picture online made me think it was a similar size to another indoor PTZ camera that I own, but it is about half that size, and much more aesthetically pleasing. Setup was very easy using the Amcrest Smart Home app and scanning the QR code. I have other Amcrest cameras that I use with Amcrest View Pro, but I found the instructions after a quick web search that detailed the procedure for setting it up in View Pro after the initial setup in the Smart Home app. Again, it worked perfectly on the first attempt. That page warned that playback would not be possible using the View Pro app, but I was very happy to discover that it did actually work. I have also been using the TinyCam Pro app to view all of my cameras, as some of my first cameras were not Amcrest, and TinyCam supports multiple camera vendors. All of my other Amcrest cameras have been working very well with TinyCam, and again, I was able to get this Smart Home camera setup in TinyCam Pro on the first attempt.At first, I placed the camera on a table top and turned on smart tracking and human detection. The only issue I found with this setup is that the camera would keep detecting the motion of the ceiling fan in that room, and would just stare at that all day. I didn’t really need smart tracking in that area anyway, since it was in a corner and the field of view of the camera is nice and wide. I just used the included bracket to mount it to a board, so now I can clamp that board to a shelf anywhere in the house with the camera facing down.The picture quality and low light performance are excellent. In fact, I decided to use this camera to replace an old Foscam 1080p PTZ that I already had, and the level of detail and field of view is remarkably better. The infrared illuminator on this is also much better than my other cameras. It lights up a very broad area of the room it’s in, instead of concentrating it in the center. It’s also much less noticeable in the room due to the smaller size, and the fact that the old camera’s wifi had stopped working and now there’s not an ethernet cable junking up the view.The audio quality is good, although there’s kind of a static, popping noise when I turn the volume up very high. That’s not really a big issue because the microphone on the camera is much more sensitive and clearer than the mic on the other cameras, so I don’t really need to turn it up very high at all. Two way audio works well through both of the Amcrest apps, but TinyCam Pro can only receive sound from the camera. That’s not a big deal for me now that all of my cameras are Amcrest anyway.The only minor annoyance for me is that the PTZ controls are pretty fast no matter what app I’m using. If I’m trying to dial the position into a specific angle, it can take some fiddling to get it just right, especially if the image is delayed a bit from my wifi being oversaturated. If it were possible to adjust the speed of the PTZ controls or maybe save preset positions it would be nice, but definitely not a dealbreaker.This is a lot of camera for the money. The human detection and smart tracking are very nice features that work well, and very few cameras at this price point have them. The image quality is fantastic, even in low light conditions. It can store footage locally on a MicroSD card, and seems to be fairly efficient with its use of storage space. Audio is sensitive and clear, and levels can be adjusted in the Smart Home app. I am very happy with this camera, and I would definitely consider adding another one in my home.

Unboxing:The new Amcrest ASH21 is a beautiful made little camera comparable with those low budget indoor cameras such as Wyse, smartthings, nest cam indoor, EZVIZ, Ring cam indoor. It feels well made and comes with: power adapter, 78” power cable (micro usb), screw mount, and a small bracket that I believe is a wall mount that attach to the bottom of the camera, really weird location for a wall bracket; especially if it is design to swing to the sides, mine didn’t lock all the way in. Camera has an Ethernet connection for faster connection.Setup:Instructions to setup the camera via app are simple and well explained. More subjects can be found on the Amcrest support site. One thing that I couldn’t find anywhere was how to insert the SD card, even on the site there is not any instructions on how to do it. The only way I found to do it without manually forcing the lent is to tilt the lent all the way up via the app then you would see the access to the SD card slot and reset button.Amcrest Home App:The app overall has been working fine and the setup process was simple, you can setup motion schedule, human detection and smart tracking (feature that I was really impress). I had to format my 64sd card on my computer to FAT32, just make sure the whole SD card is on FAT32. I had it formatted a few times under FAT32 and it was not found by the camera. I realize 46mb of the SD card were still under NFTS. I had to remove that partition and reformatted under FAT32 and the camera was able to find it.Motion detection is great an even better with the Human detection option in that way my dog won’t trigger the camera. Tracking is really cool especially if you have it setup in a hallway with low traffic. My only biggest complaint with the whole Amcrest Home App is that you cannot download the footage via the app, make it really inconvenience that every time you want to share a footage you have to physically remove the SD card and put it in the computer.Compared to Wyze (WYZEC2) – Kasa Cam – Ring Indoor cam – Nest Cam.After testing the camera for 31 one days I can come to the conclusion that the Amcrest Ash21 is an amazing deal for the cost, has basically the same features as the more expensive cameras but for a lower cost. The more expensive cameras have for sure a better OS and more smart features, such as the face recognition on the nest. The 2 way communication is loud enough and clear to hear and speak to. This would be my to go camera for any indoor use. Smart enough to track people and move the lens around to follow the person, clear image during the day and night.At the end everything comes down also to you ecosystem, if you have an all Ring or Nest setup maybe it could be better for you go with the same brand because you can setup automation within, instead if you bring an Amcrest it won’t do anything to trigger your Ring’s lights. Wyze can be a cheaper choice if you only indoor cameras and that’s it. On the other hand if you have and Amcrest NVR you can add this cameras and even the Amcrest doorbell to it for constant recording. YMMV.

Tl;Dr: Another great camera from Amcrest at an excellent price:features ratio. It’s only major drawback is its inflexibility to integrate with other network video recording solutions like Blue Iris via its dependency on the Amcrest Smarthome ecosystem.Long version: I have an investment in Amcrest outdoor cameras (both POE and WiFi) and have been very impressed for what they supply in a cost to features ratio. You can find my reviews of those on Amazon as well. What I needed next was an interior camera whose primary use was to watch over two ingress locations (door from adjoining room, and an external window) for a storage area in my unfinished basement. I knew the ASH1 was part of Amcrest’s new Smarthome series of cameras that utilize the Amcrest Smarthome mobile app for viewing, notifications, and configuration instead of their web-based standalone cameras, and I use Blue Iris to consolidate all of my cameras and build out trigger actions when a condition is met (turn lights on, blurt the siren, etc). Amcrest’s “Smarthome” series Doorbell camera allows you to add it to BI. I was hoping the ASH1 could be added to BI as well. I was incorrect in that assumption (at least as of this April 2020) — although you can add it to Amcrest’s DVRs and NVR PC software if you use that.The camera, however, impresses me with its motion and human detection — silently rotating and tilting to track people that enter the room being monitored. The notifications of movement and/or human detection quickly arrive to my phone and I can tap to open the notification and see the event that triggered it or launch a live view. It even has a baby monitor mode that can alert once a noise threshold you set it hit (like a baby starting to wake up).I have confidence they’ll eventually open the camera up to be monitored by Blue Iris, so I’m keeping it for now, and will pick up a second camera once this integration is made.Pros:* Returns to “home” (my verbiage) position after movement tracking ceases — this is useful because I needed to fine-tune my camera as it wouldn’t switch to night mode (see Con below) because there is a 24×7 light source off-center that my camera was picking up. I was able to use the PTZ controls in the app to “nudge” the camera to the left enough so that IR would turn at night and still see the window in front. It still tracked movement, but once movement ceased, the camera returned to the position I manually had aimed it.* Very silent tracking motor, and bonus points for the ability to turn off the green power indicator so that its practically unnoticed during the day. There is one small IR emiter illuminated in the dark.* Rapid notifications of “movement” and/or “human” activity when it occurs, and rapid launch of the recorded and/or live video from those notification* Microphone is sufficiently sensitiveCons (cumulative 1-star deduction):* Cannot integrate it with Blue Iris – Its the Amcrest Smarthome mobile app, Amcrest DVRs, or Amcrest Surveillance Pro PC software only which splits my preferred method of monitoring all of my security components.* Cannot force nighttime mode, light sources can keep it in daytime mode* SD card mount – card doesn’t eject enough to reliably grab it to remove, and you can easily miss slot when inserting making it very difficult to remove* Loud “Connected to network!” verbal announcement – a simple tone would be sufficient.Minor Irritations:* USB cable provided doesn’t match camera color (white cable, black camera)* Like Amcrest’s Doorbell camera, it would be super useful to get a thumbnail of at least “human” detection event notifications on my phone* SD card needs to be formatted to FAT32, and that can’t be performed in the camera (although Amcrest does provide the utility on their website if you have a Windows PC)* Manual PTZ controls in the app are delayed by several seconds (even on the same LAN), so I wouldn’t rely on them as a primary manual method of scanning a room. They are sufficient for setting a “home” position (see Pro).I recommend this camera.

I have used Amcrest camera’s before and always been happy with them, this is why I bought three of them for my home. They made them so simple to pair with my phone and the setup to function how I want them to was so easy also.