Return Home function lacking on some PT/PTZ cams

[tedly]

I've been using a PTZ camera (IP2M-863EW-AI) for close to a year now. And its great. It has a configuration feature in it called IdleMotion. Where it lets you tell it what to do when the camera sites idle for some amount of time. Very handy for letting people PTZ around and then coming back to the default area you want to record. See picture for config screenshot.

IP2M-863EW-AI idle motion

image (2).png (186.1 KiB) Viewed 1300 times

Now I also have a IP4M-1041B (indoor PT) and a IP5M-1190W (outdoor PT). Both great little devices. But they lack the IdleMotion feature in their Setup pages for me to tell them to return to a certain position after a period of idle (non-use).

Is there some way to get that menu/config enabled in the existing firmware or a future one?

Or is there a way I can do an API call or even just a POST to the camera to tell it to go to a preset (by name or number)? I'd be down for just setting up a curl/wget job to make a call on a schedule.

And while I'm talking about lack of universal features, Is there any way to get the Autotracking of the IP4M-1041B included in other PT/PTZ camera? It is a longed after feather in both the IP2M-863EW-AI and IP5M-1190W mentioned above.

IP4M-1041B auto tracking

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Thanks for any assist.

[tedly]

For what it's worth, i just figured out the curl command:

curl -s --digest "http://admin:[email protected]/cgi ... 2=1&arg3=0"

So at least I'm covered if there's no answer to the above.

I have prob 8-10 amcrest cameras. Its surprising how different the config settings are between each one.

[Revo2Maxx]

Hello and Welcome to the Forum, So I agree that it would be nice that Return to home would work in all ptz cameras. However if we think about things and about how they work. The 1041 while in Motion tracking should return home when the item tracked is no longer there.. (So there is a feature that is crazy for such a low cost device) yet it has it.

Then the other a 863 is a AI camera and is at least 6 to 8 times more costly then the 1041 (That is the 4mp version of the 1051 that didn't have return home or motion tracking) and the 863 is higher quality camera with more circuits that means more CPU power and ram. Then if you think about it if there was a 65 dollar camera that could do everything that your 863 could do then there would be no need for people to buy the better camera..

I mean in truth I am still trying to figure out why my Cameras from 2011 and 2014 have features that my 2016-17 850Eb don't have. Like the ability to setup the camera setting per preset where most PTZ today are either color or B/W at night and my older CVBS has the ability to setup B/W at Preset 1 and color at Preset 2 blah blah you get the point.. Anyway I really wish that was a feature of my 850 that has retired.. I will admit that my 2011 and 2014 PTZ's were over 2k each so what do I expect.. I have a good few PTZ's oldest one 1995 in todays standard is worthless but was kind of cool in 95 lol.. Then my others ranging from 2008 to 2014 before I met Amcrest and all them devices are CVBS most 480TVL some are 600 or 960h. Most of them were 800 to 2000 and only 2 of them were Auto Tracking and they were almost 3k and sure is the ones I am talking about having Preset settings of different types. So to get a 1041 that is for indoors that has Auto Tracking is great at the cost of the device.

Personally I don't know the 1190w seeing it is Brand new and first I seen anything about it was last month(s) or maybe Jan sales flier costing between 90 on sale and 120ish is crazy for what it offers 5mp not fond of Wifi in Security camera let alone a PT,.. Personally not fond of the 1041 over the 1051 or the 1190 because for me while the 841, 941 and 1051 were really PT EZ(electronic not optical) there was still some Zoom that could be saved to the preset.. With the 841v3 and 941v3 along with the 1041 that is 1051's V3 that Ezoom is gone along with Audio in/out and alarm in/out. Cost is lower as well even though they now have Motion Tracking that for me in a sence is just crazy..

About the CGI sounds like you got that figured out.. Keep in mind that any data you send in plain text can be snipped in plain text. Logging into the cameras over the cameras normal connection encrypts that data so it wouldn't be easy to learn more then what could using CGI or from what your talking with the curl command. In other words I wouldn't be using them in a Hotel or Internet cafe type setting..

[tedly]

I do recognize the cost and performance differences. A return-to-home is pretty low key... no processing, just a schedule to automate to movement the same way that I would move it manually by clicking on a pre-set. One shouldn't have to read up and learn how to make API calls to automate that. Hopefully my comments will help someone else searching for the same result.

I find it impressive that such a low end device (IP4M-1041B) can do the auto tracking. To me it seems like if the lower end hardware can do it, then the either of the other mentioned higher end hardware should do it.

It's just inconsistent in ways that I can't make sense of.

That aside, I still would like very much if the configuration pages had the same templates/screens. And just disable the buttons that it can't do - perhaps with a mouse over saying its not supported on this model. I find myself going through every menu on the camera trying to find features that I would expect to be there. I'm sure that makes supporting the cameras more difficult too.

And yes, the features are amazing for the price. No doubt about that. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't own so many.

[jack7]

@tedly
Autotracking firmware does exist for large PTZ cameras like IP2M-863EW-AI.   See pics for how it would be set up.  It also zooms in on tracked object.  When it is available for a particular camera depends on Amcrest and Dahua marketing decisions.

Screenshot_20220307-203142_Chrome.jpg (597.25 KiB) Viewed 1270 times

[Revo2Maxx]

That model of Dahua isn't the same as the 863 that most likely would be the 1083 AI PTZ camera that cost almost a Grand..

Personally I wouldn't give false hope for a feature like that to be in the lower priced PTZ cameras.. If we want to look at cameras like that IVS has been in many of the PTZ formats like the 850 version if you will. It was not offered to Amcrest or other OEM providers but dates back to 2015 and you can see that with the same name of FW that goes in my 850 with the added IVS behind it. So in Dahua they offered one like the 850 without IVS and one with and price was almost twice as much.

I mean I have a First Gen AI Dahua Camera from 2012 it isn't a new feature it is just something new for release to the OEM Providers. Even if it was the Same model it might be one of the part of the deals that they couldn't provide that part seeing it would take away from Dahua Sales. I personally don't know. I just know that there are AI old tech Dahua that was not offered even if Amcrest asked for it.

jack7 what is the SD model for that PTZ you have pictures of?

[Revo2Maxx]

Yes well I can't see it to well the Auto Track is on the 1083 AI PTZ camera and the image can be seen on page 53 of the manual for it and they have it set at 35s after trigger..

[Revo2Maxx]

Have a lot of things I have going on. However I happen to just look over the Manual for the 1190W and it does offer Motion tracking..

So setting up IVS rules, you can on a Tripwire or Intrusion do the same as the camera that cost almost a grand and setup Alarm Track, By clicking that and setting the time you want it to track it will track the item for a set time. Then after that it returns to last position for that preset IVS rule..

Geez I have been looking at that too, Almost bought it last month however had some things happen that cost more cash then I wanted to spend. This month Not a good one for me to buy things my Wifes BD is in March and me buying something for myself would be bad lol.. Next month hope it isn't going up in price more the price it is at now and maybe I will have to buy it just so I can have a new toy as it kind of odd looking in pictures maybe in real life I will change my mind about being a toy..

So it seems it can do it just have to use it in IVS setup. I notice there is another one that looks like it in Smart Home Family (I am not buying anymore SH products have to many now) Just saying..
Picture from Amcrest Manual

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[Revo2Maxx]

Personally for the cost of the 1190 that is crazy that it offers that.. Awesome but crazy...

[jack7]

@Revo2Maxx
You asked me in an earlier post what camera went with the pics I posted.
OK, I was not going to mention specific other brand products here but those pics are from the link below.  The Loryta is a no-logo Dahua model that comes with previous version autotrack Dahua firmware and costs $399.  The current Dahua firmware for it is is not autotrack.    There's also a 4MP model for $40 more.  These cams are quite popular at IP cam talk.  They are what I would buy if I wanted 25X auto  track
https://www.amazon.com/Loryta-SD49225XA ... ms&sr=1-14
The reason I posted was to tell OP that products like his PTZ camera do have autotrack and it's up to manufacturers/vendors to decide what they can and want to sell.

Regarding IP5M-1190W in your other post,  I would guess it has IVS autotrack because it has no zoom and  does not  really compete with higher cost PTZ cams.  Here's another cam somewhat like it that has zoom and no IVS autotrack.
https://www.amazon.com/Loryta-SD29204UE ... ms&sr=1-50