Someone left a 1-star review on Amazon for the "Amcrest UltraHD 4K (8MP) Outdoor Security IP Turret PoE Camera, 3840x2160, 98ft NightVision, 2.8mm Lens, IP67 Weatherproof, MicroSD Recording (256GB), White".
Among other things, they said this:
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This camera is an EXTREME HIGH SECURITY RISK.
After finally getting it to work, I let it run over night, with the hardware firewall set to block all outside WAN connections. I had already unchecked P2P, ARP ping and confirmed there was no NTP connection.
Reading the log was a shock. Every few seconds all night long it tried to connect to config-amcrestcloud-com/54/157/249/9 port 443, AWS, Ashburn VA which was blocked.
Also, the firewall threw an alarm that port 443 was open on the camera.
WORST of all, the camera began connecting to VERY EVIL ip addresses all over the world. For example. 78/108/177/51, yeshost-ru, Prague, Czechia. Also, China, Russia, USA, Brazil and especially Bulgaria.
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Can anybody comment on this? Is it true? Is it a concern? Or does this person have an axe to grind?
Are Amcrest cameras a high security risk?
Re: Are Amcrest cameras a high security risk?
Hard to say what or why someone would post something like that. What I can say is that some cameras are Cloud based cameras. I don't know what camera you have posted there as there was no link to the Review and or Model number. Next then there are people out there that sell used products that are reported as new and it might be that someone might have infected that camera with some type of issue and when they bought it that issue is now coming from their IP..
So I did some looking for your review seeing it wasn't complete it was not easy to find, However I did find it on Amazon and I personally don't own the 2599EW camera so I can't say what issues it might have. What I can say is that I have never had to wait 2 hours for me to setup my camera over IP address.. Using the App AVP or ASP from Amcrest being the first letter of ASP AVP are both products of Amcrest and I can't even start to tell you what app they are talking about using..
Then they claim the camera isn't ONVIF and personally find this hard to believe but i guess anything can happen.. I do know that on my 8mp AI Amcrest camera I have ONVIF and area to enable or disable it, I call BS on that myself..
However first part of this Review brings me back to my first part of my statement. Maybe a used camera that was infected because first part saying they didn't read waiting for 2 hours and tried to connect using app to cloud? WHAT?
Na this issue wasn't the camera calling all the places they were talking about.. I am 100% sure Amcrest don't have any servers in RU for accessing the cameras.. I mean unless maybe the person in the review is from that area then maybe it would open a different area of servers then what is in the USA..
I am going to guess that the issue was from some Crazy App they talking about setting it up to Cloud LOL. I mean they then talk about Blue Iris users. I am sorry there is just a lot there to unpack.. They were tricked into DL some DUMB APP that caused all this and then was nice enough to blame Amcrest.
So I did some looking for your review seeing it wasn't complete it was not easy to find, However I did find it on Amazon and I personally don't own the 2599EW camera so I can't say what issues it might have. What I can say is that I have never had to wait 2 hours for me to setup my camera over IP address.. Using the App AVP or ASP from Amcrest being the first letter of ASP AVP are both products of Amcrest and I can't even start to tell you what app they are talking about using..
Then they claim the camera isn't ONVIF and personally find this hard to believe but i guess anything can happen.. I do know that on my 8mp AI Amcrest camera I have ONVIF and area to enable or disable it, I call BS on that myself..
However first part of this Review brings me back to my first part of my statement. Maybe a used camera that was infected because first part saying they didn't read waiting for 2 hours and tried to connect using app to cloud? WHAT?
Na this issue wasn't the camera calling all the places they were talking about.. I am 100% sure Amcrest don't have any servers in RU for accessing the cameras.. I mean unless maybe the person in the review is from that area then maybe it would open a different area of servers then what is in the USA..
I am going to guess that the issue was from some Crazy App they talking about setting it up to Cloud LOL. I mean they then talk about Blue Iris users. I am sorry there is just a lot there to unpack.. They were tricked into DL some DUMB APP that caused all this and then was nice enough to blame Amcrest.
Be Safe.
Re: Are Amcrest cameras a high security risk?
Sorry for not supplying the link. It is:
https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-3840x216 ... B07RHQGS8V
It’s also concerning that this camera has 9% 1-star reviews. That seems high.
https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-3840x216 ... B07RHQGS8V
It’s also concerning that this camera has 9% 1-star reviews. That seems high.
Re: Are Amcrest cameras a high security risk?
Well it is a older right around 100 camera.. Personally I wouldn't buy it. There are so many other cameras out there with better options for me. However some people might be happy enough for such a camera. Also POE most people that are going to buy this camera will use it on a POE NVR and will not have an access to Internet anyway if it really had the issues that the person says..
To be honest I am not 100% sold on Reviews anyway.. I know from ones that I have seen from some youtubers that promote 1 line of camera said some really bad things about 1 company on just a plastic mount it had. Yet the person did a review short time later for another camera same type Pan Tilt and that camera also had a plastic mount and gave it great review on build and quality.. So yeah hard to take everything that is said in a Review as honest in all points.. Then to blame Amcrest camera talking about adding an App to install to get the camera to work with Blue Iris.. I am not 100% sure I buy the review as true.. Sounds like the issue was the App not the camera.. Does the camera have issues.. I am sure it does. With that in mind it is best not to buy it. However to trash it over an App that they don't even say was Amcrest because there is nothing that I have ever seen that Requires you to install an app to install a IP camera from the WebUI.. I mean sure Hikvision is setup that you have to Activate the camera to get it started.. That isn't how the Amcrest cameras work unless it was an ASH line product like ash21, 26, 47 and so on.. For me I don't consider them true IP cameras either because they don't have a WebUI.. Where the one in question does..
Normally when you buy an Amcrest IP camera from normal line of cameras, when you get it installed, turned on it will get an IP address from your router or POE NVR if connected and then connect and go.. No waiting for 2 hours. That is waiting 2 hours after you turn off the P2P access.. Again If connected to POE NVR then no issue with anything out side of the POE NVR... Unless you use the 5232E-16P line of NVR in Bridge Mode then yeah could be an issue lol.. I use mine in normal NVR mode and no outside access to the cameras behind the NVRs switch so all secure even using some older won't connect to my normal network IP cameras.
To be honest I am not 100% sold on Reviews anyway.. I know from ones that I have seen from some youtubers that promote 1 line of camera said some really bad things about 1 company on just a plastic mount it had. Yet the person did a review short time later for another camera same type Pan Tilt and that camera also had a plastic mount and gave it great review on build and quality.. So yeah hard to take everything that is said in a Review as honest in all points.. Then to blame Amcrest camera talking about adding an App to install to get the camera to work with Blue Iris.. I am not 100% sure I buy the review as true.. Sounds like the issue was the App not the camera.. Does the camera have issues.. I am sure it does. With that in mind it is best not to buy it. However to trash it over an App that they don't even say was Amcrest because there is nothing that I have ever seen that Requires you to install an app to install a IP camera from the WebUI.. I mean sure Hikvision is setup that you have to Activate the camera to get it started.. That isn't how the Amcrest cameras work unless it was an ASH line product like ash21, 26, 47 and so on.. For me I don't consider them true IP cameras either because they don't have a WebUI.. Where the one in question does..
Normally when you buy an Amcrest IP camera from normal line of cameras, when you get it installed, turned on it will get an IP address from your router or POE NVR if connected and then connect and go.. No waiting for 2 hours. That is waiting 2 hours after you turn off the P2P access.. Again If connected to POE NVR then no issue with anything out side of the POE NVR... Unless you use the 5232E-16P line of NVR in Bridge Mode then yeah could be an issue lol.. I use mine in normal NVR mode and no outside access to the cameras behind the NVRs switch so all secure even using some older won't connect to my normal network IP cameras.
Be Safe.
Re: Are Amcrest cameras a high security risk?
Oh about the 9% 1 star no where an issue.. I own and I guess mean enough to give a 26% 1 star camera away seeing I normally buy camera pairs.. Anyway 5 star on the one I am talking about from another company has 36% and even the one you are talking about has a much higher 5 star rating then that..
Keep in mind there are many people out there that want a 500 camera for less then 100, so they give a bad review because they didn't get what they thought they would get..
Then what is crazy I am not sure if the reviews are really for the right camera plus being only 30 in total but there is another Amcrest Camera that I love and from what the Reviews are saying others hate lol.. Here is the review I made https://revo2maxx.info/viewtopic.php?t=79
However if you look at the page on Amazon in the product information it displays a different camera so I am not sure the real reviews are being made for the right camera.. 23% 1 star lol, Someone unhappy about having to buy a power supply or own a POE switch lol. Again someone that wants something for nothing.. Not many POE cameras now days come with a Power supply why would it when people are going to use normally on POE NVR.. https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-Detectio ... B09VRN79X5
Then another person that was unhappy because didn't work with 3rd party product that was meant to be used with Hikvision products anyway.. Again way fault a product for something you don't understand or trying to work on something it wasn't made for.. Clearly marked to not work on all 3rd party hardware or software..
The camera when I first mounted it was over 80 feet from the road and detected everything much better then I expected from the Jump.. I did move it to an area of less traffic and much closer to the ground so don't get much action these days but does a great job and has much better day night picture then the 2599 does and should for the difference in price..
Keep in mind there are many people out there that want a 500 camera for less then 100, so they give a bad review because they didn't get what they thought they would get..
Then what is crazy I am not sure if the reviews are really for the right camera plus being only 30 in total but there is another Amcrest Camera that I love and from what the Reviews are saying others hate lol.. Here is the review I made https://revo2maxx.info/viewtopic.php?t=79
However if you look at the page on Amazon in the product information it displays a different camera so I am not sure the real reviews are being made for the right camera.. 23% 1 star lol, Someone unhappy about having to buy a power supply or own a POE switch lol. Again someone that wants something for nothing.. Not many POE cameras now days come with a Power supply why would it when people are going to use normally on POE NVR.. https://www.amazon.com/Amcrest-Detectio ... B09VRN79X5
Then another person that was unhappy because didn't work with 3rd party product that was meant to be used with Hikvision products anyway.. Again way fault a product for something you don't understand or trying to work on something it wasn't made for.. Clearly marked to not work on all 3rd party hardware or software..
The camera when I first mounted it was over 80 feet from the road and detected everything much better then I expected from the Jump.. I did move it to an area of less traffic and much closer to the ground so don't get much action these days but does a great job and has much better day night picture then the 2599 does and should for the difference in price..
Be Safe.