Memory card specs for the IP2M-841 camera family

[FTP]

I had a chat with an Amcrest tech earlier today and unfortunately it seems there's no public document providing the specs of the memory cards we can use in an IP2M-841 camera

So maybe we can consolidate here the most accurate and helpful advises for IP2M-841 customers who would like to buy such memory card.

Here is what I found...

Memory card specs for an IP2M-841 camera

• Form factor: MicroSD (it's the only information on the IP2M-841 tech sheet!)
• Standard: SD & SDHC, not SDXC???* (told via chat - To Be Confirmed!)
• Speed Classes for 1080p: C10, U1, V10, U3, V30, V60, no requirement for Video Speed Class** (told via chat - To Be Confirmed!)
• Bus: NS, HS, UHS-I, UHS-II, UHS-III (no information about it - To Verify!)
• Capacity: 64Gb max*** (confirmed in this post by Melvin)

* Support of the SDXC standard
During the chat, the tech told me the camera accepts SD and SDHC, not SDXC, speed classes 10 to 60 and 64Gb max.
I did not reacted immediately but there's a contradiction: capacity >32Gb exists only in SDXC due to the FAT32 limitation of the SDHC.
So I'm pretty sure the IP2M-841 supports the SDXC. To be confirmed.

** Support of the various speed class types (C, U, V)
During the chat I also specifically asked if the camera supports the V classes and the answer was "We don't recommend any particular class".
So I guess the camera supports all C, U and V classes, with no preference according to Amcrest; even though V class memory cards are specifically designed to Video recording. Same, to be confirmed IMO.

*** Support of 128Gb cards
It looks like there's no "official" support for 128Gb cards.
That's:

• what the Amcrest tech told me during the chat,
• what Melvin from Amcrest said here "The maximum size recommended for the camera is still 64 GB"
• and what an Amcrest support engineer told Howardfox72 here ("128gb has not be fully ratified")

However some users have reported 128Gb cards were just working fine:

• Howardfox72 here & here: "I have a 1080 camera with a 128gb SD card installed. It is all working fine (...) The camera uses the whole 128gb of space."
• amcresthell here: "Their specs say it's 64GB, but mine seems to use a 128GB card just fine and fill the whole thing up when set to continuous recording."

Buuut... there's also 1 user, sloanish, who reported he had issues with a 128Gb card here.

So was it really linked to the 128Gb size? Was it linked to another parameter (faulty card, wrong class, wrong bus, non compliant manufacturer or model, etc.)? We'll probably never know. However for sure, using a 128Gb card seems "possible" but at the customer's risks.

At last, it would be nice:

• if any Amcrest tech would like to confirm or not the support of the SDXC standard, the C, U & V speed classes with no preference, the bus norms
• and if any of you using a 128Gb card would like to give here the manufacturer name, card model and spec to do a kind of survey of what's working.

Thanks!

More information:

• SDcard.org
• Wikipedia.org

[FTP]

The memory card specs the IP2M-841 cameras support is one thing but there's also what manufacturers can offer for IP cameras.

And on this side, I just discovered a bad news thanks to some comments from a Sandisk representative on Amazon about a high speed card.
Sandisk strictly limits its warranty for IP cameras to only 1 model of MicroSD card: the High endurance video monitoring card which is a basic class 10, 20Mb/s read/write in 64Gb max!

Here is what the warranty says for all Europe, Middle-East, Africa & Asia:

This warranty does not cover use of the Product in connection with the following uses or devices (as determined by SanDisk): (i) normal wear and tear, (ii) video monitoring, security, and surveillance devices, (iii) internet protocol/network cameras, (iv) in-car recording devices/dashboard cameras/black box cameras, (v) display devices that loop video, (vi) continuous recording set top box devices, (vii) continuous data logging devices like servers, or (viii) other excessive uses that exceed normal use in accordance with published instructions. For information on SanDisk products intended for use in connection with the uses and devices noted in points (i) –(vi), above, please visit our product page for high endurance products located here.

For the US, it looks like it's exactly the same but it's not clearly said. Like if the last sentence had been forgotten.
Indeed it's written...

This warranty does not cover use of the Product in connection with the following uses or devices (as determined by SanDisk): (i) normal wear and tear, (ii) video monitoring, security, and surveillance devices, (iii) internet protocol/network cameras, (iv) in-car recording devices/dashboard cameras/black box cameras, (v) display devices that loop video, (vi) continuous recording set top box devices, (vii) continuous data logging devices like servers, or (viii) other excessive uses that exceed normal use in accordance with published instructions.

...like if there was no warranty at all for any card used in IP cameras!!!
But... the US also sells the dedicated High endurance video monitoring card range and it's clearly mentioned 2 years limited warranty on its web page, so I guess indeed, the last sentence is missing in the paragraph regarding cards used in IP cameras.

Anyway, it's sad. It means if we don't want to void the warranty, we can only use this basic range.
No high speed or high capacity card.
The risk being that we send back a card for warranty, Sandisk can find data of video monitoring on it (as we may not be able to format the card prior to send it back if it's faulty or a quick format was not enough to delete all the data), and Sandisk refuses to apply the warranty.

Any experience or comments about this issue with Sandisk cards?

[JNavas]

You absolutely positively want SanDisk High Endurance Video Monitoring memory cards.
Regular memory cards do not have the write endurance for video monitoring.

64GB SanDisk High Endurance is rated for 10,000 hours of recording at 26 Mbps.
2K IP3M-941 camera records at 3 Mbps, so expected life is about 10 years.
But figure 5 years with higher margin for greater reliability.
32GB card has only half the rated life of 64GB card.

I recommend IP3M-941 over IP2M-941 because the higher resolution
will make it possible to recognize faces at a greater distance.

With the 2K IP3M-941 camera:

• 32GB can hold about 35 hours of recording.
• 64GB can hold about 70 hours[/b] of recording.

Good source for memory cards is B&H Photo Video. Highly recommended.
(My only connection to B&H is as a highly satisfied professional customer.)

Last but not least, for best results with SD cards of all types,
format them with the official SD Memory Card Formatter.