The Bottom Line
Celebrating a decade in the market, Tenvis has been manufacturing IP cameras built with consumers needs in mind. Setting them apart from the rest of the market, Tenvis focuses on building high-end security for the budget minded consumer.
The IPROBOT 3 is a full PTZ or pan tilt zoom solution that features 720p resolution. In addition, this camera features night vision up to 32 feet, H.264 compression for smoother video streaming, and an IR Cut filter. Connectivity includes both Ethernet and wireless over 802.11b/g/n with many devices such as iOS and Android smartphones along with PC functionality. With this camera's built in speaker/mic combination, two way audio is available, along with motion detection which carries the Onvif2.1 certification.
MSRP of the Tenvis IPROBOT 3 is listed at $99.99 with a one-year warranty.
The Tenvis IPROBOT 3 was delivered to us in its retail packaging. As seen above, the box houses an image of the camera with both App Store and Google Play logos at the bottom right.
Scope of delivery includes reading materials and software along with the camera, Ethernet cable and power adapter. You also get a few mounting options including a wall base that swivels.
Above, we have our first look at the camera. As you can see, it carries a decent sized footprint while being a compact unit. Ten IR LEDs surround the outside of the lens, while the base of the unit can pan a full 360 degrees.
The side of the camera houses the built in speaker/mic combo.
Moving over to the back of the unit, we have the Ethernet port, microSD slot, and power input. The wireless antenna sits in the middle and can be removed.
The bottom of the unit houses the default username and password information, along with the reset and connection for wall mounting the camera.
Moving over to the software side of things, Tenvis includes a quick setup via IPCAM. Here, after connecting and powering up your camera, it will show up in the list and you can begin.
Continuing on through setup, you can choose either a DHCP setup or manually enter and IP for the camera.
The camera will then search for a wireless network via the dropdown box above.
A simple web configuration menu allows you to change settings for the camera along viewing its status.
Last, the camera is live and we can view the image quality. We are approximately 5 feet away from the PC in the above image. As you can see, the video quality seems quite good, but could use a little more sharpness.
Over the past few weeks, I have spent quite a bit of time messing around with the Tenvis IPROBOT 3. What I can tell you is it is a solid camera, built very well from the ground up. The plastics used in the BOM are solid and fit together very well and image quality, while it could use some refining as far as sharpness goes, it is quite good.
The pan and tilt features work quite well, and with the included software, you can setup the camera to monitor a large area with motion detection. The zoom feature on the other hand needs a slight bit of work as it is digital only and distorts the image immediately upon use. The night vision feature of the camera on the other hand works quite well and while I didn't fully measure the viewing distance at night, it does seem to be in the range of marketing at 32 feet.
With many IP camera solutions on the market with a similar amount of features as the IPROBOT 3, the biggest factor the sets this solution apart from the others is the price. With an MSRP set at $99.99, this camera is one of the best values available on the market.