X10 AirSight Wireless IP Camera and (Cheaper) Clones, EasyN FS-613A-M136 Review
2012-06-30 Updated
2012-01-25 Initial post
I was thinking of getting the X10 AirSight Wireless IP Camera and had a $15 off discount code, so it would have cost $85, which seemed like a good price for the features. I was about to get it but fortunately I found out that there are clones of this exact same cam. Note that even though the clones share the exact same hardware, the software and instructions vary. Per, http://forums.x10.com/index.php?topic=25621.0, the X10 AirSight Wireless IP Camera (model XX34A) is a clone of the Apexis APM-J011-WS. I found the Apexis on Amazon for so much cheaper. On Amazon I also found other clones with the brand names EasyN and Wansview.
I'm posting this so that when someone searches for "X10 AirSight XX34A review" they'll know that there are cheaper clones out there. If you found this post and saved money buying a clone, please leave a comment and let me know.
Apexis brand. I ordered this but ended up getting an EasyN. They are the same hardware, but I looked at the instructions for both and they have different GUIs/software. This did come with a mounting bracket. If you order, check with the seller to make sure they send you the Apexis, not one of the other clones. From reading the Apexis instructions, it seems like their software is much better than the EasyN.
Wansview brand:
EasyN FS-613A-M136 Review
As of 2012-02-06
Device Firmware Version 4.37.2.38
Device Embeded Web UI Version 4.5.3.45
There are a lot of minuses, but for less than $60 with shipping, I can live with them.
Pluses:
- Good in low light.
- Includes dynamic DNS service, but I didn't need to use it since I already use DynDNS.
- Good construction.
Minuses:
- No zoom.
- Motion detection doesn't have the option to define a specific area to monitor, eg, I can't select to detect motion only at the doorway.
- Motion detection sensitive to light. When the sun shines in through the blinds, the motion detection will activate (I have the sensitivity set to 5 and also enabled motion detection compensation).
- Annoying how some setting changes require a reboot
- Alarm scheduler grid has very small time slots that are hard to see.
- No option for HTTPS which means when you log on to the camera, your password is sent in plain text. Because of that, you should create a unique password for the camera--don't use your bank password, for example.
- Cannot back up current config so if your camera breaks and you get a replacement, you have to reconfigure everything from scratch. (The Apexis brand has this feature.)
- Web site does not have firmware for download. I contacted support@easynp.com.cn about this and they stated that my firmware version is up to date. (The Apexis brand has a firmware link on their site).
June 28th, 2012 at 3:54 PM
Thanks for the info. Very useful. the Zmodo wireless IP camera also looks like a clone of this or vice versa
June 28th, 2012 at 5:29 PM
Ash: Thanks for checking out my site. I'm glad the info was useful to you.
February 25th, 2014 at 11:14 AM
Do you happen to know if one can use an alternate firmware in the airsight cameras? I have a dome, 2 fixed view x10 models, and 2 indoor wifi airsight cameras. I have the restarting issue, and the interface sucks, would like to update them but x10 is defunct now.
February 25th, 2014 at 1:29 PM
Hi Will: Thanks for checking out my site. If the hardware is the same as other brands, then I don't see why that wouldn't work. How to go about doing it, I don't know. Each brand has its own method for updating through its interface so you wouldn't be able to point to an update file from another brand. I believe these are all Linux-based so anyone who is good with Linux may be able to come up with a hack. You'd need to do some research. Let me know if you find anything. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.