IP Camera without Hub

[auinroc]

I was interested in buying a new HD camera but it appears you have to use the hub in order to get connected?????
Is there a way to activate the camera with out the hub similar to the way a SD Camera is done???

[lilyoyo1]

It's possible. The manual and computer software on Smarthomes website details how to do this.

[SeanM]

The manuals only show the Insteon aspect of it now.

The HD versions work just like the SD versions and will show up on the IP camera tool. You will see a different UI and a lot more options but pretty much the same thing.

The only real issue I experienced was I never figured out how to get SD cameras mixed in with HD cameras on the multi camera view but it is not a big deal because my app will do it.

[auinroc]

Looking at the manuals on the smart homes web site under setting up HD Camera it clearly states that you must use the hub to set up the HD camera??????
So now I am totally confused???? Under setting up a SD camera it shows how to do with out hub but not HD Camera.
Does anyone have a clarification to all of this????? Sorry for being a dummy.

I have no intention of using a hub. Don't want it or need it.

Thanks for all your responses and help.

[SeanM]

The cameras are just rebranded Foscam cameras with OEM firmware. Insteon will not help you with the internal settings and as such markets the cameras for use the with the Hub only.

[JEM2114]

Insteon cameras do not require a hub.

Insteon support provides a process for installing HD cameras without a hub under MAC OS or Windows. If using Windows be sure to use Internet Explorer and not Edge; there is a browser addon for viewing camera output that is required and doesn’t work with Edge. Other browsers may or may not be compatible.

Use the following link to get started:
https://www.insteon.com/support-know...-started-75790

FYI comparable Foscam cameras at 1080p are configured the same as Insteon HD (720p) cameras.

[auinroc]

Thanks all. Really helps me a lot. I will give it a try now.

[raymondjiii]

Insteon cameras do not require a hub.

Insteon support provides a process for installing HD cameras without a hub under MAC OS or Windows. If using Windows be sure to use Internet Explorer and not Edge; there is a browser addon for viewing camera output that is required and doesn’t work with Edge. Other browsers may or may not be compatible.

Use the following link to get started:
https://www.insteon.com/support-know...-started-75790

FYI comparable Foscam cameras at 1080p are configured the same as Insteon HD (720p) cameras.

To use the Insteon Mac app you will need a very old Mac computer in order to use that app, and even then you will not be able to access most Insteon cams via the browser - you will only be able to find the IP addresses on the network. I use the mac app to "find" the camera on the network. It's useful when I want to hard-reset a camera, these are the steps: Make sure the cam is wired to Ethernet, plug in power. When it's fully started push in the reset button on the bottom using a paper clip (or hold the reset button for external cams). HD internal models will tell you "reset done", SD models and External models you just hold the reset for 10s. The cam will now start up again. Now use "some app" (or the old Mac app that only runs on very old versions of MacOS) to find the cam you just hard-reset on your network, remember it has to be wired to find it using the mac or windows app. Once you find it you can double click it from the Insteon scanning app...but at this point you need to go to a Windows machine if you are not on one already and access the same URL that failed to load on the Mac. On your windows machine you need to launch Edge and put it in IE "Mode". You can do this by entering in the Cam's URL into the Edge setup config. Edge says it will keep that url (the one for the cam you are working on) in IE mode for like 30 days. Access the URL for the camera with Edge. BUT BUT BUT make sure you have already installed the windows plugins that Insteon has available somewhere for download, you'll get nowhere without installing the windows plugin package. On Edge, you'll have to approve the request on MS Edge to allow the request to use the plugins. From there, you should be able to make any changes to the cam: time-zone, IP address, wifi network if desired, etc. It's a hassle, believe me. If you have the SD cameras you do NOT need Windows, NOR Edge NOR the plugins, just access the cam at it's IP address on port 80 (on any computer with any OS with any browser). Again, to find the cam that you just hard-reset you either need to use the Insteon camera scanning tool, or use some other app that is capable of finding cams on your network in order to get the IP address of it. Alternatively, if you have a limited DHCP range on your network, you can try each IP address until you find the cam. SD cams are at port 80 and HD cams are at port 34100. But again, HD cams need the "plugins" which I assume will eventually not work with a future version of windows.

This is a multi-step hassle to get things working as you want! As others have said, these cameras are FOSCAM rebranded. I run a surveillance system using Synology. I configure each of the Insteon cams using different Foscam models depending on if if the cam is SD, HD or internal or external (internal models are not the same as external in terms of Foscam models.)

The main part is that if you want to change the IP address of you cams, or switch between wired or wifi, you have to do this whole process for every cam on your network. I recently had to do this due to changes from my Internet provider's router. (Static IP addresses had to be lower than what I was previously using for my cams, I only use static IP addresses.) If you want to use Ethernet or switch to wi-fi or vice versa you need to go through this process. Remember that in order to do a hard reset you need to have Ethernet cable in the cam (and attached to your network).

I actually do like these cameras, all 4 different models. If someone knows of a Foscam app that can configure these units, that would be the key!!! Also the firmware updates are 1) a hassle to find at Insteon 2) It's a pain to update, I forget if it can be done on the cam's config page or if a separate app is needed. The firmware is used for DIFFERENT versions of the Insteon Cams, so you need to look at the bottom of the unit to see what version of that particular model you have (version of the Cam not the model of the Cam). Like I said, I have an old Macbook pro that gets used once every few years for this sole purpose of re-configuring Insteon cams. It takes forever to startup due to some kernel processes that needs to complete, which takes over 30 minutes before the Mac is usable. If you did not need the "windows plugins" this whole process would not be so bad. So, if someone knows of a Foscam app that can configure these cams then the problem is solved!!! Please post if you know of one.