SONOFF IP Camera: Coolkit GK-200MP2B

Today, there is a decent choice of IP cameras for the Tuya ecosystem (Smartlife) but the Sonoff-compatible range seems currently limited to the GK-200MP2B.

Here's a quick look at it.

First look and package content:

The camera comes folded on its base and provided with the usual mounting accessories, a short manual. A power adapter is provided in a separate box (Choice of UK, US, DE, AU available from the product page).



It's not obvious from a web page, but the Sonoff camera turns out to be bulkier than average.

The back panel contains the 5V power connector, a micro SD card slot and an RJ45 port.

Product Description

Model: GK-200MP2B
Wide viewing angle, 340° pan & 120° tilt
Full HD 1080P images recording
Motion detection
Real-time activity alert
Infrared night vision
Two-way communication
Support RTSP protocol
TF card storage
Works with SONOFF smart switches/plugs

Installation

The camera installation is done by adding a new device in the eWelink app and the Sound Pairing method.
The process starts as soon as the camera starts talking, roughly 30 seconds after being powered up.

A reset switch is located on the base in case you need to run the process again.

3rd party compatibility:

With the Ethernet port provided, it is possible to add the camera to the LAN without using eWelink and the RTSP port allows to use video and audio with any 3rd party apps with the default login.

The rtsp url for the full HD stream would look like this:
rtsp://rtsp@[email protected]:554/av_stream/ch0

This will transport both video and audio stream but not allow to use the pan and tilt function. Onvif compatibility would have been necessary for that.

Other open ports: 8081 and 23

Limited PTZ options:

With 340° pan & 120° tilt, the camera is agile enough to cover all the angles. Even w/o the Pan and Tilt, the angle is wide enough so that mitigate the lack of Onvif support a bit for those planning to use a 3rd party viewer.

The Pan and Tilt actions are done step by step only, if you keep the control pressed, it will only  travel by about 5 degrees once, and you need to press again for another 5 degree and so on. It's the first time I see a camera not capable of continuous panning or tilting. It would have been a minor annoyance if only they had made position presets possible!

   

Image quality:

The Full HD image is clear, colourful and offers a wide viewing angle. In most cases you won't need to pan and tilt to cover the whole room.

Another regrettable missing feature is the lack of manual control on the night vision (IR LED) as it not be possible to place this camera behind a window, a problem that any mildly experimented IP camera maker is aware of.

 

Sound quality:

The speaker delivers loud and clear operational messages (a bit annoying actually since there's no way to mute them). The microphone is below average with faint internal humming sound, and I doubt you would want to use it for 2-way communication.

Conclusion:

The GK-200MP2B is the first camera to enter the Sonoff, and all I can say is: I hope it's not the last!

Well... if you mostly plan to use eWelink to control your devices, you'll like the ability to monitor your rooms remotely from the same app with this camera.

However, for anyone with 3rd party programs, at least with the current firmware 24520191030, there far too many limitations. Beside the rtsp streaming, it does not offer any standard manual controls and no web interface. In comparison the Howellcam camera designed for the Tuya/Smartlife ecosystem is far more capable.

Coolkit GK-200MP2B is sold by Banggood for 31€/33.98$.

👍👍👍
+ Ethernet connector present
+ Good image quality
+ Wide viewing angle
+ Easy to install

👎👎👎
- No ONVIF compatibility but at least RTSP
- Pan and Tilt
- Not preset for PTZ positions
- The camera speaks every time it starts "please wait for internet connecting".
- No continuous panning, it's done by steps.
- No option to disable the night vision LED, making it useless behind a window.

Special thanks to Kylie from Banggood

for providing me with the GK-200MP2B