Contacam Review [Free IP camera software]

In this article, I review the Contacam Free IP camera software.

The software is a good fit for people on a budget and who don't want to expend money with Blue Iris but still use something simpler than Luxriot Evo.

Yeah, the Contacam software is Free, but there are some cons (more on that later).

Let's dive into the details...

Contacam works with webcams and IP cameras

You can use the software to record videos from your webcam or IP cameras that use the RTSP protocol. Unfortunately, the software does NOT work with all camera models. 

So, you can convert your laptop to a spy camera or use a camera connected to your PC as a surveillance camera. I tested my Canon DSLR camera, and it worked.

You can also use virtual cameras from OBS. Pretty cool, huh?

So, here's the summary of the cameras that work with Contacam.

• Webcam
• IP cameras 
• OBS Virtual cameras
• USB webcams with Windows drivers (WDM drivers).
• DV cameras on the firewire port.
• PCI, PCIe and USB capture devices with Windows drivers (WDM drivers).

Here's a quick example of the Contacam working with my Hikvision Camera and with my webcam. Note that there's a "No Donation" text on the bottom right.

If you want to remove the No Donation text, you need to expend $10.

The Contacam Software is Donationware

If you want to remove the No Donation text, you need to expend $10.

The company calls the license "Donationware".

C'mon, it's not that expensive, right?

I did my research and according to Wikipedia "Donationware is a licensing model that supplies fully operational unrestricted software to the user and requests an optional donation be paid to the programmer or a third-party beneficiary".

The Contacom website informs that the donation is to help to develop the software, and they are correct. Software development does cost money.

But don't worry, the software still works with all the features, and you only get the text on the bottom of the screen. If you can live with that, everything is fine. 🙂

List of compatible IP cameras

Here's a list of the cameras that work with Contacam (source: Contcam.com)

4XEM, 7Links, A-Link, ABS, ABUS, Acromedia, ACTi, Activa, Active, Agasio, AirLink, AirLive, ALinking, Allnet, Amcrest, Apexis, Appro, Arecont Vision, Asante, ASIP, Asoni, Aviosys, Aviptek, AVS, Axis, Aztech, Beward, BiQu, BluePix, BlueStork, Bosch, Bowya, BSTI, BVUSA, Canon, Celius, Cellvision, Cisco, Clas, CNB, Compro, Conceptronic, ConnectionNC, corega, cowKey, CVLM, D-Link, Dahua, Defender, Dericam, Digi-Lan, Digicom, Digitus, Digoo, EasyN, EasySE, Edimax, Elro, Eminent, EMSTONE, Encore, Eneo, ENSIDIO, Escam, EyeSight, Eyseo, EZCam, Ezviz, FalconEye, Fitivision, Floureon, Foscam, GadSpot, Gembird, Genius, GeoVision, GKB, Goscam, Grand, Grandtec, Hama, Hamlet, Hawking, HDL, Heden, Hesavision, HiKam, Hikvision, HooToo, Hungtek, Hunt, ICam, iCam+, Imogen, INSTAR, Intellinet, INVID, IPUX, IP Webcam (Pro) for Android, JideTech, JVC, KARE, Kucam, LevelOne, LinkPro, Linksys, Loftek, LogiLink, Logitech, LongShine, Lorex, LTS, Lupus, Marmitek, Maygion, Merit, MESSOA, Micronet, Mobotix, Monacor, MonoPrice, Moxa, NetComm, NetMedia, NeuFusion, NexGadget, Nilox, NorthQ, NuSpectra, Orite, Ovislink, Panasonic, Piczel, Pixord, Planet, Planex, PROCCTV, QNAP, Quimz, Reolink, Repotec, Rimax, Rosewill, Samsung, Savitmicro, Security, Sercomm, Sertek, Seteye, Sharx, Sitecom, Skyway Security, Smarthome, SmartIndustry, Solwise, Sony, Sparklan, Speco, Sricam, Stardot, Storage Options, Sumpple, Surecom, SVAT, Swann, Sweex, TCLINK, TELCA, Telefonica, Tenvis, Topcom, Topica, Toshiba, TP-Link, TrendNet, Trendware, Trust, TSM, Ubiquiti, Uokoo, Veo, Veo/Vidi, VISIONxIP, Vivotek, Vonnic, VStarCam, Wanscam, Wansview, Well, WowWee, Wyze, X10, Xenta, Xiaomi, XTS, Yawcam, Y-cam, Yoko, Zavio, Zmodo, Zonet, ZyXEL.

I've tested other cameras not listed here and they worked 😉

Here's an example with the Wyze Cam working on the software...

So, this is the Wyze Cam on my kitchen streaming to Contacam.

Did you notice somebody sleeping on the right side? 🙂 This is Max, my dog !!!

I also tested with Intelbras camera (not listed), and it also worked.

Contacam is a Free software for Windows

Sorry MAC users, Contacam is compatible only with Windows Vista and Windows 7 and 10. There's no version for Apple users.

Software Installation and Setup

The software installation and setup are pretty simple.

It's the traditional "Next, Next, Finish" procedure...

After the installation, you just need to add the camera.

The software finds the webcam pretty easy, you just need to select it.

To add an IP camera, click the add menu and select "Network/IP Camera"

Enter the camera IP, RTSP Port, Username and Password.

The standard most common RTSP port is 554.

And then... your camera goes live !

You can select the sensitivity to record only when motion is detected, choose continuous recording or disable the recording.

The files are recorded in the C: > Contacam folder.

There's a structured way to save the files according to camera name and date.

As you can see, the folder contains the recorded footage and screenshots.

The software also generates gif files with a summary of the videos...

It's small but enough to see the activity. Pretty Cool. 🙂

Conclusion

Contacam is a piece of Free software that allows you to record videos from your webcam, OBS virtual cam, USB, PCI, and IP cameras into the hard drive. It runs on Windows and is super easy to install and set up.

If you want to remove the text information from the video, just donate $10, and you will have the software working with all its features for your project.

I would NOT consider Contcam as a VMS (Video Management System) that you can use for a client, but it's good enough to work on small home projects.