Great write up. I agree I do not trust them very much and would not use them on a network that has internet access.

They are a great cheap option when using their custom RTSP firmware with synology surveillance stations. I throw them on their own SSID that is isolated from other local networks and does not have internet access. The SS can reach into their network but they can't initiate connections out.

Still they briefly need internet when setting up to enable RTSP but I'm more concerned about them being remotely accessible at anytime and having access to anything else on my network. Even my setup would allow my email and the isolated network's topo to leak bc of brief internet access.