Home Security Cameras

Originally Posted by BMW F22

All the reviews I watched said that.

All the reivews? Of one particular junk brand/model system, that a random youtuber decided to hack together, you mean? Come on dude.

Like anything in life, try expanding your efforts of information gathering past the first result that Google provides...you might actually learn something.

[BMW F22]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

All the reivews? Of one particular junk brand/model system, that a random youtuber decided to hack together, you mean? Come on dude.

Like anything in life, try expanding your efforts of information gathering past the first result that Google provides...you might actually learn something.

Yes, ALL the reviews IIIIIII have watched. Wouldn’t call Reolink junk as it’s highly recommended by others in this thread. Maybe you should read the thread first, you might also learn something.

Originally Posted by BMW F22

Yes, ALL the reviews IIIIIII have watched. Wouldn’t call Reolink junk as it’s highly recommended by others in this thread. Maybe you should read the thread first, you might also learn something.

Doesn't matter what needle in the haystack you're referring to...of the ~40k cameras priced from $3 to $30k that I've tested, analyzed, acquired, deployed, and integrated over the last ~8 years, Reolink falls towards the bottom.

There are infinitely better wireed options in the ~$100 price range that do plenty more than just alarm on "spider web string dangling." But since you're "not an expert" that's suddenly become an expert going "by what the testers said," I guess you already knew that.

[P1]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Doesn't matter what needle in the haystack you're referring to...of the ~40k cameras priced from $3 to $30k that I've tested, analyzed, acquired, deployed, and integrated over the last ~8 years, Reolink falls towards the bottom.

There are infinitely better wireed options in the ~$100 price range that do plenty more than just alarm on "spider web string dangling." But since you're "not an expert" that's suddenly become an expert going "by what the testers said," I guess you already knew that.

As for the benefit of the thread, what are your personal top five or ten brands or solutions? That’s for both hardware and software. Thanks!

Originally Posted by P1et

As for the benefit of the thread, what are your personal top five or ten brands or solutions? That's for both hardware and software. Thanks!

Sure thing

At an enterprise level, the larger/more encompassing VMS solutions will always reign supreme (Milestone, Avigilon, Exacq, etc.). The higher cost per channel doesn't really make them a good fit for anything under medium sized business use though, so bringing them up for small businesses and/or residential use is kinda pointless.

Same with cameras. Really depends what you're shooting for, but again, small business and or personal use cams will likely never require the price tag that Avigilon, Sony, Panasonic, Bosch, or even Axis command. These brands all serve their purpose, but the value just isn't there for residential style installs. Yes, the thought of a 24MP Avigilon camera is cool, but the price tag makes it almost unobtainable...unless you own a private airport (which I've spec'ed that cam for previously), that end-to-end solution is out of reach for most. Axis is very reliable, but costs add up quick, even on their entry level models when adding features such as line cross detection, intrusion, etc. which overseas competitors all include as part of their standard feature set for free nowadays.

For everything in between, Digital Watchdog seems to be very popular. Their business model is one where you buy their cams and they include their VMS channels for free as a plan to keep you in-house. It's a Network Optix OEM software, so DW is basically just a VAR for all intents and purposes.

I've found that Hikvision/LTS cams offer the most bang for the buck by far for general surveillance purposes (just make sure to buy from a decent source). Most notably their ColorVu products are almost impossible to beat; picture quality/clarity at night is unreal and the cost of these cams is only slightly more than your typical ~4MP minidome. It comes in a turret as well, which most integrators are migrating towards these days to all but eliminate the threat of moisture intrusion. If you're looking for something more specific (extreme/varying lighting conditions, thermal, LPC/LPR, facial recognition, explosion proof housings, etc.) then cams from Vivotek, DRS/Ganz, etc. will fit that bill much better...but not for general surveillance.

Dahua used to be a consideration as well, but their cams/NVRs are so finicky/unstable/unreliable to even bother with IMO. They've upped their game a bit over the last couple years but still not worth it given the other current options on the market. Their ePoE products have performed well though, I'll give them that. After a thorough test, they certainly meet their quoted spec, but that's really only deployed for very specific use cases...for runs under ~300' it's really nothing to consider.

In terms of software, I'm a big fan of Luxriot. Their most recent gen software (EVO) includes most all the top VMS functions/features (smart search, thumbnail search, etc.) and it's FREE for home use (up to 9 channels). Slap this on a ~$200 refurb Dell Optiplex from Amazon and you'll have a very capable NVR/VMS for cheap...more capable than a Hik, Dahua, etc. plug-n-play NVR with not much more hassle when it comes to install.

There will always be the random freeware options as well...haven't played with these too much, but will have to integrate this specific VMS soon as part of a small project...seems kinda neat, but no need to really mess with this stuff given the options already mentioned above:
https://cyeweb.soft112.com/

With respect to video content analytics, as it relates to false alarm reduction, that's a whole other topic in and of itself. There's always been appliance-based, server-based, etc. but the latest/greatest are AI driven cloud-based solutions. Again, this is all commercial-grade stuff. Built-in camera analytics are decent enough that most of this isn't really necessary (certainly better than motion-based detection), but I have seen/tested some up and coming devices via Indigogo, etc. that seemed promising. I guess it would be worth looking into if you absolutely have to distinguish the difference between a truck and dog, per se.

For other related security info, IPVM is a good resource, although pricey to join their forum. Their free camera mapping tool is really neat though...check it out when trying to decide what lens/cam/etc. to go with for your next install:
https://calculator.ipvm.com/

As it relates to Arlo, Blink, etc. I have pretty limited exposure to that kinda stuff. When I have unlimited access to pretty expensive/advanced thermal cams, multi-imager cams, etc. that I can hold onto indefinitely for home use, it's tough to get excited about those niche types of products.

If you have any other more specific questions though, let me know.

[dsad1]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Sure thing

At an enterprise level, the larger/more encompassing VMS solutions will always reign supreme (Milestone, Avigilon, Exacq, etc.). The higher cost per channel doesn't really make them a good fit for anything under medium sized business use though, so bringing them up for small businesses and/or residential use is kinda pointless.

Same with cameras. Really depends what you're shooting for, but again, small business and or personal use cams will likely never require the price tag that Avigilon, Sony, Panasonic, Bosch, or even Axis command. These brands all serve their purpose, but the value just isn't there for residential style installs. Yes, the thought of a 24MP Avigilon camera is cool, but the price tag makes it almost unobtainable...unless you own a private airport (which I've spec'ed that cam for previously), that end-to-end solution is out of reach for most. Axis is very reliable, but costs add up quick, even on their entry level models when adding features such as line cross detection, intrusion, etc. which overseas competitors all include as part of their standard feature set for free nowadays.

For everything in between, Digital Watchdog seems to be very popular. Their business model is one where you buy their cams and they include their VMS channels for free as a plan to keep you in-house. It's a Network Optix OEM software, so DW is basically just a VAR for all intents and purposes.

I've found that Hikvision/LTS cams offer the most bang for the buck by far for general surveillance purposes (just make sure to buy from a decent source). Most notably their ColorVu products are almost impossible to beat; picture quality/clarity at night is unreal and the cost of these cams is only slightly more than your typical ~4MP minidome. It comes in a turret as well, which most integrators are migrating towards these days to all but eliminate the threat of moisture intrusion. If you're looking for something more specific (extreme/varying lighting conditions, thermal, LPC/LPR, facial recognition, explosion proof housings, etc.) then cams from Vivotek, DRS/Ganz, etc. will fit that bill much better...but not for general surveillance.

Dahua used to be a consideration as well, but their cams/NVRs are so finicky/unstable/unreliable to even bother with IMO. They've upped their game a bit over the last couple years but still not worth it given the other current options on the market. Their ePoE products have performed well though, I'll give them that. After a thorough test, they certainly meet their quoted spec, but that's really only deployed for very specific use cases...for runs under ~300' it's really nothing to consider.

In terms of software, I'm a big fan of Luxriot. Their most recent gen software (EVO) includes most all the top VMS functions/features (smart search, thumbnail search, etc.) and it's FREE for home use (up to 9 channels). Slap this on a ~$200 refurb Dell Optiplex from Amazon and you'll have a very capable NVR/VMS for cheap...more capable than a Hik, Dahua, etc. plug-n-play NVR with not much more hassle when it comes to install.

There will always be the random freeware options as well...haven't played with these too much, but will have to integrate this specific VMS soon as part of a small project...seems kinda neat, but no need to really mess with this stuff given the options already mentioned above:
https://cyeweb.soft112.com/

With respect to video content analytics, as it relates to false alarm reduction, that's a whole other topic in and of itself. There's always been appliance-based, server-based, etc. but the latest/greatest are AI driven cloud-based solutions. Again, this is all commercial-grade stuff. Built-in camera analytics are decent enough that most of this isn't really necessary (certainly better than motion-based detection), but I have seen/tested some up and coming devices via Indigogo, etc. that seemed promising. I guess it would be worth looking into if you absolutely have to distinguish the difference between a truck and dog, per se.

For other related security info, IPVM is a good resource, although pricey to join their forum. Their free camera mapping tool is really neat though...check it out when trying to decide what lens/cam/etc. to go with for your next install:
https://calculator.ipvm.com/

As it relates to Arlo, Blink, etc. I have pretty limited exposure to that kinda stuff. When I have unlimited access to pretty expensive/advanced thermal cams, multi-imager cams, etc. that I can hold onto indefinitely for home use, it's tough to get excited about those niche types of products.

If you have any other more specific questions though, let me know.

Luxriot looks interesting, do you know whats pricing is like above 9 channels? I have been using blueiris for a while, not anywhere near perfect, but has some great features. It also syncs up with my home automation software which is an added bonus.

Originally Posted by dsad1

Luxriot looks interesting, do you know whats pricing is like above 9 channels? I have been using blueiris for a while, not anywhere near perfect, but has some great features. It also syncs up with my home automation software which is an added bonus.

Since TRENDnet OEMs it, you should be able to find it via multiple different outlets...here's a cost break down for each channel pack direct:
https://www.trendnet.com/store/produ...iot-EVO-S-v1.1

You can get it cheaper via 3rd parties though:
https://www.cdw.com/search/software/...F1E&ln=0&b=TNI