I decided to get educated about surveillance systems by hooking up my home to IP based cameras. Sure enough, I learned much along the way to finally get it working to my satisfaction. While I don’t want to go into too much detail, here are some key things I learned:
- There are a fair number of incompatibilities between manufacturers. However, the advent of ONVIF standards is helping close the gap.
- A network appliance to consolidate services (digital or network video recorder) will likely only work with the cameras they were designed around. Otherwise, go with a software based system.
- The open source world does not have a great offer to consolidate services. Stay with commercial offerings.
- I found that the XProtect GO system by Milestone Systems saved the day.
Initial 4-Camera System
After doing some research, I opted to purchase a four camera dome system with a network video recorder directly from China through the Aliexpress site. I purchased from Linovision these units:
- 4 x 3 Megapixel Dome Cameras (Linovision model IPC-VEC754PF-EIR)
- 1 x 8 channel embedded linux based network video recorder (NVR model NVR-9104)
Total investment about $1,800 plus another $600 for help with installation.
The basic system worked pretty well and I was able to work with the Salesman, Andy Chen, to provide me with an Android Mobile client. After learning about the difference in video codecs, different bandwidth requirements and so forth, I was able to get it working including over the internet.
One issue I had was that one of the cameras had old firmware on it. I also found that the cameras would not recognize the extra 8 gig SD card I added to each unit for local storage. Nonetheless, I was able to get it to work so I didn’t give it much concern.
During the implementation, I discovered that I was not satisfied with the angle of the lense. It was too narrow. I need a wide-angle lense to get a good view of everything. The cameras in the units I purchased did not have an option to be changed. I noticed that the NVR system had the capacity to work with eight cameras, so I decided to expand the system for four more cameras.
Next Batch of Cameras and Learning
I now realized that there was little benefit to a 3 megapixel camera because I was viewing and recording video at lower resolution. I also wanted to try a different manufacturer and take advantage of Pan, Tilt, Zoom (PTZ) features. I also thought I could save some money so I went shopping on EBay. Here is what I purchased:
- 1 x Axis M5014 PTZ Dome Network Camera
- 3 x 2 Megapixel IPS-924 model
I heard good things about Axis cameras and I wanted that unit to work in the interior of my home. I looked for a unit with a small foot print. I also liked the specs on the IPS-924 model looking for a compromise of infrared illuminators (IR) and a lense that would allow me get more into view. And the price for each unit was about $150.
Total additional investment: $900 for equipment and another $600 for installation help. Total investment so far (not counting my labor): $3,900.
Once I received the equipment, I learned all kinds of things about incompatibilities:
- The NVR appliance would only work with cameras that were ONVIF 2.0 compatible.
- The cameras I purchased were only ONVIF 1.02 compatible.
- The IPS cameras were too low quality. Each one had problems: one kept rebooting with some type of power short; another would lose the ability to connect to the video channel; and yet another would not activate the IR function. After much back and forth, I am returning them to GuangDong, China hoping for a $450 refund. The cost to ship these back is $150 (yet another lesson learned when buying overseas).
At this point, I had a mixture of problems and it was going to take more investment to get it to work. I was disappointed about the NVR because I wanted it work as it was simple and sat with all my other AV equipment. But I could not get it to see the new cameras despite a few hours of trial and error.
I looked for open source video server applications. There is one called ISpy which looked promising but at the end of the day, software quality wasn’t there. Plus, in trying to download the bits, I ended up installing the dreadful Blekko Toolbar which then made me very suspicious.
But joy returned when I discovered the XProtect GO system from Milestone Systems. This software is enterprise quality. They offer a free version for eight cameras and only 5 days of recording. They also offer a rich set of drivers for all different cameras. I was able to get elements of the system working with all three camera models which led me to believe I was getting somewhere.
Putting it Back Together
Not wanting low quality cameras, I hunted for units that had wide angle capacities and drivers supported by XProtect. I finally found a set of discontinued Sony units. I found the Sony SNC-DF85N units which look like they were the top of the line back in 2008. Brand new units were purchased for under $150 each. These cameras only support 640 x 480 but have a very good wide angle lense and work very well in darkness without IR function. They are not ONVIF compatible but XProtect had direct drivers for the units and that was what was most relevant in my mind.
I personally did the installation at this point to save some money. Given the cameras are all power over ethernet, my task was simply to unmount the old units and replace the new units. Indeed, that aspect of the project came together well.
However, I then learned that the one Linovision camera that had old firmware did not support ONVIF. So I needed to get new firmware.
Along this journey, I discovered that the Linovision cameras are actually manufactured by Dahua and were really model IPC-HDBW3300 . It appears that Dahau sells their units to distributors who then put their own brand on the product. Unfortunately, I could not find a way to get new firmware. So I had to go back to Andy Chen at Linovision for help. Now I a nervous. I just had to spend a lot to send back some units and here I go with more incompatibilities.
However, Andy Chen indeed delivered new firmware which appears to be working. I say appear because we worked with one firmware upgrade that seemed to have destablized the camera; although I was able to get XProtect to connect to the camera which was promising.
Total investment at this point: $450 in equipment, $150 in shipping for old bad units, and hopefully, a return of approximately $450 for the bad units. Net additional investment of $150 for a total investment of $4,050.
To Finish Up
Now to finish this up, I need to invest in a new server system. While I have a bunch of old servers from our previous work in data centers, this won’t work in my home. I need quiet operation and I would like a small form factor with low power usage. Since the XProtect system is Windows based, I may look for a unit that can act as a Windows media Server while also supporting a large disk drive.
I also see an opportunity to explore additional capacities:
- Audio integration
- Alarm integration
- Local camera storage for extra video storage
- More capacity XProtect upgrades
I expect to invest another $500. Maybe I can get $75 for the Linovision (Dahua) NVR. Total expected investment approximately $4,500.
Marty Zigman
Holding all three official certifications, Marty is regarded as the top NetSuite expert and leads a team of senior professionals at Prolecto Resources, Inc. He is a former Deloitte & Touche CPA and has held CTO roles. For over 30 years, Marty has produced leadership in ERP, CRM and eCommerce business systems. Contact Marty to set up a conversation.
More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook - LinkedIn - YouTube
Thanks for the write up–very helpful to understand the potential issues of product incompatibilities, software based management, and the potential costs of the DIY approach.
Thank you Steve,
Indeed, if I were to do it again, I think it may make sense to work with a single vendor for the solution especially for the cameras. I continue to be impressed with the XProtect system. I am letting that system drive the incompatibilities out of the environment. Let me know if you have a design you are working on. Happy to share more thinking.
Marty
I’ve read a few posts on this blog and I can honestly relate. Couple months ago i was the victim of a break in and I realized I needed a home security and surveillance system for my home in Jupiter ,FL. AllAnglesSurveillance was the answer. Located in Palm Beach, I would recommend them to anyone who is looking for a great security company. You should try them https://allanglessurveillance.com/.
Tim,
Can you share your experience in detail so we can compare notes? What did you end up doing?
Marty
Our job as a CCTV/IP Video Security Vendor is to hear our clients’ needs, evaluate their objectives, and design customized analog/IP/Hybrid systems to meet their needs and budget requirement. Although we do prefer to use certain manufacturers, we are not manufacturer-specific. So if there is a certain camera or component that you absolutely want to use, we can surely integrate it into the system, or at least give you pros and cons of the unit in question, as well as possible substitution products.
We have been in business for over 10 years, and we are the highest-rated CCTV/IP/Hybrid provider on eBay with over 28,000 feedbacks from different customers: https://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewFeedback2&userid=rshadman&ftab=AllFeedback.
After reviewing this article, I can see that the link to the NVR on the AliExpress website is no longer pointing to the intended product. Here is a link that shows the 4 channel, 8 channel, and 16 channel specifications to the product: https://www.linovision.com/en/products/standalone-nvr/nvr-9100a.html.
The main reason why I would not recommend this DVR is because it can only record 1 channel at full 1080P (2.1 megapixels). Why would anyone want to spend the money for four 3 megapixel cameras if they could not achieve 3 megapixel recording resolution? Not even on a single channel could you achieve 3 megapixels. It’s like putting F1 racing tires on a Toyota Prius. Why spend the extra money if the car can only go so fast?
When connecting 4 cameras to that DVR, you would only get D1 resolution (704×480). I know this just by looking at the specifications on that website. Here is a video that shows the difference between D1 (or 4CIF) resolution and 3 megapixels: https://youtu.be/kvg6-yN4efE, turn up your audio for the commentary. The 3 megapixel camera that you see in that video is the same camera exact camera that you purchased.
We sell the exact same 3 megapixel camera on our website (https://edigitaldeals.net/1-2-8-progressive-scan-3-megapixel-cmos-exmor-indoor-outdoor-vandal-proof-weatherproof-infrared-dome-poe-ip-camera.html), and I agree with you that it is not meant for using as a wide-angle perimeter view, as the lens is 4.5-10mm. A good wide angle is 3.6mm, and an even wider angle is 2.8mm (90 degrees). We could have saved you the time and money on these cameras by suggesting another outdoor vandal-proof IR Dome camera with 2.8-12mm lens.
Here are the differences between buying that camera from Linovision or from us:
(1) Linovision includes a software license for their Standalone NVR or PC-based NVR software, and we include a software license for our PC-based NVR software. The standalone is non-PC based, which typically offers better reliability that a Windows-based PC, but if you go PC-based, there is no need to buy any additional hardware. You can use your existing PC! And you can add as many cameras as the software (and your PC’s hardware) can support. With a standalone NVR, you are limited to its limits. Our systems support recording of IP cameras up to 20 megapixel resolution (contact us for more details or for a demonstration), and our software has a limit of up to 64 channels. So if your PC’s hardware is a quad-core or six-core Intel i7, you can easily have dozens of megapixel IP cameras recording on your system.
(2) If you are unhappy with a Linovision product (or any other product you buy from overseas), you have to pay big bucks to return the product overseas, and then hope that the overseas manufacturer has something else in stock that you can use. I have been importing various electronic goods from Asia and Europe, and I have never been able to get a refund on a product. Exchanges only. And guess who pays for return shipping of the replacement product back to you. I’ll give you a hint: it’s not them. We have a 30-day money-back guarantee, with tens of thousands of satisfied customers world-wide. We do business with the average residential owner, property managers, small-medium-large business owners, educational facilities, hospitals, banks, local/state/federal government, foreign government, celebrities, TV shows, etc. There is a reason why we have been in business for over 10 years. I challenge you to try us for yourself. There is no risk of getting stuck with unwanted merchandise.
(3) Technical support: if you buy a product from overseas, most likely you can only get tech support from 6pm PST until 3am PST. I know this because sometimes we need to report bugs to our software developers, and we cannot communicate with them until everyone else has left the office to go home and sleep. View some of our ratings for technical support here: https://www.resellerratings.com/store/eDigitalDeals.
I can go on and on, but I think you get the picture. You might be saving some money up front, but in the end you will have wasted your time doing the research, dealing with foreign sales and support representatives, and possibly getting stuck with a product that does not meet your expectations. Most logical people would leave professional work to the professionals instead of for example going to court without proper representation or filing tax returns without speaking to a CPA. Why take security into your own hands? At least get a consultation from a professional before doing your research and making your decision.
If you’re interested in getting a free professional consultation, call us toll-free at 1-877-DEALS-79 (or 1-877-332-5779) x1 for Sales. If you are calling from outside the USA or Canada, please dial +1-310-370-9500 x1. We are here to answer your questions Monday-Friday from 9am to 5pm PST. We are located in the Los Angeles area, and we can demo all of our equipment for you whether you’re in the area or anywhere else in the world. If you prefer emails or live chat, you may email us at info@edigitaldeals.com, or live chat with us on our website during business hours at https://edigitaldeals.net.
Linovision is Dahua, or Dahua is Linovision
I use Security Monitor Pro, an excellent video surveillance software and I love it. It has time based recording and motion detection alerting, and remote viewing, along with many other features that are useful. Easy to use and reliable and supports just about every IP and USB camera I have tried