This is Dahua’s mini IR dome. It’s is sort of a cross between the easy aiming and flat glass front lens of a bullet camera but with the compactness of a dome. While it has the same sensor as the mini IR bullet, the ipc-hfw2100, it seems to do better in low light at night and better with white balance issues common to that camera. Continue reading ‘Dahua IPC-HDW2100 1.3MP IR Mini Dome’
This is another bargain brought to us by Costco.com, the Swann 1080P IR Bullets, at press time, $349 for two of them. Originally designed to work as part of their NVR package, I took a look at it as a standalone camera. This camera is manufactured by Hikvision and is OEM’ed to various companies, Swann and Lorax included. Hikvision is selling the camera as the DS-2CD2032 with the added bonus that it’s capable of not only 1080P, but also 3MP mode. At this time, Costco.com seems to switching to the Lorax branded version of this camera. Continue reading ‘SWANN HD-820CAM (Hikvision DS-2CD2032) 1080P IR Bullet’
This is the Axis low light champ with wide dynamic range. Has all the Axis buzzwords that translate to great low light sensitivity including “Lightfinder” and ”Dynamic Capture (WDR)”. Lightfinder is their technology for providing a clear sharp color image even in very poor lighting conditions. Dynamic Capture is their technology ensuring that no part of the image is too dark or too bright, what most people call Wide Dynamic Range (WDR).
I’m skeptical when it comes to higher resolution cameras because of low light sensitivity, but the Axis P3367-VE does a really good job in low light, not just for being a 5MP camera, for any camera. As with the previous P33 series I reviewed, this has motorized zoom lens and remote focus making it an easy camera to install. Very well constructed with cast aluminum body and reasonably sized for a vandal dome.
Continue reading ‘Axis P3367-VE Outdoor 5MP Vandal Dome Review’
08
Apr
13
ACTi E33 5MP IR Bullet Review
This is the first 5MP cameras I’ve tested. This builds on the new ACTi theme of having 1, 3 & 5MP sensors across their various cameras styles. This looks and feels just like the E32 (3 MP) camera I recently reviewed but has the extra pixels. It’s about $30 more than the E32 and for those needing the extra resolution, $30 is a small price to pay
31
Mar
13
ACTi E32 3MP IR Bullet Review
ACTi has been very busy revamping the majority of its camera line releasing dozens of all new models. The ones that caught my eye were their new IR bullets and today we look at the E32. It offers a 3MP sensor with WDR (wide dynamic range) for a reasonable price. What’s surprising is how far and how fast ACTi has come with higher resolution megapixel cameras and you can now get 3 and 5 MP cameras for less money than what their 1.3 MP cameras cost just a few months ago.
I’ve been asked many times, how do I embed the video from my camera on a public web page. It seems like it would be so simple, you can connect to your camera from a browser, how hard can it be to take that video and put it on a web page so it works with just about any browser. Here’s the problem, most network cameras spit out RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol), the standard for surveillance cameras but website don’t understand that protocol, so you have to convert it to a protocol acceptable to most web browsers and that’s RTMP (Real Time Messaging Protocol).
Continue reading ‘Embedding Network Camera Video on a Website’
A short while back I reviewed the Dahua IPC-HFW3200C that was an excellent 1080P surveillance camera at a low price. For about $15-20 more, Dahua offers the IPC-HFW3300C, identical in every way to the IPC-HFW3200C, but has the option of 3 MP resolution (2048 x 1535). The sensor is a little larger to accommodate the extra pixels. Image quality remains the same during the day or night.
The Axis P3343-VE vandal dome has to be one of best low light vandal dome performers I’ve tested. While it doesn’t have the higher resolution of its P33 siblings which go to 1, 3 and 5MP, it impresses with low light performance. It also has some unique features like it’s temperature and humidity ranges are the best I’ve seen from a low of -40F/-40C to a high of 131F/55C. Also has premium features like motorized zoom and focus and WDR.
19
Nov
12
Axis P1344 Camera Review
The Axis P1344 is a megapixel indoor camera (P1344-E is the outdoor version) with an auto-iris varifocal lens, remote motorized focus, 2 way audio, and day/night IR cut filter and Edge Storage (recording to SD and NAS). This is their workhouse that adds many capabilities to the entry level M series, specifically the M1114 that I previously reviewed. Image quality and resolution is comparable which is to say it’s very good. If the M1114 leaves you wanting more features, this is one to get.
Axis Camera Companion (ACC) is free software from Axis that allows Axis cameras to handle the heavy lifting of motion detection, recording and notifications without the need for a dedicated full-time 24/7 PC or NVR to do this. The program installs on just about any Windows PC where you want to view the cameras and recordings. The advantages are huge as you don’t have to rely on a single point of failure for recording, you don’t have to have a PC dedicated as a netork video recorder, saving wear & tear, electricity and costs.
Continue reading ‘Axis Camera Companion (ACC) Software Review’
The AXIS M5014 PTZ Dome Network Camera is a palm-sized, HDTV 720p pan/tilt/zoom camera that is well priced for monitoring of indoor areas such as homes, stores, banks, hotels, office lobbies, restaurants and warehouses. While designed for indoor use, the camera is well sealed and I have seen this used outdoors under a protected eave in a temperate climate (above 32F/0C).