Tag: IP megapixel cameras

IP camera Choices?

Here’s a conundrum….

Do you, as a valuable IP surveillance Installer, install a system because of the camera choice or because of the Software / Recording choice?

We posted a while back about how in the good old days, it simply didn’t matter whose camera you wanted to use, whose DVR (actually, multiplexer and VCR!) you wanted to use etc etc

Today, we have stunning HD and Mexgapixel ip cameras coming from the likes of March Networks, Arecont, Avigilon, Sanyo etc and on the other hand, great Software VMS solutions from the likes of Milestone, IndigoVision, March etc

Don’t get me wrong, each PIXC manufacturer is trying real hard to get their cameras compatible with everything and anything….and there is RTP/RTSP standard protocol that ‘sort of’ gets around things (streaming video but without the settings/config capabilities)

ONVIF promises to deliver a ‘uniform’ experience – we don’t think it can happen fast enough really…… the industry, particularly the IP camera industry, will get choked if it doesn’t open itself up more to co-existence and compatibility….

A tale of POE woe….

POE…..that magical ability to send power to a POE compatible device…

Pro’s? Saves cost on cable and requirement for local power……

Con’s? 90m maximum distance before repeaters required

But…there is a new Con…… ensure the POE Switch is acceptable for the POE devices you are installing

We hear of an installation where there are well known, reputable IP Megapixel cameras (fully POE compatible) all of which at under 90m cable distance……

Set up beforehand in their offices, this trusted and experienced installer are a rare breed that actually test the entire system before shipping to site…..a dry run of the installation if you like….

Take it to site and install and they find that when connecting more than 4 cameras on the POE Network Switch, only the first 4 appear……disconnecting the first 4 results in the next block of 4 appearing…..certainly proving that cables and cameras are fine, but the ‘juice’ from the POE Switch is just not delivering…

But the Switch is a 24 port HP Switch, offering 15w per output…the cameras are only 4w maximum…..

A quick email to the manufacturer (not in the UK !) results in an admission that the Switch in question, HP, has been known to throw this ‘oddity’ up before….apparently, the issue has been rectified in a newer Hardware version of the…..wait for it….IP Megapixel camera !!!! (hhhmm, where is the fault??)

These cameras are fresh out of a recently delivered order….therefore, the (supposedly) very latest batch or ‘hardware’…….

The installer had to urgently (and frantically!) organise another expensive Switch to be delivered directly to site in order to rescue this installation….and their image!

So why do these IP manufacturers not take care of valuable information such as incompatibility and be up front ??? This is not a negative, it is called looking after the customer!!

Come on Manufacturers, remember the rule, a bad installation might result in your kit not being used again…..

***Update*** replaced the £700 HP switch with a £400 Netgear version and it now works !!

What do you think?