Day/Night IP Camera Recommendation

[emnet87 0]

Hi,

 

I recently bought an Axis p1344 and an Acti 1231 cameras. The Axis p1344 performance and picture quality are fairly good, the Acti on the hand sucked. I'm not sure if I got a defective one or not but the picture quality is awful. Night time is even worse, it's really dark and grainy. And after 4 days of being on, the camera stopped working. I can still get to the webpage but no picture show up. I've tried resetting back to factory default but that didn't help so I'm returning it. So now I'm looking for a second camera. I'm still debating if I should get another P1344 or something else. My budget is $800. I'm currently looking at the Arecont Vision cameras, they seem to offer a lot for the price. Does anybody have any experiences with these cameras? Are they compatible with NVR software like milestone and Exacqvision?

 

 

Thanks in advance for your inputs!

 

Nick

[danielsan2222 0]

Do a few searches and you can get quite a bit of info. I do not have experience with either of those cameras but you can see from posted stills that the ACTI cameras tend to come with crappy optics. There is a thread showing the difference a better lens can make(it was an ACTI camera but not the 1231).

 

Axis M1114 gets really good reviews but it not a true day/night camera and no audio(if that matters). In fact the M1114 appears to have better night time performace than the P Series.

 

Arecont seems to stir a lot of debate on the board. Some people like them and some people hate them. Most complaints center around crappy support and difficult setup. Although there are also complaints about night time performance which others counter is the result of poor setup(user error). Arecont does have the dual sensor 3135 with H.264 compression. It may be slightly outside your budget once you factor in lenses. Dual sensors should in theory give better performance. They are worth a look.

 

If you want to know if Exacq or Milestone support a camera go to their webpage and they will list all the cameras they support. If it is not on the list it is not supported except maybe for basic funcationality through a universal driver.

 

Hi,

 

I recently bought an Axis p1344 and an Acti 1231 cameras. The Axis p1344 performance and picture quality are fairly good, the Acti on the hand sucked. I'm not sure if I got a defective one or not but the picture quality is awful. Night time is even worse, it's really dark and grainy. And after 4 days of being on, the camera stopped working. I can still get to the webpage but no picture show up. I've tried resetting back to factory default but that didn't help so I'm returning it. So now I'm looking for a second camera. I'm still debating if I should get another P1344 or something else. My budget is $800. I'm currently looking at the Arecont Vision cameras, they seem to offer a lot for the price. Does anybody have any experiences with these cameras? Are they compatible with NVR software like milestone and Exacqvision?

 

 

Thanks in advance for your inputs!

 

Nick

[tomcctv 190]

Hi,

 

I recently bought an Axis p1344 and an Acti 1231 cameras. The Axis p1344 performance and picture quality are fairly good, the Acti on the hand sucked. I'm not sure if I got a defective one or not but the picture quality is awful. Night time is even worse, it's really dark and grainy. And after 4 days of being on, the camera stopped working. I can still get to the webpage but no picture show up. I've tried resetting back to factory default but that didn't help so I'm returning it. So now I'm looking for a second camera. I'm still debating if I should get another P1344 or something else. My budget is $800. I'm currently looking at the Arecont Vision cameras, they seem to offer a lot for the price. Does anybody have any experiences with these cameras? Are they compatible with NVR software like milestone and Exacqvision?

 

 

Thanks in advance for your inputs!

 

Nick

 

Hi nick. another good camera is the sanyo HD3500

[thewireguys 3]

Sanyo has a very good day time image but the night time is not so good (other wise I love the Sanyo's image). Arecont has very good cameras and the 3130/3135 is the best for night images. Arecont also works very well with Exacq and Milestone.

 

If your looking for a deal I have a Arecont 3130 with lens and housing forsale. click on the link below.

[emnet87 0]

thanks for your fast replies!

 

thewireguys - from your experience with Arecont, how much more difficult is it to setup compared to the Axis and the ACTI?

 

Does anybody know of an affordable IR illuminator that will work with my Axis p1344? Axis makes one but I don't know about paying $500 for one.

[danielsan2222 0]

How much you pay will depend in good part on what you are looking for. Obviously bigger = more $$$$.

 

Try looking at Bosch, Vitek & Raytec

 

thanks for your fast replies!

 

thewireguys - from your experience with Arecont, how much more difficult is it to setup compared to the Axis and the ACTI?

 

Does anybody know of an affordable IR illuminator that will work with my Axis p1344? Axis makes one but I don't know about paying $500 for one.

[thewireguys 3]

Raytec= Axis

[danielsan2222 0]

Funny I dont see any indication on their website of a connection. Axis is a public company. Is raytech a subsidiary?

 

Raytec= Axis

[thewireguys 3]

Axis doesn't make all of there own products Axis makes some of there cameras but all of the accessories are rebranded.

 

AXIS

 

Ratec

 

Inside of a AXIS T90A20 IR-LED

[thewireguys 3]

thanks for your fast replies!

 

thewireguys - from your experience with Arecont, how much more difficult is it to setup compared to the Axis and the ACTI?

 

Does anybody know of an affordable IR illuminator that will work with my Axis p1344? Axis makes one but I don't know about paying $500 for one.

 

Very easy to setup they just do it different.

[rory 0]

Raytec= Axis

 

Do Raytec make them for Axis, or vice versa?

It would seem they might OEM to Axis?

Is it any cheaper or better to buy the ones from Axis?

im actually interested in the Raytec IR LEDs anyway .. will post a thread on that in the next couple days

[thewireguys 3]

Raytec= Axis

 

Do Raytec make them for Axis, or vice versa?

It would seem they might OEM to Axis?

Is it any cheaper or better to buy the ones from Axis?

im actually interested in the Raytec IR LEDs anyway .. will post a thread on that in the next couple days

 

Raytec makes them for Axis

[rory 0]

Raytec= Axis

 

Do Raytec make them for Axis, or vice versa?

It would seem they might OEM to Axis?

Is it any cheaper or better to buy the ones from Axis?

im actually interested in the Raytec IR LEDs anyway .. will post a thread on that in the next couple days

 

Raytec makes them for Axis

 

thanks .. im done with extreme's IR (bosch) .. and i see the raytecs seem much lower current also .. will start a new thread though .. got some questions .

[buellwinkle 0]

Sorry you had a bad experience with ACTi, but they don't come pre-focused or even setup properly, you need to fine tune the focus which means removing the front of the camera to access the focusing adjustment. Also, they cameras come in all sorts of firmware versions, so updating that is a must. Also they offer picture profiles so you can download a profile and helps you get started. I have 4 ACTi camera and I have them setup pretty well for a resonably sharp in-focus image and low grain and good contrast. You can see sample images on my blog. I actually got newer ones that are even better than that.

 

Arecont is a very unique camera where the camera does not have any of the typical features you get with just about any other camera. You configure it from their software for things like ip address. You can view the camera from a web browser, but nothing else (no motion detect, no email, no ftp). Also, compared to ACTi, their support is not that good, took me a week to get a response back.

 

As for Axis, I think one of their best cameras for value and IQ is the M1114. It's able to see in fairly dim light in color. It does not have a night mode so you have to have white light on (not IR) and you need to buy an enclosure (they don't have a -e outdoor model).

[thewireguys 3]

As a Arecont dealer I have had great luck with them. I have had them installed for over 2 years without any problems and yes they don't have all of the bells and whistles that other manufactures do But what they do have is up to 10 megapixel resolution, great compression and high frame rates. If I need FTP I will get a camera with FTP but none of my customers have requested FTP. If you need email my VMS software can do this and Arecont does have very good on camera motion detection I think is better then Axis and Acti.

[danielsan2222 0]

One thing I don't understand is how come you can't seem to get d/n cameras from Arecont with auto-iris? You can get manual iris w/ or w/o d/n capability or auto iris with no d/n

 

As a Arecont dealer I have had great luck with them. I have had them installed for over 2 years without any problems and yes they don't have all of the bells and whistles that other manufactures do But what they do have is up to 10 megapixel resolution, great compression and high frame rates. If I need FTP I will get a camera with FTP but none of my customers have requested FTP. If you need email my VMS software can do this and Arecont does have very good on camera motion detection I think is better then Axis and Acti.

[thewireguys 3]

One thing I don't understand is how come you can't seem to get d/n cameras from Arecont with auto-iris? You can get manual iris w/ or w/o d/n capability or auto iris with no d/n

 

As a Arecont dealer I have had great luck with them. I have had them installed for over 2 years without any problems and yes they don't have all of the bells and whistles that other manufactures do But what they do have is up to 10 megapixel resolution, great compression and high frame rates. If I need FTP I will get a camera with FTP but none of my customers have requested FTP. If you need email my VMS software can do this and Arecont does have very good on camera motion detection I think is better then Axis and Acti.

 

 

Because to don't need Auto-Iris with CMOS

[akelley 0]

Question about D/N cameras. Both Arecont and Mobotix use separate, lower MP (1.3MP) sensors in their d/n cameras because (if I understand correctly) you don't gain much more quality going above 1.3MP for b/w. Now, Arecont does sell single sensor cameras with IR cut filters to provide you a D/N camera, whereas Mobotix does not (you either have to go the dual sensor models or single, but lower MP, b/w). My question is for Arecont, are you better off going dual sensors (higher cost), or going for say their 3 or 5MP single sensor with IR cut filter to get night vision (lower price)? I know one reason for Mobotix not to offer single sensor D/N with IR cut is their strict adherence to no moving parts in their cameras (cuts down on mechanical failure and their ability to maintain operating in cold weather without the need for external housing and blowers).

 

I've been looking at Arecont as a D/N option but can't decide what is better - a single sensor (3 or 5MP) with IR cut, or dual sensors which would seem to give the best of both worlds. Perhaps I've answered my own question with that last statement, but how much better for the extra cost? Will the night quality of a 5MP color sensor with IR filter removed be that much worse than a dedicated 1.3MP b/w?

[emnet87 0]

buellwinkle - i didn't get a chance to fine tune it since died while I was on a 3 day trip out of town. I tried everything including resetting, updating the firmware and factory reset but nothing seem to get the camera back on. I gave up and decide to return it.

[thewireguys 3]

Question about D/N cameras. Both Arecont and Mobotix use separate, lower MP (1.3MP) sensors in their d/n cameras because (if I understand correctly) you don't gain much more quality going above 1.3MP for b/w. Now, Arecont does sell single sensor cameras with IR cut filters to provide you a D/N camera, whereas Mobotix does not (you either have to go the dual sensor models or single, but lower MP, b/w). My question is for Arecont, are you better off going dual sensors (higher cost), or going for say their 3 or 5MP single sensor with IR cut filter to get night vision (lower price)? I know one reason for Mobotix not to offer single sensor D/N with IR cut is their strict adherence to no moving parts in their cameras (cuts down on mechanical failure and their ability to maintain operating in cold weather without the need for external housing and blowers).

 

I've been looking at Arecont as a D/N option but can't decide what is better - a single sensor (3 or 5MP) with IR cut, or dual sensors which would seem to give the best of both worlds. Perhaps I've answered my own question with that last statement, but how much better for the extra cost? Will the night quality of a 5MP color sensor with IR filter removed be that much worse than a dedicated 1.3MP b/w?

 

Well it depends on the situation. If you need 5MP then you get a 5MP and add IR. If you need 3MP to read a plate and you get the 3135/3130 the 1.3MP image will not have enough resolution to read the plate so you have to get the 3MP 3155 for day and nite. Also you are limited on lens with the dual imager. My recommendation is to oder the cameras and test for yourself.

[emnet87 0]

buellwinkle - how did you get the Axis M1114 to be so clear? I cannot get mine that clear from the zoom and focus adjustment. It still has a lot of noise around it. Did you have to loosen the silve plate and do some adjustments there?

[cglaeser 0]

Question about D/N cameras. Both Arecont and Mobotix use separate, lower MP (1.3MP) sensors in their d/n cameras because (if I understand correctly) you don't gain much more quality going above 1.3MP for b/w.

 

No, it has to do with improving low-light performance. Fewer pixels means larger pixels, and larger pixels means more photons per pixel. Camera design is all about trade-offs. During the day with ample light, you can afford the losses of a bayer filter for color and afford the losses of smaller pixels for increased resolution. But at night in low light, color and resolution are not worth anything if you can't see an image, so you are willing to give up color and resolution at night to gain the ability to at least see something, albeit in b&w and lower resolution.

 

Best,

Christopher