Swann vs. Lorex vs. Q-See vs. Night Owl vs. ?

[tika911 0]

I haven't solved all my problems, but I can tell you what I figured out so far.

 

Eventually I figured out that the best value was going to be in HIKvision or Dahua gear, bought direct from China via AliExpress vendors. You can also choose cameras with exactly the features you need, instead of compromising on a Costco bundle.

 

I began with the idea of getting a DVR with POE ports built in. Then I realized that the DVR would put the cameras on a separate subnet... This would prevent me from addressing the cameras individually from other devices on my LAN, at least conveniently.

 

So, I have decided that I want a DVR and all the cameras to sit on my main LAN, and so I will hook the cameras up to a POE injector. I'm going to start by buying a single camera to vet it and the POE hardware, and test field of view. Then I will get more cameras and the DVR.

 

Currently I am leaning towards HIKvision cameras/DVRs because it seems to be easier to get them with English firmware, but I could still go Dahua.

 

How did this go? What hardware did you end up going with? I am looking to do the same thing and would really appreciate it if you would share your experiences.

 

Thanks

 

Tika911

[horseflesh 0]

I haven't made a decision yet--juggling too many projects. I will be sure to post updates, though. My plan is to choose a DVR, POE injector, and buy a single camera to go along with it so that I can verify basic operation, language of the menus, etc. If that works out I will buy the other cameras and get it installed.

[mdelvecchio 0]

I haven't made a decision yet--juggling too many projects. I will be sure to post updates, though. My plan is to choose a DVR, POE injector, and buy a single camera to go along with it so that I can verify basic operation, language of the menus, etc. If that works out I will buy the other cameras and get it installed.

 

interesting, but what's the value add here, that one would lose out on w/ a costco system? if you need to do tests to ensure the english is adequate, that they network properly, etc, arent you just signing up for more complication?

 

im a software dev by trade, so complication isnt anything new to me, but when outfitting my home i tend to look for solutions my family can use just as well as i can, keep it simple, etc...

 

what do you like about HIKvision or Dahua NVRs?

[horseflesh 0]

Fair question. Here are my reasons. If I am wrong about any of them, someone correct me.

 

As far as I can tell, you have the ability get a more capable system when you go direct. Depending on what you choose the value may be better even if the cost is somewhat higher, too.

 

Here are some specific reasons.

 

You also get access to software upgrades direct from the manufacturer. If you get a domestic re-brand, they need to decide to repackage the OEM's software for their versions.

 

You can buy a kit a piece at a time. What if none of the Costco packs meet your needs? I want a dome here, a bullet there, a super-zoom here, a wide angle there, a super high resolution camera in another place... Can't do that with Costco. As I began to plan my coverage it became immediately apparent that a Costco kit would probably be OK... but it just wouldn't have what I really wanted. This is actually my main reason for going direct.

 

You can buy parts for cameras. If I want to change the lens on a camera, that should be possible... if I picked the right camera to start with.

 

I want my individual cameras to be addressable on my LAN, and from outside the LAN. I am not sure, but I think that any Costco IP kits will use the NVR as a router, so I would be forced into having a separate subnet. It may be possible to configure my way around that. Maybe not. Separating the NVR and POE injector and putting everything on the existing subnet will definitely work. (It also means that if the POE injector dies, it doesn't require replacing the NVR.)

 

Once a system is set up, it should be as easy to use as a Costco kit. The NVR works about the same way. All the additional complexity is on the setup side.

 

I don't have a specific reason to like HIKvision or Dahua NVRs yet, I am still reading reviews and user experiences on forums. They are approximately equal with many happy users. I am leaning towards HIKvision currently because from what I read Dahua uses a proprietary video format--if true that is a strikeout right there.

[shaunreen 0]

Hey I'm glad I found these forums. Let me jump right into my question. There seems no other place with the info or reviews I need. I've also browsed a few discussions here not finding the info.

 

I'm looking at purchasing a low-end 4-cam bundled surveillance system that's expandable to 8 cams. I already have two existing installed cams and a dedicated flatscreen display (one cam is not connected).

 

So these systems are all basically a bundled DVR, 4 IR outdoors cams and associated wiring. They all boast H.264 compression, remote monitoring via mobile device, motion-detect recording, support for PTZ controls and roughly a 500GB hard drive.

 

Those are the features I want. Ideally I can connect two displays to the DVR.

 

Now the question is, how are the following brands ranked for quality or reliability or performance? I suppose it's mostly about the DVR. I'm totally new to these name brands:

 

Swann

Lorex

Q-See

Night Owl

 

Please don't say they're all trash, as those are the only ones on the shelf at my budget. I just need to understand how they compare to each other. Thanks in advance.

[shaunreen 0]

Night Owl customer service sucks big time!

[kmarnes 0]

I'm usually quite keen on performing internet research, but security system comparisons seem utterly futile. A few years ago, I got my feet wet with a small 2 camera Lorex wireless system. It was the worst piece of garbage ever.

 

So I'd like to do it properly this time. I live in Canada, and when I go to amazon.ca, I see all these brands like Annke, Sannce, Ctronics, Tmezon, Zmodo, Best Vision, Amcrest, LevelOne, Samsung, Q-see, LaView, and tons more. It is utterly overwhelming.

 

Costco seems higher price with a largely different set of brands -- Lorex, Q-see, Swann, Insteon, and a half dozen others.

 

I would like to get a PoE system that is 1080p with NVR and sound recording. Happy with anywhere between 4-8 cameras. Price isn't as much of a factor, but around $1000 would be nice. And something with good quality, durable cameras, good quality software, and good connectivity for remote checking or automatically copying a video backup on my PC.

 

I could get a 4CH/4 bullet cam Annke system for $369 CAD (no HD)... which seems too good to be true cheap.

Or a Ctronics 8CH/8 bullet cam system for $699. And prices quickly go to $1000 and above. But all the systems look pretty much identical to me.

For $1000 CAD at Costco, I can get a 8CH Lorex with 4 cameras (2 of them are rotating dome cameras) and 2TB drive.

 

But earlier in this thread, someone knocked Lorex as bottom of the barrel. It may very well be true based on my experience, but they clearly have a large range of quality. But I'm not really seeing anything better that isn't 2-3x more expensive. What do you guys think?

 

And thanks!

[horseflesh 0]

I ended up with a Hikvision system and I am pretty happy with it. Stick to Hik and Dahua is still my advice.

[TheTinRam 0]

I ended up with a Hikvision system and I am pretty happy with it. Stick to Hik and Dahua is still my advice.

 

Thank you for your updates horseflesh. This thread is ancient but still very useful! Like others, I started by seeing the Night Owl system at Costco and was wondering if it is any good.

 

Any updates on your Hikvision system? What were your components? Are you still happy with it?

 

Thanks!

[horseflesh 0]

I have 6x Hik 4 MP turrets and a 4k NVR with 16 channels. The gear is actually rebranded and distributed by LT Security, a US reseller. It may have some differences from generic Hik gear, but they should be minor.

 

I also have 2x Huisun 10x PTZ cameras.

 

So far I am pretty happy. Image quality is good and the NVR feature set is decent. Line-crossing and area-intrusion motion detection on the cameras works pretty well. Night vision quality is adequate, but could always be better. The Matrix IR illumination is good, and I haven't had spider problems yet.

 

The Huisun 10x PTZ cameras have good quality for the money and PTZ is fun, though these cameras entirely lack usable motion detection.

 

It's not all perfect though. These are the problems I have encountered.

 

- The NVR seems entirely reliable except that after it's been on for a few days, the mouse stops working. It's not the mouse itself, it's the USB ports or the mouse driver in the unit. This is a PITA, but not too bad since you can use your web browser or desktop software to work with the NVR.

 

- The NVR has a bug which prevents it from emailing attached motion detection photos unless you use basic motion detection. Basic motion detection is worthless outside though, you need to use line crossing or area intrusion, and you can't get emailed photos from those methods unless you do some tedious additional networking setup. I have no idea if this will ever be fixed.

 

- After Google changed their Gmail SMTP settings, email alerts stopped working entirely. Hik has apparently released a patch, I have no idea if or when LTS will follow suit. If there is no patch I will need to find another free SMTP account. (users here have reported success with Sendgrid.)

 

- While I have a 3 year warranty through LTS, the times I have tried to ask tech questions through email I've received zero response. I am sure that if I have dead hardware I can get it replaced as they have many happy customers. I am not sure that short of that I can expect any help. (Clearly an LTS comment, not Hik specific.)

 

- To update firmware you need to download files from the vendor and apply them manually. I have to keep checking the vendor site to see if there are updates available. Every other modern gadget I have says, "hey, there is an update available, do you want it?" Hik stuff doesn't work like that.

 

- The Hik mobile and Windows apps seem decent, and free. I have heard there are better 3rd party mobile apps but I have not tried them yet.

 

So, overall I am happy, and the problems I have found have workarounds. I'd probably buy Hik again, though I'd also take a closer look at Dahua. I wrote them off early on since apparently getting firmware updates is harder. But I am not really getting any now, anyway.

 

I hope that helps!

[insecure 0]

I ended up with a Hikvision system and I am pretty happy with it. Stick to Hik and Dahua is still my advice.

 

Thank you for your updates horseflesh. This thread is ancient but still very useful! Like others, I started by seeing the Night Owl system at Costco and was wondering if it is any good.

 

Any updates on your Hikvision system? What were your components? Are you still happy with it?

 

Thanks!

 

The new 1080P Night owls - Once you adjust the colors (contrast, saturation, etc.) for the installation location that are really decent daytime and dusk / dawn cameras. They stay in color mode for very low light. However, at night that have big problems with environment issues. If anything is too close it as way over-lit and washed out. The details are can be great if viewing a side yard or deck at night where noth is too close or too far but and plants turn that area into a blurry mess. It is almost as bad the the crappy cameras that came installed on the house. My old Lorex 720P cameras have much better night vision. I can point it at the street and have clear details unlike the Night Owl 1080P cameras. They have a nice 120 degree field of view unlike many security cameras and pretty good vertical coverage so you can cover a lot more angles with less cameras. The do not handle contrast very well. I really have to heavily adjust any southward facing cameras. Each has a 60 foot cord which eases the power requirements. I have rambler so I can just string them across the roof and downward. The plugs are rather big so you will need some way to patch where you enter the home. The swing upward and are much sorter so unlike all other Costco offering they could be mount on a beam under you eaves and give you a 360 degree coverage.

 

PS - Arlo is junk. They have horrible quality video.

[adeer786 0]

HI all,

 

I have a question, back home I have a marriage hall about 300 to 400 square yard or 3600 square feet. i looking to get cameras that have nigh vision, with zoom and 1 or 2 camera that rotate, i want some thing good and don't mind paying more. THE ISSUE IS THAT the head manager is stealing, example an event happen to have 300 guests but he will tell me there where 200 guest, so the main reason i want these camera is so i can count the number of chairs.

 

tk for the help.

[horseflesh 0]

@adeer786 -- I'm not sure of the best way to handle that problem. I have never needed to do anything quite like that. You can get relatively inexpensive PTZ cameras that could look all around that space... the Huisun 10x PTZ is still good. And, if you are just doing a spot check you don't even need a recorder, just direct access to the camera over the network. But man, if my wedding was there, I would find cameras panning around during the event to be uncomfortable.

 

It's been approximately a year since my install, and since I am here I might as well do another update on my Hik/LTS system.

 

- LTS has issued an NVR firmware update which fixed the problems I had noted. The mouse doesn't stop working now, smart motion event emails now include photo attachments, and Gmail can be used again for sending those emails.

 

- One LTS 4 MP turret camera dropped off the network a few times but became reliable again before I had gotten around to troubleshooting further.

 

- No spider problems (I am in the Seattle area and I bet this varies by region)

 

- I am still pretty happy with the capabilities of the NVR and mobile apps.

 

No regrets! I like this gear enough to have helped both my neighbors set up similar systems.

[kmarnes 0]

Wow old thread indeed. I ended up buying this: https://www.lorextechnology.com/hd-ip-security-camera-system/8-channel-security-camera-system-with-6-hd-surveillance-cameras/LN10804-86W-1-p

 

Paid $750 during the previous cyber monday sale for a PVR, 6 2K cameras with color night vision, and 6x 60' ethernet cables. Haven't actually fully installed it yet due to wintry weather. All I did was plug it in and a single camera on the inside aimed outside the sliding glass door. Was able to easily install a mobile app to access the cameras from anywhere, including notifications. You can configure the cameras for different resolutions, motion sensing rules, notifications, etc, and there is a ip website (much like configuring your router), so you can drive everything from your computer instead of doing it from the box on your TV. It's not the best user experience (UX), but it's serviceable. The cameras at 2K are decent enough, but I won't trust night vision to be particularly good.

 

I can't stress enough that Lorex customer service is rock bottom. It is so horrible. But couldn't beat the price for what I ended up getting. They literally ignored a warranty problem I had with my old crappy wireless system despite multiple attempts, and with my most recent order, I also ordered a separate hub extender which ended up shipping separately well after I canceled, but it took two months and several phones calls and tickets to get my refund. It finally happened after I threatened to dispute it on my credit card. It also took them a full month for them to ship the initial order after Cyber Monday, despite the website showing it was in stock the whole time. So it's quite bad. So if you buy from them, you're literally on your own if you have any problems.