Experience with Rainbow CCTV cameras.

[nDAlk90 0]

Anyone here used and have experience with Rainbow security cameras or lenses? Thoughts, opinions?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

[MaxIcon 0]

I think Rainbow's out of business, but I won't guarantee that. I've noticed their IP cams going really cheap, and have been tempted to get one to test, but not much feedback out there on them.

 

I've got a bunch of Rainbow lenses from back in the day, and they're mostly mediocre, but they also weren't very expensive. Not as good as Computar, for comparison - mostly plastic bodies, not the best image performance (especially in low light), etc. They were pretty reliable, though.

[nDAlk90 0]

Thanks for the reply. I heard they are out of business from a source.

 

I'm interested in buying some of their Pixim box cameras. I hear Pixim is good for WDR and so am tempted to buy it, but before I did I wanted to see what the opinions of forum members was.

 

Anyone used Pixim in WDR applications? What were your thoughts?

 

Thanks.

 

I think Rainbow's out of business, but I won't guarantee that. I've noticed their IP cams going really cheap, and have been tempted to get one to test, but not much feedback out there on them.

 

I've got a bunch of Rainbow lenses from back in the day, and they're mostly mediocre, but they also weren't very expensive. Not as good as Computar, for comparison - mostly plastic bodies, not the best image performance (especially in low light), etc. They were pretty reliable, though.

[vin2install 0]

The Pixims are really good in WDR enviroments. I actually like them better than double scan ccds for that purpose. Especially the newer Pixim Seawolfs because the first generation Pixims were terrible in low light.

[camera-newbie 0]

Hmm.. I'm pretty sure their website was up about a month ago when I was looking at one of their cameras but got crickets back when asking about people using them -- I see the listed on craigslist a lot and I think ebay.. Oh well..

[MaxIcon 0]

Heh! There's someone on ebay selling Rainbow 1080P POE ONVIF network cams for $100 shipped, if you search on rainbow ipm.

 

It's always a risk buying orphaned electronics, and it seems unlikely the quality would be great (and certain that support is non-existent), but for those who like to dabble with inexpensive gear, it's tempting.

[nDAlk90 0]

it seems unlikely the quality would be great

 

Why is that? because its on eBay?

Whenever something goes on eBay the quality degrades?

[MaxIcon 0]

No, I'm an ebay geek - 80% of my cam gear came from there, most of it used. It's more the $100 price for 1080P that makes me cautious about the quality, and my previous experience with Rainbow gear. A lot of the low price could be due to them being orphaned, but there are several other Rainbow models, also 1080P, going for more. I haven't found anything that compares the features of the various models, and it could be this is someone wanting to blow them out cheap and move on.

 

I ordered one, just for grins, and can report back on it over the next week or so.

[nDAlk90 0]

I ordered one, just for grins, and can report back on it over the next week or so.

 

Great...

Let us know please.

[MaxIcon 0]

There's been a similar discussion over at the BI forum on these cams, and user rockcrawl had this useful info to post (http://www.cam-it.org/index.php?topic=2646.0):

 

Rainbow/ISO didn't make the cameras, their latest round of IP cams were made by Dynacolor. This includes the IP1 box cam, IPM14 indoor dome, and IPV1V3 outdoor dome. The IP1 is a Dynacolor V6, I don't know what the others cross to but the IPV1V3 looks like a Dynacolor V2 and the IPM14 is possibly a Dynacolor V1. The path for h.264 is /h264 and the path for MJPEG is /jpeg. Both streams work in BI with the generic RTSP settings to match the camera settings. The older Rainbow CN100P camera is the same as a Toshiba IK-WB02a (made by Topview) and should work using the Toshiba settings.

 

I bought four Rainbow cams right around the time they went under, I have three of the IP1 cams and one IPM14. They all have an excellent picture. The IP1 is a true day/night camera with a moving IR cut filter. My IPM14 gets alarmingly hot, I don't know if it's normal or if there's something wrong with it. I think they're great cameras, especially at the prices they're selling for on Ebay now, about half of the normal retail price. Just don't expect any kind of warranty or support from the manufacturer.

 

I plan on putting my IPM14 outside under the eave above my front door. It will be protected from direct exposure to rain and sun, but it will need to endure the temperature and humidity changes. It was cheap enough that it doesn't matter if it dies early, and I like the smaller size of the IPM14 vs the IPV1V3. My IP1s are in sealed Swann 1020 outdoor enclosures under the eaves.

 

The cameras come bundled with Dynacolor's CMS software, and they have a mobile app for it as well. I tried it out and it seems to work OK but it's a little clunky. It does basic motion detection and missing/foreign object detection, but you need the pro version for line crossing/counting. I'd like to try their new iCMS if I could find a download somewhere. The Dynacolor settings have worked for the Rainbows in almost every piece of software that I've tried, and they are also ONVIF v1.0 which seems to be a pretty well supported standard these days.

[camera-newbie 0]

Hmm.. Interesting.. Since I'm running Avigilon at home, a quick search reveals that the Dynacolor ONVIF cameras are supported as of this past summer with version 4.8.2.12 released in August.. Seems like if I wanted to get one of their IPv1v3 cameras, it'd work with Avigilon.. Might have to get one to try out..

 

Thanks for the info Max!! " title="Applause" />

[MaxIcon 0]

Here's the post I just put up over at the BI forum:

 

My IPM14 arrived, and I haven't had time for much testing, but yes, it's normal to get alarmingly hot. In my 70 degree garage, sitting on a towel, the base gets a hotspot that's 133 degrees! I can only imagine how it will get on a hot summer day. Too bad the baseplate is plastic; maybe some heatsinking, or a metal baseplate, will help with this. I'll dig into it a bit more on the weekend. It's only drawing about 4.5W, according to my POE switch, which is typical for a modern IP cam.

 

Aside from that, it's a pretty awesome camera for the money - definitely the best $100 IP cam I've seen. The BI frame rate hits 28 fps at 1080p, and hits 30 with no trouble at all other resolutions. Like all MP cams in BI, it eats up the CPU cycles at high frame rates, running 30% with no motion and 60% with motion detected at 1080p, 28fps. Turning it down to 15fps drops it to 18% at 1080p and 10% at 720p, which is a lot more manageable. This is on an i3-540 (2GB vs 8GB RAM didn't make any difference to BI on this box).

 

The well-lit image is pretty durn good, and the low-light image gets noisy and sparkly, but with a more ambient light, it improves steadily. It's also a lot less noisy at 720p. I've got the minimum speed set for 1/30 second to avoid motion blur, but at the default of 1/4 second, the low-light image is much better, though the frame rate drops to 4fps.

 

The setup has lots of options and flexibility, and the ActiveX web page is responsive, with good feedback on FPS, resolution, and bitrate if you double-click on the image. The software is better than most of my other cams, and even beats out my favorite Vivoteks in overall flexibility.

 

The size is great - very compact (maybe part of the heat problem), though it's one of those domes that only faces in one direction. The mic works nicely, (unfortunately, there's no switching IR filter, despite what I posted earlier), and the design is clean.

 

The only downsides I've found are pretty minor (aside from being an orphan) - there's no DHCP and the default is 192.168.0.250, so you have to switch a PC to 192.168.0.xxx to change the IP if that's not how your network is set up; the user name is case sensitive (Admin, not admin - who does that?); you can only get FTP/email images with MJPEG enabled, which you can't do with h.264 1080p, you can't have more than one stream at 1080p, and probably some other minor stuff.

 

If it didn't run so dang hot, I'd buy a couple more just because the performance for the money is so great, but the heat has me worried about the long-term reliability.

Edited May 1, 2012 by Guest

[camera-newbie 0]

Here's the post I just put up over at the BI forum:

If it didn't run so dang hot, I'd buy a couple more just because the performance for the money is so great, but the heat has me worried about the long-term reliability.

 

I've got an older Basler BIP-1300C-DN that runs pretty warm -- not sure it gets that hot but I'd guess it gets well into the 120F range but it does have a metal case to help dissipate the heat. I'll be toying around with it again this weekend -- I might have to use my super accurate kitchen thermometer to check the temps on it just for comparison. Let us know your continued story on this camera.

 

Max -- Did you buy from "ocdepot" in Santa Ana, CA? They seem to have the most of these for just under $100/ea... Just curious..

[MaxIcon 0]

Yep, that was them. Best price, fast shipping, no problems.

 

The BI forum has a post that says the baseplate is aluminum (it feels like plastic to me, but I haven't spent much time with it). I'll be taking it apart over the weekend to see what can be done about heat dissipation.

 

I'm thinking a couple of stick-on bumpers on the base would be useful before mounting, so it leaves a small gap to help with air flow.

[MaxIcon 0]

OK, a little leveling here on the heat thing, now that I've had a chance to get more data.

 

Turns out my Vivotek FD8134 runs just a little lower - about 120 deg F - in the same situation. This is pulling just under 5W with the IR on, and it's mounted to a stamped sheet steel baseplate, compared to the aluminum plate the Rainbow's got. The guts of my latest IP8332 also run over 100 deg, though the heavy bullet body helps distribute the heat better, and the larger area surface keeps it cool overall externally.

 

It sounds like a fairly small difference, but 120 deg is "Hey, that's warm", and 133 deg is "Ouch! #$@@#!!".

 

Most of this heat is generated by the POE power conversion circuitry, which is taking the 48Vdc and converting it down to the voltages the camera and network circuits need. There's a power MOSFET and a transformer in each of these cams that's the source of the heat. I may try the Vivotek on a DC supply to see if it reduces the heat any, just for comparison, but the Rainbow (and many modern IP cams) doesn't have the option of running separate power.

 

The good news is that these components are made to withstand high temps over time, but it does raise the temp overall, which can reduce the life of the other circuitry.

 

The IPM14 runs a lot cooler with the cover off, as you'd expect, so I've got a few ideas for managing the temp on this cam, as well as FD8134, which I haven't permanently mounted yet.

 

I'm going to be mounting bumpers on these cams - probably plastic stick-on style - to keep an air gap between the baseplate and mounting surface for better heat flow. I'm also thinking about putting a few holes in the Rainbow's thin, delicate plastic cover, which should be fine if it's not mounted out under the eaves, or mounting it to a larger metal plate which will help dissipate the heat.

[camera-newbie 0]

If you're able to disassemble the camera, what about adding some external lines and bypassing the PoE feature altogether? Not sure if that's possible or not but would certainly reduce the heat -- perhaps considerably.. ? Just a thought..

[MaxIcon 0]

Yeah, that might help. I'll check it out with the meter and see what the outputs look like.

 

Given the small size, cramped and fragile enclosure, and my fondness for POE, I'm more likely to take the path of least resistance and stick it onto a larger metal mounting plate. A few quick tests show this helps cool it down a good bit, but I don't have hard data yet. If it's another hot weekend, this'll be a perfect time to check it out.

[tbtkdz 0]

Hi everyone, I got the Rainbow CCTV H18x86MEAIR and I'm struggling to connect it, it has 2 cables sticking out of it, one with 11 wires (red, orange, black, grey, dark green, light green, brown, violet, yellow, blue and silver) and the other one with 4 wires (black, white, red and silver). Can anyone show me how to connect these wire please. And your help is much appreciated.