Axis P3367-V / Synology Combo

[mobiledynamics 0]

I was never a fan of CCTV for the home......

We have a full blown alarm system, central monitoring, alerts on phones, etc.....

 

I am planning to do 3367 cameras with a Synology unit.

What's the point of having a system if it won't capture the details...

 

How did I come to this combo. I've seen a couple of Synologys - and the software is more than sufficient for my needs.

 

As far as camera's, I'm the type to buy once - cry one....and the Axis seemed like a good fit. Thoughts, suggestions...

[Peter_ 2]

Double check what resolutions the Synology NAS's support. I *believe* they only record up to 1080p (i.e. you won't be recording the full 2592 x 1944 image, to the NAS at least). Their software in the latest release of Surveillance station has gotten somewhat buggy, random disconnects to my Axis M5014, and the Java based interface crashes occasionally.

 

But on that note, I like Axis cameras, they are SUPER easy to setup and use.

[akelley 0]

Just my personal opinion, but for a little more than the price of the camera licenses for Synology, you can get a much better dedicated, professional level NVR such as ExacqVision or Milestone (even the free version of Milestone will have way more features). The last time I used my Synology with my Axis p3367, it could not handle anywhere near the full resolution, and it didn't have full support of the substreams and other features on the p3367. I could go on and about all the features the Synology lacks compared to a dedicated NVR, but that would be pointless, because it's like comparing the towing capacity of Prius to an F150 - completely different vehicles for different purposes.

 

Of course, if having to run a separate dedicated PC/Server is not a reality for you (in addition to your NAS), then I suppose Synology is a good choice.

[mobiledynamics 0]

I am strictly buying the Synology to use as a NVR. The + side is formfactor to a degree.

 

Care to shed some more light on other options.

 

I strictly care about 1 thing only - Picture Quality.

 

Someone tried breaking into my daily driver that I parked outside. The exterior of the house shows no signs of attempted intrusion. Home alarm has cellular radio, yadda, yadda. I plan to have 3-4 cameras at max. Whether I end up using indoor, outdoor or both - I will end up engaging my cabinetmaker or fabricator to make some sort of ~decorative housing~ to hide the cameras regardless.

[mike_va 0]

That's a great camera. Try a proper VMS, there are free versions from Axis or Milestone. I used a synology for a while useless sluggish POS playing back video...

[pfcsabre 0]

Double check what resolutions the Synology NAS's support. I *believe* they only record up to 1080p (i.e. you won't be recording the full 2592 x 1944 image, to the NAS at least). Their software in the latest release of Surveillance station has gotten somewhat buggy, random disconnects to my Axis M5014, and the Java based interface crashes occasionally.

 

But on that note, I like Axis cameras, they are SUPER easy to setup and use.

 

Not meant to hijack the thread, but nice to know that it's buggy at the moment. I've had about 10-15x disconnects a day, and I thought it's because I completely dismantled my HFW2100 (so I would put a big hole in my front door) and maybe somehow I did something wrong I shouldn't have updated it last weekend....

[akelley 0]

I am strictly buying the Synology to use as a NVR. The + side is formfactor to a degree.

 

Care to shed some more light on other options.

 

I strictly care about 1 thing only - Picture Quality.

 

Someone tried breaking into my daily driver that I parked outside. The exterior of the house shows no signs of attempted intrusion. Home alarm has cellular radio, yadda, yadda. I plan to have 3-4 cameras at max. Whether I end up using indoor, outdoor or both - I will end up engaging my cabinetmaker or fabricator to make some sort of ~decorative housing~ to hide the cameras regardless.

 

If you want the best quality image, Synology is not the way to go. As others have mentioned (as has been my personal experience as well), the Synology software is not anywhere in the same league as a true NVR such as Milestone or ExacqVision.

 

If you really want the best quality and the best performance/reliability, stick with Axis, Avigilon, or even Mobotix. For the NVR, look at the two I mentioned above, as well as Avigilon's own NVR (especially if you decide to go with Avigilon cameras).

 

Not to sound snide or disrespectful, but why buy Synology for surveillance NVR? It's definitely not their core product or strength. They make an excellent NAS (I highly recommend them to my consumer and SMB clients), but I would never recommend using their NVR software. Use them for network storage, but I wouldn't rely on them as your NVR if you're looking for reliability and quality when it comes to capturing evidence from your cameras.

[rayt 0]

i have 2x ds1812+ NAS, but i am using for storage /nvr duties, no problems with it during my testing, you have to pay attention to what they are rated for. Most of the ones rated for home use will not work well with more then a camera or 2.

[mobiledynamics 0]

Most of the ones rated for home use will not work well with more then a camera or 2.

 

 

I don't have their grid in front of me but I believe they had it rated at 20 camera.

 

Let's chat more about ~other~ NVR software packages.

Picture Quality is what counts.

I don't think I will use it to *monitor* what is on display.

 

It has been prompted me to install one due to attempted robbery of my car.....

 

I am quite intimate with hardware and tweaking computers.....former netops project manager

 

I DID like the footprint of the synology. That's not to say I can't finaggle a Small Form Factor Box myself and install some of the other NVR software recommended.

 

Thoughts. Suggestions ? IOS app for viewing is a +++

[bike_rider 0]

If you are mostly interested in play back and you will only have a few cameras, skip the nvr entirely.have the camera write to ftp or the on board card, if there is one.

[akelley 0]

Look at ExacqVision - they have VMS software, and prebuilt hardware like the Synology. ExacqVision is going to offer a lot more quality and reliability than the Synology will in terms of VMS functionality and camera support.

 

Since you are fully capable of building your own box, that's another option as well, and then just installing your choice of VMS on that. ExacqVision will run on Windows and Linux, so you can build a very capable Linux box without breaking the bank. The EL series from Exacq run on Atom processors, and can support up to 24 IP cameras. This should give you an idea of how efficient their software is, yet way more scaleable than your Synology - Synology only offers basic NVR functionality compared to a dedicated VMS solution. The EL Toaster has a very similar footprint/form factor as the Synology (but less storage capacity).

 

Here:

 

ExacqVision: http://www.exacqvision

EL Series NVR: https://exacq.com/products/EL_series_IP_servers.html

[voip-ninja 0]

I'm not sure I buy the comment that the licenses on the Synology are going to be similar in cost to what a standalone NVR would be.

 

I bought a 4 license pack for my DS1511+ for $139 from eBay and now have a total of five licenses.

 

It is true that the Synology interface is a little slow and it cannot handle anything better than 1080P at this time. However, I have never had issues with camera disconnections or motion events not getting picked up for my two older Panasonic VGA cams and single Vivotek camera.

 

Another bonus for me is that there are zero cost apps for the iPad and iPhone that work quite well for reviewing video clips or watching live feeds. Unfortunately Synology can't display multiple H264/AVC video feeds on mobile devices at this time.

 

I would say that compared to $500-$1500 or more for a good NVR or building another power sucking PC to run NVR software the Synology is a good option if you will also use it as a NAS.

 

My biggest problem with Synology right now is their reliance on Java for the web client, I have problems connecting through a proxy at my work. My wife, at her office, has no issues connecting over the internet to it, although the Java is a little slow to load.

[akelley 0]

I'm not sure I buy the comment that the licenses on the Synology are going to be similar in cost to what a standalone NVR would be.

 

I bought a 4 license pack for my DS1511+ for $139 from eBay and now have a total of five licenses.

 

It is true that the Synology interface is a little slow and it cannot handle anything better than 1080P at this time. However, I have never had issues with camera disconnections or motion events not getting picked up for my two older Panasonic VGA cams and single Vivotek camera.

 

Another bonus for me is that there are zero cost apps for the iPad and iPhone that work quite well for reviewing video clips or watching live feeds. Unfortunately Synology can't display multiple H264/AVC video feeds on mobile devices at this time.

 

I would say that compared to $500-$1500 or more for a good NVR or building another power sucking PC to run NVR software the Synology is a good option if you will also use it as a NAS.

 

My biggest problem with Synology right now is their reliance on Java for the web client, I have problems connecting through a proxy at my work. My wife, at her office, has no issues connecting over the internet to it, although the Java is a little slow to load.

 

All valid points, but the reality is that per camera license for Milestone can be had for $50 each, and free if you go with their Go product line. I haven't gotten exact price quotes for ExacqVision but I understand they are similar ($50 - $100 depending on version; same as Milestone). I'm sure if you were to buy 4 or more at once, you could probably get a discount on the listed price.

 

I don't disagree that Synology isn't good quality, but I still believe that for a little more in license costs, you can have a near professional level VMS solution. And keep in mind, when it comes to cost, the Synology hardware is going to be more than you can put together a small (Atom based) unit. The DS1512+ (5 bays) is $800 on Amazon, and that's without any storage. A four bay (DS412+) without storage is $649. So at the end of the day, you may end up paying more for the Synology, and getting less in the VMS feature set.

[voip-ninja 0]

My point, I guess, is that if you need a NAS anyway, the Synology is a pretty good option if you have modest needs for an NVR. They provide a decent web app, that for the most part works over the internet. They have free iOS apps that are pretty decent and let you view your cams live as well as your recordings.

 

Your recordings are also stored on a redundant drive array so you don't have to worry about a single disk on an NVR going dead and losing everything.

 

Even if you can get licenses cheap/free for dedicated NVR you are going to spend at least $200 or so on hardware, probably won't have disk redundancy, and of course you get to foot the bill for using a 35-80 watt PC that runs 24/7.

 

I would probably have a "real" NVR if I took security a lot more seriously, but it would also make this hobby more expensive and it's already expensive. I'm also satisfied with the Synology NVR performance. If I needed more than 1080P I probably would not be, but, since I'm not trying to ID license plates and faces from across the street, the resolution that it supports is fine for me.

[Peter_ 2]

Plus you get all the other features that are built into the Synology - VPN access, Dynamic DNS, etc

[akelley 0]

Excellent points voip-ninja and Peter_. I personally use several Synology products and am very happy with them. They are more expensive than other NAS units, but as they say, you get what you pay for. And in the case of Synology, excellent build quality and excellent expansion options in both hardware and and software. What I would like to see is if you could get ExacqVision to run on one of these. Technically, you should be able to. Whether it would void your warranty with Synology I don't know.