Mobotix vs Avigilon

[lansa 0]

Does any one here have any experience with Avigilon cams? We do alot of Mobotix projects in Houston but have not dealt with Avigilon as of yet. Would like to hear some user experiences and how they compare with Mobotix products.

 

Thanks!

 

Ilan

EOS Digital Services

Houston

Edited March 8, 2013 by Guest

[ak357 0]

Does any one here have any experience with Avigilon cams? We do alot of Mobotix projects in Houston but have not dealt with Avigilon as of yet. Would like to hear some user experiences and how they compare with Mobotix products.

 

Thanks!

 

Ilan

EOS Digital Services

Once u "play" with Avigilon

u will drop Mobotix

[lansa 0]

Educate me! What makes Avigilon that much superior?

 

Does Avigilon include features such as PIR, integrated SIP, onboard storage?

 

Thanks for the input,

 

Ilan

EOS Digital Services

Houston

Edited March 8, 2013 by Guest

[thewireguys 3]

I have experience with Avigilon and Mobotix.

 

Mobotix makes a great camera but they are way behind the times with releasing new products.

 

Also Mobotix's US support is well not existent at times where Avigilon's support is the best I have ever worked with in my 13+ years in the business

 

Mobotix's software is torture and installing/configuring the cameras takes 10 times as long then Avigilon system.

 

I know many Mobotix partners that have switched to Avigilon.

 

How long does it take you to configure, install and train a customer with a 20 camera Mobotix system?

[ak357 0]

Educate me! What makes Avigilon that much superior?

 

Does Avigilon include features such as PIR, integrated SIP, onboard storage?

 

Thanks for the input,

 

Ilan

EOS Digital Services

 

www.avigilon.com

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/avigilon

[jhonovich 0]

Ilan,

 

Avigilon and Mobotix have significantly different design approaches. As you know, Mobotix puts a ton of hardware and software features in to their cameras - PIR, SIP, edge storage, panoramic dewarping, dual imagers, analytics, etc. Avigilon's cameras have less features - no edge storage, no audio, no analytics, etc. Whereas Mobotix's software configuration has hundreds of options available, Avigilon's is much simpler.

 

Mobotix's positions its cameras as a system in itself that does not require a server (decentralized architecture, etc.) while Avigilon integrates with their server based VMS software.

 

Avigilon is clearly a more mass market solution. They have a broader lineup of cameras, encoders, PTZs, etc. Most would agree that their VMS is easier to use for non technical, non trained users.

 

Also, Avigilon is clearly on its way up while Mobotix is not. If you are betting on trends, Avigilon is it.

 

If you like all the Mobotix software features, the serverless recording, the T24 door station, etc. you are not going to get that from Avigilon. That's not their approach. However, if you are looking for something more mainstream and for the average user, Avigilon is far ahead of Mobotix.

 

If you like the Mobotix approach but want an alternative supplier, Axis's feature sets are the next closest. However, if you want to get away from the Mobotix technical approach, Avigilon is a good choice.

[lansa 0]

Thanks for the great reply. I think that sums up nicely the main differences between the 2 systems. I will definitely reach out to Avigilon to learn more about their products and possibly buy one to play around with.

[thewireguys 3]

Ilan,

 

Avigilon and Mobotix have significantly different design approaches. As you know, Mobotix puts a ton of hardware and software features in to their cameras - PIR, SIP, edge storage, panoramic dewarping, dual imagers, analytics, etc. Avigilon's cameras have less features - no edge storage, no audio, no analytics, etc. Whereas Mobotix's software configuration has hundreds of options available, Avigilon's is much simpler.

 

Mobotix's positions its cameras as a system in itself that does not require a server (decentralized architecture, etc.) while Avigilon integrates with their server based VMS software.

 

Avigilon is clearly a more mass market solution. They have a broader lineup of cameras, encoders, PTZs, etc. Most would agree that their VMS is easier to use for non technical, non trained users.

 

Also, Avigilon is clearly on its way up while Mobotix is not. If you are betting on trends, Avigilon is it.

 

If you like all the Mobotix software features, the serverless recording, the T24 door station, etc. you are not going to get that from Avigilon. That's not their approach. However, if you are looking for something more mainstream and for the average user, Avigilon is far ahead of Mobotix.

 

If you like the Mobotix approach but want an alternative supplier, Axis's feature sets are the next closest. However, if you want to get away from the Mobotix technical approach, Avigilon is a good choice.

 

Interesting coming from the guy who normally slams Mobotix at any chance he has.

Edited March 7, 2013 by Guest

[thewireguys 3]

Thanks for the great reply. I think that sums up nicely the main differences between the 2 systems. I will definitely reach out to Avigilon to learn more about their products and possibly buy one to play around with.

 

I am curious why you are looking to at another solution besides Mobotix. What has your experience be like with Mobotix? What do you like and what don't you like?

 

I think they truly make great hardware but there software is very difficult for the average person to use. If Mobotix had Avigilon's VMS it would very awesome solution IMHO

[jhonovich 0]

 

Interesting coming from the guy who normally slams Mobotix at any chance he has.

 

Do you have any specific critique on the details and analysis I presented?

[lansa 0]

The reason I asked about Avigilon is simply because I was looking at Mobotix competition, not necessarily because Mobotix doesnt make a good product, but for me, I always like to stay on top of industry trends and if another company comes along and delivers a better product and better customer service, I owe it to my customers and to my business to take a deeper look. I think the criticisms of Mobotix are well known on this forum, be it the agonizingly slow product introduction, the user-unfriendly software or the lack of customer support. However, the functionality of these cameras, when properly configured, is probably second to none. So yes, it looks like Mobotix needs to wake up and realize they're not the only game in town and the competition is speeding ahead......before it's too late.

[Voipmodo 0]

Avigilon is the next big think in my opinion only because of its restricted sales channel that helps dealers close projects simply because a customer can not really compare options. While this is working for them currently, now they have had an IPO and have to meet revenue targets, I dont see this lasting long term as investors want greater returns.

 

 

 

We standardized on Mobotix a few years ago and have offered a remote setup program that has worked extremely well. The corporate support is very good at what it is, primarily tier 2 or tier 3 support. We dont have many issues and seem to be very responsive.

 

In terms of VMS, The Mobotix version is free, with no licensing ever. Avigilon and others charge per channel. With Avigilon, if your server dies, your whole system can go down. With Mobotix, if the NAS goes down, they just record to the 64GB SD card. The current version of MXControl Center is getting a little long in the tooth, but from what I have been hearing out of Germany, the whole platform of the VMS is being scrapped and revamped from the ground up.

 

There are many brands that try to be sexy, tout Megapixels, shout out look at me I am a camera, I can make you coffee. Mobotix is that dorky little camera in the back of class that gets the job done, and has every little tech detail you may need. To me its more of a documentation and UI problem then anything.

 

Yes Mobotix needs to be faster in updating, but when they do come out, the products are rock solid.

[lansa 0]

Avigilon is the next big think in my opinion only because of its restricted sales channel that helps dealers close projects simply because a customer can not really compare options. While this is working for them currently, now they have had an IPO and have to meet revenue targets, I dont see this lasting long term as investors want greater returns.

 

 

 

We standardized on Mobotix a few years ago and have offered a remote setup program that has worked extremely well. The corporate support is very good at what it is, primarily tier 2 or tier 3 support. We dont have many issues and seem to be very responsive.

 

In terms of VMS, The Mobotix version is free, with no licensing ever. Avigilon and others charge per channel. With Avigilon, if your server dies, your whole system can go down. With Mobotix, if the NAS goes down, they just record to the 64GB SD card. The current version of MXControl Center is getting a little long in the tooth, but from what I have been hearing out of Germany, the whole platform of the VMS is being scrapped and revamped from the ground up.

 

There are many brands that try to be sexy, tout Megapixels, shout out look at me I am a camera, I can make you coffee. Mobotix is that dorky little camera in the back of class that gets the job done, and has every little tech detail you may need. To me its more of a documentation and UI problem then anything.

 

Yes Mobotix needs to be faster in updating, but when they do come out, the products are rock solid.

 

Agree, we've never had issues with Mobotix hardware, they have been rock solid. I like your remote setup deal, interested in learning more.

[thewireguys 3]

Avigilon is the next big think in my opinion only because of its restricted sales channel that helps dealers close projects simply because a customer can not really compare options. While this is working for them currently, now they have had an IPO and have to meet revenue targets, I dont see this lasting long term as investors want greater returns.

 

 

 

We standardized on Mobotix a few years ago and have offered a remote setup program that has worked extremely well. The corporate support is very good at what it is, primarily tier 2 or tier 3 support. We dont have many issues and seem to be very responsive.

 

In terms of VMS, The Mobotix version is free, with no licensing ever. Avigilon and others charge per channel. With Avigilon, if your server dies, your whole system can go down. With Mobotix, if the NAS goes down, they just record to the 64GB SD card. The current version of MXControl Center is getting a little long in the tooth, but from what I have been hearing out of Germany, the whole platform of the VMS is being scrapped and revamped from the ground up.

 

There are many brands that try to be sexy, tout Megapixels, shout out look at me I am a camera, I can make you coffee. Mobotix is that dorky little camera in the back of class that gets the job done, and has every little tech detail you may need. To me its more of a documentation and UI problem then anything.

 

Yes Mobotix needs to be faster in updating, but when they do come out, the products are rock solid.

 

Sorry I must disagree. Avigilon doesn't win projects because of the sales channels they win projects because they have a great solution that is easy to install, learn and use.

 

Curious what you thought of the T24 when it first came out?

[ChrisL 0]

Avigilon is the next big think in my opinion only because of its restricted sales channel that helps dealers close projects simply because a customer can not really compare options. While this is working for them currently, now they have had an IPO and have to meet revenue targets, I dont see this lasting long term as investors want greater returns.

 

Isn't this a thing of the past? Isn't Avigilon available through distribution now?

[thewireguys 3]

Avigilon is the next big think in my opinion only because of its restricted sales channel that helps dealers close projects simply because a customer can not really compare options. While this is working for them currently, now they have had an IPO and have to meet revenue targets, I dont see this lasting long term as investors want greater returns.

 

Isn't this a thing of the past? Isn't Avigilon available through distribution now?

 

That would be news to me....

[ChrisL 0]

Avigilon is the next big think in my opinion only because of its restricted sales channel that helps dealers close projects simply because a customer can not really compare options. While this is working for them currently, now they have had an IPO and have to meet revenue targets, I dont see this lasting long term as investors want greater returns.

 

Isn't this a thing of the past? Isn't Avigilon available through distribution now?

 

That would be news to me....

 

Hrm, maybe I let the cat out of the bag too early?

We were told otherwise. But, you know how rumors in this industry go right.

 

我要开始我的中国

 

Get it?

[thewireguys 3]

Outside of north american they use distribution so maybe that is what your talking about.

 

I find it interesting though, there are three different groups that complain about Avigilon's go-to-market model. Distribution, competitors, and dealers that don't make the cut.

 

Currently Avigilon can control the whole process and make sure the end users is getting a solution that works. Once you go distribution any Tom Dick and Hairy can sell the product and the final product suffers.

 

Example: We just met with a customer that has a Pelco Endura system and they are not happy at all. Distribution is selling to the customer direct and the telco guy is installing the system. The people that are responsible for using the system find the system to be useless because it doesn't work properly. PTZ cameras spin out of control, switching from a single camera view to matrix view takes minutes or the client crashes, switching from live to recorded video takes minutes or some times the client crashes.

 

Chances are the system is just not installed properly but the customer now has a bad taste in there mouth about Pelco because anyone can install the system.

 

Anyway its gonna mean a lot of work for us.

[buellwinkle 0]

We use Mobotix because of the built in NVR functionality which is ideal for communities where you may not have an NVR at each location and you don't have the ability to setup a network, wireless or otherwise due to terrain issues. Also, with cameras not being monitored, some may not even be looked at for over a year, having the Mobotix reliability with no moving parts is key, so no IR cut filter to get stuck for example. Would Avigilon work for us, I don't think so. The closest competitor would be Axis with it's Edge storage and this is new relative to Mobotix. While it's easier to use, it misses some of the built in NVR functionality I'm used to with Mobotix. I've never had issues with their support, it's been on the ball, they connect to our cameras to resolve issues. The other differentiator with Mobotix that they are quickly loosing is their b&w night sensors, best I've seen for low light, but the market is quickly catching up with great low light performance, some with 1080P resoltion that trumps Mobotix 1.22MP.

 

That's not to say cameras from Avigilon, Vivotek, Speco, Geovision are not as good as Mobotix, but if you need the capabilities that differentiate Mobotix, then the choices are limited.

 

As for their distribution model, tough call, if a decent sized CCTV installation company has to go to each vendor and sign up to sell their brand, I can see it being tedious and I can see them avoiding brands not carried by the large distributors. For a small guy that wants to commit to one brand and evengelize that brand, take or leave it mentality, it does make sense.

[Voipmodo 0]

There may be a market then to buy Avigilon from the distributors in the UK and ship over to the US. We could charge $10,000 a camera

 

Honestly though strict online sales of CCTV is a losing game. Why compete against Amazon and BH if you dont have to.

 

Most of our sales end up being projects where we do the planning, configuration, and support. The only thing we dont do is run the wires, as for that the customer does in house or we contract to a local shop. I think its a great model, but then again I have an aversion to running Cat-5 in ceilings all day.

 

I would love to sell Avigilon and offer the customers the choice of systems.. It just takes time for vendors to understand different sales models.

[buellwinkle 0]

There may be a market then to buy Avigilon from the distributors in the UK and ship over to the US. We could charge $10,000 a camera

 

You think it's funny but their higher end cameras with lens are about $10,000. Since those cameras are the their flagship. they show that off and people go whoa, that's out of my budget not realizing some of their cameras are only $9,000

[thewireguys 3]

There may be a market then to buy Avigilon from the distributors in the UK and ship over to the US. We could charge $10,000 a camera

 

Honestly though strict online sales of CCTV is a losing game. Why compete against Amazon and BH if you dont have to.

 

Most of our sales end up being projects where we do the planning, configuration, and support. The only thing we dont do is run the wires, as for that the customer does in house or we contract to a local shop. I think its a great model, but then again I have an aversion to running Cat-5 in ceilings all day.

 

I would love to sell Avigilon and offer the customers the choice of systems.. It just takes time for vendors to understand different sales models.

 

What is your average system size?

[mgb 0]

my shop started selling Avigilon a few years ago and it was really my first experience with ip cctv.

I found the equipment and software to be pretty easy.

I will say that Avigilon doesn't seem to have a lot of the features that other manufacturers have.

 

I have had great experiences with Avigilons tech support. They have always been very helpful.

 

Avigilon went through a major restructuring I believe and in that they changed how they distribute. the rep we were getting them through lost the line and now on our latest job we're pushing IQ Invision.

[sealfab 0]

I figured I would bring this one back from the dead rather than start a new thread. Its been a couple years and technology has changed. Does Avigilon or anyone for that matter make a comparable mobotix replacement? As in onboard storage, good analytics, and vms built into camera?

[thewireguys 3]

I figured I would bring this one back from the dead rather than start a new thread. Its been a couple years and technology has changed. Does Avigilon or anyone for that matter make a comparable mobotix replacement? As in onboard storage, good analytics, and vms built into camera?

 

Yes check out Avigilon's ES cameras which have onboard SSD Storage and analytics that work very well.

 

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