Synology NAS

[bazinlondon 0]

I'm looking to gauge people's experience with their CCTV system set up using Synology NAS drive or similar?

[Peter_ 2]

You mean using the Synology NAS as just storage, or using their included Surveillance Station Software?

[bazinlondon 0]

Using the surveillance station.

[Peter_ 2]

It has pros and cons in my experience:

 

Pros:

-Compatible with tons of cameras (from Foscams to Mobotix).

-Free app available for cell phone.

-Decent video analytics (motion, missing object, people counting, etc) for all cameras.

-Easy setup and management for any level of user (camera auto-detection)

 

Cons:

-Java based

-Licenses for extra cameras are $60+ USD/each

-Some reliability issues (although the new version is better).

 

Even if you just use the Synology system as a NAS you get VPN access, fast read/write speeds, DDNS, and plenty of other features built right in.

[mobbarley 0]

Good for home, don't sell it as a solution.

 

I used to use it at home for a long time and it worked well, but there were occasional breaks due to updates which took quite some time to resolve. Lately I've had issues with any MPEG streams constantly disconnecting forcing me to go back to MJPEG and support for the latest Mac OS java versions is still not available.

 

If it works for you then it's great - if you have problems you will be wasting a lot of time.

 

Don't consider it a security appliance.