zikronix 0 Posted May 16, 2013 (edited) I currently have the swann kit from Costco. It was one of those "keep the wife happy" "do something now" purchases. There was no time for research. Other than best bang for the buck at the time. Now that its up and wife is happy, I can look around at potentially replacing the whole deal all together. That's not to say the swann doesn't work. but I do have some gripes about it. I noticed in the another thread that some one was looking at acti and axis cameras. I looked at axis they didn't have anything that really made me go "Oh?" I did however notice that ACTi has the E46 (3 MP) series. Which I like the look of over their other series. I was looking at the 3MP...and I do indeed have "complicated lighting" (as discussed in my video clean up thread) They also have B/Ixx series coming out in a few months. Then they have the E44 (2MP camera) which are the same as the swann cameras The pricing isnt that bad for the cameras or their dedicated nvr, but the main question is...would it really be worth the switch? Is the quality, picture, and detail going to be that big of a difference? Edited May 17, 2013 by Guest Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted May 16, 2013 Hikvision has a large assortment of cameras, but it's an unknown as most of us discovered them via Costco's Swann and Lorex offerings recently. I plan to do some reviews on other models but that will take time to establish a relationship with them but I'm working on it. Also not sure what models of Hikvision cameras will work with the Swann NVR, so you may find an awesome camera from Hikvision only to find out it won't work with Swann NVR and Swann will likely not support it. ACTi has been around a while and they have really good NVR software that's free and they have a wide selection of cameras. Their service and support for me has been very good and don't know how good Hikvision service and support will be, only time will tell. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zikronix 0 Posted May 16, 2013 Hikvision has a large assortment of cameras, but it's an unknown as most of us discovered them via Costco's Swann and Lorex offerings recently. I plan to do some reviews on other models but that will take time to establish a relationship with them but I'm working on it. Also not sure what models of Hikvision cameras will work with the Swann NVR, so you may find an awesome camera from Hikvision only to find out it won't work with Swann NVR and Swann will likely not support it. ACTi has been around a while and they have really good NVR software that's free and they have a wide selection of cameras. Their service and support for me has been very good and don't know how good Hikvision service and support will be, only time will tell. I don't expect any support out of HikVision, as the cameras are simply oem cameras. I wouldn't expect some random camera to work with the swann nvr even though it supports onvif. Im just curious of the acti line vs these swann 2.1 Costco cams. There is a cost difference in the cameras for sure, but is the cost difference worth it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flynreelow 0 Posted May 17, 2013 What are your gripes about the SWANN system? PRos.Cons? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zikronix 0 Posted May 17, 2013 What are your gripes about the SWANN system? PRos.Cons? Pros: Support Bang for buck Stability Supports 8 cams Cons: MD is great but overly sensitive. Little noisy Cameras are not the best quality (they are good but could be better) Im maxed out camera wise I think I could spend a little but more money and get some cameras that can deal with my "complicated lighting" that are higher resolution that could better identify the douche bags that live around me. with out spending 1000+ per camera Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
daveshoot 0 Posted May 17, 2013 Umm... Wife happy. Picture good. Price cheap. Installed and operational, not broken. Yup, time to make some changes... I am still waiting for the Swanns to come back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dexterash 0 Posted May 17, 2013 But admit it you had a major flow with low bitrate I was analizing your videos for quite a time. And a question poofed my mind: how usefull is DSS(digital slow shutter) if motion is fast? Also, 6fps (as most recommend for residential), is really enough? 3rdly, WDR is also done comparing to last frames, so, at that speed, might had problems. (btw, no fbi-cia-bla bla technique can get more out of 4 coloured pixels:) Well, maybe you could optimize your surveillance? Like, you capture a wide angle, but the "entry points" in that zone are far apart from your camera, left and right. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zikronix 0 Posted May 17, 2013 But admit it you had a major flow with low bitrate I was analizing your videos for quite a time. And a question poofed my mind: how usefull is DSS(digital slow shutter) if motion is fast? Also, 6fps (as most recommend for residential), is really enough? 3rdly, WDR is also done comparing to last frames, so, at that speed, might had problems. (btw, no fbi-cia-bla bla technique can get more out of 4 coloured pixels:) Well, maybe you could optimize your surveillance? Like, you capture a wide angle, but the "entry points" in that zone are far apart from your camera, left and right. I did have my dit rate set at 3096 and yes that was an issue. I have since upped it to 6144. The cameras are set at 25/30 FPS "supposedly" I come from the government public safety side where out cameras are set at no less than 20 FPS. Which is what I want for my house, and it can be attained with out spending 4000.00, which is why I was looking at the acti cameras. Not to bag on dahua or hikvision, I think the acti...might be a better product when compared to similar products....then again maybe not, the sensor sizes are the same among other things The layout I have works great, but like it was said in my video clean up thread, at distances and the lighting this is where the lower cost cameras start to fall down. The swans are 2MP would a 3MP been better, how about 5MP sure maybe but then I run into the issue with I want all 8 channels recording at the max res. Lets be honest. Cameras are more of a deterrant than anything else. But when you need them dammit you want them to work like CSI...ENHANCE...ENHANCE like everyone else...I want the best camera for my money in my budget. max budget is 3K with more than 8 cameras and nvr and closer to 2K w/ 8 cameras and nvr Maybe I should just hire 'Machete' Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
