Milestone X-Protect Go

[VST_Man 1]

another angle in this market right now is Mac OS. After reading all of your posts I don't think I read anything on how well any of these handle it. I am finding more and more customers wanting it all run on a Mac or phone and you know those AppleHeads all wear rose colored glasses. What I think and see is not what they think and see and it's very hard to match a system that works for them well.

 

ie.....

 

ipcam viewer does a great job until it gets to the Mac. Video Insight does a great job until it gets to a Mac. Exacq is not there. Low end software does not even try, and if they do the video has to be via MJPEG to work right. There is no Browser out there that connects via H264 unless you do some fancy tweak'n. via smartphone it's bamb! Works. Via a Mac...............good luck tweak'n.

 

Tried ipcamviewer2 for the Mac and it is limited in what it can do. ie. you can't do any command line stuff. It search for and finds it or not. Most times it's not.

 

So, what works on both a Mac and Windows well?

 

My clients like ipcam viewer for the smart phone because of the screen options and zoom features.

[ilkevinli 0]

I'm not understanding your post. IPcam Viewer works fine for me on my iphone 5s and HTC One with Milestone Xprotect. I can also view my cameras and recordings using the webclient on any Mac computer.

 

 

 

another angle in this market right now is Mac OS. After reading all of your posts I don't think I read anything on how well any of these handle it. I am finding more and more customers wanting it all run on a Mac or phone and you know those AppleHeads all wear rose colored glasses. What I think and see is not what they think and see and it's very hard to match a system that works for them well.

 

ie.....

 

ipcam viewer does a great job until it gets to the Mac. Video Insight does a great job until it gets to a Mac. Exacq is not there. Low end software does not even try, and if they do the video has to be via MJPEG to work right. There is no Browser out there that connects via H264 unless you do some fancy tweak'n. via smartphone it's bamb! Works. Via a Mac...............good luck tweak'n.

 

Tried ipcamviewer2 for the Mac and it is limited in what it can do. ie. you can't do any command line stuff. It search for and finds it or not. Most times it's not.

 

So, what works on both a Mac and Windows well?

 

My clients like ipcam viewer for the smart phone because of the screen options and zoom features.

[Firefighter 0]

Does anyone else have issues with it's Motion Detection.

 

It'll record when it see's motion, and for the 5 seconds after motion (because I have it set to) but then it'll stop.

It's like once it see's motion it won't continue looking for the motion.

[voip-ninja 0]

Does anyone else have issues with it's Motion Detection.

 

It'll record when it see's motion, and for the 5 seconds after motion (because I have it set to) but then it'll stop.

It's like once it see's motion it won't continue looking for the motion.

 

I am using the motion detection to record 2 Axis P3364VE and 2 Samsung SNVR5080R, both using the built in camera motion detection and they are both working fine.

 

What cameras are you using... and what do your motion recording options in Milestone look like?

[voip-ninja 0]

another angle in this market right now is Mac OS. After reading all of your posts I don't think I read anything on how well any of these handle it. I am finding more and more customers wanting it all run on a Mac or phone and you know those AppleHeads all wear rose colored glasses. What I think and see is not what they think and see and it's very hard to match a system that works for them well.

 

 

Personally I've found that the Milestone iPhone and Android apps work very very well... best of any mobile apps I have tried. Not only can I view the cams, change views, zoom in, etc, but I also have relatively painless access to recordings, even over a cellular network.

 

The web browser, when using the Milestone web server is kind of marginal... it works, but has a lot of bugs and performance issues. I've actually got a case up at Milestone for 2 weeks now because of browser freezing when changing camera views with the web client.

 

Customers should be pretty easy to inform that server software is designed for the biggest server/OS base and that is Windows. If they really insist they MUST run the server on a Mac then the easiest option is to use VMWare or Parallels to run Windows 7 or Server 2008 as a virtual machine and run it that way... although they might need a powerful Mac to virtualize surveillance packages.

 

I have an all Mac household but have a cheap C2D server in the basement running Windows Home Server 2011 for Milestone. It was cheap and works well.

 

On the client side, I think that surveillance companies are going to get increasing pressure to support native OS X client viewer apps for Macs because more and more new PC sales are Macs... not to mention that the more affluent customers who might be buying surveillance software for use in a residential or small business setting are often using Macs nowadays.

[voip-ninja 0]

 

I see no demo available.

 

Regardless, $50(+?)/camera license is too rich for a small personal/residential that doesn't require any advanced features. I will admit the UI of avigilon looks much better from the videos though.

 

$50 license per camera is very reasonable for good quality software that has support. Then again I get annoyed when I see people asking for high quality day/night exterior dome cameras that cost $35-$50.

 

For a business or a person who does paid installs? $50 camera license is a steal.

For a small home/personal use? That's a lot but could be very worth it to some.

 

You can look at this forum how price conscience everyone has become. $400+ IP camera or flashed/purposed Costco IP camera or $125 IP camera from China's ebay.

 

Offering a cheaper/free/"GO" version that is crippled doesn't hurt sales. I'll now recommend xprotect when people ask me about IP cameras.

 

It comes down to how many cameras one has. I have four. $200 or so for Milestone was a no brainer. If a person has a dozen+ cameras, which for most residences would be professionally installed for thousands of dollars, spending $2,000-$3,000 for an NVR or dedicated PC with good software seems like it would be a no brainer also.

 

For billy joe bob who has a few $79 cheap chinese cameras pointed around the house, I'm sure that $200 for software seems insane... because billy joe bob has no reference point for what "real" surveillance gear costs.

[drocer 0]

It comes down to how many cameras one has. I have four. $200 or so for Milestone was a no brainer. If a person has a dozen+ cameras, which for most residences would be professionally installed for thousands of dollars, spending $2,000-$3,000 for an NVR or dedicated PC with good software seems like it would be a no brainer also.

 

For billy joe bob who has a few $79 cheap chinese cameras pointed around the house, I'm sure that $200 for software seems insane... because billy joe bob has no reference point for what "real" surveillance gear costs.

 

I get that there are professional installers here and some see certain comments as attacks on their livelihood, but you can't make statements like that given the recommendations that float around here.

 

Buy no warranty/support cameras from unauthorized sites or aliexpress or flash costco Swann re-badges + $$$ camera licenses = "no brainer."

 

You're making the argument that you would be an idiot to not spend money on the software/license/NVR; then you must also call people an idiot to want to buy most of the cheaper cameras recommended here. You can't have one without the other. Hell, you're in a thread about using the free version of Xprotect GO. You should be publicly deriding every single person who "cheapens" out on software. 5 days of recording? That sounds like something your "billy joe bob" would use. Real people who care about security wouldn't use such free trash and pay for Essential (That is what you sound like).

[Heuer 0]

I am a DIY'er (aka "Billy Joe Bob") and I have bought cameras from a local supplier and from Aliexpress for half the price. No difference in quality and the service from the Aliexpress dealer I chose was superb. I also tried a good few security software packages as trials from the Hikvision supplied software to the topend Pro products. In the end I opted for Milestone XProtect Go because it is logically laid out, easy to use and the mobile app is the best I have found.

 

There are two limitations with Go I found wearisome - 5 day retention of data limit and the lack of choice of output format of recordings. For a home system though it is unlikely you are going to need longer history and the video evidence, if ever required, is still there in a format the Police can use. I would also have liked archiving to a NAS but you need to step up a couple of rungs on the product ladder to get that.

 

XProtect Go is a bargain product and if you buy your Hikvision cameras (my chosen vendor after much research) from Aliexpress you can have a state of the art security system for a really good price. Currently my favourite camera is the Hikvision DS-2CD2332-I EXIR turret for both day and night resolution and ease of set-up (select Hikvision 8x3 in the device pack). Have to admit I eventually opted for the Xprotect Essential licence but with hindsight I wish I had not bothered as I am unlikely to go beyond four cameras.

[drocer 0]

I am a DIY'er (aka "Billy Joe Bob") and I have bought cameras from a local supplier and from Aliexpress for half the price. No difference in quality and the service from the Aliexpress dealer I chose was superb. I also tried a good few security software packages as trials from the Hikvision supplied software to the topend Pro products. In the end I opted for Milestone XProtect Go because it is logically laid out, easy to use and the mobile app is the best I have found.

 

There are two limitations with Go I found wearisome - 5 day retention of data limit and the lack of choice of output format of recordings. For a home system though it is unlikely you are going to need longer history and the video evidence, if ever required, is still there in a format the Police can use. I would also have liked archiving to a NAS but you need to step up a couple of rungs on the product ladder to get that.

 

XProtect Go is a bargain product and if you buy your Hikvision cameras (my chosen vendor after much research) from Aliexpress you can have a state of the art security system for a really good price. Currently my favourite camera is the Hikvision DS-2CD2332-I EXIR turret for both day and night resolution and ease of set-up (select Hikvision 8x3 in the device pack). Have to admit I eventually opted for the Xprotect Essential licence but with hindsight I wish I had not bothered as I am unlikely to go beyond four cameras.

 

I too found the 5 day recordings worrisome and couldn't ignore it. 7 day vacation = you're screwed out of 2 days.

 

What I did find is Axxon Next. 16 cam, 1TB recording, 1 server is free. Free license doesn't expire in one year either. You can choose where each individual camera records to AFAIK including NAS. Hikvision 100% supported with hardware motion control (even though manual said only sony was supported). Setup was a breeze compared to xprotect go. 1TB is a lot for motion recordings but I guess 5 days of 24/7 could be nicer to some. For just motion recording that could be almost a month. No clue what the step up in licensing cost is though. The forensic drill down looks really nice but really expensive (select an area for motion/color/person and it pulls up clips of just that).

 

I guess this info might be a little late for you.

[Heuer 0]

Yes, I looked at that one but it seemed far too comprehensive for a home CCTV system that everyone in the house could use if need be, without training. XProtect Go just needs a new registration each year to get the latest version and remains free AFAIK.

[drocer 0]

Yes, I looked at that one but it seemed far too comprehensive for a home CCTV system that everyone in the house could use if need be, without training. XProtect Go just needs a new registration each year to get the latest version and remains free AFAIK.

 

Xprotect GO - security system / NVR

Axxon Next - CCTV designed for a human operator / NVR

 

I though Axxon Next was easier to setup, maintain, use, and export footage. There's only two screens: Live View; Archive (Forensic search doesn't work in free). Instead of working with all cameras, you work with "live/archive" on the individual screen. That seemed much easier to scrub video/events that way. You could even tag videos with comments for easier retrieval e.g. "white van plate#." But yes, the software does seem jarring at first as it was designed to be manned by an operator tagging alerts/recordings (you can easily turn in into a normal mode).

 

I thought Xprotect Go was timebombed with that 1 year i.e. it stops working vs just throwing up that nag screen? Now you have the 5-day limit and have to remember you system will go down every year without renewing. I got very uneasy with the "trust us, xprotect Go will stay free." What if the company goes out of business, management kills the free version, restrictions are put in place, etc? At best, I renew every year. At worst, the software stops working/features stripped and I have to replace it and "retrain" everyone to use it.

[spork947 0]

The milestone app crashes twice on my galaxy s2 before it starts working. Firefox is unstable with the web client for me as well. I might give the new blue iris a whirl.

[pcmcg 0]

Yes, I think its clear that the free version of XProtoect Go comes with no warranty and no/limited support. They already removed the email feature from the free version without notice.

 

The pricing is in line with others, but buying the initial config will probably turn off most small business, or basic home users. With cameras around $100 to $150, asking for $50/camera for software is crazy. If they priced $25/cam that would be fair for home users I think, and not eat into other sales.

 

One upside is their SUP (service upgrade plan) model. Right now its $20/cam and that gets you 3 years of upgrades. My understanding is you can purchase any time. So after you buy in, you can get any upgrades for basically $6.66/cam/year. If you go without upgrades for a year, you can stretch that to 4 years for each SUP purchase, or $5/cam/year. If I understand correctly, that is also a fair deal.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Guest

[buellwinkle 0]

The milestone app crashes twice on my galaxy s2 before it starts working. Firefox is unstable with the web client for me as well. I might give the new blue iris a whirl.

 

I have the same issue on my Galaxy S4 and it may just be a Samsung issue because I have my Google tablet and never had it crash. Rarely use the web browser client, usually with Safari on my Mac and did not have issues.

[pschaadt 0]

I use Milestone XProtect Essentials and the Firefox (28) web client works fine for me (So does Internet Explorer 11).

 

Phil Schaadt