do you buy security cameras from China?

[Frankychan 0]

do you buy security cameras from China?

If you want to buy some security cameras, where will you buy from?

[cctv_down_under 0]

Just wait for an email LOL

[UMDRanger 0]

When buying for myself, I buy from a US based store online. Where they get their cameras I don't know, don't care, so long as they work as specified.

 

When buying for my store, and needing many camera with little to no funds from management, I usually buy online from a Hong Kong based ebay store. However, I won't buy CMOS, only CCD. So I look for the cheapest color, CCD, 420 lines of resolution I can get. I can get 4-6 camera this way, than buying just one 380 B/W through the company's contractor.

 

Just tell me the cameras aren't painted with lead in the paint. China really has to get that under control. People in my area are now very concerned when buying products from China.

[cctv_down_under 0]

Threre are many pitfalls form buying from China and in fact importing from many Asian countries...however with that said it has improved a lot in the last few years, so please take what I say with a grain of salt.

 

Here is what I have experienced;

 

China is by far the cheapest ...it would seem that the good old USA decided that Japan was cheaper to manufacture in, so the Japanese decided to manufacture on their own...then they realised that Korea would be cheaper to manufacture in and Korea realised it would be cheaper to manufacture on its own, then Korea realised that China would be cheaper to manufacture in and ...there is no cheaper place yet.

 

But quality control is the big issue...as mentioned above though it has drmatically improved, however the quality is not the same, ...now sure the specs read the same...even the same chips, but the electronics are cheaper and dont last as long and assembly and quality control is not as good..so expect some failures...with that said it is often just as cheap to buy 2 x Chinese products compared to 1 x European product.

 

I used to distribute Ganz... or better known as CBC to the Asian countries... they had a very small failure rate because it was all manufactured in Japan, then we got some batch failures of a particular camera...and why....because this particular camera was made in Korea and therefore the quality control was poor, the same type products made in Japan were fine.

 

I had also dealt with a company called Sunkwang or now better known as Korea CCTV, these guys are huge, they OEM to a LOT and I do mean a lot of product to many people..a lot of companies that would surprise you, however.....we had batch failures with these people as well.

 

So in summary buyer beware... now I am not stupid enough to not admit that even big players manufacture outside of their home country...even Bosch manufacture in Portugal.... but in Portugal the salaries and qualifications are better than China so the quality control is still good.

 

When buying in China keep this in mind...in China the populatiton is huge and the distribution to other cvountries is also a huge market, labour is cheap..so when selling in China you could afford to loose a buyer every day because there will always be a new one to sell to, so failing products are not an issue because you simply move onto the next company...but in Europe and other countries you just cant get away with that.

 

In saying the hige amount that I have I will say that I think China will improve to the point where it will take over the whole market in CCTV manufacture.

[CCTV_Suppliers 0]

Not today or even tomorrow...

[RickA 0]

Are you sure??

[CCTV_Suppliers 0]

Are you sure??

 

Well, I am not sure what will happen after tomorrow

[galen 0]

Not knowingly.

[empak 0]

You could not have given a better description, cctv_down_under. That is about the same experience I have had with importing. If you found a good company and ordered 200 cameras they would have your custom order ready in less than 7 days, now if only I could install them that fast! When buying from China you pay in USD and I live in Canada, with the dollar so high right now... It sure seems like a deal that’s hard to pass up.

I do live by the rule that it is more cost effective to do a job right the first time. Using a high quality camera that costs more from a brand name can be a better deal in the long run. If I have to go out of my way to go back to replace a failed camera(s), cheap cameras can cost more than the low purchase price

[rory 0]

China too far away .. shipping costs alot, cheap cameras, low level chips

 

I buy from distributors in the US. I pick the camera by its specs and looks .. yep I am superficial as well .. helps if it works for a while too .. and oh yeah, if image quality is rubbish I never buy that line again

 

Whether it came from China or not, cant always tell and really hardly ever think of it, but if the camera looks like crap I dont buy it, regardless of its country of origin.

[cctv_down_under 0]

I look at it this way, my average projest would be at a bare minimum 24 cameras If I was doing ONLY 2x Projects per month then that would equate to 576 Cameras...and if each camera failed at some point that would mean my tech would permanantly be fixing and replacing cameras.

 

I just cant afford not to buy things that last.

 

I dont use brand names just because its easier to sell in some cases, I do it for warranty periods and QA, for Instance ...I mostly use Bosch...all three year warranty, I also use March Networks, which can also be three year warranty, and I use Altronix which is a Lifetime warranty...It means when up against someone I say to the customer... what is the minimum warranty you are getting on your system?..because I am offering a minimum of 3yr warranty.

[rory 0]

We're a small country, camera goes bad, costs too much to send it back and also takes too long in many cases, so we throw it in the garbage and buy a new one, no warranties down here ..

 

So yes, even the cheapest camera we buy has to last (at least a few months!).

[cctv_down_under 0]

We are lucky, Bosch replace it same day and even send in advance...Altronix, give us buffer stock through the distributor and March also send advanced replacements

[affordablecctv 0]

we import all our products from Taiwan..

We have had no issues dealing with taiwan,,

If dealing with china, i'd be careful i know they do not regulate there manufacturing

[cctv_down_under 0]

I can highly recommend Korea as well..especially korea cctv dot com

[Ubon94 0]

Don't you have to pay a broker or custom if u import anything over 1000 or 2000 dollars?

[cctv_down_under 0]

depends on the country, however, what you save should easily cover freight costs if buying in bulk