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IP Cameras - best integration


Glloyd77

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So let's just say I have had enough with wirepath and snap AV.  I am looking at replacing all my cameras with IP.  Have Cat6 in place at all locations.  What is everyone's opinion on best camera system/dvr to integrate with control4 seamlessly?

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Whats wrong with the wirepath/snapAV? I've been pretty happy with the luma line especially after taking the time to dial in the settings on each camera for day and night views. Do you want better night vision, color at night, heat  vision, ptz, ?

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I've a feeling the point is more a move to IP cameras...

I'd agree that the new Luma line from Snap is not bad at all, Lillin has nice picture for a decent price but had some reliability issues (there was a bad firmware for awhile, plus the climate here is proving difficult for them).

HIKVision is still one of the biggest options out there for a reasonable price. Their NVRs are quite decent, though control isn't integrated for the NVR (but is for cameras), they have the ability to use them as 'virtual host' allowing you to use their built in PoE switch while keeping the camera's available for C4.

BlueIris is topnotch as well and allows you to pick and choose your cams pretty much at leaisure supporting virtually everything (including pass-on to C4). Being what it is means you may need to be a bit more active to get it set up though, less 'drop in and forget'.

 

Compared to a few years ago, the options are plenty these days....

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I've a feeling the point is more a move to IP cameras...

I'd agree that the new Luma line from Snap is not bad at all, Lillin has nice picture for a decent price but had some reliability issues (there was a bad firmware for awhile, plus the climate here is proving difficult for them).

HIKVision is still one of the biggest options out there for a reasonable price. Their NVRs are quite decent, though control isn't integrated for the NVR (but is for cameras), they have the ability to use them as 'virtual host' allowing you to use their built in PoE switch while keeping the camera's available for C4.

BlueIris is topnotch as well and allows you to pick and choose your cams pretty much at leaisure supporting virtually everything (including pass-on to C4). Being what it is means you may need to be a bit more active to get it set up though, less 'drop in and forget'.

 

Compared to a few years ago, the options are plenty these days....

Cy, which model Hikvisiom would you recommend for outside with Poe. Doesn't need to pan, just basic but with Decent night vision

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Ok so it is mostly about going to IP but also just not a fan of snap, in particular their video matrix.  I would also like a clearer picture during the day and night.  I am slowly replacing all portions of my system starting with security, then the video matrix, and so on.  

Would also like to know what HIK you recommend.  

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Honestly? Use whatever model you want (anything DS-2 works) based on your needs. I've used the domes, the compact domes, the recessed domes, the bullets and the turrets without issues.

Personally I really like the EXIR for outdoor use, either the Turrets or the bullets that have it. EXIR claims 30m/100f Night vision IR range - and it seems like that's conservative.

With HIK if you're looking at the website don't trust the short description on the 'type' splash pages to be accurate - some cams state they are outdoor, but many do not when in fact they are, some state EXIR, others don't, check each cam's individual page.

 

Note that I'm not saying HIK has the BEST cameras, just that they are good value for money (such as it is).

 

For extremely high visibility at night (and I mean high COLOR visibility, not IR) look at SPECO - you'd use BlueIris for integration and NVR use.

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CY - Been looking at the HIK.  Do they make an IP outdoor dome camera with EXIR?  I am really looking for something to add better security for my personal residence.  Don't need anything fancy just something that works day and night with a clear picture - IP enabled.

To answer more specifically about why I do not care for SnapAV/Wirepath - 8 outdoor dome cameras and 2 have fogged since installation.  One bad camera was the one that foggily captured the guy breaking into my car in the front yard.  Not impressed with their integration into Control4 but this may have more to do with my crappy installer. 

Have a lot of their speakers too.  One has never worked and not overly impressed with their sound.   Their rack system is ok.  Their video matrix is awful.  Signals go out constantly - just had another IR stop working along with 2 extender/balun have gone out.

That being said they have a great price point and some of their products are fantastic.  I guess you get what you pay for in the AV world which is why I am looking for a tried and true camera security option while not breaking the bank!

 

 

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Thanks Cy and ChiAV.  Cy - does EXIR have an LED that illuminates and takes still shots?  Why does the camera look like it has an LED to the right of the camera lens.  Pretty cool that the lenses look like they can be swapped though.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Any suggestions for a decent hybrid DVR with a control4 driver handy?  Would like to integrate existing 6 analog cameras into control4 along with a couple hikvision interior IP cameras as well.  thanks for the help.

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On March 11, 2016 at 9:46 PM, thecodeman said:

Whats wrong with the wirepath/snapAV? I've been pretty happy with the luma line especially after taking the time to dial in the settings on each camera for day and night views. Do you want better night vision, color at night, heat  vision, ptz, ?

I have Luma system and cannot get the cameras to look good at all. Can you share some of your tweaks? Thanks!

 

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18 hours ago, pkkaiser said:

I have Luma system and cannot get the cameras to look good at all. Can you share some of your tweaks? Thanks!

 

Night time? Daytime? On the luma app? Live streaming through the control4 app will only look so good due to limitations on stream type (h264 or mjpeg, depending) and resolution supported.

I have Luma 700 1080p analog cameras and dont have any IP nearby to cross-check.

First place to start is making sure the cameras themselves are in focus and are zoomed in/out according to the view you want. This is done on each camera manually - if you adjust the zoom you have to re-adjust the focus. 

Make sure the DVR's firmware is up to date.

After that, its all subjective. Log into your DVR. If you want to use the camera’s on-screen display through your DVR or the web interface, go into the DVR’s menu and set the camera protocol (for each channel) to HIK-C (Coaxitron). To do so from the DVR’s local interface, go to Settings > Camera > PTZ, then click the PTZ Settings button. From the web interface, go to Configure the Recorder > Camera Settings > PTZ Settings.

Then  to access the camera menu through the DVR’s local interface, click the PTZ ( ) icon on the live page, then click the menu ( ) button in the configuration bar of the control panel. Over the web, click PTZ ( ), scroll down to Preset 95, and press the call icon. The camera’s internal menu shows up on screen, and you can use the PTZ controls make your choices.There are settings that vary depending on the features your camera has, but you can do things like toggle the IRs off and enable color night vision, etc. Play around and see what works best for day and then check back at night to change other settings. I have sufficient light so I disabled IR on some of mine.

Also setup your motion detection areas - this way trees blowing in the wind dont cause a recording event, but someone walking up your driveway does, for example.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have 3mp Dahua ip cams and NVR. I've been really happy with them.  Search Amazon. It's a very big company in Asia making mostly commercial gear, but they've started making consumer grade too. It rebranded in US as IC Realtime and marked up 5x. But you can get the unbranded Dahua models for much less online.  

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  • 1 year later...

Quick question. With Blue Iris, or any others integrations with cameras other than Hikvision or Lilin, what does the integration allow? I reallly want to have my camera feeds show up on my touchscreens. Are these other integrations simply motion based or alerts through the C4 system? Or will the video feeds be able to show on the C4 touchscreens or even the C4 app?

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Quick question. With Blue Iris, or any others integrations with cameras other than Hikvision or Lilin, what does the integration allow? I reallly want to have my camera feeds show up on my touchscreens. Are these other integrations simply motion based or alerts through the C4 system? Or will the video feeds be able to show on the C4 touchscreens or even the C4 app?

Depends on the camera and Control4 gear. They are all different.

 

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Gotcha. Thanks! I am searching the forum but there are so many threads on cameras, it starts to get overwhelming. I guess I'm expecting to pick out a system (cameras and an NVR or DVR) and he done. 

I would say pick what you think you want them verify the features meet yourself needs

 

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