drmark12pa Posted April 11, 2020 Share Posted April 11, 2020 Can anyone give their opinions on the C4 security cameras? I was considering installing some cameras but just saw that C4 has their own cameras now selling. Are they an economical option or would one be better off using a 3rd party security package? Do these cameras have to be hardwired by cat5 cable to the recording unit or is it easier to install than wiring everything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 If you're referring to the Pakedge cameras, they are decently priced and quality seems to be fine. They need POE Ethernet. They work just like any other camera and can be added to many manufacturers NVR's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted May 6, 2020 Share Posted May 6, 2020 I would agree - reasonable price for pro cameras. Like any PoE security cam (pro style, not cheap Costco sets) they can be either direct to an NVR with built-in ports or to a regular PoE switch (or PoE inserter) and ran over the LAN. It's generally easier NOT to use built-in ports, as not all NVRs siupport passthrough/virtual servers, let alone allow all image options through, or have specialty drivers that can get induvidual images of off the NVR. Direct to a switch means you can use C4 driver direct, while the NVR just connects over the network direct as well (one does not depend or interfere with the other). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control4Savant Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 5 hours ago, lippavisual said: If you're referring to the Pakedge cameras, they are decently priced and quality seems to be fine. They need POE Ethernet. They work just like any other camera and can be added to many manufacturers NVR's They do not need POE, they are capable of 12v DC but its unlikely a better option if you are running wires... Pakedge are Lilin branded cameras and prefer their NVRs which don't have integrated switches. Depending on the severalty of your home network, this is a potential security flaw. Could order Luma which is rebranded Hikvison. They all have the same level of "risk" and involve good network/credential practices if you are worried about that sort of thing. If you are capable of your own installation I would purchase Hikvision on your own and save a few bucks, install and get it managed on your own with its native app and have the dealer integrate into the system after the fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 the cameras provide a H.264 stream that can be recorded on any NVR solution. Does not have to be Lilin, not sure where you got that info. Also, never in my life have I seen anyone, including consumers, use a power supply for an IP camera. Practically, why you don’t get a power supply in the box to begin with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Control4Savant Posted May 7, 2020 Share Posted May 7, 2020 6 hours ago, lippavisual said: the cameras provide a H.264 stream that can be recorded on any NVR solution. Does not have to be Lilin, not sure where you got that info. Also, never in my life have I seen anyone, including consumers, use a power supply for an IP camera. Practically, why you don’t get a power supply in the box to begin with. The fact that "you have never in your life" seen someone use a 12v power supply for IP surveillance show how little experience you must have. You also clearly have no idea what a IP protocol is or why it is significant for an NVR versus Onvif compliance . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 2 hours ago, AVNeeds said: The fact that "you have never in your life" seen someone use a 12v power supply for IP surveillance show how little experience you must have. You also clearly have no idea what a IP protocol is or why it is significant for an NVR versus Onvif compliance . Hmmm....and i have never in my life seen someone equate these three concepts in a single post: 12v power supply, "IP protocol" (whatever that means in the abstract) and "NVR vs ONVIF compliance" (another head scratcher). My heard hurts trying to make sense of it all -)))) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK1 Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 But not to digress from the OP's original questions, there is a lot of merit in cameras that are not over priced that simply "work" with Control4. The integration of security cameras is awash with firmware version spaghetti, third party drivers and time and cost of integration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILoveC4 Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 I’m a big fan of BlueIris. It works with every camera I’ve tried (including the C4 DS2) and has a killer Control4 driver that has support for hidden buttons on the camera view and all sorts of cool stuff! eggzlot 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lippavisual Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 13 hours ago, AVNeeds said: The fact that "you have never in your life" seen someone use a 12v power supply for IP surveillance show how little experience you must have. You also clearly have no idea what a IP protocol is or why it is significant for an NVR versus Onvif compliance . Oh, my apologies to the all-knowing, tech wizard. Please.... must have forgotten that your just an ”AV guy” that relies on Onvif for easier integration. Get a clue bud. The one-upping is getting old. Who wants to support plugging IP camera power supplies into another power source, when it could be had with a single cable? The only way this happens is when someone has to use POE injectors because the switch doesn’t have POE. No one uses 12vdc with IP cameras. No one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyknight Posted May 8, 2020 Share Posted May 8, 2020 1 hour ago, lippavisual said: No one uses 12vdc with IP cameras. Well, Unless I'm testing an issue at a test station Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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