Tag Archives: DVR

Buy Cheap or buy Safe? CCTV Suppliers unite

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The bitterness of quality is remembered long after the sweetness of price…………

A great saying and so incredibly true……

How many normal purchases do we make that simply do not stack up to our expectations? Buying a TV that ends up with poor sound quality, a mobile phone that lasts 20mins before needing a recharge, a lawn mower that doesn’t quite cut the grass (or indeed cuts so well to scalps the lawn!)

cheap dvr

And yet, so many more CCTV purchases are being conducted at eBay and online Internet sources…….

we discussed recently the advantages of dedicated CCTV Suppliers but this post is more about the potential dangers faced with buying from unknown sources.

Imagine this…….

You’ve just purchased a DVR from ‘The Number 1 DVR supplier in the world’ (aren’t they all!?!?)

You’ve acquired two colour cameras from an Internet site with an Alexa rating of 48,938,999 (who also are the Number 1 DVR supplier in the world so don’t believe the others)

You’ve bought your High Resolution monitor from a far eastern supplier (who REALLY are the Number 1 DVR supplier in the WHOLE world)

You receive them via the nice UPS man (after paying the customs import fees, yep, they don’t tell you about that when ordering your $19 DVR!)

Excitedly opening the package, you scrabble through all the Non-UK power plugs looking for the instructions……..ah, there they are,

‘Take important cable and stick into important slot over and above and below the hole that is inside the slot above the hole inside the other way’

Yes, you got it, pigeon English that means nothing…..but hey, we’re men, we do not need instructions……let’s do it ourselves…….plug in a normal power plug and boot up……..hhmmmm, not sure about the funny characters on the screen, and why is that picture rolling around? and why is it B&W, i have colour cameras connected??!

You see, items bought from UK suppliers are ready to use in the UK!!!! Proper instructions, proper UK plugs, set up for use with UK (PAL) cameras (that’s the answer to the B&W rolling images by the way, look for the NTSC/PAL switch on the rear of the DVR!)………plus, those UK Suppliers have already borne the brunt of the import duties……….

as the saying says………Buy cheap.buy twice!!!

buy cheap buy twice


Software in CCTV – can it replace the control system and can it be chargeable?

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More and more, software is becoming the heart of the CCTV System……..

In days of old, a system would have one control point, and if additional control points were required, the system practically needed replicating in order to provide additional controls to another point.

Come the age of the computer and now adding another control point is as easy as loading software onto a network enabled PC……..

Most DVRs these days come with free software that provides accessibility to stored images, live cameras and PTZ controls..

But an interesting surge in the market appears to be coming from the software only control systems – BMS style software that controls the full range of Security disciplines, including Fire, Intruder, Access Control and CCTV etc….

Honeywell are big leaders in this arena, but new products from the likes of ESSA and CNL offer interesting control angles on the control system

Milestone and IndigoVision are also big players in this industry area too………Milestone particularly have set their business model on the ‘licence per camera’ basis, allowing flexibility to expand the system without too much expense or inconvenience…….it’s an interesting idea – we are all used to paying subscriptions for software such as anti-virus programs, so to pay a fee on annual basis seems like a good way to ensure maintenance agreements are kept by linking the camera licences to subscriptions…….

Of course, some end users see the extra current premiums that IP allegedly imposes over SD (Standard Definition) CCTV as enough to pay let alone additional subscriptions for software………..but, as prices fall, then we think subscriptive CCTV is an interesting idea – potentially locking end users back into reliable installers via the maintenance/subscription model

Time will tell, but certainly there are massive advantages to the control systems being PC software based………

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HRDP DVR from Honeywell

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The HRDP (DVR) is the new offering from Honeywell video that  uses H.264 video compression. The unit is being marketed boasting plenty of high end features that Honeywell hope will set it apart from other DVRs currently out there and they have pitched the unit at a very economical price in order to attract as much interest as possible.

With remote viewing from the comfort of your PC it is easy to record and save video evidence as well as download video onto CD or DVD and if you require, a portable memory stick. In order to save disk space the HRDP can be configured to to record motion detection at high quality at a rate of 200 IPS.

Remote viewing is achieved either using a PC or a web browser and privileges can be set up to ensure information can only be accessed by those with the correct authority.

Honeywell are aiming the HRDP DVR at a wide variety of clients mainly small to medium sized businesses such as retail, educational facilities and warehouse applications. With management able to view the images and recording from any remote location this helps to sell the concept to hard pressed mangers and directors who need to keep a close eye on their business operations. The search feature helps track down events that need reviewing.

The HRDP DVR is available in 4,8,or 16 way and has 4 audio inputs as well. A triplex operation means that no recording is lost even when the customer is retrieving video through the built in DVD burner and 2 USB ports. Mouse operation makes it easy to navigate the menu and PTZ control over the cameras is done through a number of default protocols that are contained within the unit.

Working on an embedded linux platform ensures stability and security and with the S.M.A.R.T self diagnoses the HRDP is continuously monitoring and reporting any discrepancies or faults that may occur meaning peace of mind for the end user.

iPhone sells CCTV

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40K CCTV system.

I Recently spoke to sales guy who had a fantastic result in selling a £40 k CCTV system to one of his existing clients based up in London. He retold me the storey of how he had managed to upgrade a customer who’s system was actually less than 3 years old! Quite an achievement in this day of austerity and generally making do when it comes to CCTV and security.

A unique selling point.

His main objective of course was to offer the customer something new, something he had not seen before and try to convince him to part with his money. He had two major aces up his sleeve. He knew his customer was a gadget man. He also knew that his customer was extremely intelligent and was nobody’s fool when he was purchasing any kind of product. He started by talking about the benefits of IR dome cameras specifically Black hawk domes. If you have ever done a dem with this unit at night you will know that the product sells itself. This is down to the picture quality and the stunning difference between a grainy integrated colour picture and the clarity of a mono picture enhanced with IR. To say he was impressed was an understatement. He wanted them and was now only interested in how much this was going to cost him. Well this is where my acquaintance found himself up against it.

Benefits.

Although the benefits were obvious , justifying ripping out cameras that were less than 3 years old was difficult. It was now he played his trump card. He offered the customer the ability to connect to these new cameras using just his iPhone and App he would let him have if he agreed to the upgrade. He knew the DVR was capable of this and the app had just become available. Well the guy could not sign up quick enough, this was the clincher, the deal sealer and my friend could not have been happier.

iPhone sells CCTV.

So what does this tell us about the iPhone  and the remote connection app. It would seem to us that if you buy a DVR you would be well advised to ensure it is iPhone compatible but more than this, it tells us that gadgets sell CCTV and we see this happening more and more. Searches on this site are often looking for CCTV iPhone apps as this form of remote connection goes from a popular feature to what some may now consider essential. We love the iPhone!

CCTV Suppliers – Are there too many?

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Pick up any trade magazine and they are awash with literally hundreds of CCTV Suppliers……..all professing to offer ex-stock supply of the latest and greatest products at the best possible priced!

But is this influx of supply simply diluting the industry and causing end user and integrator confusion?

I recall many years ago that there were 2 or 3 mainline suppliers – if you wanted CCTV you went to Norbain or CCTV Warehouse……….. and a couple of other more regional companies…………even the electrical wholesalers sold products that were sourced, in bulk, from companies such as Norbain.

Now, pick up a Farnell, or RS, or Maplin brochure and observe the availability of seemingly good quality cctv kit………visit B&Q and there, in the electrical section, you’ll find an external cctv camera complete with wireless connectivity to a regular TV!

Not to mention the huge amount of eBay stores now popping up offering Hong Kong and China’s latest number one DVR!

So, where does this leave the industry?

We think confused – how is it really possible to justify a £10k professionally installed system when the end user has ‘found’ a ‘perceivably’ equivalent system online?

We hear stories of end users buying cheap(er) kit and then ringing installers to ask for a price to install !!  As if it isn’t bad enough that the installer has to adapt to the ever changing supply of industry supplied kit!!

So, consider this – the distributors and manufacturers of our industry offer not only good quality kit, but provide a level of pre and post sales support that is simply not available from CCTV_Man from eBay, or from China’s number 1 DVR manufacturer……… we urge you to try and get one of their guys out on site on a cold December evening!!