Pueblo Tech’s Choice of Best Value Security Cameras

Today Pueblo Tech, LLC is going to go over the differences between
2 latest and most popular Hikvision ONVIF Full-Color
network camera clones and the pros and cons of each.

There are many names these cameras can be found under and
the trademark names of the technology developed by
dah wah that we’re comparing is Color Vu. These cameras work by offering
Low lux super aputure of F1.0. This technology is how they’re able to maintain color
at extreme low lighing conditions. And with their built in LEDs
they can light up an area of about 3-5000 square ft depending on obstruction
and obstacles.

I’ve found these Camera brands listed as
Pano Eagle, Viklyn, Marquis, Hitosino but they’re all the same cameras.

The 2 Volor Vu cameras The PG23572C 5 mega pixel
25 frames per second and the PG2387C 8 mega pixel
20 frames per second come in identical housings and vary in price by
about $20 per unit.

The key differences are the
8MP max frame rate offered is 20 FPS while the 5MP
version is rated at 25FPS. Don’t think you’re going to scale the resolution
down from 8 or 5 Megapixel without suffering frame crop. One of my biggest complaints
is that these cameras crop the frame instead of keeping the 2.8mm wide
angle. When you reduce the resolotuin the camera reduces the angle.
That is until you reach the next lowest native resolution of the imaging
sensor.

The cameras external casing is all aluminum with a plastic
beuty ring which easily pops off..

The cameras are mounted by holes that appear once the
beauty ring is removed. One complaint I have is that
there is very little room for self tapping screws to fit
in the holes making installation into metal surfaces a bit more easy.
Which we installers typically mount cameras to.
However it’s not a deal breaker. You will have to accommodate this with
Philips head self tappers..

Now onto the software and initial setup.
These cameras are setup easiest with AJDEVTOOLS
a program that few antivirus companies trust to run on your
machine. You will likely need to bypass some security
measures to use the auto-configure tool when assigning
many Cameras the same IP. I’ve found the most recent version at Viklyns
website

This software is not required and the cameras can be setup
one by one in the HTTP interface however AJDEVTOOLS
expedites the install process. If cyber security and NDAA compliance is your
number one priority I would consider not installing AJDEVTOOLS
as I can’t verify its safety and neither can most anti-virus software.
Some of the resellers website’s suggest
it’s detected as a threat because it scans the network and
that can be a red flag. Whether or not it reports anything
back to China or the creator of the file is another question for another time.

I am going to assume based on my history with these types of apps the software is not malicious and
use it on a machine I do not feel is easily compromised or
that I use on a daily basis. I used a burner laptop I dedicate for this sort of
thing.

Now lets get into the comparison. I noticed very marginal gains
of the higher resolution version of this camera. I believe them to be almost
identical besides software and some minor changes to the sensor.

What you like better is really up to you. More pixels with slightly less frames
or more frames for smoother video feed.

The bit rate difference is only about 1,000 bps between the two at max settings
on good quality.

I found the 5MP version colors to a bit more pleasing in certain situations but
the higher resolution of the 8MP really does stand out when subjects get closer.
The night vision full color mode is pretty close to the same performance on each
camera. There are some uniqe WDR modes which can help if the camera is
inside and you need to see outside during a sunny day.

There are some smart features and human detection AI built into the cameras
which I found to be adequeate but nothing to write home about.
Full color “color Vu” cameras all suffer from the ability to make out faces at night
due to over exposure but it’s a tough decision. Sometimes color of vehicles
and clothing can help with law enforcement putting together cases against
thieves and vandals while other times its better to see their
exact face in which IR cameras generally do a better job at.

These cameras do have the ability to turn off the full color night mode but that’s
typically not why you buy these types of cameras. If you’re looking for sharper
black and white images I’d highly suggest cameras with dedicated IR
illuminators or adding more IR illuminators the the area.

Generally speaking I think these cameras provided they last 3-5 years without
failure are priced with value in mind. Name brand alternatives with similar
features and sensors can cost up to 4 times as much.

These cameras will be compatible with most ONVIF Network
NVR recorders and software like
Blue-Iris.

That’s all for now and I hope this video has been beneficial for you.
thanks for watching the Pueblo Tech Channel.