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Testing Decentralized / Edge Recording (Mobotix / MxControlCenter)

by John Honovich, IPVM posted on May 11, 2010 About John Contact John


What if you could eliminate your VMS servers and get your video management software for free? That's the value proposition behind Mobotix's IP video surveillance solution. They refer to this architecture as 'decentralized' in contrast to 'centralized' approaches where cameras must connect and record to dedicated VMS servers.

Free software and less hardware is certainly attractive but what are the tradeoffs and limitations involved?

In this test, we examine Mobotix's overall video management solution including the use of Mobotix's MxControlCenter client and on-board storage for Mobotix's panoramic cameras and their dome cameras. For a primer on Mobotix's cameras, please review our test/examination of Mobotix camera configuration.

We think users should carefully consider the tradeoffs as we find there to be fairly complex advantages and disadvantages (unlike most VMS systems where a few major feature or price differences generally drive a straightforward decision).

Inside the Pro Section

Pro members may access the entire report including 40 minutes of video screencasts covering (1) usability, (2) live monitoring, (3) investigations and (4) administration. Moreover, we provide recommendations on key strengths / weaknesses and 9 key decision points on evaluating their offering.


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