Probably Not Going To Renew My IPVM Subscription

I am with You!

Joseph, thanks for the feedback! I appreciate it.

Compared to 2014, we have significantly more resources dedicated to product / testing than in 2014. We had 2 people testing then, now we have 4 plus a separate support manager.

Indeed, we have released 100 tests in the last 12 month, 589 total. Not only are we doing more tests, the tests are deeper / longer than before.

At the same time, we are doing more on 'business' / 'political' issues as the industry has been impacted by the race to the bottom and the resulting impact of that.

I would like to see a focus change

We are not going to change focus, especially since as I mentioned above we are investing a lot more in testing / products than before. Also, consider there are lots of other people in the industry who do care about business issues.

What I am happy to do is consider more testing or reviews on products or issues you are interested in. Joseph, what specifically on the product side would you like us to cover?

I am a noob, only been here a year maybe. And yes, there may be some topics I could have done without, but it does make for an entertaining lunch break. But when you see a topic that you have read and know is just non-sense get to 100+ posts, you always have the option to skip it.

But even with some of those topics, there is still a lot of knowledge and resources here. I took a class and sent a new tech to the networking class here. Well worth it.

I think the business side is important as well. Sure they could just release notes that say xyz has a bug, here's the fix. But knowing how that company behaves and responds is just as important.

Even if the business related posts are of no value to you, is there no other value?  Beyond just the articles we have found value elsewhere:

1. We have sent a promising apprentice to IPVM card access classes and will likely send more to the surveillance classes.

2. The discussion forums can be a mixed bag but do provide value.  I have asked for assistance a half dozen times or so and usually have an answer that is more valid and useful than manufacturer support.  I value the input of my IPVM peers infinitely more than a sales person or sales support.

3. The camera calculator is invaluable.

4. Personally, I enjoy the quizzes even if I do horribly on some.  They help to illustrate personal weaknesses to focus on.

5. The integrator finder is useful though I do use it more for intel.  I look to see which of our competitors in a given area are subscribers and their level.  If they are not subscribers I generally assume they are trunkslammers.  

I'm here to get some new ideas to which Manufacture Firmware too check out, as that's my current thing, and to share the knowledge I gain from it.

I think it's not only to what you gain, I think it's also what you share - ok, sounds weird to pay for sharing knowledge/experience, but sharing should obviously be much less than you gain. 

Blasphemy! I keep my membership for the following reasons:

- To gain a full understanding of Chinese Government business ownership structures and other Chinese Govt happenings (you never know when you may have to write an essay about this someday. it never hurts to be too prepared)
- When and how often ADI is running ads on Hikvision products. (I was so happy about this that I just unsubscribed from ADI's emails. No more spam!)

Those 2 reasons alone are well worth the price of the memby. It wasnt until just a few days ago that this site was about the IP Video Market. What a bonus that was when I found out.

What other websites do actual hands on testing without being endorsed by the manufacturers?

Nice topic. I am glad so many took time to offer opinions. I do find IPVM valuable, but honestly dont have time for entertainment. Non the less, the information is good. I offer my clients a broad range of products of most manufacturers. Chinese or not, quality is king, and price doesnt hurt. I'm sure that I will allow the auto-renew to continue. :)