Subscriber Discussion

Looking For A High End Home System To Replace Logitech Alert Cameras

SN
Shane Nolan
Jul 13, 2016

Hi everyone... I'm new to IPVM and wanted to ask for feedback regarding the replacement of a 3-4 camera Logitech Alert system installed at home. This product has been end of life and unsupported for a long time now but the system has continued to work fairly reliably... I just don't know for how much longer as the Windows OS changes the control application might not be compatible etc..

I have three Alert 750 cameras installed; one outdoor aimed at the back of the house and yard, one installed indoor in the garage and the third is inside the porch covering the front door. All are using Powerline networking with a mix of Logitech Alert Powerline units connected to the cameras and TP-Link AV500 Powerline units at the router and other areas. It works well. These units are installed in Canada using 120VAC over the home electrical wiring.

I am interested in the Panasonic Nubo due to the outdoor rating, WiFi and cellular and SD storage on board. But no idea when that product and cloud service will be available in the US (Canada even later)... one feature that I liked about the Logitech Alert was the capability for cameras to store video on the local SD card and the PC software would download from the cameras for longer term storage and review. Plus the cameras would send email alerts with a snapshot to my email (and to others if configured)

Here my newbie list of features for a replacement system:

- Camera that is 720p or higher with 30fps (Logitech was only 15fps)

- Capability to store on local SD card and to an NVR connected to home TV w/HDMI

- Powerline and PoE networking or WiFi 802.11n minimum; 802.11ac 5Ghz optimal

- Capability to send email alerts based on rules/settings

Thanks in advance for your feedback..

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SN
Shane Nolan
Jul 13, 2016

One more comment... having WDR might be helpful because the front door camera has challenges to capture a person at the front door sometimes when the background is very bright from the sunlight. This maybe asking too much from the new cameras (with reasonable DIY home user budget.. ~laughing~) Thanks again...

JH
John Honovich
Jul 13, 2016
IPVM

Shane, welcome to IPVM!

You mentioned a lot of features so I am not sure what exactly to recommend since nothing does everything you list :)

But considering you want premium features (relative to 'normal' home use), you might want to consider a Dahua / Hikvision professional system (or via one of their OEMs). They have a lot of those features (outdoor, PoE, NVRs, WDR, SD cards, multi-megapixel, etc.) And they are less expensive than what a consumer system cost a few years ago (and less than what a Nubo is charging).

Also, related, I just emailed Panasonic asking for an update on Nubo's availability and will post here when I get it.

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SN
Shane Nolan
Jul 13, 2016

Thanks for your reply John... I figured I was asking a lot for a good price. I'm sure members hear that a lot from customers. When you say OEM.. are you thinking about Q-See, Swann, Ezviz etc? I haven't looked at those packaged sets in detail yet. I can see that the manufacturer's OEM lines are a hot topic on this discussion board.

JH
John Honovich
Jul 13, 2016
IPVM

When you say OEM.. are you thinking about Q-See, Swann, Ezviz etc?

Shane, yes, those are some. Those are mostly consumer focused so they don't have the range of models within them. In terms of OEMs (for D or H), FLIR and LTS have more options.

Of course, the easiest might just be to buy from Dahua or Hikvision themselves, making sure you are buying authentic Western models that are supported, etc.

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SN
Shane Nolan
Jul 13, 2016

Thanks. I will check these out.

U
Undisclosed #1
Jul 13, 2016

Hi Shane,

I'm curious why you want 30 fps vs the 15 that Logitech provided.

(EDIT) I think I would rather have higher resolution (1080p minimum) with the lower frame rate vs 720p and 30fps.

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SN
Shane Nolan
Jul 28, 2016

Hi Undisclosed 1... Thanks.. I understand what you are saying and yes, 1080p would be better.

My Logitech cameras appear to take blurry snapshots when there is someone moving but you are correct the video playback is decent at the lower frame rate.

After reading your comment, I searched "fps" to learn more and found these helpful...

https://ipvm.com/reports/training-frame-rates-for-ip-cameras

https://ipvm.com/reports/recording-frame-rate--whats-actually-being-used

Thanks again..

U
Undisclosed #2
Jul 14, 2016

I have no direct experience with the video products themselves, but I would check Ubiquiti. Their networking products are rock-solid and reasonably priced. If I were putting a system in my home, that would likely be my first stop. I haven't seen any information here on IPVM, but if anyone has any, I'd appreciate it, especially if I'm off-base with that thought.

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JH
John Honovich
Jul 14, 2016
IPVM

Ubiquiti's video surveillance range is quite limited and, compared to Hikvision / Dahua, not particularly inexpensive.

We have tested Ubiquiti including Ubiquiti Micro HD Camera Tested, Ubiquiti Open IP Cameras Tested, Ubiquiti Cloud Video Tested

Btw, Nest just announced an Outdoor camera, shipping in a few months.

JH
John Honovich
Jul 19, 2016
IPVM

Update: Panasonic / Nubo says Nubo is not shipping in North America and that they could not provide a date for release (despite it previously being scheduled for Q1 this year). So Nubo is probably not practical here.

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