Subscriber Discussion

VMS That Functions Like Nest But Offers Local Recording And Is Accurate?

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Kyle Folger
Nov 01, 2018
IPVMU Certified

So I am very conflicted when offering surveillance to consumers. I use Spectrum for my personal home and also sell it as the main VMS for primarily commercial customers. I have installed it for a few consumers but they weren't asking for analytics or to cover something specific. I have seen the Nest work well and it does a pretty good job of alerting when it spots a person which is helpful for outdoor use. I currently have been using the Wisenet doorbell camera because I can utilize the alerts from the app but still record locally to Spectrum.

My issue is that while Nest works well, there isn't a local recording option. Most Internet connections in my area don't support fast upload speeds and DO support bandwidth caps. I don't like the fact that Nest constantly uploads all the time. I still didn't see an adjustment for the frame rate, but perhaps I missed it. I like manual control of the cameras because I don't like to waste space even when recording locally. 

Spectrum will support analytics, but the camera analytics still seem to not work as well as Nest or they work well but are pretty expensive (Avigilon) for most consumers. The Nest app works really well and despite the fact the Spectrum app is good, I think the Nest app is a step above in terms of handling alerts and quick playback from those alerts without unlocking the phone. These are things that consumers care about that many businesses customers don't.

I currently have a customer looking to cover their hot tub because they know someone was in it without permission and they wanted to be alerted for events like that and they wanted a doorbell camera and to watch their driveway. I can get concealed cable to two of the cameras and the power to the doorbell is already present. Nest cameras are wireless which I'm also not a fan of. However, if you can get 5GHz to reach the cameras, it's more difficult to disrupt 5GHz compared to 2.4GHz. Because they are wireless, I will need to provide them with a better wireless system as their current one is provided by the ISP and it doesn't work that well. By the time it would all be installed, it would still be less than a Spectrum system initially. Over time, due to cloud recording, there would be a point where the Spectrum system would be less expensive but that wouldn't be for years.

Is there anything else that would be better to look at? I wish Nest simply offered a NAS hybrid option where you could control your data and perhaps pay for an onsite analytics package which I'm assuming they do the analytics on their servers.

AM
Arup Mukherjee
Nov 01, 2018
Camect, Inc.

We're currently running a beta test of a consumer-oriented NVR device that aims to deliver a nest-like experience, including comparable analytics, on regular IP cameras.  We have a minimal web site live to support the beta, and you may want to check out the FAQ to see if our NVR is interesting to you. 

I should mention that we don't have push notifications yet -- only email-based notifications that include a clip of the detected video. If that's not a showstopper, and you want to discuss the caveats or see what the UI is like, contact me and I'll set you up with a live demo. 

MM
Michael Miller
Nov 01, 2018

Have you looked at UMBO?

(1)
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Kyle Folger
Nov 01, 2018
IPVMU Certified

I had not seen that test. The report you you provided didn’t test the product and the related article below it displayed a significant monthly increase which I guarantee most consumers won’t pay for. I was hopeful until I read the related article. Have you tested/tried this product?

MM
Michael Miller
Nov 02, 2018

I have had one for over a year but I haven't messed with it for a while.   Not a huge fan of the camera designs but the analytics work well. 

MS
Mark Smith
Nov 06, 2018
IPVMU Certified

My solution doesn’t “check” all the boxes, but I am happy with it and the cameras are scalable (can be used with other VMSs). I use the Axis Companion method. I put microSD cards in the cameras to record locally but can access the cameras live and recorded via remotely. I like this so that I don’t have to keep up with a separate NVR. 

I wish there were push notification alerts, but I can live without it. 

Id be curious to know what other potentially better solution(s) are out there. 

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Nov 07, 2018

+1

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