Subscriber Discussion

Where To Get An IP Camera Tester With PoE Out?

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Richard Brady
Jan 16, 2015

ip camera tester with 12VDC out

Like this but supports POE 'out'

I can't find one! I have not checked with AXIS to see if their model supports other brand hardware.

Thanks in advance!

JH
John Honovich
Jan 16, 2015
IPVM

Axis OEMs from Dynacolor. The other companies OEM it as well. For a version that is marketed as open, see: Open Camera Installation Tool (Razberi).

Also, the Axis T8414 has some negative reviews (see here).

TC
Trisha (Chris' wife) Dearing
Jan 16, 2015
IPVMU Certified

This Tatung unit was released couple months back, haven't used it, sounds good though.

Universal IP Cam Test Monitor TOM-0431IP

  • 4.3" OLED Touch-Screen Display
  • PoE (Class 2)
  • Snapshot and Video
  • 3 Hours Average Display Time 6+ Hours Standby Time
  • Test for Wire Pin Alignment
  • SD Micro Card and USB Storage
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Richard Brady
Jan 16, 2015

Cheers Chris. Looks good!

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Vincent Tong
Jan 16, 2015

@Richard I have one like the picture you show there and it supports POE out (Injector). That model you show there should have POE out options.

UD
Undisclosed Distributor #1
Jan 16, 2015

Veracity has it.

(1)
JH
John Honovich
Jan 16, 2015
IPVM

Do you mean Pinpoint or something else? As a point of reference, compared to the devices above, Pinpoint requires a laptop and does not have its own screen / interface. Plus side, it's much less expensive.

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U
Undisclosed #2
Jan 18, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Veracity, 'announced' a forthcoming, non-laptop device on IPVM months ago, choosing the tentative name of Pinpoint Wireless over the catchier, member suggested WiPinPoint.

No official listing of such a device, under any name can be found on their website. But, curiously at the 2015 IFSEC UK site, their profile says

Veracity develops innovative IP Transmission and Storage products, and are showing new IP Transmission devices at IFSEC including LONGSPAN - Long Range Ethernet Extender, CAMSWITCH PLUS and PINPOINT Wireless.

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JH
John Honovich
Jan 20, 2015
IPVM

Veracity responded saying they have updated the design to make it more ergonomic and plan to show it at ISC West and ship it later this year.

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Richard Brady
Jan 20, 2015
Cheers John.
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Aaron Saks
Jan 16, 2015

ByteBrothers has a few testers with PoE in from switch, then PoE out to camera.  They don't replace a laptop but can be used for troubleshooting/verifying PoE, network ports, etc.

http://www.amazon.com/Byte-Brothers-POE1000IL-LAN-Tester/dp/B0015BMXFI

http://www.triplett.com/shop/vtx455-camera-wizard-ii/

(1)
BG
Bob Germain
Jan 18, 2015

What is the price point an installer will pay for such a device? I have had feedback on the Dynacolor OEM tester as well as Pinpoint/Laptop combo practicality in some applications. What is realistic range?

JH
John Honovich
Jan 18, 2015
IPVM

Bob, from numerous discussions we've had on IPVM, I think there are 3 key unmet needs:

  • Many want a device they can comfortably hold in one hand (i.e., not a laptop).
  • Almost all want a device that supports multiple camera manufacturers. This has been the biggest problem, even over price, with the Axis device. Few are single manufacturer only integrators.
  • Price for the Dynacolor OEMs tend to be in the $500 - $600 range. I think that range would be justifiable for many with open camera support but at ~$300, I suspect it becomes an easy choice for most.
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LM
Luke Maslen
May 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi John, I received an email from Dahua today announcing a handheld camera test device that sounds as though it would meet these three needs. I don't know it's price but, knowing Dahua, it will probably be affordable.

The unit is called an "Integrated Mount Tester". I wouldn't have guessed it was an IP camera tester with PoE out from that name. The model number is PFM900 and can be found at this link.

While it is not spelt out, I believe it is supposed to support IP cameras from multiple manufacturers based upon the following statements from the website: "Support IP configuration via Onvif protocol" and also "IPC Test Protocol: ONVIF 2.4.1, RTSP, RTP".

I can't see any mention of maximum resolution supported with IP cameras.

The test/monitor device also works with HD-CVI cameras at 720p and 1080p and there is a mention of analog cameras at D1.

It has BNC ports for HD-CVI and analog as well as PoE. It would be interesting to know it's price and I'd love to see an IPVM test comparing it to existing test/monitor devices!

TC
Trisha (Chris' wife) Dearing
May 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Nice.  There is a 'similar' model from DT on aliexpress for under $350.  There's a few more pictures too.

Only 49 left for the brave of heart!

LM
Luke Maslen
May 13, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Hi Chris, thank you for the link and especially for the pricing which looks attractive. The Aliexpress link also mentioned the unit has an HDMI output which strangely isn't listed on the Dahua product page. One of the photos at Aliexpress does appear to show a HDMI output which could be interesting for playing back video captured by the device.

U
Undisclosed #2
May 13, 2015
IPVMU Certified

@Dahua (or DT)

Integrated Mount Multi Tester

HD Combine Combo Tester

fixed that for you... ;)

AD
Alan Dodds
May 18, 2015

The same device is also on eBay US, shipped from China.

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Richard Brady
Jan 19, 2015

Hi Bob, I would almost pay anything for it (within reason but $1000 is ok) It would save me $250 on the first job alone!!

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Carl Lindgren
Jan 18, 2015

The Axis T8414 is essentially a Dynacolor DT-2 (succeeds their DT-1) with a firmware limitation that it is only for Axis cameras. The Pelco IPCT01 is also the same product with the same limitations (only for Pelco cameras). I believe at least one other manufacturer sells its own equally-crippled version.

The Razberi IT-5000 is the Dynacolor DT-2, supporting the full camera list of the Dynacolor product. Razberi confirmed that they alone sell the full version in the U.S. and that other manufacturers can only sell a device-limited product.

That said, none of them are very useful. Camera setup is a nightmare - you have to navigate multiple menus to set the device up for any given camera and the number of cameras supported is still very limited. Latency is also a major problem and makes it difficult to aim/zoom/focus cameras - you have to adjust-wait-adjust-wait to optimize FOV, etc.

We also tested the Totevision MD-1001. It does have more functionality than the Dynacolor/Razberi device but that's not saying much. On the plus side, it is a 10.1" tablet running Windows7 embedded with enough storage (32GB) to run quite a few applications and has a neat optional tote bag with sunshield and shoulder strap. On the minus side, its puny Intel Atom N455 processor struggles with common tasks so latency is killer (on the order of one-to-several seconds). It also does not support ONVIF streams.

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Richard Brady
Jan 19, 2015

Great info Carl. Thank you.

(1)
JW
Josh Windsor
Jan 20, 2015

Just to tack on a few notes. I have played with all three re-labels of the DT-2. I am currently evaluating the IT-5000 for our use (as in I just opened the box on Friday). So far I have tried to use it to grab a camera stream from a Panasonic WV-NP502, was not successful. And to reprogram the IP address on a Samsung SNB-7000, also not successful. I have put about 10 hours into trying this so far. Here are my big take-aways:

  1. As Carl noted, the interface is cumbersome. Menus are laid out in a way that you are constantly drilling up and down through options to perform simple tasks. Pages are longer than the display and require using a side scroll bar. This in itself is challenging since the unit requires a stylus to operate and the scroll bar is located so far to edge of the display that it can rarely be used.
  2. When connections to cameras fail, there is little to no error information to help troubleshoot. Determining if the problem is an IP address or an authentication error cannot be done using the unit alone. The are no onboard IP utilities (i.e. PING).

I am always on the lookout for a decent handheld tool that has the functionality of displaying a video stream, set an IP address/subnet/gateway, ping an address, and provide temporary POE power. If such a unit worked with 60% of the cameras I sell, this would be a valuable tool. So far, I haven't found anything that was really a timesaver. I'm starting to look into loading a Raspberry Pi with VLC and building my own unit. I let everyone know how it goes.

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BM
Ben Murphy
Jan 19, 2015
IPVMU Certified

What we have found is that the Axis tester works good in an application where you can send it out with a technician (without laptop) in a case where you have remote access to the video server. The technician can install the camera, verify functionality, and set the IP address with the Axis device. Then a support engineer at the office can log in remotely to the video server, configure the camera, and focus with the technician still onsite. It is impossible to focus (properly) with only the Axis device because the screen is too small. And as Carl mentioned, it is a real pain trying to fully configure a camera using the device. We just set the IP address and password with it and then use real computers from there.

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CP
Craig Paisley
Feb 27, 2015

Hi Richard

Enclosed is link to a new Multifunction enterprise CCTV tester TS2 , it has built in POE and many features , has anubody used this yet ?

Any feedback on this unit appreciated

https://cctvdirect.co.uk/products/view/358

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Richard Brady
Feb 28, 2015

Craig, thank you my friend. I put a request into CCTVDIRECT over the phone and I will let you know what transpires!

Cheers

CP
Craig Paisley
Feb 28, 2015

Hi Richard

great hopefully it does the job

I have read the spec it looks good ,may take the plunge and also buy one

Cheers

AD
Alan Dodds
May 08, 2015

Craig, Richard,

Any feedback on the TS2 tester yet?

Looking for the right product as well.

GR
Graham Reid
May 09, 2015
IPVMU Certified

This is something that we are looking for as well.

We would appeciate any feedback that you might have.

AD
Alan Dodds
May 12, 2015

it doesn't look like feedback is coming. I may have to test it out myself! If so I will post back.

My assessment cannot match an IPVM thorough review however.

Same Tester?

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Richard Brady
Jun 10, 2015

Alan, I have left 3 vm's and heard nothing back!!

AD
Alan Dodds
Jun 11, 2015

3 vm's with?...

TC
Trisha (Chris' wife) Dearing
May 19, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Like this but supports POE 'out'

Richard, the new model, (IPC 8600) now has POE out.

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Richard Brady
Nov 27, 2015

Chris,

Yes, I bought one and returned it. Nice looking tool but they are definitely skimping on camera licensing. For me, it was not the right solution!!

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Richard Brady
Jun 10, 2015

Chris, poor review on Amazon for IPC 8600

CH
Chris Henderson
Jun 12, 2015

That's not a camera tester.......

This is a camera tester! :)

Which then flips upside down and attaches to a tripod. Supports 4 PoE cameras for about 6 hours running Milestone Corporate with all the bells and whistles.

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U
Undisclosed #2
Jun 12, 2015
IPVMU Certified

Make sure and beat Brian Karas to the patent office. ;)

AD
Alan Dodds
Jun 13, 2015

Cool DIY alternatives...

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Nov 28, 2015

Some manufacturers now requiring password changes on first login is killing implementation time for us. I don't see how any viewing device can get past this. It's been a nightmare for us. I could typically put a 40-50 camera job online, recording, everything in under an hour and now it's a pain in the butt having to login to each individually and set passwords and such.

JH
John Honovich
Nov 28, 2015
IPVM

3, good feedback. So you connect a handheld monitor / viewing device but the video feed is unaccessible? Any way to mass assign / setup via the manufacturer's camera management tool?

LL
Louis Li
Nov 28, 2015

This one !

I scored this one, it was just released right before the big show in China, and brought back with me. Amazing speed to have the video display in seconds, and can search IPC, have Hikvision camera active and does POE etc. Still learning/playing with all the functions .... but Indeed Love it!

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Richard Brady
Nov 30, 2015

I too thought this was going to be the right tool. It reads well on paper but actual has very few camera model numbers available as supported and only one from Hikvision, Axis etc. My thought is there are licensing issues. Of course it supports every camera manufacturer in the world that I've never heard of.....lol!!!

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Michael Votaw
Dec 29, 2015

Have you figured out who is making it yet? I assume it supports onvif so you can at least see your cameras?

Mike

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