ADI W-Box Dropping Hikvision, Using Sunell (Tested)

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Rob Kilpatrick
Published Mar 05, 2018 17:32 PM

The next generation of ADI's W-Box (ADI's competition against their manufacturing partners) is here.

And unlike the previous generation, which was OEMed from Hikvision, ADI's new generation has dropped the mega-manufacturer. But who is ADI's new partner? Dahua? Longse? Someone else from China?

We bought and tested two new W Box cameras and an NVR:

To find out who the new OEM partner is and how well and poorly it works.

The New OEM is...

Sunell [link no longer available]. For those unfamiliar, Sunell is a Shenzhen-based manufacturer, known more as an OEM than under their own brand name.

W Box's new models are physically almost identical to Sunell, use the same MAC OUI, are found using Sunell's discovery tools, and viewable via Sunell apps. 

ADI does not disclose Sunell as the OEM though ADI shows Sunell's model number in their system, e.g.,

Summary

In our tests, W Box's new Sunell OEM cameras were comparable to Hikvision models in imaging performance, day and night, at the same price as previous Hikvision OEM W Box cameras. 

However, these new models present several issues not found in the Hikvision line:

  • Limited VMS compatibility: We were unable to connect new W Box models to Milestone and Genetec, but Avigilon, Exacq, and Wisenet Wave connected without issue. 
  • Occasional compression issues: During testing, the 1080p turret camera displayed occasional issues with blocking/artifacts which may reduce image quality. These issues were not constant and streaming settings changes did not seem to impact them.
  • New learning curve: Finally, while Hikvision OEM models may have been familiar to many installers and end users due to Hikvision's widespread use, Sunell is rare in much of the world. Because of this, there may be a moderate learning curve when switching from old models to new Sunell OEMs.

Impact On Hikvision

On the negative side for Hikvision, ADI's switch to Sunell OEM models means that what was once Hikvision OEM stock and branch availability at ADI is now Sunell.

However, W-Box only represents a fraction of ADI's total video surveillance, though given ADI sells hundreds of millions of dollars of video surveillance, it is still easily millions, if not a few tens of millions of dollars in W-Box video sales.

Pricing

New W Box models are priced similarly to Hikvision OEM cameras, both 1080p and 4MP:

  • W Box 0E-21D28WDR 1080p Turret (Sunell): ~$100 USD estimated street price
  • W Box 0E-21DF28WDR 1080p Dome (Hikvision): ~$100 estimated street price
  • W Box 0E-40D28WDR 4MP Turret (Sunell): ~$130 estimated street price
  • W Box 0E-40DF28WDR 4MP Dome (Hikvision): ~$130 estimated street price

Uses Sunell OUI

These new W Box cameras use the same OUI as Sunell, 00:1C:27, shown below:

This is similar to W Box's other cameras, which used Hikvision's OUI.

Discovered Using Sunell Search Tool

Second, the W Box cameras and NVR were discovered using Sunell's Search Tool, shown below. 

Mobile App Sunell Copy

W Box's mobile app for use with this new camera/NVR line (W Box VMS1) is essentially a copy of Sunell's Inview Pro (shown below). However, Inview Pro is unable to open streams from W Box cameras, simply saying "Open Video Failed", despite using the same default ports and username/password.

Multiple App Confusion

With the addition of W Box VMS1, W Box now has four different mobile apps for their various OEM products, making proper app selection confusing for inexperienced users. Other apps are clones of Hikvision's iVMS-4500 and Hik-Connect apps for phones and tablet.

  

Free P2P Cloud App

W Box's new NVRs include free cloud access using their W Box VMS1 app. This feature was not supported in past W Box models. Like others (such as Hikvision's Hik-Connect), users scan a QR code on the back of the NVR, with connections automatically set up, with no port forwarding required. 

Multiple Ports Open Including SSH

Scanning a Sunell camera with NMAP shows multiple ports open in addition to HTTP and RTSP, including SSH (22), 30001 (used for camera/NVR control), and two alternate HTTP ports which are not explained in any documentation (64001 and 64003). SSH especially is notoriously vulnerable and has been used in a number of exploits.

Strong Passwords Enforced

Upon first login, Sunell W Box devices require users to change to a strong password. The exact length and character requirements are not documented, but 8+ characters using three different character types (upper/lower case letters, numbers, special characters) seem to result in acceptable passwords in our tests.

 

Physical Overview 

The W Box/Sunell turret cameras are similar in construction to others such as Hikvision and Dahua, with a freely positionable center sphere held in place by an outer ring and base.

Note that new W Box cameras and NVRs are completely unlabeled, which some integrators may prefer as it obscures what equipment they are using.

We review W Box construction in this video:

Compared to typical turret models, these Sunell W Box models are a similar size, shown below compared to Hikvision and Dahua:

The W Box NVR is similar to typical PoE NVRs from others, as well, shown below compared to a Hikvision 7600 NVR. However, unlike current Hikvision models, W Box does not include rack mount ears for their NVRs, nor are they optionally available, which may be frustrating in some installs and/or require the use of generic rack shelves.

Camera/NVR Web Interface

New W Box models' web interfaces are typical of import OEM models, with some odd language or menu organization, but generally no issues in changing streaming, camera side VMD, user settings, etc.

"Hidden" Settings Menu

Note that imaging settings such as exposure, DNR, and WDR are found in a separate menu on the live view, called Sensor Setting, and require users to switch to "Debug Mode" before making configuration changes, shown below. This may be confusing to unfamiliar users, as these settings are typically found with others in the main interface of cameras.

Image Quality Vs. Hikvision

The cameras were tested in our conference room for both full light and dark image quality in the field of view shown below.

In full light scenes (~175lx) the W Box produced similar image quality to the Hikvision camera both in the details of the subjects face and the chart.

Although, in dark scenes, the W Box camera produced fewer details in the face of the subject.

Testing the 4MP W Box turret vs. the Hikvision 2342, details are slightly better in full light in the Hikvision model.

However, nighttime details were slightly better in the W Box camera, with improvements in the subject's face and test chart.

Occasional Blocking Issues

During testing, the 1080p W Box model displayed regular issues with blocking/artifacts. These issues appeared regardless of compression level, I-frame interval, framerate, bitrate, or other stream settings. Blocking was not constant, but it occurred regularly, as often as every few seconds.

 

VMS Compatibility/ONVIF Support

The W Box cameras connected and streamed via ONVIF in Avigilon, Exacq, and Wisenet Wave without issue. Genetec Security Center and Milestone XProtect were unable to connect. No VMS tested had a direct driver for W Box or Sunell. Camera side motion detection was not supported in any VMS tested.

New line W Box cameras are officially ONVIF Profile S conformant:

 

Versions Used 

The Following firmware versions were used during testing:

  • 0E-21D28WDR:  v3.5.0812.1003.157.2.23.1.5
  • 0E-40D28WDR:  v3.5.0804.1003.157.2.23.1.6
  • 0E-8CHVNR2TB: v3.3.0803.0000.157.2.4.5.6
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