Exacq Launches Una All-In-One NVR

Author: John Honovich, Published on Mar 23, 2016

Like integrated IR for cameras, embedding PoE switches into NVRs was once widely looked down upon and relegated to low end products.

Now, increasingly, this is going mainstream. The newest manufacturer to do this is Exacq, with their new 'Una' series.

Una Overview

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Comments (20)

Undisclosed #1

03/23/16 04:28pm

Plenty of Chinese NVRs have had integrated PoE for quite some time and pricing at or under $1,000 is commonplace, so Exacq pricing is going to be substantially higher.

9x the price of the venerable DS-NS7608-8P with a 2TB hard drive. With the same POE capability/budget.

I know the interface isn't as good, but if Hik ever gets its act together software wise, (in North America), it will be hard to justify the premium.

Technically, Exacq is not referring to Una as an embedded PoE switch, rather they frame it as "Integrated PoE+ Camera Ports". Exacq explained that they have isolated each port from the others, making it more secure and 'analog like'.

What are they even talking about? Isolated the ports from each other? We know they are not isolated POE wise from each other. Have they put each camera on its own VLAN? Or do they just mean the ENTIRE camera network is isolated from the viewing network?

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Ethan Ace

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 03/23/16 04:36pm

Each port's traffic is isolated from the others. So if you unplug a camera and plug a laptop in, you won't see any of the other cameras. You can see in the video if you look closely that it gives cameras different subnets, 192.168.201.2, 192.168.202.2, etc., instead of just 192.168.1.2, .3, .4, etc.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ethan Ace | 03/23/16 08:14pm

So if you unplug a camera and plug a laptop in, you won't see any of the other cameras. You can see in the video if you look closely that it gives cameras different subnets, 192.168.201.2, 192.168.202.2, etc., instead of just 192.168.1.2, .3, .4, etc.

It looks like they are 172.16.xxx.xxx, which would typically put them on the same subnet.

@Ryan, do you mean the POE ports are isolated from the viewing network or from each other in some novel way?

Thumbnail profile grad864

Ryan Hulse

In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 03/23/16 08:48pm

The subnet mask is 255.255.255.0, which means that 172.16.201.x and 172.16.202.x are different networks.

The camera port networks are also intended to be different than the network on the management NIC. That's why the config allows you to set the camera networks to either 172.16.2xx or 192.168.2xx, in case the customer's corporate network happens to be 192.168.2xx or 172.16.2xx

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ryan Hulse | 03/23/16 09:01pm

Fair enough, Ethan said the video showed 192.168 which has to be different subnets, but it actually showed 172.16 which doesn't have to be (and is often used instead of 192.168 when larger subnets are required).

But of course, with the right netmask, it can be made a multiple class C's.

So, is this done by making each port its own VLAN? What is the primary benefit, security, capability, performance or other?

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ryan Hulse | 03/24/16 03:03am

Are the individual ports able to be assigned to either network? For instance port one on the 172.16.20x.0 subnet and port two on the 192.168.20x.0 subnet?

Also, since switched ethernet will not typically flood the ports with data bound for other ip addresses, (except for broadcast traffic and when devices come online), is there a tangible performance benefit to this method?

If there is some documentation or whitepaper on this you can just point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

Thumbnail profile grad864

Ryan Hulse

In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 03/24/16 01:42pm

Each port is on its own 254 host sub-network:

  • 192.168.201.2/24, 192.168.202.2/24, etc.

Alternately, Una allows you to set the ports to the 172.16.20x range:

  • 172.16.201.2/24, 172.16.202.2/24, etc.

There is no switch and no VLAN. Consider each port its own NIC.

You can set the network configurations of each port individually in our exacqVision Client. If you want, you can download the client at https://www.exacq.com/tryexacqvision/ and one of the demo servers is una.exacq.com. Go to the network configuration and you can see how you can either configure all ports or check the box to show each port individually and set the network config individually.

I just ask that you don't actually change the IPs of those ports. We give all demo users admin privileges and reset the machines nightly, but changing network settings would obviously disconnect the cameras.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ryan Hulse | 03/24/16 02:23pm

Thanks, that makes sense.

Two questions:

1) You say that you allow the option of the 192 or 172 subnets in case of conflict with the customer LAN. But since you are controlling the Poe ports st the PHY level, why do you care whether 192.168.200.4 is a camera connected to a POE port or a workstation on the LAN, or both? In case someone plugs a POE port into the local LAN?

Or you could just NAT it.

2) Why don't you use a different mask that only uses addresses it needs, like 255.255.255.252 or 255.255.255.255. Then there would be less chance of conflict, right?

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 03/23/16 04:53pm

"9x the price of the venerable DS-NS7608-8P with a 2TB hard drive."

You're comparing the pricing of a Chinese version Hikvision on eBay vs Exacq MSRP, which is quite skewed. Also, and this is secondary, that eBay page does not list 2TB nor indicate any hard drive is included.

No doubt, Exacq is way more expensive, even against a legitimate US bought 'authorized' Hikvision PoE NVR with hard drive, but 9x is inaccurate and unfair.

Undisclosed Integrator #2

In reply to John Honovich | 03/23/16 05:05pm

Undisclosed 1 is right. What matters is the fact that someone could get a HIK 8 channel Dvr with onboard poe for 1/9th the price. Doesn't matter where or how. Don't think we'll see any used Una's on eBay because there aren't going to be that many out there. Exacq is out to lunch completely. Exacq product is good, but not that much better than HIK to justify the price point.

Thumbnail profile grad864

Ryan Hulse

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2 | 03/23/16 06:06pm

Disclosure: Product Manager of exacqVision

  • Sold on ebay, shipped direct from China: Check
  • Sold without any storage: Check
  • Sold without any warranty: Check (search for word warranty returned zero results; but then again, it's $230, so easier to buy another)
  • Sold without the ability to update firmware: Check (according to the fine red print)

Despite Una and the Hikvision DVR both having PoE ports, Una isn't designed to compete with it, or sway the mindset of anyone buying a $230 Chinese DVR off ebay and installing it in a customer's premise.

So while you can call us "out to lunch" for choosing not to compete with a $230 DVR off ebay at this time, we are not worried about not getting... "that many out there".

There are plenty of integrators that can sell a (list price) $2500 NVR made in the USA to companies that will value the overall management capabilities of the software with the (relatively) low cost per site and ease of deployment Una provides, especially when the customer has more than one site to manage.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Ryan Hulse | 03/23/16 07:09pm

I know you are responding to U2, but just to be clear I was not making a value judgement of whether it was worth 9x or not, only that it was 9x, (with storage = $50).

As I implied, Exacq software is (or last time I looked) much easier to use, and it's camera compatbility blows Hik out of the water.

But still, is it like buying a Hyundai vs a Ferrari?

As for the warranty, support, firmware, that will cost you an additional $69 at Nelly's.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 03/23/16 07:17pm

1, cut it out.

No one is disputing that Hikvision is far less expensive than Exacq.

My objection is your choice of comparables. The eBay comparison was stupid on many levels, already explained.

The Nelly's one is better, though if you want a fair hardware comparison, Nelly's charges $499 for that NVR including a 2TB hard drive. And, yes, you can buy it without out, get your own and install it. But Exacq is selling it with a hard drive included.

And to reiterate, I was not objecting to the 'value judgement', I was objecting to your faulty choice in comparison. Even after you factor in a legit Hikvision model, and the hard drive, and the street price of Exacq, it still is going to be something like 4x more.

So, yes, no dispute that Hikvision is far less expensive, let's try, at least, to pick comparisons that are close to being fair on basic hardware and support issues.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to John Honovich | 03/23/16 07:48pm

...at least, to pick comparisons that are close to being fair on basic hardware and support issues.

ok. I'm glad to leave it at the $500 mark, which technically is "at or under $1000".

Btw, where is the MSRP list of all the Exacq una Poe models?

Also, the linked press release claims only 100W for 8 port Poe, I'm guessing it's a misprint?

Thumbnail profile grad864

Ryan Hulse

In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 03/23/16 07:57pm

Yes, misprint. It should read 120 watts.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to John Honovich | 03/23/16 06:10pm

Also, and this is secondary, that eBay page does not list 2TB nor indicate any hard drive is included.

Yes, I'm aware. The price without is $230. I was figuring $50 for the hard drive, so $280 x 9 = $2520.

I know that you have argued hard against MSRP vs MSRP comparisons recently, so I assume that you mean that the Exacq street price is much lower, (not that we should use Hik MSRP). That could be. What do you think a fair end user price would be?

Undisclosed Integrator #2

03/23/16 04:39pm

$2500 usd = $3300 cad. Even if you factor in the savings from an 8 port poe and 8 start licenses ($700ish) it's a ridiculous premium to pay vs a custom build. It would have to save about 10 truck rolls to pay itself off.

The other issue with ordering Exacq hardware is the 3 week lead time to get any DVR. If you use Una's you now have to keep a bunch in stock.

Great idea Exacq. Cut the price in half and we'll have a winner.

Radu Vadeanu

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #2 | 03/23/16 10:56pm

Continuously record up to 100 Mbps of video - https://www.exacq.com/products/lc/

On a similar Hik NVR you can record up to 50Mbps !!! - http://www.hikvision.com/UploadFile/image/2014082721563617670.pdf

I think this is the real value of Exacq Una.

Hyundai I20 vs a Ferrari Ford Mondeo is more accurate .

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Radu Vadeanu | 03/23/16 11:14pm

Radu,

Yes, and the Una is specified at 150Mb/s max throughput, higher than the traditional LC. Of course, the question is how often you really need 150Mb/s but it's certainly spec'd higher.

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Radu Vadeanu | 03/24/16 01:05am

50 Mbps is anemic. Good catch.

Maybe this "FLIR" DNR400 is a better model:

  • 200 Mbps incoming recording rate.
  • 120W 8ch POE+
  • $499 with 2TB
  • FLIR documentation, firmware support.
  • Sold by B+H

Limitations, No 4K in or out. Dahuan UI. ONVIF support but pathetic native support.

In stock.

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