Geovision Doorstation Tested (CS1320)

Geovision has released the GV-CS1320 door station, priced at a fraction of others, with additional bells and whistles like a built in card reader, face detection, and capacitive touch button, and more.

We bought and tested the CS1320 against the Axis A8105-E to see if it can hold up against higher priced models or if its low price also means low performance.

Those interested in other door stations should also see our test of the Axis A8105 Door Station and DoorBird's D101, as well consumer doorbells Ring Pro and SkyBell HD. Future door station tests will cover Dahua, Hikvision and others.

Summary

Though, on paper, it offers more features at a fraction of the price of other commercial door stations, the CS1320's reliance on a central server (unlike cloud connected options) was a problem since it proved unstable and difficult to install in our tests.

Further, its lack of I/O and bidirectional audio support with third party VMSes means this software must be used to answer calls, and cannot simply be connected to and controlled from (video, audio, I/O) other recorders, unlike the Axis door station line.

However, for those with experience using Geovision's ASManager and other access products that might overcome these install and stability issues, the GV-CS1320's solid audio and image quality may make it an attractive option. 

Key Findings

Here are our key findings from our test of the Geovision GV-CS1320:

• Solid daytime image quality: The CS1320's image quality was decent, with subject details visible in typical installation scenarios (lobbies/exterior doors), though notably worse than the Axis A8105-E which includes Forensic Capture true WDR.
• Poor WDR/BLC tradeoffs: In scenes with extreme light differences, the CS1320 provided worse details than the Axis A8105 due to its lack of true WDR. The station is labeled "WDR" but includes digital WDR only. The camera's BLC improved details against strong backlight, but at the expense of background objects, which are nearly totally washed out with BLC turned on.
• Good low light details: The CS1320 produced better details of subjects in low light due to its built in IR illuminator, which the Axis A8105 lacks.
• No VMS integration issues: In our tests, the CS1320 connected to Avigilon, Exacq, Genetec, and Milestone via ONVIF without issues, with video and microphone audio supported, but no outgoing audio or I/O support (all are supported in the Axis A8105-E).
• Good audio quality: Audio in both directions was clear and low noise in all scenes tested. Geovision does not claim noise reduction or echo cancellation, nor are there any audio controls in the station's web interface.
• Software complex with stability issues: Geovision's ASManager software (required to receive door alerts, configure access cards and doors, etc.) was complicated to use, with multiple install steps which failed multiple times during install, requiring reboots. Once running, the GV-CS1320 used for testing frequently displayed as offline despite being online, with video and audio streaming working fine.
• Mobile app requires ASManager server: Unlike other options which use cloud connectivity to connect door stations to mobile apps, the GV-Access mobile app requires a local server running ASManager with a port forwarded internet connection. 

Pricing

The Geovision GV-CS1320 can be purchased online for ~$275 USD, a fraction of the price of the Axis A8105-E Door Station (~$800 USD), or the DoorBird D101 ($349), both of which lack the CS1320's access control features (though both include cloud connectivity not found in Geovision).

Physical Overview

The GV-CS1320 is physically similar to other door stations, with the addition of a 13.25 MHz Mifare reader built in to the device around the call button. Also note that the call button of the CS1320 is capacitive touch, so less prone to mechanical failure than others, but it may not be operated with gloves on.

We review these features in this video:

Usable Images But Poor WDR

In scenes tested, the GV-CS1320's image quality was decent, with details of the subject available both outside (next to an entrance) and inside (in a glass lobby). However, dynamic range was poor, with the camera's digital WDR doing little to affect image quality, while BLC made the subject more visible, but washed out background objects. 

Starting outside, next to the entry, the field of view is shown below.

The GV-CS1320 is not a true WDR camera, but includes backlight compensation. In our tests, BLC was effective at properly exposing subject details, but at the expense of background details, which become almost totally washed out.  

By contrast, The Axis A8105 produces better details of the subject, with background details clearly visible due to its improved WDR performance.

Glass Lobby Performance

Inside a vestibule with glass doors, lighting variance was less harsh, ~1,500 lux outside vs. ~190 inside.

By contrast, the Axis A8105-E clearly displays both foreground and background due to its true WDR performance (Forensic Capture), providing better details of the subject and other objects beyond.

Solid Integrated IR Performance

Due to its built in IR, the GV-CS1320 was able to provide better details of subjects than the Axis A8105 in dark scenes.

For example, in the scene below, <1 lux, subject and chart details are clearly visible while he is obscured by noise in the A8105.

Clear/Low Noise Audio

The CS1320's audio was loud and clear in all scenes tested, with low noise and latency. For example, in the clip below our subject is outdoors near a busy roadway, but nosie from vehicles is very low.

 

Inside, noise from HVAC is quiet, as well, though normally perceptible on other microphones/door stations we have tested.

Solid ONVIF VMS Integration (One-Way Audio/Video Only)

In our tests, we had no issues connecting the CS1320 to Avigilon, Exacq, Genetec, or Milestone via ONVIF. However, these VMSes only supported video and microphone audio. No VMS tested allowed talkback audio or I/O control.

Audio/video are shown here in Exacq:

Complex/Unstable Access Manager

During testing, we found multiple issues installing and using GV-ASManager, Geovision's access management software, which is required to provide event notification and remote answering of CV1320 calls.

• Complex install: Installation was a multi-step process, the base software installed, then a database created and connected, without all prerequisites installed in the proper order. Because of this, in at least one installation, the main software service ran before a database was configured, causing errors.
• Access database: ASManager uses Microsoft Access as its database by default, much less robust and lower performing than SQL typically used by most surveillance/access software. 

• Stability Issues: Finally, during testing we had multiple stability issues, with the controller simply dropping offline without explanation. Sometimes this occurred when someone pushed the call button, sometimes during configuration, and sometimes when idle.

 

Note that ASManager is required for answering of calls via desktop and mobile apps (below). It must be running on a Windows machine connected to the internet (manual port forwarding required, no cloud connectivity) in order to receive calls outside the local network.

Mobile App Limitations

Calls from CS1320 may be answered via mobile app (GV-Access), with push notifications upon button press, showing answer/ignore and door release options. 

Note that there is no way to listen to audio or initiate a call from a remote device to the CS1320. No audio may be heard unless a call is triggered, though the door may be manually unlocked/locked.

No Cloud Connectivity/Server Required

Geovision does not include cloud connectivity for calls, unlike other doorbells/door stations, such as the A8105-E, Doorbird, or Ring. Instead, users must connect the CS1320 to the Access Manager server (see above) which then must be port forwarded manually. Calls from stations on the local network may be answered by devices on the local network, but once a phone leaves wifi (switching to LTE when moving outside, for example) calls are no longer pushed to the mobile device.

Test Parameters

Cameras were tested using default settings unless otherwise specified. The following firmware versions were used in this test:

• Geovision GV-CS1320: v1.11 
• Axis A8105-E: 1.58.2.2
• DoorBird D101: 000107