FLIR Lorex Wire Free System Tested
Wire free video surveillance is a major trend amongst consumers.
But wire free systems tend to be designed for few cameras, lower resolution and short battery life (related see IPVM's Blink test, IPVM's Netgear Arlo test, IPVM's Hikvision Ezviz Mini Trooper Test).
FLIR's Lorex has introduced their 'Wire Free Security Camera System', kits including up to 6 cameras claiming 6 months battery life, 1080p video, and 450'+ wireless range. And FLIR is bullish enough about this offering, their executives cited this on their most recent investor's conference call (see FLIR Security Business Struggling).
Our test coverage :
- Wireless range: How far can it really reach vs its high specification?
- Image quality: Was the image quality impacted by its use of wireless and battery operation?
- Battery life
- Integrated IR performance: How good was low light performance?
- Bitrate
- Physical construction: What, if any, quality issues were detected?
And more. See our results inside.
Key Findings
Here are the key findings from our test of the Lorex wireless system:
- Below average image quality: In all scenes tested, image quality of the Wire Free cameras was poor, suffering from overexposure and softness.
- Weak IR: The cameras produced only weak illumination at their specified ~26' range, with IR much weaker at the edges of the field of view.
- Short obstructed wireless range: With the receiver mounted inside and cameras outside, wireless range was <100', much shorter than free air/unobstructed performance.
- Long unobstructed range: With the receiver outside, camera signal reached over 600' from the receiver, well over spec. However, installing the receiver outside most likely requires USB extenders (not included) and an exterior wall penetration.
- Limited configuration: Configuration options are limited, with no control of codec settings aside from resolution, no way to turn off cloud access, no PIR sensitivity settings, or other options typical of even consumer-focused gear.
Versus Other Wire Free Cameras
Most consumer/DIY users, the smaller size and lower cost of options such as Arlo, Blink XT, or the EZVIZ Mini Trooper are likely to be preferred to the Lorex Wire Free kit.
For those users looking for longer IR illumination or extended wireless range, the Wire Free kit may be a better option. Additionally, at higher camera counts (4-6) the Lorex kit's pricing (for 1-2 cameras) becomes more competitive, with a lower cost per camera than Arlo, Blink XT, etc.
Pricing
Pricing on the Wire Free kit varies from $399.99 for a two camera kit to $899.99 for a six camera kit, directly from Lorex. Lower prices may be found at warehouse club stores such as BJ's, Sam's Club, etc., but these retailers generally require memberships. Since the kits are new, we expect greater availability and lower prices later this year.
Camera Overview
The Wire Free kit cameras are similar to typical bullet models with two key differences:
- Wireless antenna: All models have a wireless antenna mounted on the back of the camera, not found in standard bullet models. Note that the kit uses 2.4 GHz spread spectrum wireless, not WiFi, for wireless connectivity.
- Enlarged mounting base for battery: The camera's battery slides into the base of the camera (see below), making it much thicker than typical.
Additionally, the Lorex cameras' housings are plastic, instead of the metal usually used on bullet cameras (typically cast aluminum). Because of this, users may find the Lorex cameras feel less rugged compared to typical bullet cameras. However, other wire free cameras, such as Arlo, Blink, etc., also use plastic housings.
We review these features and compare to standard bullet models in this video:
The image below shows detail of the camera's battery pack and enlarged mount. The kit ships with 2-cell batteries for all cameras, rechargeable via micro-USB. Lorex claims longer life 4-cell packs will be available soon.
Note that unlike competitive wire free cameras, which typically require you to unmount/remount the camera or at least re-aim when changing batteries, this design allows the Lorex battery pack to be changed without repositioning the camera. However, this means the battery may possibly be removed without triggering motion, while other options will alert the user when moved.
DVR/Wireless Receiver
The recorder is a typical form factor, but has very few ports compared to typical NVRs, only video out, Ethernet, and USB. The single USB port is used for the wireless receiver. This receiver is weatherproof and may be mounted outside to increase outdoor wireless range (see below). However, it ships with only a 3' USB cable, which may be an issue when finding a location for the recorder and receiver, as the best spot for the recorder may not be the best spot for the receiver, or even near an outside wall.
This recorder is unlike most other wire free options in that it uses a 1TB HDD instead of SD card or cloud storage claimed by others. Lorex claims this allows for up to two years of storage with no fees, while other cloud options typically require subscriptions for more than a few days or storage.
Additionally, the Lorex recorder may be connected to a monitor like typical DVRs/NVRs, unlike other options which have no local display output.
Wireless Range / Connection Stability
With the receiver mounted indoors, in a commercial building with metal studs/siding, wireless range was ~80'-100', significantly less than the specified unobstructed/free air range of 450'.
With the receiver mounted outside, the cameras exceeded Lorex's specified 450' wireless range, providing a stable signal at 625'. However, this would require a building penetration and a USB extender.
Below Average Image Quality
The Wire Free kit cameras' image quality was below average to poor in all scenes tested.
With the subject and chart in direct sunlight (~61 klux), both are washed out. The cameras performed better indoors in full light scenes (~280 lux), but still did not provide crisp details that are expected with ~50 PPF in a well lit scene. Due to weak IR see below) the camera also struggled in low light, not able to provide details in the chart or subjects's face.
Weak IR Illumination
The Wire Free camera's have a specified IR range of 26'. However, in our testing they only weakly illumination the subject at ~20', with the edges of the field of view very dark, shown below. Note that performance outside, with fewer reflective walls/surfaces, is likely to be worse.
Note that Lorex prominently markets 40' IR range on the Wire Free kit product pages (below), but the spec sheet states 26', with the disclaimer "Stated IR illumination range is based on ideal conditions in typical outdoor night time ambient lighting and in total darkness."
PIR Motion Detection
In our testing, the camera's PIR was capable of detecting subjects at ~25' distance, exceeding Lorex's specified range of 20'. Performance was similar walking toward the camera and crossing the FOV.
Battery Life
Lorex claims ~4 months battery life, based on 30 motion clips per day, 10 seconds each. Over the course of four days of testing, the cameras used in our test still display 100% battery, after ~100 events.
Limited Stream Configuration
The Wire Free kit only users to change resolution from 1080p to 720p, with no other stream configuration possible. No adjustment of FPS, compression, bitrate, or other factors is included.
In our tests, the cameras streamed at 10 FPS/~35 quantization during the day and 7 FPS/~30Q at night.
The 35 quantization level during the day is significantly higher than common (average ~26, see IP Camera Manufacturer Compression Comparison) and certainly contributes to video quality problems for the cameras. On the other hand, higher quantization / greater compression reduces bandwidth consumption which helps for wireless transmission.
Mobile App
In the video below, we review the Lorex Secure mobile app, used for monitoring the system. App functions are limited to basic live view and playback, with no way of searching video other than timeline, and limited configuration tasks.
Test Parameters
The most up to date firmware was used at the time of testing:
- Lorex NVR: firmware 00129
- Lorex LWB3801: firmware 00129