The Biggest Surprises in the Video Surveillance Industry 2015

Author: John Honovich, Published on Nov 13, 2015

100+ integrators told us what the biggest surprise in the video surveillance industry in 2015 was for them.

Inside, we share dozens of comments and reveal the 3 key themes.

3 Themes

The big 3 themes were:

***+ *********** **** ** **** *** ******* ******** ** *** video ************ ******** ** **** *** *** ****.

******, ** ***** ****** ** ******** *** ****** *** * key ******.

3 ******

*** *** * ****** ****:

[***************]

  • *** **** / *********: *** *** **** **** ******** ** ** many *********** ***** ********* *** *** **** ********
  • ** ******: *** **** ** **, ** ******, ******** ** its *** *****.

Not ******

* *** ****** ********* *****, **** *** ****** ********* *.***, no *** ********* ***, ** *** ********* **, ** *** mentioned ********* / ***** ******, ***. ** *** ********* *** *** really ******* ** **** ** **** **** *****.

Low ****

*** **** / *** **** ** ******* *** *** ******* overall *****:

  • "****** ******* ** ***** ***** ** *******."
  • "*** **** ** ***** **** ****** ***** ****** **** ************* has **** * ***** *****. * *** ** *** ********* are ***** ********* *** ******* *** **** *** ******* *******."
  • "***** ***** **** *******." [****: ******* *** **** ***** **** 25% **** **** *** ********** **** ***** ******* *** *******, see ******* *** ****** ******]
  • "***** *** **** *** **** ***" [*******, *** *** *** ******** - ***** ** *********]
  • "*** *** *******. ****** ** ** * **** ** *** bottom *** ******* ** *******. ********* *** **** ********* **** low **** *** *********** ** ***** *************. * ********** ******* better ******* *** ********* *** ******* ** ******** **** ***** cameras *** ****** *************** ** ****** ********** ********."
  • "***** ****** *** **** *** ****** *** ********. ********* *** existing ************* **** ************ - ** ******* ***** ******* "****" lower ******. **** ***** ******* **** ******* ** *** **** just ** ***** ******** ***** ***** *******"
  • "*** ******* ** ** *** **** *** ************* ** *********** low *****, *** *** *******. ** *** ****** ***** * toll ** *** ****** ** ****** *** (****, *****) ******* we **** **** **** ** ******. *** **** ********* **** been ********* ** *** ********* ****** **** ************* ***** ****** lines. ** **** *** ** **** **** ****** ** ******* our ****** ** ******* ****** '***** *****' *******."

*********

** *** ******* ************ ** *** *****, ** ** **** **** they ***** ******** **** *** ***** *** **** **** ***** low ****** ********** ***. ********** ********:

  • "****** ******* **** *** ********* ** **** *** ****"
  • "*********, ******* ** *****/*******."
  • "********* ***** ********* ** ***** **. ***** ***** ****** *** crazy. * *** ** *** ********* **** **** **** **** do *** ***** *** ********* ****."
  • "********* ****** ***** ******* ** ****."
  • "*** ********** **** ** ** ********* **** ** *********"
  • "***** ****** ** *********** ********* (*** **** ****** *********) *******.**** are **********."
  • "********* ********* ** ******** ** **** *** **** *******, *** cost ******* ****, *** ***** ********** **** ** ** *** US ******."

*** *********** *** *** ****** ******* *** ****, **** **** noted ***** ********** *** *********** *******: 

  • "***** ********** ** *** *** ******* ********"
  • "********* - ** ********** ** * **** *** *** ****** product - ** *** * ***** ******* ********** & ** were ********* ** *** ******** *********** & *****"
  • "*********** ****** ******* ** ************ **** ******** ** ****/*****."
  • "*********-* **** ******* *** **** ********** ******* *** ******* ***** cameras."

*******, *** ********** **** ** ****** ***********:

"********* ** *** **** *********** ***** ** ******** ********* ******* each *****."

** *** **** ** * *****, ********* *** **** **** rare ** ****** *********. **** **** ** ** *********** ******* as ********* ***** **** ***** ******* ***** ** * **** risky *** ***** ******* ****** **** **** ***** ** *** many *********** *** ******** *** **** *****.

HD ******

**** ** *** ****, ** ****** *** *** **** **** common ***** *****:

  • "******* ********, ** *** *** ******* ** ** ****** ****** images."
  • "*** ****** ** *******. ********* ** *** ******** ***** *** market ******* ** **."
  • "*** ******* **** * ******** ********. *** **** ** *********** for ****** *** ** ***, **** ******* **** ** ** on ******** *** *** ****** ****** ** *** *** ** systems."
  • "******** ** ******* - *** **** *******!!! ******* ** *** crushed *** ****** *** ******. ***** ******** ****** ** **** and **'* ** **** ****."
  • "******** ** ****** ******* *** ********, ** **** *** **** rapidly **** ** ********"
  • "* *** *** ****** ** **** **** ** **** *** as ** *** ******* ***** ****** **** **** ** ************* of *** ************. * ***** ******* ***** ** ***** ** eventually ** * ****-*** ** **-*** ** ******* ** *** type ** ********* ****** ****."
  • "****** **. ******* *** *********** ***** **** **** ******* & this **** **** **** *********** *****"
  • "***/** ** *******, ***** ****** *****"

Notable ***** ********

**** *** * *** ***** *********** ******** *******:

  • "**** ********* ** *** **** **** ***** ******* ***** ** rollout ** *****" - ** **** ******* ** ***** ************ Dahua ** **** *** **** ***** ** ******. *** **** will ** * *** **** *** ****. ** **** ****** get ***** *** ******** *******, ** ***** ** *** **** for **** ** ***** ******* **** ********* ********.
  • "*** **** **** **** ** *** ******* ** **** **** [low ****] ***** ** * **** ******** *** **************." - We ***** ** **************, ****** ***** ***** ******* ***** *** slow ******** ****, ** *******, **** ** ********* ****** *** hard ** *** *** ****.
  • "***** *** ****** ******* **** ********* * *** ******. ***** a *** ** *** ******* ******* ******* ** *** ***?" and "******** ** ****** ******* ********* *** ****** *********." *******, ***** *********** ****** **** **** ****** *******
  • "***** *** ****** *** *** ***. ***** ******* *****-**** ** the ****** **** ******* "***** *****" *** **** *** ***** installations ******* * ***** **** ***** *******. **** ***** ***** managers ***** *** **** * ****** ********** ****** ** ******* either ******** ** *****, ******* **** ** *** ***. *** support *** ******** *** ****** ******* ** ****** ****. *** seriously *********** ********* ****** **** ********* ** ********* ****. ******'* have ******** **** * **** ***..." *******, *****'* *** *** - **********

Comments (12)

Steve Mitchell

11/13/15 06:57pm

Well I guess for me the biggest surprise in 2015 is the fact that the biggest surprise in 2015 is rise of the low cost Asian cameras.

We've been talking about the feature parity, increased capability, quality, compatibility and low cost of Chinese offerings for years, haven't we?

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Steve Mitchell | 11/13/15 07:08pm

At least a couple of years. I think the surprise, and I share this, is how far it has gone.

I certainly underestimated Hikvision's willingness to spend on sales and marketing at mega Western brand levels yet sell at Chinese off the boat prices.

Nic Tan

In reply to John Honovich | 11/17/15 09:55am

I know we've talked about this a lot, but how cheap are these guys really? Aren't customers concerned at all about local warranties and support? System integrators make little profits from these Chinese brands, are they just quoting because they had no other choice when competitors are quoting Hik/Dahua?

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Nic Tan | 11/17/15 11:56am

"Aren't customers concerned at all about local warranties and support?"

Nic, good question.

As an example, Hikvision has over 200 employees in North America - sales, support, engineering, trainers, marketing people, inventory in local warehouses, etc. It's a lot like Axis but just 30 - 50% lower price.

So, yes, traditionally, those prices came with poor to no local warranty and support but Hikvision has broken this model. How long they continue to do this combo (Western support and Chinese off the boat prices) is a key question. I don't see how this combo is sustainable since the Western expenses (200+ local employees, etc.) are the same for them as they are for any Western incumbent.

Steve Mitchell

In reply to John Honovich | 11/17/15 03:34pm

I don't see how this combo is sustainable since the Western expenses (200+ local employees, etc.) are the same for them as they are for any Western incumbent.

I suspect the cost structure is not the same given "only" 200+ employees at their current/potential sales volume. Their cost of supply chain/production is very very low so there are some margins, and I believe even with local support their cost of that is driven down by their very high MTBF and the commodization trend that says "it will run until it's obsolete." The cost of sales is driven down somewhat by the lack of friction given the price. Marketing/warehousing is spend but doesn't require corporate employee overhead.

An analogy would be ASUS vs Dell here in the US.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Steve Mitchell | 11/17/15 03:39pm

ASUS sells the same spec'd laptop for 50% less than Dell? I'd be fascinating to see the details on that.

Because Hikvision is routinely selling cameras for 50% less than Axis.

Steve Mitchell

In reply to John Honovich | 11/18/15 02:40pm

My point is ASUS had/has a business model that was sustainable even at low prices.

Where I think the analogy is different is Dell was/is still able to drop prices to at least be competitive. Whereas Axis apparently isn't as willing/able to do so.

I always suspected ONVIF was going to be suicide for Axis. But convinced myself Axis was trying to increase the entire size of the pie, and was confident they could still own a big piece of that pie. Apparently that wasn't the case if they cannot come down in price. Whether that's their overhead, production costs, need to preserve margins in the channel or what.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Steve Mitchell | 11/18/15 02:44pm

"Whereas Axis apparently isn't as willing/able to do so."

Neither is (in alphabetical order), Avigilon, Bosch, Panasonic, Pelco, Sony, and pretty much every established company except for Hanwha Techwin (formerly Samsung).

Nic Tan

In reply to John Honovich | 11/19/15 09:38am

Hi John, Thanks for the response.

I think they have the ability to drop prices (their gross margins are way above 50%), but it will mean their margins will be harmed - and also it's easier to drop price than to raise it again. It's a catch-22 where they will harm existing products' profitability at the expense of winning market share in the low-mid end market. The ultimate outcome is they will be a higher niche player in the future - unless if they launch a cheap product under a different brand name (and hide it really well - like how Hikvision TRIED with Ezyview). They will have to disrupt themselves or be disrupted.

Andrew Thomas

11/15/15 07:04pm

To what extend are our trade agreements to blame is the real for this surprise? We have a client with a location in Brazil, and buying the items in the US, and shipping them to their location resulted in a 60+% tariff, plus taxes on all items based on local MSRP pricing of the items.

The bigger scam is that Asian Distributors are shipping volumes of items to the US, with the participation of the recipient, as evaluation or gift items, avoiding all tariffs.

While I'm not an isolationist. However, I do believe they need to index the tariffs based upon the trade imbalances, and with some adjustments for the economic size of the countries. I also think places like EBAY with these pseudo gift / trial imports is a good place to start investigating... My .02 on that...

Undisclosed #1

In reply to Andrew Thomas | 11/17/15 03:54pm

The bigger scam is that Asian Distributors are shipping volumes of items to the US, with the participation of the recipient, as evaluation or gift items, avoiding all tariffs.

To be clear, it's the recipient first who desires to avoid the tariffs.

Andrew Thomas

In reply to Undisclosed #1 | 11/18/15 03:10pm

I am humbly corrected, and completely agree.

Login to read this IPVM report.
Why do I need to log in?
IPVM conducts unique testing and research funded by member's payments enabling us to offer the most independent, accurate and in-depth information.

Related Reports

Milestone Disrupts Milestone With Arcules on Nov 19, 2018
Milestone is now competing against... Milestone's own spinout Arcules New IPVM testing shows that Arcules has incorporated a substantial amount of...
ISC East 2018 Mini-Show Final Report on Nov 16, 2018
This is our second (updated) and final show report from ISC East. ISC East, by its own admission, is not a national or international show, billed...
ASIS Offering Custom Research For Manufacturers on Nov 15, 2018
Manufacturers often want to know what industry people think about trends and, in particular, the segments and product they offer.  ASIS and its...
Directory of Video Intercoms on Nov 13, 2018
Video Intercoms, also known as Video Door-Phones or Video Entry Systems, have been growing in the past decade as more and more IP camera...
Beware Amazon Go Store Hype (Tested) on Nov 13, 2018
IPVM's trip to and testing of Amazon Go's San Francisco store shows a number of significant operational and economic issues that undermine the...
Magos Radar Company Profile on Nov 12, 2018
Magos America General Manager Yaron Zussman admits when he first came across Magos, he asked himself: "What's innovative about radar?" Be that as...
Video Surveillance Hard Drive Size Statistics 2018 on Nov 08, 2018
What is the most common hard drive size for video surveillance? 150+ integrators answered: What size hard drive do you most commonly use? What...
Axis 2N Intercom Tested on Nov 08, 2018
Axis expanded its video intercom business buying Czech-based 2N in 2016. Despite competing against owner Axis' intercoms, 2N recently registered as...
Haven Targets School Security with Lockdown Lineup on Nov 08, 2018
Haven, a US startup founded in 2014 as a residential-focused company, has now raised funding and is offering a lineup of commercial grade locks for...
Ubiquiti Protect Video Surveillance Profile on Nov 07, 2018
Ubiquiti has now been in the video surveillance market for 7 years (see our first coverage back in 2011). In that time, the company's revenue has...

Most Recent Industry Reports

'Sticker' Surveillance Camera Developed (CSEM Witness) on Nov 16, 2018
The Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology (CSEM) has announced what it calls the: world’s first fully autonomous camera that can be...
ISC East 2018 Mini-Show Final Report on Nov 16, 2018
This is our second (updated) and final show report from ISC East. ISC East, by its own admission, is not a national or international show, billed...
Facial Detection Tested on Nov 16, 2018
Facial detection and recognition are increasingly offered by video surveillance manufacturers. Facial detection detects faces in an image/video...
Throughtek P2P/Cloud Solution Profile on Nov 15, 2018
Many IoT manufacturers either do not have the capabilities or the interest to develop their own cloud management software for their devices....
ASIS Offering Custom Research For Manufacturers on Nov 15, 2018
Manufacturers often want to know what industry people think about trends and, in particular, the segments and product they offer.  ASIS and its...
Hikvision Silent on "Bad Architectural Practices" Cybersecurity Report on Nov 14, 2018
A 'significant vulnerability was found in Hikvision cameras' by VDOO, a startup cybersecurity specialist. Hikvision has fixed the specific...
French Government Threatens School with $1.7M Fine For “Excessive Video Surveillance” on Nov 14, 2018
The French government has notified a high-profile Paris coding academy that it risks a fine of up to 1.5 million euros (about $1.7m) if it...
Integrator Credit Card Alternative Divvy on Nov 13, 2018
Most security integrators are small businesses but large enough that they have various employees that need to be able to expense various charges as...
Directory of Video Intercoms on Nov 13, 2018
Video Intercoms, also known as Video Door-Phones or Video Entry Systems, have been growing in the past decade as more and more IP camera...
Beware Amazon Go Store Hype (Tested) on Nov 13, 2018
IPVM's trip to and testing of Amazon Go's San Francisco store shows a number of significant operational and economic issues that undermine the...

The world's leading video surveillance information source, IPVM provides the best reporting, testing and training for 10,000+ members globally. Dedicated to independent and objective information, we uniquely refuse any and all advertisements, sponsorship and consulting from manufacturers.

About | FAQ | Contact