I'm planning on ordering the IPC-HDW5442T-ZE camera from Andy to upgrade my system, but on the fence about the NVR. Andy suggested the NVR-5208-8p-4KS2e but I'd really like to try out the Face recognition and ANPR features of an AI NVR like the NVR4208-8P-I. I'm not ready for
BlueIris and I don't see many comments/reviews on the NVR4208-8P-I and I don't see it in Andy's AliExpress store. Anyone have experience with this NVR?
I did read loony2ns's review carefully and I did end up buying the 5216-16P-I
First of all, the 52XX is way more expensive and have a stronger processing power.what I couldn't expect from the 42XX, I did expect from the 52.
I did expect a better performance from an NVR that cost more than twice as much as the 4216-I.
I'm not a big expert and do not have too much experience yet, I'm still configuring the system and I hope that soon the news would be better but currently, here is what I have to tell you:
My expectations/hopes from the FR was to be able to combine the feature with IVS line crossing so that if someone enters the gate (facing the camera), I'd be able to trigger the alarm only in case of a human + stranger.
I did expect that the FR would not always identify the person good enough and therefore I'd have false alarms.
BUT
- even though I was told that you need to choose between IVS/FR/SMD I could have a single cam doing all three of them together.
- some other identical cams would simply not do it (I can't yet find the difference in configuration)
- even though I can have one cam checking intrusion/line crossing + FR..... those to features cannot be combined: it can monitor line crossing and can monitor FR but would not combine the data to decide if to trigger the alarm.
- I do expect it to detect FR given that a Human has crossed the line. I don't think it's too much to expect and I don't think I'm the only one looking for such a feature. That might be the biggest usage of FR and looks like the F/W can do it.
- While the FR is not too bad, it may "catch" me few times while I'm passing the field of view once. one time I'm not identified and second time I am in 99%.
I would expect it to follow a person for few seconds and/or until it loses the contact and only THAN decide once given the best image or after checking the DB against few good images of the same person.
and some more of them...
- Connecting directly to the NVR (VGA/HDMI) would give a totally different GUI than the web interface and/or the SmartPSS. I have no problem with different GUI except some basic features would not work in one and others would not work with the other. That's more than annoying. for example, if I want to add a stranger to the DB, I need to go to the NVR and connect it to screen and mouse. WTF. I cannot to it with the web interface? while I'm connected VIA VGA, I can also see the recent face detentions. No such view with the web interface.
- every browser I was testing (Chrome, IE, FF) would have different problem. I actually use the three of them together for my testings.
- Most recorded videos would not load for some reason..... (I'm using 2X4TB WD purple). I was reformatting the two hard drives last night, still hope for better outcome but I'm not optimistic.
- most time I manage to check the video of an event, I get it with a very slow motion (my PC is strong enough, with 32GB ram and I'm connected to the NVR with 1GB switch.
- Even the live streaming gets sometimes a long delay. I can walk next to the camera, go down to the TV down stairs and wait till I see myself on the "live view".....
- Again, if I connect two identical cams [HFW-B5442E-ZE in that case], with one I could get both FR and intrusion working, the other one is setup to have them both but would not to the IVS. Now, clearly I'm doing something wrong with the settings that I'll discover later but I can expect a 730$ NVR to give me a hint that my set up for intrusion would not work because I was also choosing XXX somewhere else. I do not need to test each feature to find if it's actually working or not. Smart system would minimum check before you save and warn you if it's not gonna work....
It's nice to be able to choose different parameters for each cam but it would also be nice, using NVR to be able to choose some things for all cams. For example, if you want to change to 15fps, you do not need to to it 16 times....
- Some AI features could be done by the NVR OR by the camera and you need to choose. For example, all of my cams can do FD and therefore, I'd like the FD to be done by the IPC. otherwise, the NVR supports only 4 cams with FR.
same thing goes with SMD: if you're using the processing power of the cams, the NVR can manage some more features. But you need to be careful that even though you're using IVS rules by the IPCs, the feature is disabled my the NVR.
I was using the latest F/W [from 2020-06-17]. There were lot's of changes since the original FW and there were also many FW in between.
As I was saying, I'm not a big expert and I'm not experienced enough yet. Few of the problems would probably be fixed after I'd play with it long enough but not all.
All in all, most if not all of the problems I encountered can and should be fixed with new FW and new SW. looks like the NVR itself have the potential. As of now, it's an expensive NVR that is not yet ready for marketing.
I hope that soon enough I'd be able to come with much better news.
I also know that Dahua are trying and they do get the tips from Andy. a new FW could really make a big change in here.
Is it too much to expect form AI NVR with FR?
All I wanted was to combine the FR and the IVS rule that the same cam can do simultaneously and to get the result of: if a human is detected, keep tracking the target for few seconds or till they are out of sight; keep collecting images of the same target before you jump with a stranger detection; if one of the images matches a person in the DB within the required threshold you have a match only of none, it's a stranger; If the target crossed the line/created intrusion or any other IVS rule, trigger the alarm.
Is that really too much to expect? Am I looking for features that most people that want the FR do not care about? I'm seriously asking that....
I never expected the FR capability to be bullet proof. But I do expect the NVR to follow the target and make a single decision on a single target once sufficient data is collected.
I may want to decide and record the moment of a stranger walking outside my property but I want to trigger the alarm only if they entered.
the whole point was to guard around the fences with IVS and human detaction but to introduce an extra feature of FR to minimize the false alarms even more and to take it one step further (if you can ignore triggering the alarm for family members or employees or whatever you have there, you can also keep your system armed for extra hours.