Lorex cameras from Costco - are they any good? Dahua equivalent?

[hajalie24]

It is my understand that Lorex is a subsidary of Dahua.

I came across this Costco deal and was wondering if these cameras are any good and have a Dahua equivalent or can be flashed with dahua firmware. It has audio too so hopefully my Youtube Live streaming experiment will work with it

Any thoughts? Price is $900 for 9 cameras, and includes a 4TB NVR system that I will probably sell.

Thanks in advance.

 

[wittaj]

Those cameras are 8MP on the 1/2.8" and will be basically blind at night. That sensor is good for a 2MP camera, but horrible for 8MP.

Plus they are all fixed lens, so the objects would have to be within 10ish feet or so to be able to IDENTIFY.

They have since hardcoded the cameras so that they cannot be flashed with Dahua firmware, but even if you could, it doesn't fix the horrible MP/sensor ratio.

The distance to be covered from the camera to the object location is the most important factor.

You need to identify the areas you want to cover and pick a camera designed to cover that distance. In some instances, it may be a 2MP or 4MP that is the right camera. DO NOT CHASE MP!!!

It is why we recommend to purchase one good varifocal and test it at all the proposed locations day and night to figure out the correct focal lengths and cams.

A few other tips....It is simple LOL do not chase MP - do not buy a 4MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/1.8" sensor. Do not buy a 2MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/2.8" sensor. Do not buy a 4K (8MP) camera on anything smaller than a 1/1.2" sensor. Unfortunately, most 4k (8MP) cams are on the same sensor as a 2MP and thus the 2MP will kick its butt all night long as the 4k will need 4 times the light than the 2MP... 4k will do very poor at night unless you have stadium quality lighting (well a lot of lighting LOL).

 

[hajalie24]

Those cameras are 8MP on the 1/2.8" and will be basically blind at night. That sensor is good for a 2MP camera, but horrible for 8MP.

Plus they are all fixed lens, so the objects would have to be within 10ish feet or so to be able to IDENTIFY.

They have since hardcoded the cameras so that they cannot be flashed with Dahua firmware, but even if you could, it doesn't fix the horrible MP/sensor ratio.

The distance to be covered from the camera to the object location is the most important factor.

You need to identify the areas you want to cover and pick a camera designed to cover that distance. In some instances, it may be a 2MP or 4MP that is the right camera. DO NOT CHASE MP!!!

It is why we recommend to purchase one good varifocal and test it at all the proposed locations day and night to figure out the correct focal lengths and cams.

A few other tips....It is simple LOL do not chase MP - do not buy a 4MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/1.8" sensor. Do not buy a 2MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/2.8" sensor. Do not buy a 4K (8MP) camera on anything smaller than a 1/1.2" sensor. Unfortunately, most 4k (8MP) cams are on the same sensor as a 2MP and thus the 2MP will kick its butt all night long as the 4k will need 4 times the light than the 2MP... 4k will do very poor at night unless you have stadium quality lighting (well a lot of lighting LOL).

Great advice, thanks. I will do more research on varifocal lenses as I currently do not have any nor do I know much about it. Good idea.

Seems like this kit isn't the best approach, so I'll get more cameras either used from BHPhotoVideo or from Andy's store.

 

[Timokreon]

I bought a Lorex package last year, straight from the Lorex website. If I had found this website and read through everything before-hand, I wouldn't have bought it.
That being said, if all you're looking for is to see what's going on in the neighborhood and not worry about identifying anyone, then yeah.. it works.

But, if you want more control over things, identify, etc.. do yourself a favor, skip it and buy from @EMPIRETECANDY .
Ask the great people for advice, like wittaj, and they'll help you out.

 

[hajalie24]

One more noob question.

sensor sizes: the lower the number the better? i.e. 1/2.8" is worse than 1/1.2"

 

[wittaj]

Sensor sizing can confuse a lot of people LOL.

It is simple division:

1 divided by 3 equals 0.333

1 divided by 2.8 equals 0.357

Is a 1/2.8" sensor bigger than a 1/1.8" sensor? Most people say yes LOL. But it is a fraction, so the 1/1.8" sensor is the bigger of the two. A 1/2.8" sensor is smaller than a 1/2.7" sensor.

This applies to camera sensors too LOL:

@sebastiantombs sums it up best with his comment:

720P - 1/3" = .333"
2MP - 1/2.8" = .357" (think a .38 caliber bullet)
4MP - 1/1.8" = .555" (bigger than a .50 caliber bullet or ball)
8MP - 1/1.2" = .833" (bigger than a 20mm chain gun round)


Go with the 5442-ZE from @EMPIRETECANDY and you will be pleased and will give you the idea of what to look for.

 

[Sybertiger]

That's very sad, if true. And, it probably is...LOL!

 

[hajalie24]

lol thanks!

Man I'm just spending willy nilly now haha. All in all I think my system is going to cost at least $3k. That's including all the HDD storage I bought.

Do you have any thoughts on cameras that have an LED light? For example model N45EJ62

 

[mat200]

It is my understand that Lorex is a subsidary of Dahua.

I came across this Costco deal and was wondering if these cameras are any good and have a Dahua equivalent or can be flashed with dahua firmware. It has audio too so hopefully my Youtube Live streaming experiment will work with it

Any thoughts? Price is $900 for 9 cameras, and includes a 4TB NVR system that I will probably sell.

Thanks in advance.

Hi @hajalie24

We should have various posts on the Lorex camera in that kit .. do feel free to use the search feature to find those here in ipcamtalk.
( see below for the camera model number )

Lorex, in the past we saw them have larger sensor sizes in their Dahua OEM rebranded cameras .. during the pandemic they've started to use smaller sensors .. so I no longer would recommend them if you need low light performance.





Lorex 4K UHD 16-Channel Fusion NVR Security System with 9 Smart Deterrence 4K Cameras
Item 1590812Model N8634-8AF9SK

Online Price1,299.99$
Less400.00$-
Your Price899.99$
Shipping & Handling Included*




ModelN8634-8AF9SK

camera:
E893AB

 

[mat200]

lol thanks!

Man I'm just spending willy nilly now haha. All in all I think my system is going to cost at least $3k. That's including all the HDD storage I bought.

Do you have any thoughts on cameras that have an LED light? For example model N45EJ62

Personally I would not go with LED lights on a camera, I prefer to have separate lights ..

 

[wittaj]

The LED lights on the cameras are more gimmicky and are really no brighter than a cell phone flashlight. You get maybe 5-8 feet around the camera, barely.

The exception is the 4K/X camera, but that is because it has a large 1/1.2" sensor.

 

[Sybertiger]

You know, when I was a newb (and I still am after a few years on here), I joined this forum to inquire about recommended NVR/cam packages sold at Sam's Club, Costco, etc. I even tried out a couple of systems that would have been considered mid-range at the time, or slightly better. My experience was that the NVR system of accessing info was not where I wanted to be and below my expectations. I was advised to look into a Blue Iris system and with a little hesitation I looked into it and liked what I saw...hook, line and sinker and I never looked back. I'm currently in the process of setting up another Blue Iris system for my parents. That pretty much sums up my answer to the OP's question.

 

[hajalie24]

You know, when I was a newb (and I still am after a few years on here), I joined this forum to inquire about recommended NVR/cam packages sold at Sam's Club, Costco, etc. I even tried out a couple of systems that would have been considered mid-range at the time, or slightly better. My experience was that the NVR system of accessing info was not where I wanted to be and below my expectations. I was advised to look into a Blue Iris system and with a little hesitation I looked into it and liked what I saw...hook, line and sinker and I never looked back. I'm currently in the process of setting up another Blue Iris system for my parents. That pretty much sums up my answer to the OP's question.

It actually doesn't, because I don't care about the NVR but the cameras. I use Blue Iris currently. Thanks though. I got a lot of good responses about the cameras already and the summary is, they're not great.

 

[Sybertiger]

With that in mind, I'd custom order cams depending on the specific locations. Most likely you'll have a few locations that will benefit from different cams. One cam model for all locations is likely not the answer. And, you're right about the packaged cams systems. They typically are lower-end to meet a price point as a package deal.

 

[hajalie24]

Go with the 5442-ZE from @EMPIRETECANDY and you will be pleased and will give you the idea of what to look for.

I bought this camera, and the zoom feature is really cool.

After zooming, how do I get a report on the size of the focal length? That way I can buy the correct fixed lens I need.

 

[wittaj]

Glad you like it.

I am sure there is a calculator online somewhere, but I just go thru the math.

2.7mm is I think step 1 and 12mm is step whatever (go to the zoom/focus setting and change the step to 1 and then hover the mouse over the slider and it will give you that number at max zoom) Then just calculate how many steps is each mm.

 

[eggsan]

you may ask about the warranty. Sometimes they have an arrangement with the distributors to exchange besides repair. If you buy an install a kit, which includes cabling, they may ask for bringing the entire kit, even thou it fails a single camera. It means to tear down the whole installation. But not necessarily is the same in all countries

 

[Flintstone61]

 

[Night-Owl]

Hello,

I have had 3 Lorex kits as they initially appear excellent value for money but from experience I would not advise anyone to buy them going forward. They are basically cut down Dahua's that never seem to get firmware updates. Get yourself a decent NVR and buy the IP Cameras separate, I have a mixture of Dahua and Hikvision on a decent NVR and just upgrade the cameras anytime I feel like it with little issues. Any Lorex NVR I still have has Dahau or Hikvision cameras attached to it with the original Lorex cameras thrown in the bin, I will replace the Lorex NVR with a decent NVR in good time. Only last week I replaced a 1 year old Lorex Camera with a Hikvision DS-2CD2087G2-LU. The difference is incredible. Their is a lot of experience in the forums so I am sure someone can help you out with a decent recommendation if you advise what the cameras will be doing, distance, available light etc. I hope this helps.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I spent a bunch of time looking at a Lorex system for a church job and have tentatively decided against it for a few reasons. Firstly, having all wide angle cameras wastes too many pixels where a narrower view angle is called for. They have varifocals available to solve this issue, and I zeroed in on this kit: Lorex Nocturnal 4K 16-Channel 4TB Wired NVR System with Smart IP Dome Cameras, 30FPS Recording, Listen-in Audio and Motorized Varifocal Zoom Lenses

With their 25% off Memorial Day sale, the kit price was decent. If buying the cameras singly, the price isn't decent. It looks to me like the cameras are equivalent to Dahua
IPC-HDW3841T-ZAS, and the NVR appears to me to be a 52xx-series box. With that info, there were still 2 things that turned me away:
1) The cameras use the 1/2.8 4K sensor, which I didn't want to be locked into since 1/1.8 is available ($50 additional comparing Andy's price for both sizes).
2) It looks like Lorex has removed IVS. I can't find it anywhere in their manual. For me, that's a killer issue.