Sighthound
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I was using Sighthound on my Mac Mini not long ago. Here are my thoughts on it...
Pros:
Cons:
In the end, I loaded Windows onto the Mac and am getting BlueIris setup for my home. I really wanted to get text alerts of events and be able to check the recordings from my office computer and phone and I wanted it to be secure. The things that drove me to switch was I was originally on a two camera license and needed more, so the cost was going to go up on me. That and they didn't provide for HTTPS connections to the web server piece and that meant I had to VPN into my network. This just wasn't an option from my work machine so...
If there is anything positive to say about it is it is very good at detection of "people" and not just pixel changes due to the sun coming or going or leaves moving on the tree.
Pros:
- Did a great job with the motion detection and got very few false alarms.
- Was very easy to get configured to do what I wanted
- Did not take a lot of system resources to run
- Was able to use a slew of different cameras with it (Hikvision, TOP-201, Hootoo, and others)
- I loved that it was always recording and sets a "flag" for events in a search ability. When the allocated drive space was full that I gave it, it would erase the oldest non-flagged recording fisrt
Cons:
- Did not give HTTPS as an option for internet access to webpage (this was deal breaker in the end for me)
- The price is high when compared to BlueIris
- The support wasn't as readily available as BlueIris
In the end, I loaded Windows onto the Mac and am getting BlueIris setup for my home. I really wanted to get text alerts of events and be able to check the recordings from my office computer and phone and I wanted it to be secure. The things that drove me to switch was I was originally on a two camera license and needed more, so the cost was going to go up on me. That and they didn't provide for HTTPS connections to the web server piece and that meant I had to VPN into my network. This just wasn't an option from my work machine so...
If there is anything positive to say about it is it is very good at detection of "people" and not just pixel changes due to the sun coming or going or leaves moving on the tree.
Appreciate the review ruppmeister. I've been using it for about a week and a half on my PC (after using XProtect Go and the Hikvision iVMS). My take:
Positives:
Negatives:
I will likely fork over the $60 for the two camera license and keep testing it.
Positives:
- Easy to setup, very user friendly GUI
- Motion detection works VERY well and I like being able to set alerts based on humans vs. other objects
- The iPhone app is very slick and just works WELL
- Alers via email or iOS pop ups work instantly
- Price not terrible for unlimited cameras ($250 I believe)
- Low CPU load
- Their own forum
Negatives:
- No grid option for viewing all my cameras
- No native iPad app
- No HTTPS option
I will likely fork over the $60 for the two camera license and keep testing it.
I suppose so, but it was a complex piece of software. Definitely for the pros. Nice interface, and really liked how you can zoom in by drawing rectangles on the grid view. Super slick! I feel that I needed someone to really tweak it with me in order for it to be perfect. Many different roles running on my PC, and could not get mobile up and running either. Not saying it's bad in any way, jus complex.
That explains why I could not get that to work then. With Sighthound, I just right-click on a recording and I can save the MP4 file wherever.
So my Sighthound trial period expired, and I think I'll cough up the $60 and get the two camera license.
One thing I do not like is the lack of a grid view. Can I run the Hikvision standard iVMS software ONLY to show the cameras, and run Sighthound for the motion detection and recording?
One thing I do not like is the lack of a grid view. Can I run the Hikvision standard iVMS software ONLY to show the cameras, and run Sighthound for the motion detection and recording?
You might consider giving Exacq a try, your cost for two cameras there would be more though at $50 per camera. Still they have a free trial for one camera that does not expire that you could try at least to compare to. I have very little falsing using the Hikvision cameras and the detection built in, they have some of the best built in detection I have used in a camera.
Full web client included, android and iOS apps and all included too. Simple to get working, might be worth a try? I also use the Exacq IO module which connects via USB and gives me a relay, and 8 alarm inputs and outputs for use with motion sensors and the like.
Full web client included, android and iOS apps and all included too. Simple to get working, might be worth a try? I also use the Exacq IO module which connects via USB and gives me a relay, and 8 alarm inputs and outputs for use with motion sensors and the like.
Just had a look at their Web site. I suppose you are referring to the "Start" version? The GUI looks a bit dated (reminds me of Outlook 2010) and the iOS app gets poor reviews. But it sounds like you are impressed by it. Are you testing it also, or using it full time?
I don't see why you would not be able to do this assuming that you have a machine with enough processor power in it. It all comes down to how you configure the two pieces of software.
I use it full time, but I'm using it on 90 servers and a little over 1,100 cameras. Works great in a large scale environment like I have and I can handle every single thing from my laptop. Works for me!
I use the iOS app some, but it is just as easy to use the web client to do everything. The apps you can try and review footage and everything and that is harder than it needs to be and excessive in frustration lol, but for basic viewing of my cameras it is fine. I can also easily open my gate when I go home using the app so I use it for that too.
The program itself is pretty solid, not bad at all and I have used a ton of them. The app is licensed for number of cameras only, no brands or other restrictions. You license it to a NIC, and I license it to a USB NIC so I can then easily use any computer under the sun. Nice and easy that way.
As an update, recently left town for about two weeks and left Sighthound do its thing. Apart from the occasional false alarm (90% due to the cameras flipping the IR on or off), it's been very reliable. I have to say that the app is very good still, and I'm impressed by how fast it works. The previews pop up almost instantaneously. Only actually watching a recording takes a bit of time, but that's due to it pulling very large amounts of data I'm assuming.
So far, I'm happy. Still upset at no grid view, but I use the Hikvision app for that.
So far, I'm happy. Still upset at no grid view, but I use the Hikvision app for that.
So I've been using Sighthound for close to a year now, and can safely say I've been impressed with it. The actual application might not be anything fancy to look at, but the AI works very well and the their iOS app does a great job. I recently purchased a new PC, and it's gotten even better.
TechBill
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Can it be run as a service to save recording to a drive only with less overhead and lesser computer?
Bill
Absolutely. The iOS application is 100% optional. My previous PC was a ten year old OptiPlex 755 with a Quad Core processor and 4GB of RAM. CPU utilization was in the 70%, but it worked just fine.
TechBill
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