Substitute for D-Link 4701E, 70 cameras

[Optimus Prime]

We have to install a camera in each of our location offices (qty: 70) for compliance. My IT team has sourced the D-Link 4701E.

Can anyone recommend a similar substitute camera at a lower price?

• It needs wide view (2.8mm or close), color, IP addressable, IR and able to write to a network share. There will no NVR involved.
• My IT team says that the motion detection is implemented in the camera and not an NVR.
• I would prefer both a bullet and a dome/turret recommendation.
• Needs stateside warranty support.

Thanks for your replies.

 

[pozzello]

D-Link 4701E is 720p only (1MP), at least it's ONVIF-compliant and provides an H264 stream via rtsp url,
but you can get 4x the camera for 1/2 the cost.

motion detection can be done on the cam OR in the NVR, so your IT guys are not quite right there...

suggest the 3 or 4mp Hikvision turrets and/or bullets...

contact LTS for US-region Hikvision OEM'd cams with decent prices and support.
https://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread.php/257-Good-source-to-buy-IP-items-at

 

[Optimus Prime]

Thanks. The motion detection on the camera is required because they are not employing NVRs. They want all 70 cameras to write to a common network share.

 

[pozzello]

consider the inbound bandwidth to that network share.

if each cam is pushing 5Mb/s (not unreasonable for a 3-4MP cam @10fps high quality),
that could be 350Mb/s inbound to the NAS (max, if all cameras fire at once...)

i guess that might be one reason to constrain your resolution and/or fps/bitrate.

 

[Optimus Prime]

We are not looking for high def / high performance. We're covering an 8' x 12' office; in addition, we have 3rd party compliance requirements that are driving the need...these are not because we want them, it is a scenario of only doing as little as possible to meet compliance.

With the settings they have already tested, we are happy with the way they've setup the system. I just need to now source a different camera to lower our capital expenditure for the project.

That being said, if this goes well, I'll be able to suggest nicer cameras if they decide to begin monitoring operations.

 

[nayr]

its for cannabis grows, they dont care about quality.. only compliance.. and truthfully plants growing at 1fps is too much haha.

here in colorado they track everything from seed to sale, and video of plants growing over long periods is part of the auditing process.

hikvisions's what your competitors are using, at least in the rooms Ive been into.. all hik's, but im more interested in the technology and not so much the plants.. I can do better

 

[Optimus Prime]

We're not in Colorado. It's for PCI compliance. We ave to put a camera on the server processing Credit Card transactions.

 

[nayr]

ah, well not much difference.. compliance videos are hardly more than watching paint dry.. just to prove nobody been tampering with things, the more money that's involved the worse it gets.. CYA in abundance is the way to roll, even if it dont make much sense, logically or financially.

but it still applies, big cannabis grows toss hundreds of hikvisions up and have em save very low quality to a central storage just to show nothing happens.. the opposite of what most camera systems are trying to accomplish.. im no hik fan, but your buying retail warranty and they have nas support so its your best option.

 

[pozzello]

in that case save some money and go with 1/2mp hiks...
2MP turret:
http://overseas.hikvision.com/us/Products_accessries_10508_i11783.html
1 MP bullet:
http://overseas.hikvision.com/us/Products_accessries_10533_i7695.html
2MP bullet:
http://overseas.hikvision.com/us/Products_accessries_10533_i7578.html

you should be able to source those with full US warranty & support ~$100 each...

LTS must have em also...

 

[wcp]

its for cannabis grows, they dont care about quality.. only compliance.. and truthfully plants growing at 1fps is too much haha.

here in colorado they track everything from seed to sale, and video of plants growing over long periods is part of the auditing process.

hikvisions's what your competitors are using, at least in the rooms Ive been into.. all hik's, but im more interested in the technology and not so much the plants.. I can do better

Nayr,

Looking to install a HikVision 32 channel NVR for a grow operation and processing facility. Can you confirm that this is what you're seeing as the most 'go to' vendor in Colorado? Seems like a great product and should have all of the features the Gov't is looking for.

 

[wcp]

Great links, thanks for sharing. Is there a calculator out there to help you get the correct coverage (example: 36 x 120 greenhouse)?

 

[nayr]

I have a few friends who work security in the industry, Hikvision is the go-to brand.. most have to record very low resolution and very low fps to store the video for the lengths required, so they are hardly impressive video surveillance systems, just required for compliance.

I dont think Ive been into a retail shop that was using a camera other than Hikvision, they are really fond of the mini-wedge dome in wide angle.. they work well mounted to walls and the domes are easily cleaned.

Check out, its designed for people tho and not plants: https://ipvm.com/calculator

 

[wcp]

Thank you sir, your time is much appreciated!

 

[Optimus Prime]

@pozello, thank you for the reccomendations, but we have learned through our process that the Hikvision/LTS cameras do not support Samba, but the D-Link does, which is why it works for us writing directly to the windows box. Would you be able to recommend any cameras that support Samba in it's embedded OS?

 

[nayr]

your going to have to settle on those Dlink's brother, CIFS (what you call samba) is not an industry standard, practically nobody supports it.. and those that do, dont do a very good job of it as you've found out... trying to go cheaper than your already at is just going to land you shittier firmware with even more problems for your PCI Compliance..

CIFS/Samba is a feature only likely to be found on consumer gear, not professional gear.. thats why Dlink works and nobody else does, your in a shit situation with no good alternatives.. personally I'd just push back and say what they require for compliance is not possible, so either they deal with an alternative solution.. or none at all.

This gig you got, I'd of never taken.. dont how matter how lucrative you think it is, meeting FIPS/PCI/SEC Compliance demands you charge 10x what you would anyone else, simply for dealing with the bullshit.

 

[wcp]

The Hikvision cameras that pozzello referenced above do support SMB/CIFS...

Network Storage:

|

NAS (Support NFS,SMB/CIFS), ANR

 

[nayr]

The Hikvision cameras that pozzello referenced above do support SMB/CIFS...

Network Storage:

|

NAS (Support NFS,SMB/CIFS), ANR

he's tried those, they do not work reliably with his Win7 Pro workstations.. nothing but issues.

 

[Optimus Prime]

understood..the reasons I'm still trying (because in Ops, its all about Kobyashi Maru), is I noticed the DLink specifically lists it has a built in Samba client, which I did not realize was the same thing as supporting SMB/CIFS I also located some low end TrendNets and TPLInks that specifically listed Samba clients....and I came to this conclusion because the DLink works, and I couldn't imagine something didn't...c'est la vie.

Unfortunately, these are a temporary requirement solution until out IT department can implements the permanent solution on the POS side, but it's a couple of years out.

 

[nayr]

well the obviously the answer is clear, hack the requirements and change them to be more favorable