Pelco recently announced the release of its new Sarix IL10 entry-level line of cameras. At first glance they appear to be a good offering — 720p resolution, H.264 compression, and a sleek design — but how do they compare to the competition?
I often find myself searching for budget-friendly solutions for my smaller customers. Though small budget professional IP surveillance solutions are possible, the selection of cameras to choose from is often very limited.
Being that the greatest advantage of an IP system is the ability to use high-definition cameras, I make every effort to specify IP cameras with at least one megapixel resolution. Keeping this in mind greatly narrows down the selection of cameras to choose from. Allow me to explore some options with you.
My first instinct is always to look at large reputable brands like Axis (and now Pelco).
With several budget-friendly cameras, Axis might seem like the obvious choice. Its M10 series of cameras are all excellent options. They are built to the same standards of quality and performance as other Axis cameras, but at an extremely budget-friendly price point.
The M10 line offers features like edge storage and integration with Axis Camera Companion. Aesthetically they look a bit like old consumer webcams, but their functionality and image quality is far superior. There is, however, one major downside.
With a little extra investigating, many integrators and end users may be surprised to discover that the M10 series, along with other budget-friendly cameras from Axis, only have a one-year warranty (as opposed to the three-year warranty on many of its other cameras).
Vivotek also offers a line of box cameras that are extremely similar to Axis’s M10 series.
Vivotek’s IP-813x lineup of cameras come with 24 month warranties, double what Axis offers. Of course, moving to Vivotek means you lose two key features that Axis offers — edge storage and Axis Camera Companion integration. It also fails to solve the aesthetic issue of a box camera design, and, in my opinion, these cameras are even less attractive than the Axis M10 line.
Everything premium but the price
In an effort to find a camera that somewhat resembles that of a premium-grade IP camera, let us consider ACTi.
ACTi has several box, bullet, and even fixed dome cameras that fall into the budget-friendly price category. The ACM-3701E, which I reviewed a few weeks ago, seems to fit the mould. It is certainly aesthetically pleasing, it is well within any budget friendly price point, and it has a resolution of 1.3 megapixels. However, the ACM-3701E only has a one-year warranty; so, we are back where we started.
As you can tell, the selection of budget-friendly IP cameras is slim at best. Most integrators and end users make their final decision begrudgingly, because they realize the large sacrifices associated with these cameras.
Working within smaller budgets can be challenging and is often more time-consuming than specifying cameras for large installations. Though Pelco’s new budget line of cameras suffers from many of the same traits as other entry-level IP cameras, it is encouraging to see a large manufacturer like Pelco introduce a competitive and somewhat innovative entry-level camera.
Let us hope more manufacturers will follow in helping expand our options.
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