We’ve only had the cameras up and running for a short time. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxOXxsTZ3ptV_Pk0fFl8bNZvVqeoqBQFwe So far we love them! I got the outdoor mounting kit for them and they were easy to install. Once you download the app, it walks you through the very easy set up. The clarity, and range is awesome. I am thinking seriously about adding another camera or two to my 3 camera system. The price is lower than a lot of comparable systems.
Choosing Zmodo for my CCTV system was by far the worst mistake of my life. Quickly followed by a year of frustration, problems, faults without any customer support. The final straw was for the cameras and network video recorder (NVR) to update to the latest firmware. This left me not being able to view live or recorded footage locally on my PC anymore. After checking the internet forums, it appeared everyone was in the same boat. Zmodo have decided that all customers should now record to their cloud instead. The latest update stops from accessing any local recordings, and forces you to use the cloud service. Unfortunately, despite the firmware update being rolled out, the cloud service is not yet available. In other words, it leaves customers with the ability to access their live and/or recorded video footage. I posted a comment in their Zmodo support forum stating my displeasure at the predicament they have left their customer base in. There response was not what i expected. They blocked my account and deleted my posts. I am now left with 9 cameras, an NVR and months of recordings that I cannot access. I am now in the process of uninstalling all Zmodo equipment. I am hoping that this message prevents anyone else from falling fowl of Zmodo.
Been reading a lot of customers poatinf about comments they left that asked/made statements that they didnt like and they blocked their account. Def doesnt want anyone telling the truth or they get mad. Doesnt give me any confidence.
Thanks for the compliment. Almost all DVRs and cameras will come with what is called a BNC connector. So it is pretty standard. Occasionally you can find one that has an RCA connector but you can easily get an adapter back to BNC. The cables usually have two wires and connectors one for power and one for video. This way you don't need 110v outlets at the camera locations. Amazon seems to be the best place to buy longer cables than what is supplied in the box. Any other questions just ask.
I didn't understand the features you had mentioned at the beginning of each camera but when you started to test each one of them I found this very interesting...thank you for your video...
You have a valid point. The constraint for my test was affordability and popular on Amazon not technical specifications. To be honest there are so many different cameras out there I only tested the ones I was interested in actually putting in my system. I haven't seen a " what is the best 700 TVL CCTV camera comparison video" on youtube but I think it would be awesome to watch.
You know you make a good point. This video is just showing how someone can get slightly better performance out of a cheap DVR for very little money. I have one of the 960H models from zmodo which should be a step below what you have. I think I should pick up one of the 720P models and do a three way comparison. What did you pay for the one you have if you don't mind me asking?
I'll see if I can just put some raw footage of the videoSecu up so you can see how it handles at night. I had it in my garage for a while and I was impressed.
I posted the night review. The Evertech did very good put in all my tests they failed with license plates because the plates are retro-reflective and the IR blinded the camera. I embedded a link to that video at the end of this one.
Thanks I appreciate that. I really made it because I wanted to see for myself what the difference was. I thought about reviewing night time performance but as it was the length of the video was getting kind of long. I don't have the SWANN anymore but do you have a different camera you would like to see at night?
Yes the Zmodo camera can run most analog cameras that you find like all of the ones in the video as well as cameras from other DVR's like the Swann cameras. It would not be able to run IP or digital cameras although I believe they have a product for that. The Zmodo does the same thing as the Swann but the software (at least the version I have) doesn't seem as polished as far as the menus go when compared to the Swann. The Zmodo however is cheaper. I hope this helps.
I could get it but I would have to check the DVR itself. I bought it from woot a couple of years ago. It is a 4 Channel and came with no hard drive. It's black with a silver face plate.
My Zmodo DVR has held up very well. It stopped recording on motion once and I had to reset the settings. Other than that it has been solid. Even the web server and PTZ controls have been good.
Wow! I bet that did take a ton of time to put together! Thank you for doing it. You just made me rethink the zmodo. I am now going to get the videosecu cams. This saved me money so thanks again! Great info
Yes a night test would be good .i have a small business and will need 6 cameras 2 for outside and I live in a cyclone prone part of Australia how do these stand up to extreme heat and driving rain asked a zmodo dealer just said there waterproof.anyway found your video very helpfull
Based on this video, I bought 3 evertech cameras and 1 videosecu for my system that I'm installing today. I'm planning on using the videosecu to watch my front door bc of better close up colors. The evertechs are going to be used on wider and longer shots. I wish the evertech cameras came with the power supply.
Eric,Thank you for your quick response to my question. To answer your question, yes I will need zoom and I Will be expanding to at least (6) cameras when I'm done. I guess my main concern is which cameras should I be looking at . I wanted to keep (2) PTZ cameras (only) under $400. I realize a DVR will be an additional expense but I'm worried about having good quality cameras because they will not be able to be replaced for quite awhile. Once again I would like to thank you in advance for the time you take to answer questions, not just Mine but everyone's . K.Callahan
Thanks for the kind words. I enjoy helping and many other folks have done the same for me. Two good quality PTZs for under $400 is tough and built in IR is even tougher. The only one I know of that even comes close is this Swann camera fave.co/1ounj1d for $266 I have personally used this model and it was acceptable. Some of the bad reviews are because people have high expectations of clarity but in this price range you can't expect miracles. These should pick up IR light from separate IR illuminators like I tested in my other video. These are cheap and can be mounted like a floodlight not necessarily by the camera. Sadly I don't know of anything else in the price range. One trick that I have used in the past is I run video cable that has video power and audio then I use the 2 conductors from the audio cable for PTZ control. This has worked well for me to cut down on the amount of cables I need to pull. Best of luck and if anyone else has any other suggestions feel free to chime in.
Wow that was seriously helpful Thanks for spending all that time putting it together. I have a serious security situation and am putting a system together asap. This has really made a difference for us. Thanks again.... I am new to surveillance systems, so this is probably a dumb question. But can I get any surveillence DVR and attach pretty much any camera to it? Do they all come with an industry standard attachment system?
The Swann is by far the best camera. The problems with the park scene are due to compression artifacts caused by the low bitrate video compression in the DVR. This would probably go away if the camera were mounted on a tripod or mounted to a wall for the test. Setting the DVR to record at a higher bitrate would improve the results for that camera as well. Thanks for doing the side-by-side test. I realize it was a while ago that you posted this, but it's still useful.
Your opinion please? I need to place 2 cameras. Back door is under a 12' deep patio cover, front will be under a porch overhang. Both are fairly well shaded. Not too concerned about color at distance. Your test leads me to believe that the Swann might be better for this situation. Do you agree with that? Mostly concerned with catching faces as they come to the door.
Nice video test, I see this was made in 2013. I bought 9 Zimodo' in 2017 and in different packages. One PKG had 4 bullet white (outdoor) the second was a combo of 2 outside 2 inside (black in color). They're all 720p with great picture quality similar to your (Video Secu). I did not get the DVR or cloud service, I use the basic 36-hour free notification setting. My notifications come with detection for 4-5 seconds and are accurate.My only complaint is that I would like to be able to zoom them in a bit for crisp & clear facial identification at 30 to 40 feet that it's lacking in. If I want to view *LIVE* I have that option after I receive a push notification and am able to zoom in by *pinch in/out and side to side option* on my phone or tablets.I bought both sets of 4 on an Amazon *Lightning Deal* for around $70.00 each so $140.00 wasn't a bad deal and they've improved a lot since the one your showing. The colors are perfect! I also bout a 360 indoor for about $38.00 also for are living room just to monitor are k-9 family. The michrophone works great both ways so we're happy.
I bought one of the Zmodo no HD DVR's as well. It has worked great for what it is. Do you have a model# of the upgraded cameras that came with your kit?
Hey ever think of the bunker hill cameras with a bnc converter tip? Their about $40 and has mic to rec sound and to me really good reception like 36 ir leds. Sound is really good to! I got a 8ch Zmodo with one Bunker Hill cam, four older bnc cams that cam with a cheapest ebay dvr that gave up in about two weeks, and four cams that came with the Zmodo dvr. I think all cams are sony 4 cmos, 4ccd but they still don't seem to beat the Bunker HIll cam! What do you think???
Thank you for the detailed review. This has saved me from making what would have been a poor choice on a packaged surveillance system. Do you have any night vision video from these?
I did a night test on all of the cameras. Links aren't allowed in the comments so check out my channel for the video. I wasn't impressed but the price range is really the factor.
Great job mate! ;c) I have Zmodo DVR and those exact camera's. One scary thing with the Zmodo box is you can't rename the Admin username and you must use 6 numerical digits for the password there is also no IP block if someone enters password too many times which makes these boxes super easy for anyone to hack into your box remotely and watch your camera's. I am looking to replace the Zmodo DVR for this reason alone.
Yea thats the other thing i forgot to add it has a manual and auto zoom which i thought was an amazing function it was a special online didnt come with a hard drive so i bought a 750 gb hard drive and when i googled all the item numbers it showed that the dvr and camera's werent a original package you know basically the camera's that came with the dvr were an upgraded camera than what it should have come with thank god for me i got a fantastic deal i mean they work great i originally bought
Thanks for the review Erik it certainly was helpful and well done. I recently bought a Defeway 3T HDD (1T=approx. 28days of continuous recording) system which has slightly higher specs than your base range Zmodo. I was lucky enough to have picked the right type of bullet cameras (700TVL i/c cut with 48IR). Not sure if any of the cameras you tested had i/c cut but this does make a noticeable difference with background contrast I've found. The night vision side of things is also something I would have been interested in had it been tested. The manufacturers make over stated and very optimistic claims in this area which I have found don't come close to being accurate. Thanks again for a very informative post
I suspect some of the cameras used logic to try to reduce IR during daytime shots but at this price range it is hard to find one that will do it well. From what I understand the expensive cameras physically move a filter in front of the lens depending on the lighting. I have one of these on my bench right now and you can here it changing from night to day. I will try to post a video from that one. Let us know how the Defeway is I haven't tried that DVR yet. I hope to test some 960h video soon as well.
Erik I thought you may be interested in this link to my Defeway model defeway.com/Productinfo.asp?PID=1510&SortID=181 very high specs for an intermediate setup. We are on the PAL system in Australia but the NTSC is almost identical @ 960h*576 pixel rate. My system is 960H and therefore these cameras also produce full widescreen shots.
bassaw1 Thanks for the link. I have some 960h DVRs at work and they are a big upgrade at least in the analog arena. Obviously you could go digital and get higher resolutions like 1080 but that brings its own challenges. It would be nice to have the resources to test a bunch of different brands side by side but this is just a hobby. Most likely I will do a zmodo D1 vs 960h video so everyone can see the difference.
Very nice! I've been recently looking at replacing our very old & outdated Lorex CCTV System (which I never did care for much) and this helps alot. I do have to ask though, how does the ZModo DVR hold up?
Wow the camera we got from them was way better i was reading online that the new zmodo camera's are just rebadged sony camera's we have like 30 ir led's and motion sensor and smart IR great setup
Eric , once again thanks for getting back to me regarding my future surveillance system. I now know what my options are, also thanks for the tip on how to save from pulling additional wire for DVR control. I have one more question for you..... If it were you installing a new system at your home, would you spend the additional money for quality camera's (PTZ- Nite Vision) and if you could only get (2) at this point , what camera's would you get ??? Thank you for your input. K.Callahan
I hate answering a question with a question but it depends on your needs. Why are you constrained to only two cameras? What is your goal for the system? This is something everyone should think about. Any camera no matter the quality will act as a deterrent even the original zmodo units. They will also show what happened and in some cases you will be able to identify the person. More is usually better from this viewpoint. How many points of entry are you trying to cover? If I wanted to cover a large back yard I would get a single PT or two static cameras from differing angles. I haven't found a need to justify the cost of zoom for home use in my situation. Remember if you have your PT or PTZ camera roaming or sweeping the area it will wear out considerably faster due to mechanical wear than a static camera and is a consideration as well. If I have one entrance like a backdoor to a garage that is prone to illegal entry I would prefer a better quality camera such as a 700tvl unit paired with a 960H DVR. If you can give more details about what you would like from your system I will see if I can recommend some specifics. You can send me a direct message as well if you don't want to post specifics here.
Were you able to test these cameras performance at night with there own built in IR led? With my Swann PRO 530 eight camera setup only 2 of the 8 looked good, the others were very noisy and dim causing the recorder to falsely detect motion. Looking for a good replacement.
Thank you Erik. Excellent comparison for these cheap cameras!!! I spent about $300 in a basic 4 cameras bundle but ended buying 3 more cameras (with better resolution) because I didn't know what I was buying. My neighbor asked me about the installation and how they were working, and I said not to listen to me but to subscribe to your channel... Thank you again!
Thanks for that. If they have any questions just tell them to drop a comment on any of my videos and I'll do my best to answer the question. I might even make a video if it is something that hasn't been covered well somewhere else.
Thank you for putting in the time to make this video. I'm looking for some cameras and have not come across the VideoSecu, but it will be my purchase! I'd be interested in knowing if maybe your Evertech was faulty? Maybe the photosensor was faulty? The outdoor scene pointing at the trees looks much better in my opinion on the Evertech, but if the IR cut filter is going to be dodgy, I'll stick with the VideoSecu. Also good to know that the cheap ZMODO DVR will still perform at an acceptable level with some better cameras. I think it will fit my budget and requirements just fine. Thanks again, GREAT video/demonstration.
Can't you just run the power from your DVR with a combination video and power cable or are you trying for a wireless installation. I find wireless can be really prone to interference.
Im looking for a home survailance system on a budget. I need 4 small wireless night vision cameras with a dvr that just loop records. Can you give me some model numbers to the best cameras and dvr that you would recomend either as a kit or to build my own kit. Thanks.
It's really hard to say. I can only speak to what I have used in the past. In my opinion zmodo brand works fine and is on the low end of the price scale but can be harder to set up. (at least my model) I have used SWANN DVRs they are still cheap and the models I've used work well. All of the ones I know of will automatically overwrite when full so that is probably less of an issue. In the video you can see the quality of the cameras I tested. I hope other people chime in with their ideas.
Hi I have a night owl system and don't like night view of the camera, after a see you video make me think on the videosecu camera. What do you think thank you for you video
I have Zmodo cameras and the image does not look anything like what you show, but I got my Cameras in 2016. The 720 p image looks really great, but as you said one is not able to read license plates from 20 feet. I do have complaints about the camera's operating system. Many times the buttons don't respond. Obviously, they need to hire some good programmers. It could be that they are trying to force people onto the cloud. But honestly, it is such a waste of bandwidth if you are home and just want to see your camera's through the wifi network, and the NVR.
Appreciate your hands on review, but by now this is a very old review in 2018 its 5 years behind. The new 1080 Zmodo is much improved and uses POE, small wires.
Hi Erik, thanks for the review, very helpful! I was originally going to purchase a Zmodo system but now I am considering going with the VideoSecu cameras and purchasing the DVR separate. Which DVR would you recommend? And anything else that you would recommend to purchase along with it? I am having someone professionally install it so I want to make sure I have all the goods lined up. Thanks!
Erik, that was a lot of freaken work!! i watched all the vids on these cameras, and man! i gotta give you 10 thumbs up, thanks for all the info, i'm looking to buy a system now and it is really confusing, dvr, nvr. cvi. aud. tvi. poe, man to much info, but thanks for all the great vids
Update: He already did this! Checkout the video here: Better Cameras vs. Cheap Zmodo DVR - Night Test * ... I do have a question, it seems like the Evertech is the only camera that makes reading the "Visual Monitor and Printer Check" text possible. Did you test these out with cars driving by or people walking by to give us an idea what faces and license plates look like on these? Thanks again!
I did the night test that shows faces and license plates. You can find that one on my channel. I didn't do a daytime one with faces or cars. If I set things up outside for my next video I will do a quick one for you.
Thank for the video. The manufacturers never show side by side comparisons like you did. Have you ever tried out any of the newer Q-See cameras? I have used a few of them and they seem fine. Q-See cameras can be bought at Costco and they've got some decent 900 line resolution ones like the Costco stock number 905697. I've also used the much more expensive Vitek cameras (around the $250 price range)
I like the latest round of Q-see cameras. I have been using the 960H DVRs and they have good performance for a budget range system. It seems like most of the manufacturers are stepping up the quality of their out of the box cameras these days.
Costco is selling some pretty good pre-packaged Q-See complete systems for a reasonable price. A friend is using one right now in his fast food restaurant and will be adding another 15 cameras to it.Erik Spangler
I just bought a Zmodo DVR with 4 cameras included from Amazon and they don't look as bad as you show in this video. Actually they have very good quality and colors.
I'm sure that's the case they have many different models and this DVR is a couple of years old by now. Zmodo does not make a bad product and I have had great success with the longevity of their DVRs. Their basic D1 resolution DVRs like many other companies shipped with very poor cameras. I'm glad your happy with the purchase. Out of curiosity what model DVR did you get?
Erik Spangler this is the link of the model I bought from amazon. goo.gl/VnwMMY I know they are very cheap cameras but really, they don't look as bad as your video. Anyways I forgot to thank you for your good review, I wouldn't have never bought Zmodo if I had seen your review before my purchase. Thanks
same here Dorian. I got my unit in 2013. 4 Sony CCD 420TVL 65ft and the picture looks pretty good compared to the zmodo tested here. I still appreciate the testing that was done
Thanks guys. I like these kind of tests because they are not subjective and are straight results from the units. That being said hardware is constantly changing. I have seen some 720p dvrs that are simply awful.
I bought the " Zmodo 8CH HDMI 960H DVR 700TVL " and it stop recording. And when you try to click format it Just reboots.. the camera's are crap,, they are no good at night.. unless you install a second light source. I had to install flood lights.. and then it stopped recording. when you try to view previously recorded footage it shuts down and requested you to put the password in again.. soon as you put the pw in it reboots again. Buyer be aware. If anyone knows how to fix this issue.. I would be thankful.
Hey Erik! First off, thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to do this video, I know who long these things take. I would have liked to see the Swan in your night vision tests but anyways... My question is about the DVR itself. We have the same one for our Paranormal team and your video is helping us decide on our next upgrade. We were thinking about just upgrading the camera's, but as I discovered some time ago with the DVR, it will only do D1 resolution at 30fps (realtime) on only 1 channel. The rest have to be CIF (320x240). I noticed you only used channel 4 for your testing, I'm assuming thats so you could get the full D1 resolution out of the DVR. Am I correct in assuming this? Basically what I'm asking is that I'm not crazy, this DVR will NOT do 4 channels of D1 Resolution at 30FPS? Thanks Man! Keep up the great work!
Yes I would have liked to test the Swann too just for completeness but unfortunately I had to give it back before the night test. This DVR and many others have an allotment of FPS that the hardware can record. This can be split up between the available channels. The reason my video was all shot on Ch 4 is just logistics. I pulled one 250' cable to the back yard and it happened to be on Ch4. Your situation is a bit different than the standard rule of thumb for security. For security when faced with sacrificing resolution for FPS you should choose resolution. The police or investigators do not care how choppy the video is just that they can identify the person committing the crime. You could have the smoothest video in the world but without identification all is lost. For your needs I assume it is a bit different. I'm not in front of this DVR right now but I recall I could get at least 2 channels at 30fps @ D1 but first you would need to dial the other two back to free up the FPS for the system to allow you to set the second camera. Have you looked at the zmodo 4 channel 960H dvr. I just ordered one and it's under $100 without the Hard drive and cameras. You could cannibalize your current DVR maybe add an evertech with 700tvl and you would be ahead of the game. I can tell you what the available fps per channel is for that one when it comes in but that won't be until mid to late march.
Erik Spangler Hey Erik, Thank you for such a fast response! You are correct in assuming our situation is a bit different. I would ideally like full 30fps playback with good image quality/resolution. I had just started my DVR research a few days ago and I have heard of the 960H technology but will def look more into it now. Your response was exactly what my team and I needed to hear. Thank you so very much!
I'm trying to decide between a Vonnic system with 1/3" SONY CCD, 540 TV Line, 3.6mm Fixed Lens and a ZModo system with 600TVL with 1/4" CMOS Cameras I am leaning towards the SONY ~ Vonnic system as it almost has the same stats camera as your Videosecu. Thanks for your post.
What kind of DVR are you planning on hooking them up to? In general the larger sensor will be better but I haven't tried that particular camera. It will also make a difference if your DVR records at D1 or 960H at if can actually utilize the extra lines of resolution on the videosecu. If it's a plain D1 I would probably go with the 1/3" sony ccd assuming that is what ends up in the camera. I have seen the old bait and switch a time or two. :)
Erik Spangler this is an awesome review! others are not even close. even your night shot review are way better, specially the license plate part. in my opinion, your review should be the standard. thanks a lot! keep up the very good job!
The Zmodo 960h DVR just arrived in the mail today. I will be comparing it directly against this Zmodo DVR at D1 resolution so you can all see if you feel it's a worth while upgrade. It will at least be able to take advantage of the 700tvl of the evertech.
I had a Zmodo DVR that supported D1 and I just upgraded to the 960h (ZMD-DT-SCN8). I can't tell the difference from D1 to 960h. I started with the cheap in the kit cams but soon upgraded to Zmodo sony ccd cams. Let me know how your test turns out. Thanks, for the reviews.
Most DVR's have a setting to control recording quality separate from live feed. This allows you to have a higher quality live feed but record lower quality for space savings. Generally when I see a disparity between the two this setting is the culprit.
I have several H.264 DVR units with the crappy kit cameras. They work but the quality isn't that good. I was wondering if this is the same DVR that you upgraded and if so could you please post the model cameras by VideoSecu.
Eric, thanks for this time consuming review.I thought you did a great job explaining how each camera was performing in different ways. I'm looking into buying (2) PTZ outside NIght vision camera's and a DVR. Do you have any suggestions? My spending cap is around $400. Thank you
That seems like a pretty tight budget for PTZ and a dvr. Do you need Zoom as well or would just PT work for your needs? Will you ever be expanding past 4 cameras or would a 4 channel DVR work for you?
first off THANK YOU!!!! :) I do have a few questions if you would be kind to take the time to reply to! current setup: zmodo 4ch 500MB dvr w/cheapo camera's included 2 of the camera's are completely junk and the dvr reboots every 60 seconds (i've tried everything-it's toast!) here's what i'm looking to accomplish: 1 TB 8ch dvr with capabilities of viewing from internet/smartphone (also heard some can send pictures of motion detected) 4 Evertech camera's (will expand to 8 eventually) Power supply/video all in one cable similar to zmodo setup I have now (no power sources next to camera's) questions: do you have a recommendation on a dvr that will accommodate? can the Evertech camera's be setup with the video/power in one cord? --- also doe's it matter what cord? I've read people say the IR needs 12v and not 5v or it won't work/have problems? not sure what any of that means? (I have to stick with the all in one cable) do I need anything else to complete this setup? I do plan on getting an crazy cart illuminator (as you shown in your other video- and THANK YOU for that as well!) Thank you for your time and Thank you for the time you spend making these videos! I've been a victim of theft and because of my current setup I did not have "clear enough footage" to convict because the footage was crappy (even though I know who did it) so this really helps more than you know since I am on a budget - less than $400 and 4 Evertech's is $160 so that leaves me $240 for a dvr and any necessary cables. Thanks!
Oh, and for the DVR I'm looking for something something easy to understand- the current zmodo I have I believe is the PKD-DK4201-500GB model and I can navigate a little but clueless on how to set it up for computer/phone. Thanks again!
A lot to cover but I will do my best. First off let's start with the DVR. I can't put links in comments so I added it in the video description above. That is for a zmodo DVR with 1TB HD and 4 cameras that are 700 TVL just like the evertechs. The big point here is unlike your older zmodo this records at 960H as opposed to D1. This means that the video should look even better and for the price it's a steal. Now the evertechs are 700TVL as well so they may be even better when you go to expand your system but the link above should get you to a place where you feel comfortable identifying what ever dirt-bag is crawling around your property. When you go to expand if the evertechs are far superior place them in more critical areas. Yes to the Siamese power and video in one cable. Here is my explanation of what you have heard about power for different cameras. First you need to separate the cable in your mind from the power supply. They should be two parts. Those powersupplies (black boxes with octopus cords sticking out) only supply so much power which is written somewhere on them. They then plug into the cables that run to each camera. The cable to the cameras is just copper and once in place should be fine. If you have a PSU that has 8 connections and you connect all of them to cameras that draw more current than the black box supplies you will have issues. This is not a problem as you simply go to amazon and by another PSU and plug 4 of the cameras into that one. I have a link in one of my videos but they are pretty generic and it should be a simple fix. As for IR Illuminators they are fantastic but use it only in areas where your current IR is not strong enough and try to use them at angles. Think of them as flood lights for the dark spots. Watch my video again and see how poorly you can recognize me when I get close to the device. If you mount one straight out from the camera you may end up washing out the perps face and negating the better cameras all together. As far as viewing from the internet I may be able to help after you have it all installed and mention what make and model your router is but that will be for another comment.
o.k. thank you for responding and for your time, won't be able to view the links until later (just got to work) but I will check them out. Thank you again for your help!!
Very excellent review thanks a lot for the review, I have the 4ch zmoto 500g and was looking into some better cams. Will they all run off the same zmoto wiring?
The answer is yes and kind of. The most common connectors you will see are the BNC connectors like on the zmodo wires, the RCA connectors like the red and white audio cables, and sometimes coaxial like cable TV. In general what you will see is BNC and that is indeed what all of the ones in the video have on them. In general all of this is a non-issue as you can mostly find A to B converters on amazon to get what you need. Power is generally universal but if you had something real weird you could still cut the connector and just use a wire nut. Long way of getting to the answer "yes" they will most likely work.
Great review on cameras! THANK YOU! It didn't take long to realize that the cameras that come with the Zmodo DVR are not good at all for night vision and hardly do the deal in day light but they work ok inside for monitoring my shop area and entry. I did replace 4 of the 8 cameras with the VideoSecu CCTV Camera based on Amazon reviews price and it is a much better camera. Wat was most disappointing about the cameras that came with the zmodo was the camera mount. THEY ALL FAILED and had to be replaced.
Erik, Do you have any recommendation of video quality of POE vs analog (BNC)? I am looking to install multiple cameras (possibly 7-8) and Quality of the image is the most important. I realize you did your test based on what system you had but I was trying to determine a high quality system that has great video clarity. My cameras would be stationary and I am not concerned with front or back door viewing but sidewalk view (don't quite have that creek you have) I basically need 3 cameras on two corners of the house and 1 or 2 separate. I appreciate the time you spent on your video.
I really like POE because cabling is cheap and the quality is usually pretty high. It will all depend on the camera of course. What I have seen is POE tends to be more expensive than analog and I assume that is why people still trend towards analog deployments. In our work environment we still lean towards analog because we don't want all of that traffic on our network and analog can generally be run farther without boosting the signal. For home use and clarity being the main factor I would have to say you would get better performance form POE. Heck you can get 1080 POE cameras if you have the money. Here is the Swann 8Ch1080p version. fave.co/1pfrxHb
Erik Spangler Thanks Erik, Do you know how the Swann system performs as compared to your comparison test? In that test the Swann was excellent for the color test and was bad in the outdoor. As much as I don't "want" to spend more, I also don't want video like I've seen with my friends QSee system from Costco. I realize now that you got what you paid for there so can you say that that Swann system's video is woth the money? (Not to mention I would need 4 more cameras). Thanks for your input, I appreciate your input...In the meantime I will see if there are reviews of that Swann system...Mark
What is more important on these outdoor cameras? CMOS/CCD sensors, IR, or TVL. The cameras that came with my Zmodo have a CMOS sensor & a 600TVL and after 3 or 4 years, they are starting to reach the end of their lifetime. The picture turns pink & the IR changes modes during sunrise & sunset. Should I also change the BNC cables?
Honestly and this is just one person opinion but I made the switch to HD over analog. While the different formats HD-SDI, AHD, HD-CVI and HD-TVI are not all created equal by any means the price vs performance improvement is enormous. I went with a cheap ($119) DVR from Amazon with no harddrive then updated my cameras to AHD versions and I'm really happy. The best part is you can use the old BNC analog cables. My picture quality on the new cameras looks good even over my orginal BNC cables. I went with the HDView 2.4MP 4-in-1 (TVI/AHD/CVI/960H) 1080P Outdoor SONY Sensor Wide Angle 2.8mm Fixed Lens Turbo Platinum Dome Camera for a whopping $32.99. My DVR does 8 analog channels and supports 4 IP cameras as well which is really nice. Let me see if I have an example photo.
erik! were you able to use a zmodo dvr for different cameras? I have a zmodo dvr but I am not able to see my swann cameras. I already bought them before seeing this video. i have a couple of cameras that are SWPRO-T853CAM and the other are SWPRO-HDCAMWH2-WM. the dvr is a zmd-dt-sin4. I was hoping to get list a couple of those cameras to work. otherwise I am to have to return the dvr. thank you very much for your video and your feed.
Your DVR is a 960H DVR and the cameras you purchased are 720p. 960H (960x480) vs 720p HD 1280 x 720. My guess is that is the compatibility issue you are running into. Here is an amazon link to 960H cameras. fave.co/2Cjixzp
Right now I have a Zmodo 960H DVR running with a mixture of cameras. It does out perform the model that I shot this video on obviously because of the better resolution. I just put in a Qsee 720p model at work that I'm really fond of and may switch to that down the road.
Erik, I have a question for you.. I am a lady and I am renting a 2 story house. A tall two story house! I would like to install some security cameras outside. I was wondering if you could give me an idea what would be the easiest and best cameras for me to install. I have seen some that you can use your cell phone to check on them when your not home. Thanks for Helping Me!
You have a lot of things that make your situation more difficult. First are you allowed to drill holes in the house or modify it in anyway? If not your options are very limited. Security cameras as a rule need power so the majority (outside of some expensive obscure batter powered cameras) need a wire running to them. Even wireless cameras that connect to wifi still need power just the video is transmitted wirelessly. So if you are in that situation you may be limited to cameras that are inside your house pointing out of windows. This of course means you will need to deal with glare from the glass and other issues such as trying to make cameras in your windows not look awful. You could also get a wifi camera or cameras if you have some power outside of your home. The issue here is if you use an outlet close to the ground it can be simply unplugged. I have seen people tap power off of exterior lights but this again can be problematic because if not done right it can allow for water to get into the connection and trip breakers. Let me know to what extent you can modify the rental and maybe I can come up with something else that would work. I would also suggest you get window stickers and security signage. That acts a good low cost deterrent to start with.
We’ve only had the cameras up and running for a short time. ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxOXxsTZ3ptV_Pk0fFl8bNZvVqeoqBQFwe So far we love them! I got the outdoor mounting kit for them and they were easy to install. Once you download the app, it walks you through the very easy set up. The clarity, and range is awesome. I am thinking seriously about adding another camera or two to my 3 camera system. The price is lower than a lot of comparable systems.
Choosing Zmodo for my CCTV system was by far the worst mistake of my life. Quickly followed by a year of frustration, problems, faults without any customer support.
The final straw was for the cameras and network video recorder (NVR) to update to the latest firmware. This left me not being able to view live or recorded footage locally on my PC anymore. After checking the internet forums, it appeared everyone was in the same boat.
Zmodo have decided that all customers should now record to their cloud instead. The latest update stops from accessing any local recordings, and forces you to use the cloud service. Unfortunately, despite the firmware update being rolled out, the cloud service is not yet available. In other words, it leaves customers with the ability to access their live and/or recorded video footage.
I posted a comment in their Zmodo support forum stating my displeasure at the predicament they have left their customer base in. There response was not what i expected. They blocked my account and deleted my posts.
I am now left with 9 cameras, an NVR and months of recordings that I cannot access. I am now in the process of uninstalling all Zmodo equipment.
I am hoping that this message prevents anyone else from falling fowl of Zmodo.
Glad I saw your comment. Just started my search for outdoor cameras and was looking at the Zmodo. What have you found as a replacement?
I am looking at Axis cameras. I am reading a lot of good things about their support model and customer care.
FLIR FLIR FLIR- Trust me.
Been reading a lot of customers poatinf about comments they left that asked/made statements that they didnt like and they blocked their account. Def doesnt want anyone telling the truth or they get mad. Doesnt give me any confidence.
Thanks for the compliment. Almost all DVRs and cameras will come with what is called a BNC connector. So it is pretty standard. Occasionally you can find one that has an RCA connector but you can easily get an adapter back to BNC. The cables usually have two wires and connectors one for power and one for video. This way you don't need 110v outlets at the camera locations. Amazon seems to be the best place to buy longer cables than what is supplied in the box. Any other questions just ask.
I didn't understand the features you had mentioned at the beginning of each camera but when you started to test each one of them I found this very interesting...thank you for your video...
Beaut QT thanks
Thank God someone is going to show side by side. Thank you.
You have a valid point. The constraint for my test was affordability and popular on Amazon not technical specifications. To be honest there are so many different cameras out there I only tested the ones I was interested in actually putting in my system. I haven't seen a " what is the best 700 TVL CCTV camera comparison video" on youtube but I think it would be awesome to watch.
You know you make a good point. This video is just showing how someone can get slightly better performance out of a cheap DVR for very little money. I have one of the 960H models from zmodo which should be a step below what you have. I think I should pick up one of the 720P models and do a three way comparison. What did you pay for the one you have if you don't mind me asking?
Finally a good comparison!! I know how time consuming this must be, but you did an awesome job! Less junk and more helpful videos like this one! :)
What's the best cam for INDOOR though? With low light
Eric,
Thanks for all your suggestions.
Keep the videos coming.
I'll see if I can just put some raw footage of the videoSecu up so you can see how it handles at night. I had it in my garage for a while and I was impressed.
I posted the night review. The Evertech did very good put in all my tests they failed with license plates because the plates are retro-reflective and the IR blinded the camera. I embedded a link to that video at the end of this one.
Just wanted to thank you for doing this comparision. It was very helpful, it unfortunately gave me more to think about though lol, very good job!
dude, what an awesome review. Thanks for putting the time to explain about each camera and take the same shots, which was an excellent idea.
Glad people are finding it helpful. It seems like I might have to do a night test next.
Thanks I appreciate that. I really made it because I wanted to see for myself what the difference was. I thought about reviewing night time performance but as it was the length of the video was getting kind of long. I don't have the SWANN anymore but do you have a different camera you would like to see at night?
Yes the Zmodo camera can run most analog cameras that you find like all of the ones in the video as well as cameras from other DVR's like the Swann cameras. It would not be able to run IP or digital cameras although I believe they have a product for that. The Zmodo does the same thing as the Swann but the software (at least the version I have) doesn't seem as polished as far as the menus go when compared to the Swann. The Zmodo however is cheaper. I hope this helps.
Thanks for tour efforts in doing this comparison. It has given me something to think about for a start.
I could get it but I would have to check the DVR itself. I bought it from woot a couple of years ago. It is a 4 Channel and came with no hard drive. It's black with a silver face plate.
My Zmodo DVR has held up very well. It stopped recording on motion once and I had to reset the settings. Other than that it has been solid. Even the web server and PTZ controls have been good.
Wow! I bet that did take a ton of time to put together! Thank you for doing it. You just made me rethink the zmodo. I am now going to get the videosecu cams. This saved me money so thanks again! Great info
Yes a night test would be good .i have a small business and will need 6 cameras 2 for outside and I live in a cyclone prone part of Australia how do these stand up to extreme heat and driving rain asked a zmodo dealer just said there waterproof.anyway found your video very helpfull
Based on this video, I bought 3 evertech cameras and 1 videosecu for my system that I'm installing today. I'm planning on using the videosecu to watch my front door bc of better close up colors. The evertechs are going to be used on wider and longer shots. I wish the evertech cameras came with the power supply.
Eric,Thank you for your quick response to my question.
To answer your question, yes I will need zoom and I Will be expanding to at least (6) cameras when I'm done. I guess my main concern is which cameras should I be looking at .
I wanted to keep (2) PTZ cameras (only) under $400. I realize a DVR will be an additional expense but I'm worried about having good quality cameras because they will not be able to be replaced for quite awhile.
Once again I would like to thank you in advance for the time you take to answer questions, not just Mine but everyone's .
K.Callahan
Thanks for the kind words. I enjoy helping and many other folks have done the same for me. Two good quality PTZs for under $400 is tough and built in IR is even tougher. The only one I know of that even comes close is this Swann camera fave.co/1ounj1d for $266 I have personally used this model and it was acceptable. Some of the bad reviews are because people have high expectations of clarity but in this price range you can't expect miracles. These should pick up IR light from separate IR illuminators like I tested in my other video. These are cheap and can be mounted like a floodlight not necessarily by the camera. Sadly I don't know of anything else in the price range. One trick that I have used in the past is I run video cable that has video power and audio then I use the 2 conductors from the audio cable for PTZ control. This has worked well for me to cut down on the amount of cables I need to pull. Best of luck and if anyone else has any other suggestions feel free to chime in.
Wow that was seriously helpful Thanks for spending all that time putting it together. I have a serious security situation and am putting a system together asap. This has really made a difference for us. Thanks again....
I am new to surveillance systems, so this is probably a dumb question. But can I get any surveillence DVR and attach pretty much any camera to it? Do they all come with an industry standard attachment system?
The Swann is by far the best camera. The problems with the park scene are due to compression artifacts caused by the low bitrate video compression in the DVR. This would probably go away if the camera were mounted on a tripod or mounted to a wall for the test. Setting the DVR to record at a higher bitrate would improve the results for that camera as well.
Thanks for doing the side-by-side test. I realize it was a while ago that you posted this, but it's still useful.
Thank you for taking the time to do this. Very helpful.
I honestly appreciate the feedback. Thanks.
Your opinion please? I need to place 2 cameras. Back door is under a 12' deep patio cover, front will be under a porch overhang. Both are fairly well shaded. Not too concerned about color at distance. Your test leads me to believe that the Swann might be better for this situation. Do you agree with that? Mostly concerned with catching faces as they come to the door.
Nice video test, I see this was made in 2013. I bought 9 Zimodo' in 2017 and in different packages. One PKG had 4 bullet white (outdoor) the second was a combo of 2 outside 2 inside (black in color). They're all 720p with great picture quality similar to your (Video Secu). I did not get the DVR or cloud service, I use the basic 36-hour free notification setting. My notifications come with detection for 4-5 seconds and are accurate.My only complaint is that I would like to be able to zoom them in a bit for crisp & clear facial identification at 30 to 40 feet that it's lacking in. If I want to view *LIVE* I have that option after I receive a push notification and am able to zoom in by *pinch in/out and side to side option* on my phone or tablets.I bought both sets of 4 on an Amazon *Lightning Deal* for around $70.00 each so $140.00 wasn't a bad deal and they've improved a lot since the one your showing. The colors are perfect! I also bout a 360 indoor for about $38.00 also for are living room just to monitor are k-9 family. The michrophone works great both ways so we're happy.
I bought one of the Zmodo no HD DVR's as well. It has worked great for what it is. Do you have a model# of the upgraded cameras that came with your kit?
Hey ever think of the bunker hill cameras with a bnc converter tip? Their about $40 and has mic to rec sound and to me really good reception like 36 ir leds. Sound is really good to! I got a 8ch Zmodo with one Bunker Hill cam, four older bnc cams that cam with a cheapest ebay dvr that gave up in about two weeks, and four cams that came with the Zmodo dvr. I think all cams are sony 4 cmos, 4ccd but they still don't seem to beat the Bunker HIll cam! What do you think???
Thank you for the detailed review. This has saved me from making what would have been a poor choice on a packaged surveillance system.
Do you have any night vision video from these?
I did a night test on all of the cameras. Links aren't allowed in the comments so check out my channel for the video. I wasn't impressed but the price range is really the factor.
Thanks for the video, very help full! only wish you did a night time view also.
Great job mate! ;c) I have Zmodo DVR and those exact camera's.
One scary thing with the Zmodo box is you can't rename the Admin username and you must use 6 numerical digits for the password there is also no IP block if someone enters password too many times which makes these boxes super easy for anyone to hack into your box remotely and watch your camera's.
I am looking to replace the Zmodo DVR for this reason alone.
Yea thats the other thing i forgot to add it has a manual and auto zoom which i thought was an amazing function it was a special online didnt come with a hard drive so i bought a 750 gb hard drive and when i googled all the item numbers it showed that the dvr and camera's werent a original package you know basically the camera's that came with the dvr were an upgraded camera than what it should have come with thank god for me i got a fantastic deal i mean they work great i originally bought
Thanks for the review Erik it certainly was helpful and well done. I recently bought a Defeway 3T HDD (1T=approx. 28days of continuous recording) system which has slightly higher specs than your base range Zmodo. I was lucky enough to have picked the right type of bullet cameras (700TVL i/c cut with 48IR). Not sure if any of the cameras you tested had i/c cut but this does make a noticeable difference with background contrast I've found. The night vision side of things is also something I would have been interested in had it been tested. The manufacturers make over stated and very optimistic claims in this area which I have found don't come close to being accurate. Thanks again for a very informative post
I suspect some of the cameras used logic to try to reduce IR during daytime shots but at this price range it is hard to find one that will do it well. From what I understand the expensive cameras physically move a filter in front of the lens depending on the lighting. I have one of these on my bench right now and you can here it changing from night to day. I will try to post a video from that one. Let us know how the Defeway is I haven't tried that DVR yet. I hope to test some 960h video soon as well.
Erik I thought you may be interested in this link to my Defeway model defeway.com/Productinfo.asp?PID=1510&SortID=181 very high specs for an intermediate setup. We are on the PAL system in Australia but the NTSC is almost identical @ 960h*576 pixel rate. My system is 960H and therefore these cameras also produce full widescreen shots.
bassaw1
Thanks for the link. I have some 960h DVRs at work and they are a big upgrade at least in the analog arena. Obviously you could go digital and get higher resolutions like 1080 but that brings its own challenges. It would be nice to have the resources to test a bunch of different brands side by side but this is just a hobby. Most likely I will do a zmodo D1 vs 960h video so everyone can see the difference.
Very nice! I've been recently looking at replacing our very old & outdated Lorex CCTV System (which I never did care for much) and this helps alot. I do have to ask though, how does the ZModo DVR hold up?
P.S. I'm also interested in a demonstration of the VideoSecu at night. Not trying to make you spend tons of time. :-) Just curious.
No problem. What are the stats on the insane Chevy?
Thanks for spending time to do the comparison
great vid appreciate it ,where is the link for the color chart ?
Wow the camera we got from them was way better i was reading online that the new zmodo camera's are just rebadged sony camera's we have like 30 ir led's and motion sensor and smart IR great setup
Nice review. Thank you for all the great information and the side-by-side testing!
Eric , once again thanks for getting back to me regarding my future surveillance system.
I now know what my options are, also thanks for the tip on how to save from pulling additional wire for DVR control.
I have one more question for you.....
If it were you installing a new system at your home, would you spend the additional money for quality camera's (PTZ- Nite Vision) and if you could only get (2) at this point , what camera's would you get ???
Thank you for your input.
K.Callahan
I hate answering a question with a question but it depends on your needs. Why are you constrained to only two cameras? What is your goal for the system? This is something everyone should think about. Any camera no matter the quality will act as a deterrent even the original zmodo units. They will also show what happened and in some cases you will be able to identify the person. More is usually better from this viewpoint. How many points of entry are you trying to cover? If I wanted to cover a large back yard I would get a single PT or two static cameras from differing angles. I haven't found a need to justify the cost of zoom for home use in my situation. Remember if you have your PT or PTZ camera roaming or sweeping the area it will wear out considerably faster due to mechanical wear than a static camera and is a consideration as well. If I have one entrance like a backdoor to a garage that is prone to illegal entry I would prefer a better quality camera such as a 700tvl unit paired with a 960H DVR. If you can give more details about what you would like from your system I will see if I can recommend some specifics. You can send me a direct message as well if you don't want to post specifics here.
just got the security system suppose to be wireless. I have u-verse wireless, no land line phone will it work with this
Were you able to test these cameras performance at night with there own built in IR led? With my Swann PRO 530 eight camera setup only 2 of the 8 looked good, the others were very noisy and dim causing the recorder to falsely detect motion. Looking for a good replacement.
Thank you Erik. Excellent comparison for these cheap cameras!!! I spent about $300 in a basic 4 cameras bundle but ended buying 3 more cameras (with better resolution) because I didn't know what I was buying. My neighbor asked me about the installation and how they were working, and I said not to listen to me but to subscribe to your channel... Thank you again!
Thanks for that. If they have any questions just tell them to drop a comment on any of my videos and I'll do my best to answer the question. I might even make a video if it is something that hasn't been covered well somewhere else.
Question can I have the Zmodo DVR and run any camera I want, and my next question is The Zmodo work just the same as a Swan DVR box
Do you have a part number for the Bunker Hill camera. I might buy one and run it through the paces.
You did an "OUTSTANDING" job sir.
Thank you
I am trying to improve my cctv system (zmodo) you were a big help.
Thank you for putting in the time to make this video. I'm looking for some cameras and have not come across the VideoSecu, but it will be my purchase!
I'd be interested in knowing if maybe your Evertech was faulty? Maybe the photosensor was faulty? The outdoor scene pointing at the trees looks much better in my opinion on the Evertech, but if the IR cut filter is going to be dodgy, I'll stick with the VideoSecu.
Also good to know that the cheap ZMODO DVR will still perform at an acceptable level with some better cameras. I think it will fit my budget and requirements just fine.
Thanks again, GREAT video/demonstration.
Can't you just run the power from your DVR with a combination video and power cable or are you trying for a wireless installation. I find wireless can be really prone to interference.
Im looking for a home survailance system on a budget. I need 4 small wireless night vision cameras with a dvr that just loop records. Can you give me some model numbers to the best cameras and dvr that you would recomend either as a kit or to build my own kit. Thanks.
It's really hard to say. I can only speak to what I have used in the past. In my opinion zmodo brand works fine and is on the low end of the price scale but can be harder to set up. (at least my model) I have used SWANN DVRs they are still cheap and the models I've used work well. All of the ones I know of will automatically overwrite when full so that is probably less of an issue. In the video you can see the quality of the cameras I tested. I hope other people chime in with their ideas.
Did you end up doing a night vision clarity test on another video?
I've done alright with the Q-See model QM6006B cameras (600 TVL resolution) which have now been superceeded by the QM9901B (900 TVL resolution).
Thank you for doing the review! This will definitely make a difference in the type of camera I would purchase.
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
That Evertech isnt made anymore. Is your link the updated one?
Hi I have a night owl system and don't like night view of the camera, after a see you video make me think on the videosecu camera. What do you think thank you for you video
I have Zmodo cameras and the image does not look anything like what you show, but I got my Cameras in 2016. The 720 p image looks really great, but as you said one is not able to read license plates from 20 feet. I do have complaints about the camera's operating system. Many times the buttons don't respond. Obviously, they need to hire some good programmers. It could be that they are trying to force people onto the cloud. But honestly, it is such a waste of bandwidth if you are home and just want to see your camera's through the wifi network, and the NVR.
Erik how's that 960H dvr compaired to the old one?
Appreciate your hands on review, but by now this is a very old review in 2018 its 5 years behind. The new 1080 Zmodo is much improved and uses POE, small wires.
You did a great thorough and informative review!! thanks for your time and work!!
Hi Erik, thanks for the review, very helpful! I was originally going to purchase a Zmodo system but now I am considering going with the VideoSecu cameras and purchasing the DVR separate. Which DVR would you recommend? And anything else that you would recommend to purchase along with it? I am having someone professionally install it so I want to make sure I have all the goods lined up. Thanks!
great job on the comparison
Erik, that was a lot of freaken work!! i watched all the vids on these cameras, and man! i gotta give you 10 thumbs up, thanks for all the info, i'm looking to buy a system now and it is really confusing, dvr, nvr. cvi. aud. tvi. poe, man to much info, but thanks for all the great vids
Erik, Do you have the model # of the Zmodo DVR you have/used?
Update: He already did this! Checkout the video here: Better Cameras vs. Cheap Zmodo DVR - Night Test * ... I do have a question, it seems like the Evertech is the only camera that makes reading the "Visual Monitor and Printer Check" text possible. Did you test these out with cars driving by or people walking by to give us an idea what faces and license plates look like on these? Thanks again!
I did the night test that shows faces and license plates. You can find that one on my channel. I didn't do a daytime one with faces or cars. If I set things up outside for my next video I will do a quick one for you.
No problem. I found it RIGHT after I posted that comment.
Thank for the video. The manufacturers never show side by side comparisons like you did. Have you ever tried out any of the newer Q-See cameras? I have used a few of them and they seem fine. Q-See cameras can be bought at Costco and they've got some decent 900 line resolution ones like the Costco stock number 905697. I've also used the much more expensive Vitek cameras (around the $250 price range)
I like the latest round of Q-see cameras. I have been using the 960H DVRs and they have good performance for a budget range system. It seems like most of the manufacturers are stepping up the quality of their out of the box cameras these days.
Costco is selling some pretty good pre-packaged Q-See complete systems for a reasonable price. A friend is using one right now in his fast food restaurant and will be adding another 15 cameras to it.Erik Spangler
I have a buner hill from Habor freight . what could up grad to ?
Hi, What DVR do you recommend?
I just bought a Zmodo DVR with 4 cameras included from Amazon and they don't look as bad as you show in this video. Actually they have very good quality and colors.
I'm sure that's the case they have many different models and this DVR is a couple of years old by now. Zmodo does not make a bad product and I have had great success with the longevity of their DVRs. Their basic D1 resolution DVRs like many other companies shipped with very poor cameras. I'm glad your happy with the purchase. Out of curiosity what model DVR did you get?
Erik Spangler this is the link of the model I bought from amazon. goo.gl/VnwMMY
I know they are very cheap cameras but really, they don't look as bad as your video.
Anyways I forgot to thank you for your good review, I wouldn't have never bought Zmodo if I had seen your review before my purchase. Thanks
same here Dorian. I got my unit in 2013.
4 Sony CCD 420TVL 65ft and the picture looks pretty good compared to the zmodo tested here. I still appreciate the testing that was done
Thanks guys. I like these kind of tests because they are not subjective and are straight results from the units. That being said hardware is constantly changing. I have seen some 720p dvrs that are simply awful.
Excellent, Excellent Video....Very Nice Presentation Of Quality Of Cameras.
I bought the " Zmodo 8CH HDMI 960H DVR 700TVL " and it stop recording. And when you try to click format it Just reboots.. the camera's are crap,, they are no good at night.. unless you install a second light source. I had to install flood lights.. and then it stopped recording. when you try to view previously recorded footage it shuts down and requested you to put the password in again.. soon as you put the pw in it reboots again. Buyer be aware. If anyone knows how to fix this issue.. I would be thankful.
what types of cables on these camera?
Hey Erik! First off, thank you, thank you, thank you for taking the time to do this video, I know who long these things take.
I would have liked to see the Swan in your night vision tests but anyways... My question is about the DVR itself. We have the same one for our Paranormal team and your video is helping us decide on our next upgrade. We were thinking about just upgrading the camera's, but as I discovered some time ago with the DVR, it will only do D1 resolution at 30fps (realtime) on only 1 channel. The rest have to be CIF (320x240). I noticed you only used channel 4 for your testing, I'm assuming thats so you could get the full D1 resolution out of the DVR. Am I correct in assuming this? Basically what I'm asking is that I'm not crazy, this DVR will NOT do 4 channels of D1 Resolution at 30FPS?
Thanks Man! Keep up the great work!
Yes I would have liked to test the Swann too just for completeness but unfortunately I had to give it back before the night test. This DVR and many others have an allotment of FPS that the hardware can record. This can be split up between the available channels. The reason my video was all shot on Ch 4 is just logistics. I pulled one 250' cable to the back yard and it happened to be on Ch4. Your situation is a bit different than the standard rule of thumb for security. For security when faced with sacrificing resolution for FPS you should choose resolution. The police or investigators do not care how choppy the video is just that they can identify the person committing the crime. You could have the smoothest video in the world but without identification all is lost. For your needs I assume it is a bit different. I'm not in front of this DVR right now but I recall I could get at least 2 channels at 30fps @ D1 but first you would need to dial the other two back to free up the FPS for the system to allow you to set the second camera. Have you looked at the zmodo 4 channel 960H dvr. I just ordered one and it's under $100 without the Hard drive and cameras. You could cannibalize your current DVR maybe add an evertech with 700tvl and you would be ahead of the game. I can tell you what the available fps per channel is for that one when it comes in but that won't be until mid to late march.
Erik Spangler Hey Erik, Thank you for such a fast response! You are correct in assuming our situation is a bit different. I would ideally like full 30fps playback with good image quality/resolution. I had just started my DVR research a few days ago and I have heard of the 960H technology but will def look more into it now. Your response was exactly what my team and I needed to hear. Thank you so very much!
Thank you, excellent review!
I'm trying to decide between a Vonnic system with 1/3" SONY CCD, 540 TV Line, 3.6mm Fixed Lens and a ZModo system with 600TVL with 1/4" CMOS Cameras
I am leaning towards the SONY ~ Vonnic system as it almost has the same stats camera as your Videosecu.
Thanks for your post.
What kind of DVR are you planning on hooking them up to? In general the larger sensor will be better but I haven't tried that particular camera. It will also make a difference if your DVR records at D1 or 960H at if can actually utilize the extra lines of resolution on the videosecu. If it's a plain D1 I would probably go with the 1/3" sony ccd assuming that is what ends up in the camera. I have seen the old bait and switch a time or two. :)
Do you have a link to that camera in Amazon?
Erik Spangler this is an awesome review! others are not even close. even your night shot review are way better, specially the license plate part. in my opinion, your review should be the standard. thanks a lot! keep up the very good job!
rekaksky Thanks I appreciate that.
best buy has the zmodo 720p 4 channel nvr with 4 cameras and 1tb hdd for 299 shipped right now. great deal.
The Zmodo 960h DVR just arrived in the mail today. I will be comparing it directly against this Zmodo DVR at D1 resolution so you can all see if you feel it's a worth while upgrade. It will at least be able to take advantage of the 700tvl of the evertech.
I had a Zmodo DVR that supported D1 and I just upgraded to the 960h (ZMD-DT-SCN8). I can't tell the difference from D1 to 960h.
I started with the cheap in the kit cams but soon upgraded to Zmodo sony ccd cams.
Let me know how your test turns out.
Thanks, for the reviews.
I'm sorry to hear you didn't see an improvement. I'm interested to see what my testing finds.
I am happy with the upgrade since I can use an HDMI monitor now. I am using Zmodo high res cams 650 tvl
did you find that the playback looks just like the live feed or not ?
Most DVR's have a setting to control recording quality separate from live feed. This allows you to have a higher quality live feed but record lower quality for space savings. Generally when I see a disparity between the two this setting is the culprit.
I have several H.264 DVR units with the crappy kit cameras. They work but the quality isn't that good. I was wondering if this is the same DVR that you upgraded and if so could you please post the model cameras by VideoSecu.
+Donald Wood I will look for the model that I used. I think they may be discontinued but let me see what I can find.
Eric, thanks for this time consuming review.I thought you did a great job explaining how each camera was performing in different ways.
I'm looking into buying (2) PTZ outside NIght vision camera's and a DVR.
Do you have any suggestions? My spending cap is around $400.
Thank you
That seems like a pretty tight budget for PTZ and a dvr. Do you need Zoom as well or would just PT work for your needs? Will you ever be expanding past 4 cameras or would a 4 channel DVR work for you?
first off THANK YOU!!!! :)
I do have a few questions if you would be kind to take the time to reply to!
current setup:
zmodo 4ch 500MB dvr w/cheapo camera's included
2 of the camera's are completely junk and the dvr reboots every 60 seconds (i've tried everything-it's toast!)
here's what i'm looking to accomplish:
1 TB 8ch dvr with capabilities of viewing from internet/smartphone
(also heard some can send pictures of motion detected)
4 Evertech camera's (will expand to 8 eventually)
Power supply/video all in one cable similar to zmodo setup I have now (no power sources next to camera's)
questions:
do you have a recommendation on a dvr that will accommodate?
can the Evertech camera's be setup with the video/power in one cord?
--- also doe's it matter what cord? I've read people say the IR needs 12v and not 5v or it won't work/have problems? not sure what any of that means? (I have to stick with the all in one cable)
do I need anything else to complete this setup? I do plan on getting an crazy cart illuminator (as you shown in your other video- and THANK YOU for that as well!)
Thank you for your time and Thank you for the time you spend making these videos! I've been a victim of theft and because of my current setup I did not have "clear enough footage" to convict because the footage was crappy (even though I know who did it) so this really helps more than you know since I am on a budget - less than $400 and 4 Evertech's is $160 so that leaves me $240 for a dvr and any necessary cables. Thanks!
Oh, and for the DVR I'm looking for something something easy to understand- the current zmodo I have I believe is the PKD-DK4201-500GB model and I can navigate a little but clueless on how to set it up for computer/phone.
Thanks again!
A lot to cover but I will do my best.
First off let's start with the DVR. I can't put links in comments so I added it in the video description above. That is for a zmodo DVR with 1TB HD and 4 cameras that are 700 TVL just like the evertechs. The big point here is unlike your older zmodo this records at 960H as opposed to D1. This means that the video should look even better and for the price it's a steal. Now the evertechs are 700TVL as well so they may be even better when you go to expand your system but the link above should get you to a place where you feel comfortable identifying what ever dirt-bag is crawling around your property. When you go to expand if the evertechs are far superior place them in more critical areas.
Yes to the Siamese power and video in one cable. Here is my explanation of what you have heard about power for different cameras. First you need to separate the cable in your mind from the power supply. They should be two parts. Those powersupplies (black boxes with octopus cords sticking out) only supply so much power which is written somewhere on them. They then plug into the cables that run to each camera. The cable to the cameras is just copper and once in place should be fine. If you have a PSU that has 8 connections and you connect all of them to cameras that draw more current than the black box supplies you will have issues. This is not a problem as you simply go to amazon and by another PSU and plug 4 of the cameras into that one. I have a link in one of my videos but they are pretty generic and it should be a simple fix.
As for IR Illuminators they are fantastic but use it only in areas where your current IR is not strong enough and try to use them at angles. Think of them as flood lights for the dark spots. Watch my video again and see how poorly you can recognize me when I get close to the device. If you mount one straight out from the camera you may end up washing out the perps face and negating the better cameras all together.
As far as viewing from the internet I may be able to help after you have it all installed and mention what make and model your router is but that will be for another comment.
o.k. thank you for responding and for your time, won't be able to view the links until later (just got to work) but I will check them out. Thank you again for your help!!
Very excellent review thanks a lot for the review, I have the 4ch zmoto 500g and was looking into some better cams. Will they all run off the same zmoto wiring?
The answer is yes and kind of. The most common connectors you will see are the BNC connectors like on the zmodo wires, the RCA connectors like the red and white audio cables, and sometimes coaxial like cable TV. In general what you will see is BNC and that is indeed what all of the ones in the video have on them. In general all of this is a non-issue as you can mostly find A to B converters on amazon to get what you need. Power is generally universal but if you had something real weird you could still cut the connector and just use a wire nut. Long way of getting to the answer "yes" they will most likely work.
Great review on cameras! THANK YOU! It didn't take long to realize that the cameras that come with the Zmodo DVR are not good at all for night vision and hardly do the deal in day light but they work ok inside for monitoring my shop area and entry. I did replace 4 of the 8 cameras with the VideoSecu CCTV Camera based on Amazon reviews price and it is a much better camera. Wat was most disappointing about the cameras that came with the zmodo was the camera mount. THEY ALL FAILED and had to be replaced.
I had 1 out of 4 fail. The other 3 are still operating as horrible as ever. :)
Erik, Do you have any recommendation of video quality of POE vs analog (BNC)? I am looking to install multiple cameras (possibly 7-8) and Quality of the image is the most important. I realize you did your test based on what system you had but I was trying to determine a high quality system that has great video clarity. My cameras would be stationary and I am not concerned with front or back door viewing but sidewalk view (don't quite have that creek you have) I basically need 3 cameras on two corners of the house and 1 or 2 separate. I appreciate the time you spent on your video.
I really like POE because cabling is cheap and the quality is usually pretty high. It will all depend on the camera of course. What I have seen is POE tends to be more expensive than analog and I assume that is why people still trend towards analog deployments. In our work environment we still lean towards analog because we don't want all of that traffic on our network and analog can generally be run farther without boosting the signal. For home use and clarity being the main factor I would have to say you would get better performance form POE. Heck you can get 1080 POE cameras if you have the money. Here is the Swann 8Ch1080p version. fave.co/1pfrxHb
Erik Spangler
Thanks Erik, Do you know how the Swann system performs as compared to your comparison test? In that test the Swann was excellent for the color test and was bad in the outdoor. As much as I don't "want" to spend more, I also don't want video like I've seen with my friends QSee system from Costco. I realize now that you got what you paid for there so can you say that that Swann system's video is woth the money? (Not to mention I would need 4 more cameras). Thanks for your input, I appreciate your input...In the meantime I will see if there are reviews of that Swann system...Mark
Great demo, super helpful!
how does the swan do at nights/
Thanks! Great review. I never gave it a thought to do the comparison and you showed me a big difference among the cameras. Much appreciated!
No problem. I'm looking forward to seeing the side by side of D1 resolution vs 960h with some of the same cameras from this test.
Thank you for making this video.
What is more important on these outdoor cameras? CMOS/CCD sensors, IR, or TVL. The cameras that came with my Zmodo have a CMOS sensor & a 600TVL and after 3 or 4 years, they are starting to reach the end of their lifetime. The picture turns pink & the IR changes modes during sunrise & sunset. Should I also change the BNC cables?
Honestly and this is just one person opinion but I made the switch to HD over analog. While the different formats HD-SDI, AHD, HD-CVI and HD-TVI are not all created equal by any means the price vs performance improvement is enormous. I went with a cheap ($119) DVR from Amazon with no harddrive then updated my cameras to AHD versions and I'm really happy. The best part is you can use the old BNC analog cables. My picture quality on the new cameras looks good even over my orginal BNC cables. I went with the HDView 2.4MP 4-in-1 (TVI/AHD/CVI/960H) 1080P Outdoor SONY Sensor Wide Angle 2.8mm Fixed Lens Turbo Platinum Dome Camera for a whopping $32.99. My DVR does 8 analog channels and supports 4 IP cameras as well which is really nice. Let me see if I have an example photo.
oops wrong account the above is my reply lol
erik! were you able to use a zmodo dvr for different cameras? I have a zmodo dvr but I am not able to see my swann cameras. I already bought them before seeing this video. i have a couple of cameras that are SWPRO-T853CAM and the other are SWPRO-HDCAMWH2-WM. the dvr is a zmd-dt-sin4. I was hoping to get list a couple of those cameras to work. otherwise I am to have to return the dvr. thank you very much for your video and your feed.
Your DVR is a 960H DVR and the cameras you purchased are 720p. 960H (960x480) vs 720p HD 1280 x 720. My guess is that is the compatibility issue you are running into. Here is an amazon link to 960H cameras. fave.co/2Cjixzp
Samsung SDC-7340BC is the best SD camera I found under $70, can record at 720TVL at 960H. Excellent day time but good night time.
Eric what system are you running on your home?
Right now I have a Zmodo 960H DVR running with a mixture of cameras. It does out perform the model that I shot this video on obviously because of the better resolution. I just put in a Qsee 720p model at work that I'm really fond of and may switch to that down the road.
Erik, I have a question for you.. I am a lady and I am renting a 2 story house. A tall two story house! I would like to install some security cameras outside. I was wondering if you could give me an idea what would be the easiest and best cameras for me to install. I have seen some that you can use your cell phone to check on them when your not home. Thanks for Helping Me!
Also I am renting and don't want to put to much money in to it. Thanks
~~JANET~
You have a lot of things that make your situation more difficult. First are you allowed to drill holes in the house or modify it in anyway? If not your options are very limited. Security cameras as a rule need power so the majority (outside of some expensive obscure batter powered cameras) need a wire running to them. Even wireless cameras that connect to wifi still need power just the video is transmitted wirelessly. So if you are in that situation you may be limited to cameras that are inside your house pointing out of windows. This of course means you will need to deal with glare from the glass and other issues such as trying to make cameras in your windows not look awful. You could also get a wifi camera or cameras if you have some power outside of your home. The issue here is if you use an outlet close to the ground it can be simply unplugged. I have seen people tap power off of exterior lights but this again can be problematic because if not done right it can allow for water to get into the connection and trip breakers. Let me know to what extent you can modify the rental and maybe I can come up with something else that would work. I would also suggest you get window stickers and security signage. That acts a good low cost deterrent to start with.
my ZModo keeps loosening video. The screen goes black then it say no signal then loading can someone please explain why