
In this video, I discuss the reasons that I upgraded my home security camera system from BNC cameras to network IP cameras. The same thought process is used by the guys at CCTV Camera Pros use when making recommendations to customers as to whether a customer should leverage their existing coax cable and upgrade to HD BNC cameras, or re-wire their system for network IP cameras.
There are 3 main reasons to consider switching from a coax cable / BNC camera system to network cable / IP camera system. In this article and video, I am specifically talking about a Viewtron IP camera system with AI software capability. Not all IP cameras have advanced artificial intelligence functions like Viewtron AI security cameras do.
AI Software Capability
The main reason that I upgraded my system was for the AI software functionality of the Viewtron system. The artificial intelligence is a function of the specialized IP cameras and the Viewtron NVR. Not all Viewtron IP cameras have AI built in. Unfortunately, Viewtron BNC coax cameras can not provide AI functionality.
Built-in PoE Ports (Viewtron NVR)
Another consideration is that Viewtron NVRs have built-in PoE ports. To install IP cameras, the network cable (cat5 or cat6) gets plugged in directly from the camera to the back of the NVR. The PoE ports on the NVR provide both connectivity and power to the camera. This makes the installation very simple.
Viewtron hybrid DVRs (BNC + IP camera support) do not have network ports, so you must use a network PoE switch to provide connectivity and power to the IP cameras.
20 FPS 4K Resolution Recording
The last reason to consider upgrading from BNC to IP cameras is the recording frame rate of Viewtron NVRs vs hybrid DVRs. Viewtron NVRs support up to 30 frames per second of recording at 4K resolution. Viewtron hybrid DVRs are limited to 8FPS at 4K resolution. Please note that at this time, most 4K IP cameras are limited to 20 frames per second. So, although Viewtron NVRs support 30 FPS, if the IP camera you are using maxes out at 20 FPS, you are limited to 20 FPS.
This was the least factor in my consideration. 8 FPS recording is still very good quality.
Summary
If you have existing coax cable in place and AI functions are not important to you, I still highly recommend upgrading your existing DVR to our Viewtron hybrid DVR and upgrading existing analog CCTV cameras to Viewtron HD coax cameras. If you do not yet have any cable in place, I recommend installing CAT5 or CAT6 network cable and going with Viewtron IP cameras and a Viewtron NVR. If you specifically want any AI object detection functions, I recommend our Viewtron AI cameras with the Viewtron NVR. If you have any questions about this article or anything related to video surveillance systems, please email me here.
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