IP CCTV Software Options

[FN-GM]

Hello,

 

We have Axis IP CCTV cameras at our sites, 90 in total. We use them with Milestone XProtect Professional. The renewal is due in December and I am looking at other potential options. I am open to OpenSource software to replace Milestone or maybe a cloud solution. This might be beneficial if there is a fire or something.

 

The end user interface will need to be easy to use as it won't be us pulling off the footage.

 

Can you suggest anything please?

 

Thanks

[kidpressingbuttons]

Check out unifi video if you are open to replacing the cameras!

[FN-GM]

We won't be replacing the cameras, just the software.

 

Thanks

[mjk]

We have some Axis cameras and one of our students created an HTML 'map' that links to a samba share of the video feed.

The cameras record direct to the share and the video is organised by Place (camera) -> Date - > Time so by clicking the links in the browser the user gets to the video that they need.

We then have a script that deletes the old video after x days. We did look at some open source options but found that (I forget the name) duplicated much of the functionality that the axis cameras have on board, thus making the system as a whole less efficient.

 

The advantages of our suolution are:

very cheap (only samba , apache and some storage needed)

It's simple to give all staff access to the cameras, which saves us a lot of time - just send them a browser link

Very simple for staff to share video with police etc

 

The disadvantages are

The live feed needs a different link

If an incident happened in the last few minutes, the camera may still be recording and the feed isn't fully saved until the camera stops recording

Sometimes when cameras record across an hour (eg from 08:59 to 09:15 ) the video can be found in the 8am folder and not the 9am folder when the incident happened - can be a bit confusing for staff)

[cpjitservices]

Shame you're not replacing the cameras because the Unifi UVC-G3's are spot on 1080p quality and good sound from the built in MIC's (optional to tun on via web interface)... The Ubiquity video software is also very good.

 

A couple of good video links to youtube from a good friend of mine

 

 

 

Sorry forgot to add that the video software runs on either Linux or Windows and needs little spec to run - just needs plenty of storage.

Edited August 29, 2017 by cpjitservices

[Paid_Peanuts]

Hello,

 

We have Axis IP CCTV cameras at our sites, 90 in total. We use them with Milestone XProtect Professional. The renewal is due in December and I am looking at other potential options. I am open to OpenSource software to replace Milestone or maybe a cloud solution. This might be beneficial if there is a fire or something.

 

The end user interface will need to be easy to use as it won't be us pulling off the footage.

 

Can you suggest anything please?

 

Thanks

 

We are in a similar position, however our support lapsed some years ago and we have hit the old 36 camera Milestone camera limit.

 

We still have some Axis cameras however the majority have been replaced with higher resolution hikvision cameras.

It would be nice to replace with an open source solution, however wouldn’t discount a paid for software solution if it demonstrated functions worth paying for.

Does anyone have any ideas on what’s available and what is good?

[FN-GM]

I have come across ZoneMinder. However I am not sure how good it is.

[TechMonkey]

Do you need storage as well? I've had good experiences with Synology boxes and their built in CCTV application. You do need a license per camera but the software had just about everything you can want. I'll have to look and see if you could point Synology to a different storage pot.

[Paid_Peanuts]

Do you need storage as well? I've had good experiences with Synology boxes and their built in CCTV application. You do need a license per camera but the software had just about everything you can want. I'll have to look and see if you could point Synology to a different storage pot.

 

No we currently have a Dell host connected to some additional Storage to allow for extra retention.

Wasn’t look to change cameras or server which the existing Milestone software is running on.

 

I am aware of the Synology for CCTV and yes it is good and could be a possible option. However needing 40 ish camera licenses and Synology hardware could end up costing a few bob.

[PotNoodleTech]

Yeh the synology cctv software is outstanding - it's such a shame about the nasty licences as that bumps the cost up significantly.

[MatthewL]

I use BlueIris, not for recording as DVR does that but for viewing its ideal. Not badly priced either and can have various systems linked to it.

[CHM-ITServices]

I have 79 hikvisioncameras (a mix of internal and external) and i use Luxriot. It links with AD quite well sand you can be quite granular with permissions.

[Gurtlush]

We use Luxriot at two sites, easy to install and use. Was significantly cheaper as it was one price with unlimited cameras and no yearly fee. The free version does up to nine cameras and is perfect for smaller sites.

[Paid_Peanuts]

We use Luxriot at two sites, easy to install and use. Was significantly cheaper as it was one price with unlimited cameras and no yearly fee. The free version does up to nine cameras and is perfect for smaller sites.

 

Any ideas on a ballpark figure?

[timbo343]

We have 2 installs of blue iris, it's a great bit of software for the price.

[Gurtlush]

Any ideas on a ballpark figure?

 

 

it was around £1000 (a few years ago) but they have a new product out. Support was good so drop them an email asking for a quote.

[nathan]

i use xprotect at home, they have a free version available with up to 8 cameras. mobile apps are really good too.

[use-IP]

Just my two penn'orth:

• Milestone is very corporate, expensive, and seems to be getting even more so! The annual costs are hated (can be huge for big systems), and all that cost typically just to 'carry on as you are'! The support is poor for what you pay. They have a bad habit of changing the rules / moving the goalposts.
  
• Luxriot works well, offers great value (although perhaps becoming more expensive with new EVO S versions). The old GUI wasn't popular, the new is a bit better. Support from Latvia is exceptional.
  
• Synology is excellent, perhaps THE most open & evergreen i.e. works with approx. 4,000 different cameras and they refresh it every year - some good big system & multi-site features, a non-browser-based viewer, good developments in analytics, just a shame about the per-channel licence cost. A smart company, clever enough to realise early that 'The Cloud' was going to disrupt their NAS data backup market, and build great strength in this other HDD-heavy sector.
  
• Vivotek's VAST software came out tops when one of our school customers put a great deal of effort into assessing many. They liked the user interface, the simplicity of reviewing, and the ease of extracting evidence. They use Vivotek's software with HikVision's cameras (so have to pay a fee per third-party camera licence which is very similar to the Synology licence cost). VAST2 was released recently - sorry, no feedback yet.
  
• HikVision's own IVMS-5200 VMS software - it's poor - not recommended.
  
• NVRs - worth a mention just because the Chinese manufacturers are now delivering so many channels at such a low price that they are hard to beat for value. Also, HikVision provide ANPR features FOC in their NVRs - typically a £1K+ add-on to software solutions.
  

[nathan]

Just my two penn'orth:

• Milestone is very corporate, expensive, and seems to be getting even more so! The annual costs are hated (can be huge for big systems), and all that cost typically just to 'carry on as you are'! The support is poor for what you pay. They have a bad habit of changing the rules / moving the goalposts.
  
• Luxriot works well, offers great value (although perhaps becoming more expensive with new EVO S versions). The old GUI wasn't popular, the new is a bit better. Support from Latvia is exceptional.
  
• Synology is excellent, perhaps THE most open & evergreen i.e. works with approx. 4,000 different cameras and they refresh it every year - some good big system & multi-site features, a non-browser-based viewer, good developments in analytics, just a shame about the per-channel licence cost. A smart company, clever enough to realise early that 'The Cloud' was going to disrupt their NAS data backup market, and build great strength in this other HDD-heavy sector.
  
• Vivotek's VAST software came out tops when one of our school customers put a great deal of effort into assessing many. They liked the user interface, the simplicity of reviewing, and the ease of extracting evidence. They use Vivotek's software with HikVision's cameras (so have to pay a fee per third-party camera licence which is very similar to the Synology licence cost). VAST2 was released recently - sorry, no feedback yet.
  
• HikVision's own IVMS-5200 VMS software - it's poor - not recommended.
  
• NVRs - worth a mention just because the Chinese manufacturers are now delivering so many channels at such a low price that they are hard to beat for value. Also, HikVision provide ANPR features FOC in their NVRs - typically a £1K+ add-on to software solutions.
  

 

it's worth noting that Milestone is free for up to 8 cameras.

[PotNoodleTech]

I'm going to be revisiting this early next year as the hikvision box our overpriced CCTV contractor fitted along with our existing non IP 360 dome cameras are just trash, unreliable and not doing the job we need going forward.

 

I think Synology is at the top for me at the moment for me despite the licencing cost. I'd rather pay and have a super modern, reliable system which can be changed, upgraded, expended in the future by myself in house with almost any other camera style from a £60 hikvision bullet to a £3000 360 ptz night vision beast.

 

Unifi are interesting but I could only really use them for internal CCTV as you can only use the unifi bullet cams - I'd have to go elsewhere for the proper external PTZ done cameras and I do not want two systems.