IP cameras. Where are they?

[CCTV Blog Admin]

I spent a couple of days going to local CCTV supply houses checking inventory of IP cameras. I visited several big and small suppliers of IP cameras looking to find the trend in technology and what people had in stock. The problem was that NO one had any IP cameras. Not even a small box hidden in the corner covered with dust. Location after location had no inventory. Everything was special order.

However, local retail outlets like Fry's had plenty of stock of your favorite IP cameras. Huh. What does that tell you?

In a market that is being dominated by ads about IP technology and how its the wave of the future, I find it hard to believe that these items are not at your disposal. Especially to those that do this for a living. The net is bombarded by IP retailers. IP manufacturers are catering to the retail market and IT departments are being sold IP technology directly. What does that say to Dealers? You tell me?

I would venture to say that IP installs as a whole from dealers is not doing to well at local security distributors. I asked several installers at the supply houses about the technology and why they were not asking or looking for IP technology. Most stated the have installed it but had service or installation nightmares and returned to traditional analog systems. Is this why there is no stock? The demand has just stopped? Has the industry shifted to retail and IT departments? Its any ones guess but the outlook does seem bleak.

Maybe I am wrong.

[Howard Kohnstamm]

To add to my earlier comments; it was not too many years ago that we worked with video tapes. In order to store 24 hours of video on a 2 hour tape, we were limited to 5 images per second TOTAL. Compared to today's digitital images they were pretty darn good (if the cameras were focused, the cables terminated properly, etc, etc.). The images filled the screen and didn't rely on having a large portion of the screen filled with unnecessary borders to keep the images from appearing grainy.

I'm amazed when I attend trade shows and see manufacturers bragging about how many images per second they can record, yet the images they are recording look like c__p!. Most are not aware that recording a moving object at 640 x 480 will create a blur. It's much better to record a single field at 640 x 240 then combine two of them and induce a ragged edge of the moving object. Simply stated, we are trying to paint a detailed picture with a big fat crayon. It can't be done using the NTSC standard.

Storage is constantly getting cheaper. (I hate to show my age, but we once paid $1000 per megabyte.) We can compress the image at the camera or reduce the stream to a reasonable rate (We don't need 30 images per second for most security applications). We what we do need is to make sure that our designers and technicians truly understand the how the equipment works and how to PROPERLY install it. The sad state is that most technicians don't know how to properly focus a lens. They don't understand my previous statement about recording a field producing cleaner images that trying to record a frame.

Sports teams start each season by "learning" the basics before they start running plays. We have sales people and technicians in the field who have never had the opportunity to learn the basics of our trade. Let's get back to basics and give our customers the best we have to offer.

[CCTV Blog Admin]

Thank you Howard. Your are dead on. I to would like to see megapixel hit the mainstream at a low cost. I do believe that cost is not the only issue though. Frame rate and storage will still be key. It will be a while before we can get this perfect for large scale jobs. When the technology reaches this point it would be fantastic for all. I appreciate your well thought out response and hope others adhere to these words. Its all too easy to buy based on advertising. Thanks

[Howard Kohnstamm]

As long as IP cameras are based on the NTSC standard the cost -vs benefit is unsatisfactory. The picture quality is no better than an "analog" camera. Since most installers are already pulling cable, is doesn't make sense (or cents) to pay a couple of hundred of dollars more for a camera to transmit an TCP/IP signal when coaxial or utp with baluns will produce the same quality of image.

The only advantage is when there is a lone maverick camera out in the boonies that has IP connectivity. Then it makes sense to use the existing infrastructure to get the signal back to the head-end.

Now, that being said, when the cost of mega-pixel cameras drops to a price point that will be accepted by the end user, then IP based will be the only way to go. It will happen, it will just take some time. I was around when the first color cameras came out and the cost to the end user was over a thousand dollars. Look at where they are now. I can't wait to be able to give the customer photographic quality images at a reasonable price.

[CCTV Blog Admin]

This is good point as well but the question has many holes. The problem with that question is that IP is being offered basically to everyone except the installer in the street. Unfortunately we are seeing a huge trend in IP Manufacturers selling direct to IT departments and by passing the installer that used to have that market. The dealers end users are also being solicited directly by IP manufacturers at the retail level. This leaves no room for the dealers to make money. When you sell a job to a potential client and that client can walk into a Fry's or buy your product online that is a problem. His business model is now simply to be used as an installer instead as the middle man. This is one reason many installers are also choosing not to install IP products as well and it must be noticed. I think the IP manufacturer must decide on his business model and cater to that market instead of trying to have its cake and eat it to.

Imagine yourself paying an installer $4000 dollars to install a CCTV system in your home only to find that same system you just had installed is at Sams Club for $700.00 and free hot dog. I am sure you would not feel to good about your purchase.

[Steve Mitchell]

As an IP camera manufacturer that prides itself on high product availability, I'd like to say "here they are." :)

But your observation begs the question, what can we do better to make these products more accessible to "the installer on the street?"

[CCTV Blog Admin]

Good point.

[Jesse]

Most distributors don't yet stock IP cameras due to the cost. Yes it big news and everyone is talking about it. But not many of our dealers are installing it. What I see in hard economic time’s crime goes up and installers stay busy. But at this time the customers don't want to spend the kind of money on expensive IP cameras. Since the IP boom we have sold very few IP systems. We have continued to stay busy selling analog systems. I still believe that the industry just isn't ready for IP yet.