Compro Technologies IP540 PTZ Camera
by Cameron Butterfield on October 12, 2010 9:03 PM EST- Posted in
- IP cameras
- camera
- camcorder
- Gadgets
The Compro IP540 PTZ camera is a full featured IP camera targeted at small businesses, home offices, and consumers that delivers many high end features. This camera is priced somewhere between $200 and $250, and is available at mWave. For this price, the unit offers a lot of features that are not usually found in low priced IP cameras. The build quality is also good. The only caveat I would have for business or home users is the fact that this camera has no optical zoom. If you want to utilize this camera in larger environments where an optical zoom would provide utility, you may want to look at a PTZ camera model that features an optical zoom. Compro sells a model one step higher; the IP570 which appears to feature similar capabilities as the IP540 but with a 12x zoom.
The night viewing mode on this camera is the best I have ever encountered. Even in pitch black environments, items are clearly visible, since the camera is emmiting the light directly in its own line of sight. Sometimes, the night viewing mode allows you to see more detail than was visible in daytime mode, particularly when objects are obscured by shadows.
Software solutions included with the IP540 are robust and leave little to be desired for the casual user. The web interface is easy enough to use for the home user, and the ComproView Software is robust enough for professional security monitoring. Despite the advanced features that this camera offers, Compro makes an effort to make the setup of their device as easy as possible for even basic users, providing simple setup instructions and even instructional videos. There are a few things that could probably leave the end user a little confused, such as the username / password issue mentioned previously. The entire overall experience of this camera is more difficult to utilize than the Dropcam software setup we reviewed earlier this year, and there is no cloud based server at the backend. However this Compro camera isn't specifically geared toward the non-technical user like the Dropcam is.
While the IP540 provides a clear 1.3 megapixel image, it can only do so at up to 15 fps, if the end user desires a smoother framerate than 15fps, the resolution needs to be dropped to VGA. This is a limitation of the sensor and the on board SoC. Compro expects to have updated cameras that support up to 1080p with 30fps when new image sensors and ScC options become available. Our Compro representative points out that while high resolution / high framerate video is a nice feature, it might not necessarily be practical for large companies that keep a lot of video history. Recording 1.3M videos at 30 fps for 12 cameras for 30 days would take 5412GB while the same resolution video at a lower framerate would take 4060GB. A good SoC solution to enable higher video quality at lower bitrates could be useful here.
The IP540 provides a full featured experience; pan, tilt and zoom, high quality resolution relative to other IP cameras, excellent night modes, I/O expansion options, wireless options, two way audio, multiple video streams, and software options that scale well, i.e. a web interface that is simple to use, and the ComproView video suite that is more advanced and configurable. As far as PTZ cameras go, this product would be a good choice for the small business or home user looking for an affordable security / surveillance solution.
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cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
We do have these sample clips.Let me see if we can get them accessible, hang tight.
cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Ok here are some links to the requested sample files that we have uploaded to youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXZbAwbwtRM
Day 30fps 640x480 3mbps motionadaptive
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiP4f8dok4M
Day 15fps 1280x1024 3mbps turbopicture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzKwx9tisEs
Night 15fps 1280x1024 3mbps turbopicture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UX95pFKnZ0
Night 30fps 640x480 3mbps motionadaptive
Also if you absolutely would prefer to see these videos unmodified you can download the set here:
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/gadgets/Compro...
nanfy - Thursday, October 14, 2010 - link
Thanks for the video's I really appreciate it.There IP70 Camera is actually in stock. I wonder if it has the same image quality as this camera.
somedude1234 - Friday, October 15, 2010 - link
Thanks for an excellent review as well as posting the video samples.The night shot in the nursery with the empty swing has a very "Paranormal Activity" like effect to it... kinda creepy actually.
Trefugl - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
I'm having a hard time getting a feel for the size of the camera. Do you have any shots of it with something for size reference, or at least some measurement specs?I like the idea of this, but I get the feeling that something of this size (or maybe any PT camera) is too large to put on the ceiling of my home or even my office without being distractingly out of place. Maybe there's an option of mounting it in a dark glass hemisphere...
Looking forward to seeing more IP cameras in this price range reviewed.
cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
On page two there is a shot of the camera next to a CD and also an ethernet cable.cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
also here is this: Dimensions: 105 x 125.5 x 128.6 mm (including bracket)Trefugl - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Thanks for the dimensions. Somehow I must have glossed over the pictures with the CDs in it.pmely - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Can this system be used outside? Does it need an environmental enclosure or can it be mounted under an eve away from weather and still function? What are the temperature specs?cbutters - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - link
Here are the temperature specs, there is no mention of this being an outdoor camera however. Operating Condition: 5 °C ~ 40 °C