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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blenheim - Sunday, October 24, 2010 - link
acti acm series: acm8511/8201/8211. http://www.acti.com/product/Product_Selection_Flow...cannot quote price figures for the ptz version, but the indoor megapixel cams (acm3511) are around $500, outdoor (acm 7411) $600. I would imagine the ptz versions are an extra $500 - $700. acti cameras are all POE, and the 4 that i have dealt with are all in service after 15 months. they are large enough in the industry to have drivers that work in the larger security camera software packages too.
Other anecdotal help: POE camera reliability is very dependent on a reliable POE source. I've had issues with cheaper POE switches, notably netgear. HP switches have been rock solid. By reliability, I refer to video streams recorded which are cut off/unplayable later when reviewed. Even POE injectors have proven less reliable than HP switches.
Also, PTZ sounds great on paper; in an outdoor setting, most cannot be remotely focused on targets much removed from the original focus point (manual focusing on the camera itself). I assume this Compro technologies camera was similar?
You can buy outdoor housing units and place non-outdoor models in them to save money, but then you have to know what you're doing and be careful. Make sure you get heated units with moisture sensors...condensation is a disaster to a POE camera.
ariharry - Sunday, November 14, 2010 - link
Great review (and samples, thanks!).It isn't clear from the review whether it's possible for the camera to record directly to a networked drive, like a NAS?
The implication is that I need to run a PC 24/7 to actually record triggered content, but I was hoping that the web interface on the camera would allow it to write to a NAS directly (through the network) without a PC being involved in the process.
Is this possible?
4cpus4me - Saturday, January 1, 2011 - link
Yes, it will write directly to a NAS. There's a recording configuration screen that allows you to pop in an IP address and Username/PW for NAS access. It works with an Iomega IX2-200 NAS. There is a little test button to verify if the NAS access is setup correctly, too. I have it working with the wireless USB adapter, too.What is a bit of a drag is there is currently no Date or Timestamp watermarking capability built into the current firmware. Compro said they are working on that.
The recording options in the Compro software range from overly simple to quite complex, depending on your needs. You can record to the computer from the web interface and it creates .MKV files which only the VLC player can play. Win7 has trouble deleting those files, too. Ugh. Something's not right with the .MKV format Compro is using.
I prefer to use BlueIris software (because it allows for integrating many different brands of cameras in a common interface) and successfully captured the IP540 stream. In Blueiris, the PTZ function works and you can use the arrows to move the camera around. The zoom in and out does not work in BlueIris, but probably just needs an updated command string. The digital zoom does work in the Compro software.
Here is a little Video showing how the IP540 works in a house with no lights on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBNYnrM2r30
It seems to be a fine piece of hardware. There are some rough edges as the firmware i not mature... I locked up the camera in several situations requiring a power cycle to recover. It has run over night using its wireless mode without issue. I've only had it one day so I can't comment on longer term stability. My plan is to stick with BlueIris since I have no need to learn in intricasies of the Compro software in spite of it's apparent robustness.
ekoostik - Monday, January 24, 2011 - link
@4cpus4me, I tried to PM you but it wouldn't go through. If you have a forum account and would like to respond via PM please do. I followed your link to the YouTube video and watched a couple of 540 clips. The IP540 looks like a pretty good camera. Now that you've had it for a few weeks, would you mind sharing your thgouhgts & impressions? I've been thinking about picking one up.There also 2 concerns I have. I don't know if you can shed any light on these: 1) That it does not broadcast/stream over SSL. I don't know if this is a legit concern or not as it seems many ip cameras support some form of ddns with only username/password security. 2) I've read in some places that IR can be harmful when stared at. However I've found very little (or no) information as to whether the IR LEDs such as what Compro uses are as dangerous as IR lights used in older security cameras. As I may install this around kids, I'm not sure whether or not I should be concerned about the IR LEDs.
Which version of BlueIris do you use - LE or the Full version?
Thanks for any feedback you can provide.
ComproStore - Tuesday, August 2, 2011 - link
Hey everyone come check out our site. We offer all of Compro Home and SMB line products. Starting with the IP60, IP70, IP540, IP540p, IP570, IP570p, If you are looking for security cameras for your Home or Small Business then you have come to the right place.IPCamHd - Saturday, June 15, 2013 - link
www.IPCamHD.com sells the entire Compro line of network cameras and has a downloadable catalog. They have specs listed and some good pics and video samples also.