I've been looking for a camera to recommend for use with my open-source NVR. [1] This sounds promising, but I have a few questions.
* What's the status of Uniview? Are their cameras allowed in the US under the 2019 NDAA? still receiving FCC approvals since the Secure Equipment Act of 2021? Does Uniview participate in the Uyghur genocide?
* Do you have any models with large sensors, e.g. 1/1.8" or wider? I prefer good night performance if possible, which I believe requires each pixel to be physically somewhat large. There are a lot of many-megapixel cameras with 1/3" sensors out there, which aren't so great there.
* What's the pricing? Your camera page [2] has "contact us for info" instead of a price, and when that happens I usually assume it's too expensive for the DIY crowd and drop out.
1. Uniview [told me] they are NDAA compliant. Most (not all) of their NVRs and cameras are compliant. I was not aware of their involvement in the genocide, but I do see mentions of their facial recognition tech potentially being used. I don't know enough to comment.
This is their formal statement regarding their NDAA status:
2. we are now working in a new line that will have larger sensors, better low-light capabilities, better audio (2-way). We will publish more in Q4.
3. we've been working with professional installers primarily focusing on SMB, so our current 4MP (2.8mm and 4.0mm) cameras can be in $100-200 range depending on volume. 2MP cameras are sold in $80-130 range. With SMB, price hasn't been an issue. I understand this is not particularly useful for DIY, we're just preparing to start selling direct - and aiming to release cameras in $30-80 range.
You can ping me (contact info in profile) if you need more info, or how to evaluate risk-free. Just bear with me as we figure out the DIY route. :)
Man, so close. Your prices sound really reasonable to me, it's nice to hear that you're preparing for direct sales and for a larger-sensor line. But this does not look good: https://ipvm.com/reports/uniview-uyghur
> Perhaps for the new line, we should consider making our own instead of OEM.
I'd love that. I would buy and recommend these.
The big Chinese companies have good hardware and prices but as you can see I'm not a fan of their ethics. There are a few companies (e.g. GeoVision, and seemingly Reolink even though they're also Chinese) that at least don't seem genocidal but don't offer the good low-light performance. Axis hardware looks really nice but just doesn't seem within the realm of hobbyists price-wise. And then there are the various cloud options.
I have a few Reolink outdoor cameras (again using them as video sources, with cool features disabled) and I am generally happy with the performance. I've had one of them fail after a couple of years. Axis pricing is insane, but they work well.
I will keep you posted about what we roll out. Maybe do a ShowHN even (that's a scary concept)?
Good point. I don't know how to verify that from just the spec sheet though, where as if the sensor is tiny I know not to get my hopes too high.
Is there a question one can ask a camera vendor to reveal glass quality, or when the sensor looks promising is the next step to take the plunge and buy one to try?
* What's the status of Uniview? Are their cameras allowed in the US under the 2019 NDAA? still receiving FCC approvals since the Secure Equipment Act of 2021? Does Uniview participate in the Uyghur genocide?
* Do you have any models with large sensors, e.g. 1/1.8" or wider? I prefer good night performance if possible, which I believe requires each pixel to be physically somewhat large. There are a lot of many-megapixel cameras with 1/3" sensors out there, which aren't so great there.
* What's the pricing? Your camera page [2] has "contact us for info" instead of a price, and when that happens I usually assume it's too expensive for the DIY crowd and drop out.
[1] https://github.com/scottlamb/moonfire-nvr
[2] https://monitoreal.com/product/monitoreal-perimeter-cameras-...