I have purchased a number of cameras from VideoSecu over the last year or so, and am disappointed to say this model has been troublesome. I purchased four of these for an installation at a beach house and one is giving me trouble and two others simply cannot be used. The cables for each camera end in BNC connectors and any movement or shifting of the line causes the signal to drop out. It's pretty obvious and I could not find a way to make it work for two of them. The third is in place but sporadically losing signal (I was desperate and needed something installed I intend to replace that camera next time I am at the house).Once is mistake; three is a manufacturing defect. I bought an extra just in case something happened, but having three of four fail was too much.
I have a bullet cam from this firm that is all but bullet-proof. It has survived ice, snow, wind and hurricanes. But not this model.
I was on travel and cannot send these back to Amazon because I am two days over the 30-day window on returns. The manufacturer says they will send me an RMA to replace them. Will report back if there is trouble.
FWIW, when these work, they work nicely. I have these tied into an Axis 4-port network server that goes into a recorder I built using ZoneMinder. Alarms cause video to be sent over the internet to my permanent home, as well as stored locally at the beach house. We had some troublesome renters that were there when I bought the beach house, and I suspected they were breaking into a second floor apartment. I tried to evict them and failed. One week after putting up cameras they gave notice and left four months early.
So I guess even a broken camera is better than no camera. It scared them enough to leave.
UPDATE (January 2012):
The seller never sent that promised RMA and I basically gave up chasing them. They won.
One of the working cameras I installed at the time of this original review is losing signal a few times a day. This one appears to be another issue other than loose cables, because it goes gray and then kinda fades out. It is technically one of those "under warranty" things, but it's obvious the warranty is a joke to the importer and seller. They are probably the ones who labeled this review "unhelpful".
Right back at ya, buddy!
I have to say that i am very happy with this camera, for starters the colors are RIGHT on the money, the image is very clear, and the Nightvision is way better then i had expected, the distance that i can see is well over 40 feet...
The camera is nearly unlimited as to the angles that can be set...
Now i had considered the CNB line of cameras, but they are twice the price that this one cost, i have to be 100% honest and say you can't go wrong with this camera, now i just have to buy 7 more, which is gonna have to be over some time...
In closing this camera is well worth what they are asking, it is Night and Day compared to what i had, previously..
I am just hoping that they lower the price and then i can replace the remaining cameras much sooner... Very good range, color balance, and well made. Instructions don't explain where to unscrew base so you're trying to remove the "ball" of the camera. You unscrew the base at the thin plate, not at the ball. 540 TVL resolution or higher is the only way to go. The wide angle lens covers a room very well but it also skews the edges (not straight). 380 and 420 TVL cameras do not have the resolution, color contrast and range. Bought 4 of these cameras very satisfied. Great camera with an excellent image as the other reviews have mentioned. I just wanted to add a note that these cameras use 850nm LEDs, which means the light they emit is invisible, but the LEDs will have a slight red glow at the tips of the LEDs. So the camera is noticeable at night because the LEDs have a slight glow. This is typical for most infrared LED cameras, but there are some that use 950nm LEDs which have no glow (but are more expensive as the light doesn't reach as far).
I bought this camera in early December and it worked fine for 4 "active service" months under a large weather and sun protected eave. Now, it has begun to show constant scan lines scrolling from the bottom to the top of the screen. Technically, it still functions but these types of problems usually get worse and after only 4 months of active service the camera is on a fast track to major picture deterioration. Without this recent failure, the camera picture quality was fairly good but what is good about any camera that isn't built to last (in optimal conditions no less)?
Maybe I just got a bad one out of the lot but now my full return refund window is gone which means I have to uninstall the camera and have to pay to ship it back for a limited refund according to Amazon. Not a pleasant experience with this product. BTW, the three other (different brand) cameras on the system are all working fine.
I gave it 2 stars because the picture quality was originally good and so was the price. Unfortunately it now feels like a "get what you paid for" item.
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