10-14-2022, 05:48 PM
Jack, to your comment:
> This is a simple system and I'm not looking for anything but being able to view a broader spectrum than what I have now
To be clear, I'm definitely not suggesting Reolink's are limited in functionality (in fact, just the opposite, they have a great "app" if you prefer to use the vendor-provided tools). I'm also not speaking from an academic perspective, but rather _first-hand_ experience with the brand (albeit dated).
If you're familiar with Reolink, you realize they have drastic sales/promo-codes they occasionally run. For this reason (and their popularity on Amazon), we've purchased one in the past (a bench-test system for an app we developed; long story). Up until almost three years back, I had three different friends/colleagues that have installed them in their homes.
Our bench-test system included four cameras that worked fine, initially. I changed the IP of one camera and the camera disappeared (no response to any IP-scan on every known private subnet, no polling of TFTP upon boot to reset/update the BIOS, etc). I returned the unit and didn't bother again.
Of the three systems purchased by others where I have first-hand experience, every one of those has gone bad between 11-26 months (roughly, the sweet spot appears to be just under two years).
> I have the same system in my house and it functions well for our needs.
Are you referring to the Reolink system? You have a Reolink-branded system in your house?
If so, could I ask for some added details so that the next person that mentions them, I'll add your experience to the list, to provide a more fair comparison? For example, how many cameras you run outdoor -vs- indoor and whether you run one of their NVR's? How long you've been running this system and whether 100% of your cameras and Reolink NVR have been working without replacement?
I've been recommending _against_ them for about 3 years; perhaps in the last three years things have improved. I just did a quick Google search to confirm and it does appear they are now in a different space and self-manufacturing.
With that said, they no longer have the cost advantage over the two largest/more reliable companies (Hikvision and Dahua are the OEM's for about 35+ different security camera brands); for that reason, there doesn't seem to be any significant benefit over going with the more reliable options of Dahua or Hikvision.
> Yes a step up DC to DC converter would be useful but while underway we will be using the inverter
Understood. To clarify -- I wasn't thinking about while you're present/actively using the coach. I was suggesting the more efficient DC-DC boost (particularly the efficiency of modern single-inductor units) would be the better route because your inverter could remain off while you were outside of the coach.
In addition, remember the large inverters we use in these coaches tend to drop substantially in efficiency at low ratios of current (eg below 5 to 10% of max current).
If you are not interested in video monitoring while the coach (or inverter) is not being used, in my humble opinion, the DC-native circuit remains the best option (and to your point, I believe it's "easier") because you eliminate the power-brick and you have a (a) cleaner; (b) higher power output with © greater efficiency/less heat in the DC->AC->DC (nets 12% less efficient albeit moot if never running while away /or/ on battery).
You'll already be using a passive-PoE split, so it's just easier to throw a DC-DC boost in-line with that and go direct to the DC side.
None the less, if I misunderstood your usage, that's my mistake and I apologize.
...Final clarification...
I'd just like to clarify that I absolutely agree with running an IP-based -vs- analog system, by large margin.
If you're okay with the tradeoffs of a mobile-v-conventional system, I feel it's a no-brainer to go with IP. I can't imagine any reason that a person would choose analog. Particularly if you run modern cameras that do the h264/h265 transcoding within their SoC, which is key with an application such as this where you prefer not to require a high-power NVR (or prefer cloud-based).
> This is a simple system and I'm not looking for anything but being able to view a broader spectrum than what I have now
To be clear, I'm definitely not suggesting Reolink's are limited in functionality (in fact, just the opposite, they have a great "app" if you prefer to use the vendor-provided tools). I'm also not speaking from an academic perspective, but rather _first-hand_ experience with the brand (albeit dated).
If you're familiar with Reolink, you realize they have drastic sales/promo-codes they occasionally run. For this reason (and their popularity on Amazon), we've purchased one in the past (a bench-test system for an app we developed; long story). Up until almost three years back, I had three different friends/colleagues that have installed them in their homes.
Our bench-test system included four cameras that worked fine, initially. I changed the IP of one camera and the camera disappeared (no response to any IP-scan on every known private subnet, no polling of TFTP upon boot to reset/update the BIOS, etc). I returned the unit and didn't bother again.
Of the three systems purchased by others where I have first-hand experience, every one of those has gone bad between 11-26 months (roughly, the sweet spot appears to be just under two years).
> I have the same system in my house and it functions well for our needs.
Are you referring to the Reolink system? You have a Reolink-branded system in your house?
If so, could I ask for some added details so that the next person that mentions them, I'll add your experience to the list, to provide a more fair comparison? For example, how many cameras you run outdoor -vs- indoor and whether you run one of their NVR's? How long you've been running this system and whether 100% of your cameras and Reolink NVR have been working without replacement?
I've been recommending _against_ them for about 3 years; perhaps in the last three years things have improved. I just did a quick Google search to confirm and it does appear they are now in a different space and self-manufacturing.
With that said, they no longer have the cost advantage over the two largest/more reliable companies (Hikvision and Dahua are the OEM's for about 35+ different security camera brands); for that reason, there doesn't seem to be any significant benefit over going with the more reliable options of Dahua or Hikvision.
> Yes a step up DC to DC converter would be useful but while underway we will be using the inverter
Understood. To clarify -- I wasn't thinking about while you're present/actively using the coach. I was suggesting the more efficient DC-DC boost (particularly the efficiency of modern single-inductor units) would be the better route because your inverter could remain off while you were outside of the coach.
In addition, remember the large inverters we use in these coaches tend to drop substantially in efficiency at low ratios of current (eg below 5 to 10% of max current).
If you are not interested in video monitoring while the coach (or inverter) is not being used, in my humble opinion, the DC-native circuit remains the best option (and to your point, I believe it's "easier") because you eliminate the power-brick and you have a (a) cleaner; (b) higher power output with © greater efficiency/less heat in the DC->AC->DC (nets 12% less efficient albeit moot if never running while away /or/ on battery).
You'll already be using a passive-PoE split, so it's just easier to throw a DC-DC boost in-line with that and go direct to the DC side.
None the less, if I misunderstood your usage, that's my mistake and I apologize.
...Final clarification...
I'd just like to clarify that I absolutely agree with running an IP-based -vs- analog system, by large margin.
If you're okay with the tradeoffs of a mobile-v-conventional system, I feel it's a no-brainer to go with IP. I can't imagine any reason that a person would choose analog. Particularly if you run modern cameras that do the h264/h265 transcoding within their SoC, which is key with an application such as this where you prefer not to require a high-power NVR (or prefer cloud-based).