InVid Tech — Dealer Resource
Filter Guide
Every filter on the InVid catalog, in plain language — what each one means, and when it matters on a job. Search it, or browse by group.
01 Series 7
Which InVid product family the unit belongs to. Series is the fastest way to narrow the catalog when you already know the tier you are working in.
Paramont Series
Full line covering IP cameras, HD Analog, NVRs and DVRs, across the complete range of form factors and AI-equipped models.
Paramont, PAR
Vision Series
Full line covering IP cameras, HD Analog, NVRs and DVRs, across the complete range of form factors and AI-equipped models.
Vision, VIS
Secure Series
TAA-compliant cameras and recorders for government, federal and contract work with country-of-origin requirements.
Secure, SECA, TAA series, government, federal, GSA
Elevate Series
IP and HD Analog cameras in the common form factors and resolutions.
Elevate, ELEV
Ultra Series
IP & HD Analog miniature cameras for specialty applications & retrofits.
Ultra, ULT, miniature, mini, small camera, analog, coax, HD analog, IP
Milesight Series
Specialty and traffic-focused cameras for purpose-built applications.
Milesight, traffic, specialty
InVid
Individual products listed under the InVid Tech name rather than within one of the named series.
InVid, InVid Tech, no series, standalone
Why it matters
Series is a shortcut, not a ranking. Paramont and Vision both span the full catalog and overlap heavily on capability, so on a new site the choice usually comes down to the specific model that fits the application rather than the line it sits in. Where series matters most is on an existing site: staying in the line a customer already runs keeps the recorder, the app and the interface consistent, which cuts training and support calls after the install. The narrower lines — Secure, Elevate, Ultra, Milesight — exist for a specific requirement, so they select themselves when that requirement is on the table.
02 Resolution 19
How much detail the camera captures, or how much detail the recorder can take in.
960H / D1
Standard-definition analog, still in place on many long-running coax systems.
960H, D1, CIF, standard definition, SD, old analog
720p
HD resolution found on earlier equipment, still supported for service and expansion work.
720, HD ready, 1MP
1080p
Full HD. The long-standing baseline for HD systems.
1080, full HD, 2 megapixel, FHD
1080p Lite
Full HD at a reduced frame rate, which lets a recorder handle more channels.
1080 lite, reduced frame rate, lite mode
2MP
The same detail as 1080p, stated the megapixel way.
2 megapixel, 2 MP, 1080p equivalent
3MP
A step up from 2MP without the storage cost of 4MP.
3 megapixel, 3 MP
3K
Higher-detail format sitting between 4MP and 5MP.
3K, 2960
4MP
Popular middle ground. Noticeably sharper than 2MP without a big storage jump.
4 megapixel, 4 MP, 2K, QHD
4MP Lite
4MP at a reduced frame rate on the recorder side.
4MP lite, reduced frame rate
5MP
More detail again, common on both IP and HD Analog.
5 megapixel, 5 MP
5MP Lite
5MP at a reduced frame rate on the recorder side.
5MP lite, reduced frame rate
5-2MP
Field selectable for HD Analog. Set it to 5MP, or drop it to 2MP to match what the recorder supports.
5-2MP, switchable, field selectable, dual resolution
6MP
Available on select IP models where 5MP is not quite enough.
6 megapixel, 6 MP
8MP / 4K
Four times the detail of 1080p. The standard anywhere you need to identify a face or a plate.
8 megapixel, 8 MP, 4K, ultra HD, UHD, 2160p
8MP Lite / 4K Lite
4K at a reduced frame rate, letting a recorder carry more 4K channels.
4K lite, 8MP lite, reduced frame rate
12MP
High-resolution single sensor, often a fisheye covering a whole room.
12 megapixel, 12 MP
16MP
Very high detail, typically on multi-sensor units.
16 megapixel, 16 MP
20MP
Panoramic and multi-sensor cameras covering wide areas from one mounting point.
20 megapixel, 20 MP, panoramic
32MP
The highest detail in the catalog, on multi-directional units replacing several cameras at once.
32 megapixel, 32 MP, multi sensor, multi directional
Why it matters
Resolution decides whether footage is useful as evidence or just useful as a record. A 2MP camera tells you someone was there; a 4K camera at the same distance tells you who. But higher resolution costs storage and bandwidth, so the right answer is driven by distance and purpose — a wide parking lot overview and a camera watching a cash drawer have different requirements.
The higher-megapixel panoramic units are often the cheaper answer overall: one 12MP camera can replace three 4MP cameras and the three cable runs that come with them.
03 Channels 6
How many cameras the recorder can accept. A 16-channel NVR records up to 16 cameras.
4 Channel
Small residential and light commercial sites.
4ch, four channel, small system
8 Channel
Typical small business — a storefront, an office, a restaurant.
8ch, eight channel
16 Channel
The most common mid-size commercial recorder.
16ch, sixteen channel
32 Channel
Larger buildings, multi-tenant sites and campuses.
32ch, thirty two channel, large system
64 Channel
Enterprise installs and multi-building properties.
64ch, sixty four channel, enterprise
128 Channel
The largest recorders in the catalog, for high-density enterprise deployments.
128ch, enterprise, high density
Why it matters
Channel count is the most common sizing question, and the most common place a job gets undersized. Count the cameras going in today, then add room — sites almost always grow, and adding a second recorder later costs far more than sizing up once at the start. The jump from 16 to 32 channels is usually a small percentage of total system cost and buys years of headroom.
04 PoE Ports 5
How many built-in ports on the recorder supply power to cameras directly.
4 PoE Ports
Powers up to four cameras straight from the recorder.
4 PoE, four ports
8 PoE Ports
Powers up to eight cameras straight from the recorder.
8 PoE, eight ports
16 PoE Ports
Powers up to sixteen cameras straight from the recorder.
16 PoE, sixteen ports
24 PoE Ports
Powers up to twenty-four cameras straight from the recorder.
24 PoE, twenty four ports
No PoE Ports
The recorder takes cameras over the network only. Power comes from a separate switch or supply.
no PoE, non PoE, network only, external switch
Why it matters
This is not the same as channel count, and it trips people up constantly. A 16-channel NVR with 8 PoE ports records 16 cameras but only powers 8 of them directly — the other 8 need a separate PoE switch.
Built-in ports mean plug and play: the camera powers up, gets an address, and appears on screen with no network configuration. On smaller jobs that removes a switch from the bill of materials entirely. On larger jobs, or where cameras sit far from the rack, a recorder with no PoE ports paired with dedicated switches is often the better design. Browse PoE switches →
05 Bonus IP Channels 3
Extra IP camera channels available on a hybrid DVR, on top of its analog inputs.
2 Bonus IP Channels
Add two IP cameras alongside the existing analog cameras.
2 IP, two bonus, hybrid
4 Bonus IP Channels
Add four IP cameras alongside the existing analog cameras.
4 IP, four bonus, hybrid
8 Bonus IP Channels
Add eight IP cameras alongside the existing analog cameras.
8 IP, eight bonus, hybrid
Why it matters
This is the upgrade path for a customer with an existing coax system. They keep every analog camera they already have and add IP cameras where the detail actually matters — the entrance, the register, the loading dock — without rewiring the building or replacing working equipment.
It turns a full system replacement into a phased upgrade, which is a much easier conversation and a much easier budget approval.
06 Signal Format 6
Which video signal types a DVR accepts over coax.
HD-TVI
One of the three HD-over-coax standards. Very common on existing sites.
TVI, HDTVI, HD over coax
AHD
An HD-over-coax standard found on a wide range of installed equipment.
AHD, analog high definition
HD-CVI
The third HD-over-coax standard.
CVI, HDCVI
Analog (960H/CVBS)
Standard-definition analog, the original coax format.
CVBS, 960H, standard analog, SD, composite
IP
Network cameras, on hybrid units that take both coax and network cameras.
IP, network camera, hybrid
Universal Port (TVI/AHD/CVI/Analog/IP)
The port detects whatever is plugged into it and configures itself.
universal, auto detect, penta brid, pentabrid, 5 in 1, any camera
Why it matters
Walking into an existing site, you often do not know which HD-over-coax standard the previous installer used, and the labels are long gone. A universal-port recorder removes the guesswork: plug in whatever is on the wire and it works.
That alone can turn a half-day of troubleshooting into a ten-minute swap, and it means one recorder on the truck covers any service call.
07 Camera Style 17
The physical form of the camera, which drives where and how it mounts.
Bullet
Cylindrical, mounts on a wall or under a soffit, obvious by design. Easy to aim.
bullet, cylinder, visible camera
Dome
Low-profile hemisphere. Discreet, harder to tamper with, and harder to tell where it is pointed.
dome, ceiling camera, vandal dome
Turret
Ball in a socket. Aims like a bullet but sits closer to the surface, and avoids the IR glare domes can suffer from.
turret, eyeball, ball camera
Box
Traditional camera body taking interchangeable lenses, usually in a separate housing.
box, body camera, c mount, interchangeable lens
PTZ
Pan, tilt and zoom under operator or automatic control. Covers wide areas and zooms in on demand.
PTZ, pan tilt zoom, speed dome, moving camera, zoom camera
Fisheye
A single 360° overhead view, dewarped into usable angles in software.
fisheye, 360, panoramic, overhead
Corner Mount Fisheye
A fisheye built for a wall corner, covering an entire room from one point. Common in elevators, cells and small rooms.
corner mount, corner camera, elevator, holding cell
Dual Dome
Two independent camera heads in one housing, covering two directions from one cable run.
dual dome, two lens, dual lens, two directions
Elevator / Wedge
Wedge-shaped for elevator cabs and tight corner mounts.
elevator, wedge, lift camera, cab camera
Doorbell
Entry camera with a call button and two-way audio.
doorbell, video doorbell, entry, front door
Intercom
Entry station for door communication and access.
intercom, door station, entry station, access
Cube
Small self-contained indoor camera for desks, shelves and counters.
cube, desktop camera, indoor small
Low Profile
Minimal-depth housing for tight ceilings and a clean look.
low profile, flush, shallow, slim
Miniature
Very small form factor for discreet placement.
miniature, mini, small camera, discreet
Miniature Cylinder
A small cylindrical camera for tight spots where a full bullet will not fit.
mini cylinder, small bullet, mini bullet
Pinhole
Lens behind a tiny aperture, for near-invisible installation.
pinhole, hidden, covert, invisible
Covert Camera
Disguised as something else entirely, such as a smoke detector.
covert, hidden camera, disguised, smoke detector camera
Why it matters
Style is the part of the spec the customer actually sees every day, so it carries weight beyond the technical. Bullets announce that a property is monitored, which is the point in a parking lot. Domes and turrets disappear into a ceiling, which is the point in a restaurant or a lobby.
Turrets have quietly become the default for most jobs — they aim as easily as a bullet, sit as cleanly as a dome, and dodge the reflected-IR haze domes get when the bubble gets dusty. Specialty forms exist because certain sites have no good answer otherwise: an elevator cab needs a wedge, and a corner-mounted fisheye covers a room no four cameras could cover cleanly.
08 AI & Smart Detection 39
What the system can recognize on its own, rather than just record. This group covers detection running on the camera itself and detection running on the recorder — both appear here. Where the same capability exists in both places, the entries are listed separately because they behave differently on a job.
2nd Level Video Metadata
Deeper searchable detail than person-or-vehicle: attributes such as clothing color, vehicle type and direction of travel.
forensic search, attribute search, deep search, second level, metadata
Abandoned/Missing Object Detection
Alerts when an object is left behind in an area, or when something that should be there is taken away.
abandoned, left behind, missing object, unattended bag, removed item, theft
Auto Tracking
The camera follows a moving person or vehicle on its own, keeping them in frame as they cross the scene.
auto track, tracking, follow, PTZ tracking, smart tracking
Behavior Analysis
A grouped set of detections covering how people and vehicles move through a scene, not just that they are present.
behavior, behavior analytics, movement analysis, activity
Color Retrieval
Search recorded footage by the color of what you are looking for.
color search, color, red shirt, find by color, attribute search
Crowd Density Detection
Alerts when the number of people in an area passes a set threshold.
crowd, occupancy, too many people, density, capacity
Elevator Entrance Detection
Watches an elevator entrance specifically, tuned for the geometry and lighting of a cab and lobby.
elevator, lift, cab, elevator door
Face Comparison
Compares a detected face against a stored list of faces.
face compare, face match, watchlist, face list
Face Detection
Recorder-side detection that a face is present in the video.
face detect, detect face, NVR face
Face Detection/Capture
The camera detects that a face is present and saves a cropped image of it.
face capture, face snapshot, face crop, face detect
Face Recognition
Identifies a detected face by matching it to an enrolled identity.
facial recognition, identify, known person, enrolled face
Face Retrieval
Search recorded footage for a specific face.
face search, find person, search by face
Facial Recognition (with NVR)
The camera detects and captures faces; the matching against a face list happens on the recorder.
facial recognition, needs NVR, camera plus recorder, face list
Fire Detection
Detects flame in the scene and raises an alarm.
fire, flame, fire alarm
Hard Hat Detection
Flags people in a monitored area who are not wearing a hard hat.
hard hat, PPE, safety helmet, construction safety
Heat Map
A visual overlay showing where people spend the most time.
heat map, traffic pattern, dwell, foot traffic, retail analytics
Human & Vehicle Classification
Sorts detections into people and vehicles so alarms fire on the right thing.
human vehicle, classification, person or car, target classification
Illegal Parking Detection
Alerts when a vehicle stops and stays somewhere it should not.
illegal parking, no parking, blocked, fire lane, loading zone
Intrusion
Alerts when a person or vehicle enters a defined area.
intrusion, perimeter, area entry, trespass, zone
Line Crossing
Alerts when a person or vehicle crosses a drawn line, in a set direction.
line crossing, tripwire, cross line, virtual fence
Loitering Detection
Alerts when someone stays in an area longer than a set time.
loitering, lingering, hanging around, dwell time
LPR / License Plate
Reads and records license plates.
LPR, ANPR, license plate, number plate, plate reader, tag reader
Package Detection
Detects a package placed or removed at a doorway.
package, parcel, delivery, porch pirate, box
People Counting
Counts people entering and leaving.
people counting, headcount, footfall, visitor count, occupancy
Person Detection
Confirms the moving object is a person before triggering.
person detection, human detection, people only
PIR Detection
A passive infrared sensor picks up body heat and movement, working alongside video detection.
PIR, passive infrared, motion sensor, body heat
Plate Recognition
Recorder-side license plate reading and logging.
plate recognition, LPR on NVR, ANPR, plate log
Region Entrance
Alerts the moment someone or something enters a defined region.
region entrance, enter area, zone entry
Region Exiting
Alerts the moment someone or something leaves a defined region.
region exiting, leave area, zone exit
Scooter / Moped / Bicycle Detection
Classifies two-wheeled traffic separately from people and cars.
scooter, moped, bicycle, bike, two wheeler, non motor vehicle
Smart Motion Detection
Motion detection filtered so it triggers on people and vehicles rather than on weather or shadows.
smart motion, SMD, filtered motion, false alarm reduction
Smoke Detection
Detects smoke in the scene and raises an alarm.
smoke, smoke alarm, early fire
Target Counting by Area
Counts how many people or vehicles are inside a defined area.
count by area, area count, zone count, occupancy
Target Counting by Line
Counts people or vehicles as they cross a drawn line.
count by line, line count, crossing count, footfall
Temperature Exception
Alerts when a measured temperature goes outside a set range.
temperature, overheat, thermal alarm, temp alert
Ultra Motion Detection
Motion detection tuned to cut false alarms from lighting changes and small movement.
ultra motion, motion detection, false alarms
Vape Detection
Flags vaping in a monitored area, for places where a camera is not appropriate.
vape, vaping, e-cigarette, smoking, bathroom, school
Video Metadata
Records searchable descriptive detail alongside the video, so footage can be searched later instead of scrubbed through.
metadata, searchable video, forensic, search recorded
Wrong Way Detection
Alerts when someone or something moves against the expected direction of travel.
wrong way, wrong direction, against traffic, one way
Why it matters
AI is the difference between footage you have to watch and footage that tells you something. Traditional motion detection fires on rain, headlights, branches and shadows, so operators stop trusting the alerts and stop looking at them. Detection that knows a person from a car cuts that noise down to events worth acting on.
The second payoff is time after the fact. Finding one incident in a week of recording used to mean scrubbing through it. With metadata and search, the same job is a filter — a person, in this area, wearing this color — and it takes minutes.
For the customer the argument is rarely the technology. It is that the system gets used. A site that only reviews footage after a loss gets a fraction of the value of one that gets an alert while it is happening.
09 AI by Connected Cameras 23
Detection that runs on the camera and is passed through to the recorder. The recorder stores, displays and searches these events but does not generate them — the capability comes from the camera at the other end of the cable.
The camera and the recorder must be in the SAME series for camera-side AI to come through. Video will work across series; the detections will not.
Auto Tracking
The camera follows a moving target on its own; the recorder logs the event.
auto track, tracking, follow, PTZ
Face Comparison
Faces captured by the camera are matched against a list held on the recorder.
face compare, watchlist, face match
Face Detection
The camera detects faces and passes the events through for storage and search.
face detect, face capture
Fire Spot Detection
The camera identifies a hot spot consistent with fire and raises it to the recorder.
fire spot, hot spot, fire, thermal fire
Human & Vehicle Attribute Analysis
The camera records descriptive detail about each person and vehicle — clothing, type, direction — making footage searchable by attribute.
attribute, clothing color, vehicle type, forensic search, metadata
Human & Vehicle Classification
The camera sorts detections into people and vehicles before sending them on.
human vehicle, classification, person or car
Illegal Parking
The camera flags a vehicle stopped where it should not be.
illegal parking, no parking, fire lane
Intrusion
The camera alerts on entry into a defined area.
intrusion, perimeter, trespass, zone
Line Crossing
The camera alerts when a target crosses a drawn line.
line crossing, tripwire, virtual fence
Loitering
The camera alerts when someone stays in an area too long.
loitering, lingering, dwell
Mixed-Traffic Detection
The camera separates pedestrians, two-wheelers and vehicles moving in the same space.
mixed traffic, pedestrian, bike, shared road
Object Left Behind/Removed
The camera flags an item left in or taken from an area.
left behind, abandoned, removed, unattended, theft
People Counting
The camera counts people in and out and reports the totals.
people counting, headcount, footfall
Plate Recognition
The camera reads plates and passes them to the recorder for logging and search.
LPR, ANPR, license plate, plate reader
Region Entrance
The camera alerts on entry into a region.
region entrance, enter area
Region Exiting
The camera alerts on exit from a region.
region exiting, leave area
Smart Motion Detection
The camera filters motion down to people and vehicles before alerting.
smart motion, SMD, filtered motion
Smoke & Fire Detection
The camera identifies smoke and flame and raises an alarm.
smoke, fire, flame, early warning
Temperature Detection
The camera measures temperature and flags readings outside a set range.
temperature, thermal, overheat, temp
Traffic Monitoring
The camera reports on vehicle flow — counts, speed and lane use.
traffic, vehicle count, flow, road
Ultra Motion Detection
The camera applies filtered motion detection tuned against false alarms.
ultra motion, motion, false alarm
Video Metadata
The camera attaches searchable descriptive detail to the footage it sends.
metadata, searchable, forensic
Wrong-Way Detection
The camera alerts on movement against the expected direction.
wrong way, wrong direction, one way, against traffic
Why it matters
This group exists to answer the question that causes the most confusion on a quote: where does the AI actually live?
If the detection runs on the camera, the recorder does not need to generate it — it only needs to store, display and search it. A modest recorder paired with capable cameras can deliver features a dealer might otherwise try to buy at the head end.
That only works when the camera and the recorder are in the same series. Camera-side AI is not portable across lines: put a camera from one series on a recorder from another and the video will come through, but the detection events and the search built on them will not. The same limit applies to third-party equipment. ONVIF is the industry standard that lets cameras and recorders from different manufacturers connect at all, and it does its job — video, and usually PTZ and recording. The AI is where it stops, because detection events and their metadata are largely manufacturer-specific. A perfect picture with none of the smart features is the normal outcome, not a fault.
The practical rule when specifying: decide which side of the system the feature needs to live on, and keep the camera and recorder in the same series whenever the AI is the reason for the sale. A recorder that lists a detection under its own AI does it regardless of what camera is connected. A recorder that lists it here needs matching cameras. Getting that backwards is how a system ships with a good picture and none of the features that sold it.
10 Facial Recognition 3
How far the system goes with faces. The three tiers do genuinely different jobs, and the wording matters when a customer asks whether a system can identify someone.
Face Detection Only
The system knows a face is present and can capture an image of it. It does not identify who it belongs to.
face detection, detect only, capture face, no identification
Face Comparison by NVR
Faces captured by the cameras are matched against a list stored on the recorder. The cameras do the seeing, the recorder does the matching.
face comparison, compare, watchlist, NVR matching, face list
True Facial Recognition
Full identification against enrolled identities, with alerts on a match.
true facial recognition, identify, enrolled, known person, alert on match
Why it matters
This is the feature customers most often ask for by name and most often mean something different by. Someone who says they want facial recognition usually wants one of three things: a clear picture of who came in, an alert when a specific banned individual returns, or a searchable record they can go back through later.
Pinning that down first avoids the two expensive mistakes — selling identification where capture would have been enough, or selling capture where the customer expected the system to name people.
11 Search & Playback 10
The tools for finding a moment in recorded footage. This is where a system either saves an operator hours or costs them an afternoon.
DRAFT — AccuSearch and Text Search descriptions are still being confirmed and will be expanded.
AccuSearch
Instead of scrubbing a timeline, you tell the system what you are looking for and it hands back only the clips that match. Filter by what was detected — a person, a vehicle, a face, a plate — and narrow further by where in the frame it happened and when. The results come back as playable clips rather than timestamps, so reviewing an incident is a matter of watching the handful the system returns.
accusearch, smart search, filter search, find event
Behavior Search
Search recordings for a specific behavior — a line crossed, an area entered, someone loitering.
behavior search, behavior, event search, find intrusion
Face Search
Find every appearance of a face in the recording.
face search, find person, search by face
Search by Image
Upload or select an image and find matching appearances in the footage.
search by image, image search, upload photo, find similar
Smart Search
Draw an area on the playback screen and find only the motion that happened inside it.
smart search, area search, draw box, motion in area
Tag Search
Jump to moments an operator marked while reviewing or while live.
tag, bookmark, marked, flagged moment
Text Search
Search recorded footage using plain text rather than working along a timeline — describe what you are looking for and go straight to it.
text search, AI text search, search by text, plain language, describe, keyword, natural language
Thumbnail Search
Scan a strip of preview images to find the right moment visually rather than by timestamp.
thumbnail, preview, visual scrub, picture search
Time Slice Search
See a whole period as a grid of images at once, so a long stretch can be checked in a glance.
time slice, grid view, overview, fast review
Vehicle Search
Find vehicles in the recording, filtered by their recorded attributes.
vehicle search, car search, find car, by color
Why it matters
Every camera on a site records. What separates a system people actually use from one they resent is how long it takes to find the ten seconds that matter.
The realistic scenario is a manager who knows roughly when something happened and has other work to do. With timestamp scrubbing, that is half an hour and a good chance of missing it. With area search or thumbnails, it is a couple of minutes. With attribute search it is a filter.
This is also the part of the system the customer touches most after the install, so it drives whether they come back for the next building. Worth demonstrating rather than listing.
12 Night Vision 5
How the camera sees once the light goes. The options are not a ladder from worse to better — they produce genuinely different images, and the right one depends on what the footage is for.
IR Night Vision
Infrared illumination the eye cannot see. The image is black and white, and the camera stays visually unobtrusive at night.
IR, infrared, night vision, black and white, IR range, invisible light
Starlight Illumination
A highly sensitive sensor that holds color in very low light using whatever ambient light exists.
starlight, low light, color at night, sensitive sensor, ambient light
Full Color 24/7 InVid Illuminate™
Captures vivid color in near-total darkness with no lights needed. Typically includes a white light that is off by default and available for specialized use.
illuminate, full color, color at night, 24/7 color, low light color
White Light
A visible white light that illuminates the scene so the camera records in color.
white light, warm light, spotlight, floodlight, visible light, color at night
AI-Triggered White Light
The white light stays off until the camera detects a person or vehicle, then switches on. The infrared switches off while it is lit.
AI triggered, motion light, triggered light, comes on when, white light trigger
Why it matters
Most incidents happen at night, so this is where a camera either earns its place or does not. The question that decides the option is what the footage has to prove.
Black and white infrared is enough to establish that someone was there and what they did. It will not give you the color of a jacket or a car, and color is often the detail that matters in a report. Where color matters after dark, the answer is either a sensor sensitive enough to hold it or a light to supply it.
Always-on white light has a side effect worth flagging to the customer before install rather than after: it is visible, it changes how a property looks at night, and neighbors notice. That is exactly why the AI-triggered option exists — the light is dark until something is actually there, so the site stays unlit while still recording in color when it counts. It also doubles as a deterrent, since a light coming on tells someone they have been seen.
13 Lens 4
How the camera's field of view is set, and whether it can be changed after the camera is mounted.
Fixed Lens
The field of view is set at the factory and cannot be changed. Point it, mount it, done.
fixed, fixed lens, set lens, non adjustable, 2.8mm, 4mm
Varifocal (Manual Zoom)
The field of view is adjusted by hand at the camera, then locked in place.
varifocal, manual zoom, adjustable lens, manual adjust, vari focal
Motorized Lens
The field of view is adjusted remotely from software or the recorder, with no ladder involved.
motorized, remote zoom, auto focus, adjustable, motorised, zoom lens
Optical Zoom
True zoom through the lens itself, holding full detail as it magnifies. Found on PTZ and long-range cameras.
optical zoom, zoom, 25x, 33x, telephoto, long range, PTZ zoom
Why it matters
Fixed lens cameras are cheaper, simpler, and right whenever the view is known and will not change — a doorway, a corridor, a register. Most of the catalog is fixed lens for that reason.
The argument for motorized is labor. Getting a fixed camera's view wrong means going back up the ladder; getting a motorized camera's view wrong means a few clicks from the office. On a high mount, a lift job, or a site an hour away, one adjustment pays the difference. It also leaves room for the site to change — a fence moves, a parking layout is restriped, a tenant reconfigures — without touching the hardware.
Optical zoom is a different job. It exists where detail is needed at distance and digital zoom would only enlarge a blur. Worth pointing out to customers that digital zoom on a fixed camera adds nothing that was not already recorded.
14 Specialty 26
Specialty features solve the problems a standard camera cannot. Hazardous environments, plate capture at a gate, one camera covering what would otherwise take four, seeing through total darkness or smoke — this is where the catalog goes beyond the ordinary install. Grouped below by what they do.
- Wide-area and multi-view cameras
360° Panoramic
A single overhead camera covering an entire room or open area in one view.
360, panoramic, fisheye, overhead, whole room
Multi-Sensor
Several camera sensors in one housing, sharing one mount and one cable run.
multi sensor, multiple lenses, multi head, several cameras in one
Multi-Directional Coverage
Independently aimed heads covering different directions from a single mounting point.
multi directional, multiple directions, several angles, corner coverage
Panoramic Overview + Linked PTZ
A fixed wide view paired with a PTZ that zooms in on whatever the wide view detects.
panoramic PTZ, overview zoom, linked PTZ, wide plus zoom, dual camera
Wide Angle Multi Lens
Multiple fixed lenses stitched into one continuous wide image.
multi lens, stitched, wide angle, 180, 160 degree, panoramic stitch
Ultra Wide Angle Lens
A single very wide lens covering more of a scene than a standard lens.
ultra wide, 170, 180, wide angle, wide lens
2-Camera Non-Splicing Dual Dome
Two separate camera views in one dome, kept as two distinct images rather than stitched into one.
dual dome, two cameras, non splicing, two views, two directions
- Thermal and hazardous locations
Thermal Imaging
Sees heat rather than light, so it detects presence in total darkness, smoke or fog.
thermal, heat, infrared imaging, FLIR, temperature camera, see through smoke
Thermal / Optical Dual Sensor
A thermal sensor and a normal camera in one unit, so you get both the heat image and a recognizable picture.
dual sensor, thermal optical, bi spectrum, thermal plus camera, fusion
Explosion-Proof
Built and rated for hazardous environments where a normal camera would be an ignition risk.
explosion proof, hazardous location, ATEX, intrinsically safe, refinery, chemical
- Recognition and analytics
Facial Recognition Capable
The camera is built to support facial recognition when paired with a system that performs the matching.
facial recognition capable, face ready, supports face
LPR / License Plate Recognition
Purpose-built for reading license plates, with the lens, shutter and processing to do it reliably.
LPR, ANPR, license plate, plate reader, tag reader, parking, gate
AcuTrack
Recorder-side tracking that follows a target across the scene.
acutrack, tracking, auto track, follow target
Heat Map
A visual overlay showing where activity concentrates over time.
heat map, traffic pattern, dwell, retail analytics, foot traffic
- Views and image handling
Corridor Mode
Rotates the image 90° to give a tall, narrow view that fits a hallway, aisle or stairwell.
corridor, hallway, vertical, portrait, 9:16, aisle
Fisheye Dewarping (Web & App)
Flattens the curved fisheye image into normal-looking views, done in the browser and the mobile app.
dewarping, dewarp, flatten fisheye, correct fisheye, app dewarp
Local Fisheye Dewarping
The same flattening performed on the recorder itself, so it works on a locally connected monitor.
local dewarp, dewarping on NVR, monitor dewarp
- Outputs and connections
HDMI Output
A built-in HDMI port on the camera for connecting a monitor directly.
HDMI, direct monitor, local display, monitor out
HDMI Output with Logo & Message Display
HDMI output that can overlay a logo or a message on the displayed image.
HDMI logo, message display, public view monitor, PVM, custom message
CVBS Video Output
An analog video output for connecting a test monitor or legacy equipment.
CVBS, analog out, test monitor, service port, BNC out
Additional Analog BNC Output
An extra analog output for feeding a second monitor or another device.
extra BNC, second output, additional output, spot monitor
Built-in Balun
The balun is built into the camera, so it runs over twisted pair without a separate adapter.
balun, cat5, twisted pair, UTP, no balun needed
WiFi Connect Option
The camera can join the network wirelessly instead of by cable.
wifi, wireless, no cable, 2.4GHz, 5GHz, wireless camera
- Recorder types and tools
Encoder
Brings analog cameras onto an IP system by converting their signal to network video.
encoder, analog to IP, convert analog, bridge, migrate
Lite Recorder
A recorder built for lower frame rates or reduced resolution, covering more channels at less cost.
lite, lite recorder, budget NVR, reduced frame rate
Watermarking
Embeds a tamper-evident mark in the recording so exported footage can be shown to be unaltered.
watermark, tamper proof, evidence, chain of custody, authentic
Why it matters
These are the features that win the jobs other people cannot quote. Every one of these exists because a normal camera could not solve a particular problem, which makes this the section to check when a site does not fit the usual pattern.
The wide-area options are the most commonly under-used. One multi-sensor or panoramic camera can replace three or four cameras, and more to the point three or four cable runs, mounts and terminations. On a warehouse ceiling, a historic building or an outdoor pole, where running cable is the expensive part, that math often decides the design on its own — and it usually comes in under the multi-camera quote it replaces.
The rest tend to be requirement-driven: a refinery needs explosion-proof, a parking operation needs LPR, an evidence-handling customer needs watermarking. When one of these is on the table it is rarely negotiable, so asking early turns a specialty requirement into the reason you win the bid rather than a surprise that costs you one.
15 Active Deterrent 4
Cameras that do not just record an event — they try to stop it while it is happening.
AI-Triggered White Strobe Deterrent
When the camera detects a person or vehicle where it should not be, it fires a bright flashing white light at them.
strobe, flashing light, white light deterrent, blinking light
AI-Triggered Siren
The camera sounds an audible alarm on detection.
siren, alarm, audible, sound alarm, horn
AI-Triggered Audio Deterrent
Plays a spoken warning message instead of a plain siren tone.
voice, spoken warning, talk down, custom message, audio warning
AI-Triggered Red/Blue Flashing Lights
Alternating red and blue flashing light, the visual language of law enforcement.
red blue, police light, patrol light, flashing red blue
Why it matters
Most cameras are a tool for after the fact — you find out what happened once it is over. Active deterrent cameras interrupt the event instead. They work best on property lines, parking lots, storage yards, and anywhere the goal is to make someone leave rather than to identify them later.
Because the trigger is AI-based, it fires on an actual person or vehicle, not on a passing cat or headlights sweeping across a wall.
16 Audio 10
What the camera or recorder can hear, say, and connect to.
Built-in Mic
A microphone in the camera itself, recording audio alongside the video.
mic, microphone, built in audio, records sound, listen
Built-in Speaker
A speaker in the camera, used for warnings, announcements or talk-down.
speaker, talk, announce, play sound, warning
2-Way Audio
Talk and listen through the camera from the app or software — a conversation, not a broadcast.
two way, 2 way, talk back, intercom, talk down, conversation
Audio Input
A connection for an external microphone where the camera's own position is wrong for capturing sound.
audio in, external mic, mic input, line in
External Audio Output
A connection for an external speaker or amplifier.
audio out, external speaker, line out, amplifier
Audio Over Coax
Audio travels on the same coax cable as the video, so an analog camera gets sound with no extra wire.
AoC, audio over coax, audio on coax, coax audio, one cable audio
RCA Audio Input
Standard RCA connections on the recorder for bringing audio in from external sources.
RCA in, phono, audio input NVR, line in
RCA Audio Output
Standard RCA connections on the recorder for sending audio out to speakers or an amplifier.
RCA out, phono out, audio output NVR, line out
HDMI Audio Output
Audio carried on the HDMI connection to the monitor, so no separate speaker wiring is needed.
HDMI audio, sound on HDMI, monitor sound, TV audio
IP Speaker Support
The recorder can drive network speakers placed anywhere on the network, not just at the rack.
IP speaker, network speaker, PA, announcement, remote speaker
Why it matters
Audio is the most commonly skipped part of a system and the one customers most often wish they had afterward. Video tells you what happened; audio frequently tells you why, and it is often what turns an ambiguous clip into a clear account of an incident.
Two-way audio changes what the system is for. A camera that can only watch is a record. A camera the operator can speak through interrupts what is happening — someone in a restricted area hearing a voice tends to leave, and a delivery driver hearing directions does not need a call. That is also why it pairs naturally with the deterrent options.
Audio over coax deserves a specific mention on analog sites, because it removes the usual objection. Adding sound to a coax system normally means pulling another wire; here it rides the cable already in the wall, which turns a rewiring conversation into a camera swap.
One thing to raise with the customer rather than assume: recording audio is regulated differently from recording video, and the rules vary by state and by where the microphone is pointed.
17 Alarm I/O 4
How the system connects to other equipment — taking a signal in from a device, or sending one out to trigger something.
Local Alarm Input
A terminal on the recorder that accepts a signal from an external device — a door contact, a motion sensor, a panic button.
alarm in, input, trigger in, door contact, sensor input, dry contact
Local Alarm Output
A terminal that sends a signal out to trigger another device — a siren, a light, a gate, a relay.
alarm out, output, relay, trigger out, siren, gate, strobe
IPC Alarm Only
The recorder handles alarm events coming from the cameras, but has no alarm terminals of its own.
no terminals, camera alarms only, IPC alarm, no local alarm
RS-485 PTZ Control
A serial connection for controlling older analog PTZ cameras.
RS485, 485, PTZ control, serial, analog PTZ, pelco
Why it matters
This is where a camera system stops being a camera system and becomes part of the building. An alarm input means the cameras react to something the cameras cannot see — a door opening after hours, a freezer going out of range, a panic button under a counter — and the recording starts with the event already framed.
An output does the reverse: video detection triggers something physical. A person crossing a line at 2am turns on the yard lights, sounds a siren, or signals the alarm panel to call the monitoring center.
The practical value is that it lets an existing system stay in place. A customer with a working alarm panel does not have to replace it — the two get wired together, and each does the part it is good at. That is a much easier sale than replacing what they have, and it is the reason to check for these terminals before quoting a site that already has other security equipment.
18 Video Output 10
How the recorder connects to monitors, and how many it can drive at once.
HDMI up to 1080p
A standard HDMI output at Full HD, suitable for a general-purpose monitor.
HDMI, 1080p out, full HD output, monitor
4K HDMI Output
HDMI at 4K, so a high-resolution monitor shows the detail the cameras actually recorded.
4K HDMI, UHD output, 4K monitor, high res display
8K HDMI Output
The highest output resolution available, for large displays and dense multi-camera layouts.
8K, ultra high res, large display, video wall
Dual HDMI Output
Two HDMI outputs driving two monitors, which can show different views.
dual HDMI, two monitors, second screen, two displays
Quad HDMI Output
Four HDMI outputs for a multi-monitor setup or a small video wall.
quad HDMI, four monitors, video wall, multi screen
VGA 1080p Output
A VGA output for older monitors that have no HDMI input.
VGA, analog monitor, old monitor, D-sub
Dual VGA Output
Two VGA outputs for two legacy monitors.
dual VGA, two VGA, two old monitors
Simultaneous HDMI/VGA
HDMI and VGA both active at once, so two monitors of different types can run together.
simultaneous, both outputs, HDMI and VGA, mirror
CVBS Main or Spot Output
An analog output that can act as the main display or as a dedicated spot monitor.
CVBS, BNC out, analog monitor, spot
Independent Spot Monitor Output
A separate output showing its own view, independent of the main screen.
spot monitor, second view, public monitor, independent output
Why it matters
Output usually gets ignored until install day, when the monitor on site turns out to have the wrong connector or the customer wants two screens and the recorder drives one.
The case for multiple outputs is that different people need different views. A retail site puts a public-view monitor at the entrance showing customers they are on camera — a deterrent that works before anything happens — while the office screen shows the full layout. A warehouse puts one monitor at the dock and another in the security room. A single-output recorder forces everyone onto the same view.
Resolution matters more than it sounds. Running 4K cameras into a 1080p output means nobody ever sees the detail live; it is only there on playback. If the customer's reason for buying 4K was watching the floor in real time, the output spec is the thing that delivers or breaks it.
19 Controls 2
How an analog camera is configured once it is mounted, without getting to it physically.
UTC Control
Camera settings are adjusted from the recorder, with the commands traveling up the same coax that carries the video. No extra wire, no ladder.
UTC, up the coax, control over coax, coax control, remote setup, adjust from DVR
OSD Control
The camera's on-screen menu — the settings display used to change image, exposure and day/night behavior.
OSD, on screen display, menu, camera settings, joystick, configure
Why it matters
On an analog system the camera has traditionally been the awkward part: every setting change meant physically reaching the camera, often with a service monitor in hand and a ladder underneath.
UTC removes that entirely. The installer sets the camera up from the DVR, and any change afterward — a scene that turns out too bright, a day/night switch happening too early, a view that needs adjusting after a season changes the light — happens from wherever the recorder is. On a ceiling mount or an exterior camera two stories up, that is the difference between a five-minute change and a scheduled truck roll.
It is worth mentioning to a customer weighing analog against IP, because it removes one of the historic reasons people moved away from coax.
20 Housing 3
The physical casing and what comes with it.
Black Housing Available
The same camera in black as well as white, so it disappears against a dark ceiling, soffit or beam.
black, black camera, dark, color option, white or black, BNH
Includes Junction Box
The mounting box ships with the camera, so cable connections are enclosed and weather-sealed with nothing extra to order.
junction box, JB, back box, mounting box, included, electrical box
Tinted Dome Cover
A darkened dome that conceals which way the camera is aimed.
tinted, smoked, dark dome, smoked dome, discreet, hide direction
Why it matters
Housing is where an install either looks professional or looks like an afterthought, and the customer notices that long after they have stopped thinking about resolution.
Black housings matter more than they sound. Against a dark ceiling, a black camera reads as part of the building while a white one announces itself in every photograph of the space. For restaurants, hotels, showrooms and offices, that is often the difference between a design the customer signs off and one they ask to change.
The junction box is the practical one. Buying it with the camera means no separate line item, no mismatched finish, and a sealed connection at the wall — which on an exterior camera is the joint most likely to cause a callback. Tinted domes do the opposite job of black housings: rather than hiding the camera, they hide where it is looking, which is what you want over a sales floor or a cash office.
21 Weather & Durability 7
What the camera can survive — weather, water, cold and deliberate damage.
IP65 Weather Resistant
Sealed against dust and low-pressure water from any direction. Fine for sheltered outdoor spots.
IP65, weather resistant, rain, dust, sheltered, outdoor
IP66 Weatherproof
Sealed against dust and powerful water jets. The common outdoor rating.
IP66, weatherproof, rain, outdoor, hose, storm
IP67 Weatherproof
Dust tight and able to survive temporary immersion in water.
IP67, weatherproof, immersion, flooding, submerged briefly
IP68 Waterproof
Dust tight and rated for continuous immersion.
IP68, waterproof, submerged, underwater, flood, continuous immersion
Rated for Extreme Cold (-40°)
Operates down to -40°, so it starts and runs through a hard winter.
cold, -40, extreme cold, freezing, winter, arctic, cold start, heater
Vandal Resistant IK10
Built to take a deliberate impact and keep working.
IK10, vandal, vandal proof, impact, tamper, smash, school, transit
Stainless Steel
A stainless housing for corrosive environments — coastal air, wash-down areas, food processing.
stainless, steel, corrosion, marine, coastal, salt, wash down, food plant
Why it matters
This is the group that decides whether a camera is still working in year five, and it is where cutting cost quietly creates a warranty problem and a return visit.
The IP ratings are worth explaining plainly to customers, because the numbers look interchangeable and are not. IP65 is fine under a soffit. IP66 is the honest outdoor rating for a wall in open weather. IP67 and IP68 exist for places that actually flood or where the camera may sit in standing water, which is a real condition in car parks, tunnels and low-lying yards.
The specialist ratings solve specific arguments. Cold rating is not optional in northern climates, where an unrated camera may work fine in October and fail on the first hard night. Vandal resistance pays for itself the first time in a school, a transit stop or a parking structure. Stainless is the answer anywhere salt air or wash-down chemicals would eat a standard housing — and specifying it up front is far cheaper than replacing corroded cameras on a coastal site.
22 Installation 2
Whether the camera is built for inside or out.
Indoor
Built for interior use, where weather sealing is not required.
indoor, inside, interior, office, retail
Outdoor
Sealed and rated for exterior mounting.
outdoor, outside, exterior, weatherproof, external
Why it matters
The simplest filter in the guide, and a fast way to cut the catalog in half at the start of a design.
Worth knowing that most outdoor-rated cameras work perfectly well indoors — the rating is protection, not a restriction — so a dealer standardizing on one model for a mixed site can usually do it. The reverse is never true, and an indoor camera in a covered but unheated space is still exposed to condensation and temperature swings that will end it.
Where it gets missed is the in-between spots: loading docks, parking garages, unheated warehouses and covered walkways read as indoors on a floor plan but behave like outdoors in practice.
23 Power 9
How the camera or recorder gets its electricity.
PoE
Power and video travel over the same Ethernet cable.
PoE, power over ethernet, 802.3af, one cable
PoE+
More available power over the same Ethernet cable, for cameras that need it.
PoE+, PoE plus, 802.3at, high power
PoE++
The highest PoE power tier, for heaters, PTZ motors and bright supplemental lights.
PoE++, 802.3bt, ultra PoE, high power
12VDC
Low-voltage DC power from a separate power supply.
12 volt, 12V DC, low voltage
24VDC
Low-voltage DC power at a higher voltage, for longer runs and larger units.
24 volt DC, 24V DC
12VAC
Low-voltage AC power from a transformer.
12 volt AC, 12V AC, transformer
24VAC
The common AC option on larger PTZ and specialty units.
24 volt AC, 24V AC, transformer
220VAC
Line voltage, on select high-power and international units.
220, 230, line voltage, mains, high voltage
Dual Voltage
The unit accepts more than one power type, so it fits whatever is already at the site.
dual voltage, either, flexible power, AC or DC
Why it matters
This is usually a labor conversation, not an electrical one. With PoE, one Ethernet run does both jobs — no separate power drop, no electrician on the ladder, one cable instead of two. That is real time and money on every camera in the job.
Where the run gets long or the camera gets hungry, the fix is an accessory, not a redesign:
- PoE extenders push past the 328' Ethernet limit, reaching remote buildings, gates and parking areas without pulling fiber. Browse PoE extenders →
- PoE+ and PoE++ switches feed the power-hungry units — PTZs, camera heaters, bright supplemental lights — so the switch is not undersized and rebooting cameras later. Browse PoE switches →
- Power supplies and distribution boxes cover the 12VDC and 24VAC units, centralizing power in the rack instead of scattering adapters across the site. Browse power supplies →
The takeaway for the customer: pick the camera the application needs, and there is a way to power it. The power spec is rarely the thing that kills a design.
24 Storage 2
Recording capacity built into the camera itself, separate from the recorder.
SD Card Slot
Takes a memory card so the camera records locally as well as to the recorder.
SD, micro SD, card, memory card, local storage, edge storage
eMMC Onboard Storage
Built-in storage inside the camera, with no card to insert or lose.
eMMC, onboard, built in storage, internal memory, no card
Why it matters
Onboard storage is insurance. If the network drops, the recorder goes down, or someone pulls the plug on the rack, the camera keeps recording to itself and the footage is still there afterward — including the footage of whoever pulled the plug.
Many systems also backfill automatically: once the connection returns, the camera sends across what the recorder missed, so the timeline has no hole in it. That turns a network outage from a gap in the evidence into a non-event.
It also opens up sites that would otherwise be difficult. A remote gate, a construction trailer, a seasonal building with no recorder on site — the camera records locally and someone collects the footage or pulls it over the network when there is one.
25 Hard Drive Bays 5
How many hard drives fit inside the recorder. More bays means more total recording capacity.
1 HD Bay
A single drive. Suits small channel counts and shorter retention.
1 bay, one drive, single drive, small
2 HD Bays
Two drives, for more capacity.
2 bay, two drives, dual drive
4 HD Bays
Four drives, the common size for mid-range commercial recorders.
4 bay, four drives, quad
8 HD Bays
Eight drives, for high channel counts or long retention requirements.
8 bay, eight drives, high capacity
16 HD Bays
Sixteen drives, for enterprise deployments and archives measured in months.
16 bay, sixteen drives, enterprise, maximum capacity
Why it matters
Bays decide how long footage lasts, and retention is where systems most often disappoint after the fact. A customer who assumed thirty days and got nine finds out at exactly the wrong moment.
The arithmetic is worth doing at the quote rather than the install: channels, resolution, frame rate and how many hours a day there is actually motion to record. Higher-resolution cameras eat storage quickly, so a 4K upgrade without a matching storage conversation is a shorter retention window than the customer had before.
Some industries set the number for you — many require 30, 60 or 90 days by regulation or by insurer. Ask before quoting, because moving from two bays to four is inexpensive at the point of sale and means replacing the recorder afterward.
26 Storage & Redundancy 9
How much each drive can hold, and what protects the recording if something fails.
Up to 16TB per Bay
Each bay supports drives up to 16TB.
16TB, drive size, capacity per bay, max drive
Up to 18TB per Bay
Each bay supports drives up to 18TB.
18TB, drive size, capacity per bay, max drive
Up to 26TB per Bay
Each bay supports drives up to 26TB, the largest supported here.
26TB, drive size, largest drive, max capacity
RAID Support
Drives work together so the recording survives a drive failure, with no loss of footage.
RAID, redundancy, drive failure, mirroring, RAID 1, RAID 5, fault tolerant
Redundant Storage
Recording is written to more than one destination, so a single failure does not take the footage with it.
redundant, backup recording, second copy, duplicate, N+1
Hot Swappable Drives
A failed drive is replaced without powering down, so recording never stops.
hot swap, replace drive, no downtime, swap while running
Disk Group Support
Drives are assigned to groups so specific cameras record to specific drives.
disk group, assign drives, separate storage, dedicated drives
miniSAS Expansion Bays
Additional external drive enclosures connect to the recorder to extend capacity well beyond the internal bays.
miniSAS, SAS, expansion, external storage, JBOD, add drives
Redundant Power Supply
A second power supply keeps the recorder running if the first one fails.
redundant power, dual PSU, backup power supply, no downtime
Why it matters
Hard drives in a recorder run continuously for years, and drives fail. On a standard recorder that means the footage from the failed drive is gone and nobody notices until it is needed.
Redundancy changes what a failure costs. With RAID, a drive dies and the recording carries on; with hot swap, it is replaced without stopping; with a redundant power supply, the same is true of the part that takes the whole unit down. For a customer whose footage is evidence — a bank, a cannabis operation, a hospital, anywhere regulated — that is not a premium feature, it is the requirement.
The per-bay capacity numbers matter for a practical reason: a four-bay recorder supporting 26TB drives holds far more than a four-bay recorder capped at 16TB. When retention is the goal, check the drive ceiling and not just the bay count.
27 Network 4
The recorder's network connections, and how many separate networks it can sit on.
10/100 Mbps NIC
A standard-speed network port, suitable for smaller systems.
10/100, fast ethernet, standard port, 100Mb
Single NIC
One gigabit network port.
single NIC, one port, gigabit, 1 port
Dual NIC
Two network ports, so the cameras and the business network can be kept separate.
dual NIC, two ports, separate networks, isolated, segregated, two LAN
Quad NIC
Four network ports, for large deployments and heavy simultaneous traffic.
quad NIC, four ports, enterprise, high bandwidth
Why it matters
This is the group most likely to matter to the customer's IT department.
Dual NIC is the answer to the objection you will actually hear. Cameras generate constant traffic, and no network administrator wants that on the same network as their business systems, nor cameras exposed to the wider network. Two ports lets the cameras sit on their own isolated network while the recorder remains reachable from the business side — which turns a security concern into a design decision and gets the project approved.
Port speed is a capacity question. A large system with many high-resolution cameras streaming live to several viewers at once can saturate a 10/100 connection, and the symptom is stuttering live view that looks like a camera fault rather than a network limit.
28 Compliance 3
Certifications and procurement standards the product meets. On the jobs where these apply, they are not preferences — they decide whether a product can be used at all.
NDAA Compliant
Meets the federal restrictions on video surveillance equipment sourcing, making the product eligible for federal work and for organizations that take federal funding.
NDAA, 889, federal, government, ban, compliant, section 889, funding
TAA Compliant
Meets federal country-of-origin requirements for government procurement. TAA compliant products are also NDAA compliant.
TAA, trade agreements act, country of origin, GSA, government purchase, federal contract
UL Listed
Independently tested and certified to recognized safety standards.
UL, listed, safety, certified, underwriters, code, inspection, insurance
Why it matters
This is the fastest filter in the guide to know about, because on the projects where it applies it is the first question rather than the last. A product that does not carry the required certification cannot be quoted at all, no matter how well it fits.
The reach is wider than people expect. Federal buildings are the obvious case, but the same requirements follow federal money — into schools, universities, municipal projects, transit authorities, healthcare systems and any contractor working on a federal site. Plenty of customers are subject to it without realizing, and finding out after equipment is installed means removing it.
TAA is the stricter of the two, and it carries NDAA with it, so a TAA compliant product clears both requirements. Filtering on compliance at the start of a government or institutional project keeps the whole design inside what can actually be purchased — and being the distributor who raises it before the bid rather than after is worth a great deal to a dealer who works in that space.
UL listing is a different kind of requirement. It is what an inspector, an insurer or a facility standard looks for, and it comes up on commercial projects that have nothing to do with government work.
29 Cloud Upgradeable 1
Whether the unit can pull firmware updates over the internet instead of being updated by hand.
Cloud Upgradeable
The unit checks for and installs firmware updates over its internet connection, with no file to download and no update to apply on site.
cloud, firmware, update, upgrade, firmware update, remote update, auto update, patch
Why it matters
Firmware is how a product gets better after it ships — bug fixes, stability improvements, new capability on hardware the customer already owns. The problem has always been getting it installed. Updating by hand means downloading a file, getting to the unit, and doing it correctly, which is why so much equipment in the field is running whatever shipped on it years ago.
Pulling updates over the internet removes the trip. For a dealer with installs spread across a region, that is the difference between a fix being available and a fix being applied — no truck roll, no scheduling around the customer, no site running old firmware because nobody had a reason to drive out.
It also matters for security. Firmware updates frequently close vulnerabilities, and a device sitting on a customer's network years out of date is the kind of thing an IT department will eventually ask about. Being able to say the system keeps itself current is a straightforward answer to a question that is getting asked more often.
— Connectivity Reference 7
How the system is reached from outside the building. This is not one of the live filter groups on the site, so it is here as reference rather than something a customer can filter by.
TWO WORDINGS FOR THE SAME FEATURE — the NVR and DVR tables carry "True P2P Connectivity with QR Code Connect" and "True P2P with QR Code Connect" as separate options. If this ever becomes a live filter group, they need consolidating first or the facet will show one feature twice.
True P2P with QR Code Connect
Remote access set up by scanning a QR code, with no port forwarding and no router configuration.
P2P, QR code, remote access, no port forwarding, easy setup, scan to connect
True P2P Connectivity with QR Code Connect
The same capability, listed under slightly different wording on some products.
P2P, QR code, remote access, no port forwarding
P2P Vision Stream Connect
Remote streaming connection used on certain products.
P2P, remote stream, connect, remote view
DDNS
Keeps a consistent address for the system even when the internet provider changes the IP.
DDNS, dynamic DNS, changing IP, hostname, remote address
HTTPS
Encrypted connection to the system, so credentials and video are not sent in the clear.
HTTPS, SSL, TLS, encrypted, secure, certificate
UPnP
The system negotiates its own router settings automatically where the network allows it.
UPnP, automatic port, router config, auto setup
PPPoE
Connects directly to certain internet services without a separate router handling the login.
PPPoE, DSL, direct connect, ISP login
Why it matters
Remote access used to be the hardest part of an install. Port forwarding meant getting into the customer's router, working around an ISP, and often calling their IT provider — and it broke again whenever the internet address changed.
QR code connection removed that entirely. Scan the code in the app and the system is reachable, with nothing opened on the router and nothing to reconfigure later. For a dealer it saves hours on site; for the customer it is the difference between a system they check from their phone and one they only ever see in the office.
HTTPS is worth raising on any site where the customer has an IT department or handles regulated data, since encrypted access is increasingly something their policy requires rather than something they ask for.
— Mobile & Software Reference 4
The apps and software used to view and manage the system. This is not one of the live filter groups on the site, so it is here as reference. Everything listed is included at no extra cost.
Free iOS & Android Apps
Mobile apps for phones and tablets, at no charge and with no per-device or per-user fee.
app, iPhone, Android, mobile, phone, tablet, iOS, free app, remote view
Free CMS for PC/MAC
Central management software for viewing and administering multiple sites and recorders from one place.
CMS, central management, software, multi site, PC, desktop software, VMS
Free MAC Client Software
A native Mac client, for customers who do not run Windows.
Mac, macOS, Apple, Mac client, OSX
Native Chrome/Edge Support
The system is reached from a standard browser with no plugin to install.
browser, Chrome, Edge, no plugin, web access, plugin free, web browser
Why it matters
Software is what the customer actually touches. They will look at the camera specification once, at the quote, and then use the app every week for the next five years — so this is what forms their opinion of the system and what they say about it when someone asks for a recommendation.
Free is the point worth making explicitly, because it is not the industry norm. Plenty of systems charge per camera, per user, or by annual subscription just to keep viewing what the customer already owns. Included apps and management software remove a recurring cost from the comparison, and on a multi-site customer that difference compounds every year.
Browser support without a plugin is a small line that solves a real problem. Plugin-based access breaks with every browser update and is frequently blocked outright by IT policy, which turns into a support call that is not really the dealer's fault but is certainly the dealer's afternoon.
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Try a shorter word, or a different term for the same thing.