This review takes a look at the new “DVR Dome-cam” by Coomatec.
For the average person who simply wants a camera for recording their property, Digital CCTV can seem a complicated business of logistics and cost. Coomatec’s latest offering will come as a sigh of relief for the people with basic security needs who don’t want the complications of a multi camera remote system. The DVR Dome-cam is as they describe it, a much simpler affair.
Let us start with the three main Features that make this camera a potential choice for end users with basic needs. Integration, simplicity, cost.
Integration: Unlike many digital CCTV systems, you do not need a separate recording device like a NAS server or separate DVR to record the video, the camera has that built in. There is no wiring to worry about except for a power lead.
Simplicity: After the initial time setting via a free app form their website, you just place the camera where you want it, plug in the power, press a button and that’s it, done.
Cost: well currently on Amazon at only $29.00, it is easily affordable for just about anyone who would need a security camera?
The setup procedure is simplicity itself. You start by downloading the timer application, free from coomatec’s website here: http://www.coomatec.com/support.html.
Once downloaded you then plug your memory card into the camera via the slot located on its top. Then you plug the USB cable to your computer. Once it is ready long press the button on top and run the timer program. Once the program opens, click “save settings and update current time” at the bottom, unplug it from the computer and that is it. You can then plug it in a power socket at a location of your choosing, and you are ready to go. How simple is that for setting up a CCTV system, just a few minutes from box to in-use.
I tested it out for a couple of days and to my delight found that it was a very robust and foolproof little unit. The 640x480 camera is entry level but sufficient for the smaller surveillance user and smaller area it is likely to cover. The one drawback with the video is the lack of proper IR cut filter, this leaves some colours incorrect, like green grass being a bit brown for instance. The unit records at 12fps in 3gp file format with an mpeg4 video codec according to VLC. Normally I would expect 30fps in a device using Mpeg4. however 12fps is likely to be adequate for most applications this camera would be purchased for and the motion was reasonably fluid. Audio is catered for at 8000hz/16bit mono and the Microphone is very sensitive, easily picking up the reviewers breathing while he slept two rooms away , well I do have a bad cold right now.
There is no need for fiddly motion detection setup with this unit as the video is constantly recorded to files, these date/time stamped files are newly created every 30 mins. When there is no activity in the surveillance zone these files seem to average about 74mb in size, during reasonable activity they were around 250mb. The 24 Infra-red LED’s around the lens easily illuminate a good sized pitch dark room and I noticed no lens flare or inner-reflections being caused by the infra-red bouncing off the glass lens cover (a common issue in some cameras).
Now here is something I call a, “little deal clincher” that will really help you think about this device seriously, not only for those people requiring integrated basic surveillance, but also as a backup for those with higher end or multi –cam systems.
I have a range of equipment on my premises from both Western and Eastern manufacturers. They all recorded to separate NAS servers. Despite their higher price and complexity, if I have a power blackout or some similar problem, it is not unheard of for the cameras not to re-connect to the Router, or for the NAS to not continue recording when the power comes back on. Having to run a UPS (uninterruptable power supply) to every wireless camera and the costs involved is not always practical or guarantees re-connection. This is a major security issue in my book and one that I find occurs too frequently in some cameras, mainly those connected via WI-FI. With the Coomatec unit though I have tried shutting my buildings power off suddenly to simulate a power loss several times. Furthermore I restarted the mains power after different intervals to make sure any residual power in the camera had dissipated. Every time I tried this, once the power was put back on in the building, the Unit just re-started itself and began to record straight away, without me having to do anything. This is a truly valuable feature for the end user with basic needs and also serves as an excellent backup device to a bigger system, all at a price you simply cannot argue with.
In closing there are three things that I would like to see on this unit. The first of these should in my opinion, be on all indoor CCTV cameras with IR LED’s. This is the ability via a button on the camera or via software, to switch off the LED’s. Many people like to be able to position cameras inside but so they are also looking out of a window, a glass partition or similar. This is made impossible if you cannot switch off the LED’s because of the huge glare you get off the glass. The other thing is the length of the power lead. Most of the units I get from Eastern manufacturers all suffer from very short power leads, usually only about 1 meter long. Given the position of most power sockets in buildings and the distance from them to most average ceiling /window/shelf heights, they need to be longer out the box. You can of course buy an extension lead but some end users may not be happy about that. Lastly the IR cut filter should be used. False colours can lead to not being able to properly identify things when video is used in evidence.
All in all though for the price, this is a very good choice for the average person’s needs and an excellent low cost backup device to larger systems.
Reviewer: Ian Koenig,
United Kingdom.
