2022 Update BEST 4K PoE Security Camera: $1100 vs $110 Motorized Zoom Cameras.

Varifocal (Zoom) cameras are the best way to get the most out of your security cameras by capturing exactly the area you need to without wasted resolution. For this video I attempt to show the difference in quality between 2022 4k budget camera brands (Reolink, Annke, Amcrest, Lorex, Empire Tech) and premium ones (UniFi, Uniview, Bosch, Avigilon, Axis).
Raw Footage Video: • PoE Camera Test Raw Fo...
Best Performer: Axis P3248-LVE:
B&H Photo: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Best Affordable Overall: Empire Tech T5842 $237 (Amazon): amzn.to/3i4AuYO
Best Overall Value: Reolink RLC-811A $110 (Amazon): amzn.to/3J68XCo
(Reolink direct): reolink.com/product/rlc-811a/...
Other cameras tested:
Annke C800 Zoom: amzn.to/3CzDkP7
Lorex LNB9282B: amzn.to/3J6Ojln
Amcrest VB2796EW: amzn.to/3CzTFmO
UniFi G4 Pro: amzn.to/3CESpPb
UniView 3638SB: www.nellyssecurity.com/unv-4k...
Bosch Flexidome 5000: www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...
Avigilon 8.0-H4A-BO1: ebay.us/clQbPl
*As an Amazon Affiliate I earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you*
*As an eBay Affiliate I earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you*
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:33 Cameras Tested
01:55 Daytime Test Footage
07:18 Daytime Results
08:07 Nighttime Test Footage
11:17 Nighttime Results
12:05 Recommendations
Visit my website: www.TheSmartHomeHookUp.com
Follow me on Twitter: @TheHookUp1
Join me on Facebook: groups/47381...
Support my channel:
Patreon: / thehookup
Music by www.BenSound.com

[@74357175]

There are a lot of good reviewers on KZbin, but you are truly a cut above the rest. No BS, no click bait, and all the background info you could hope for. Bravo.

[@_O0.0O_]

100% this. Plus extra bonus points for the chapters and chapter index in the description.

[@jacklewis100]

Yes, really good stuff here.

[@lpeter1172]

Are there any similar channels?

[@dennisolof9994]

@n74357175 yes real good stuff. That said I would be scared of that driveway as it does look like the FBI is watching you. I guess people in the neighborhood are wondering what is going on and that crazy person running around outside in the driveway :-D

[@shanew7361]

I agree I subscribed 😊

[@mokenetgumshoe1064]

Finally... A KZbin channel analyzing tech with no fluff, bias, bullshit, clickbait or drama. Thank God there are still people like you around on the internet

[@KairosGaming]

I'm getting a kick from imagining your neighbors looking out their window to watch you run back and forth on your sidewalk lol

[@tysonmurphy319]

As an owner of Reolink cameras for my external home security, I can confirm ALL of these results are spot on. I REALLY appreciate the time, effort, and organized PRESENTATION of your videos. Well done sir, well done!

[@tibbified]

This was really good. Thank you.

[@aussiegruber86]

REO link owner here as well

[@yutehube4468]

It seems the Reolink is the only one that makes sense.

[@lithgowlights859]

Same here, and when I started seeing the images I thought oh thats better, thats worse than my reolink, and the results were pretty close to what I see with mine. Certainly not the $1100 camera, but value for $ I'm happy with the ones I have.

[@yutehube4468]

@@lithgowlights859 I'm still on 720p cameras, so any 4K camera in this review would look more detailed!

[@AuthenTech]

✍️ Move fast at night ✍️ GOT IT 😂 😂 (incredible comparison as always, most viewers have NO idea how much work goes into a project like this, hats off! 👏)

[@TheHookUp]

Thanks! The good news is it's getting much easier. I have all the infrastructure in place now to quickly and efficiently test cameras without needing to break my own camera setup (a second 16 port PoE switch, a second computer with blue iris, etc).

[@johnsmith2247]

People elsewhere have proven you can get clean captures at night of fast moving objects.

[@AuthenTech]

@@TheHookUp - Genius!

[@germanw2332]

@@johnsmith2247 Can you link some? I am more interested in good night performance with reasonable cost.

[@Marwa-jt9rp]

I’m not even in the market for a security camera but I watched the whole video like I was. That’s how much I love your reviews. Thanks for doing all this work.

[@TRUONGSPORT]

Installed it myself without any issues. The wifi signal is great even kzbin.infoUgkxE_D_sddGAdiVUKp7PkkmyxO7bRtgqmk5 when the router is located far away. I really enjoy the night vision feature that allows me to see clearly any activity near our house (mostly cars and wild animals). The motion detection is helpful to me as well to monitor what happens on our front.

[@YouMustBeConfused]

Thank you for using consistent and helpful testing methods and taking the time to describe how you conducted the tests. The rigor in data collection and application of scientific principals is appreciated. Too many KZbin "ranking" videos, and internet ranking sites in general, use bizarre approaches making their results absolutely useless. While I may not agree with your recommendations for every topic, I can see the conditions you used to gather your data and compare them to my use case conditions.

[@RJ_Cormac]

Good video, remember security cameras are really not defensive tools, just electronic witnesses of the crime. Focus on door and window security, no large bushes around the house, no tools or ladders left outside, good lighting. Don't lose the fundamentals playing with cameras! Security Cameras are a luxury, it's a bonus to identify a suspected criminal less than 10ft around your house, you don't really need to be studying random traffic patterns on the street. Don't feel bad you don't have LPR capabilities, and defense department level night vision, 10ft around your house is a danger zone, not much else, and Reolink checks that box, I enjoy the RLC-822A turret style of the 811A. 👍

[@Valcidious]

This is my first video I've seen anything from this channel. The amount that goes into the research, logic, and convenient breakdowns you give and have thought of ahead of time (like posting the actual URL's and when you consolidated the day/night scores) is just honestly outstanding. Thanks so much for this!

[@lmamakos]

What a really well done review. Very methodical and as close to "apples to apples" comparison as one could hope for. Thanks very much for the time you've invested in this and your other videos.

[@morton2200]

I use AXIS cameras exclusively at work with Milestone servers and love them! I tried some Reolink cams at home based on your recommendation (both RLC-511 & RLC811A so far) and am pleasantly surprised by their price/performance level. While not AXIS level of quality, they do amazingly well for 1/10th the price! Thank you for your review!

[@haknys]

The biggest problem with Reolink is low light conditions. They reduce the shutter speed to make the image look bright, but in movement its all blurry.

[@morton2200]

@@haknys That is my experience as well. My other issue with Reolink is poor motion detection algorithm on the RLC-511. Even on the most sensitive setting it has difficulty picking up a person more than 50-60 feet away, but is then too sensitive up close and activates on shadows or light changes. AXIS motion detection is much more accurate and configurable.

[@TheHookUp]

No disagreement here that Axis cameras are much better than Reolinks, but the value is pretty hard to argue with, especially when compared to other consumer solutions like Wyze, Ring, Simplisafe, and Vivint.

[@haknys]

@@TheHookUp We only sell Axis to the customers with the budget, but its of course not for the private marked. Sometimes even combine it with thermal camera and high end video analytics. But the price can be astronomical, not to mention the infrastructure and servers. Different marked. Cool that you include it in the test anyway, so one can see the difference between pro and consumer. I would however argue that low light performance is maby the most important spec for most private homes, and that there are better low-ligh performers in the same price class as Reolink.

[@TheHookUp]

@@haknys I'd love to hear your recommendations for a good low light performer in the same price class as Reolink.

[@AuthenTech]

I wanna be that guy walking down the street and see that artillery of cameras pointing at me! 🤣

[@mrpotter315]

This is one of the best, most informative and most objective test / review videos I've ever seen on KZbin - and I've watched a lot of text / review videos on KZbin.

[@morrispet]

This is the first video / review of yours I have ever watched. 😮 It was a thing of BEAUTY. I am a physician and teased unmercifully (and deservedly 🤣) about my compulsivity. This video gave me CHILLS. The rigor of the testing, the GRAPHS (??!!) and the videography were just FANTASTIC. We all owe you for the time and effort and care that went into this. I have subscribed 👍🏽

[@callofduty_Moh]

Man, I really like your extensive coverage of any specific tech topic .. keep moving man👍🏻👍🏻

[@DaleThomasNYC]

Just bought the Reolinks you recommended! Thanks for all you do on this channel! It's always my fist stop looking for reviews.

[@GerardoLiraSolis]

As always is a pleasure to see your reviews, my friend. Greetings from Mexico.

[@TenshiTV]

I've recently moved into a new home and have always dreamed about creating a smart home ecosystem. Your videos have been very helpful in selecting the best systems and gadgets out there, and also giving me ideas that I have never thought about before. Please keep this up!

[@MrMyNuff]

just found your videos, got say you rock man. this by far has been one of the best review videos that I've come across. thank you so much for putting this together.

[@Mike-01234]

You have the best security camera YT channel. Most others don't know what they are talking about, or they are trying to get viewers to buy.

[@andrewlhoover]

Geez! I was just looking through your videos a couple of days ago for your camera videos. Impressive timing!

[@gumboe2007]

Your thorough approach to comparisons and detailed unbiased reviews is just what I look for and trust

[@TheHookUp]

Thanks!

[@robertashton8942]

This is an excellent review. Your videos are always the best. Thank you so very much for all the great work and service that you provide for people.

[@db0nn3r]

I consider your content the absolute authority on whatever topic you cover. Thank you again.

[@TheHookUp]

Thank you!

[@ronr.711]

When I first viewed this video, not directly from You Tube, I thought it was a major network spot or similar. So well done. So professional.

[@arcadeuk]

Superb quality review. I like that you managed to get to the point and summarise all of the information in a reasonable length video

[@Frraksurred]

Thorough and concise as always. Excellent review.

[@khloeghazi4429]

Thank you for taking your time and conducting all the test with details. Much appreciated

[@mjezzi]

Incredible analysis. Thank you for doing this!

[@oggie130]

I came across 1 of your videos while looking for... well I'm not sure what I was looking for because your videos are awsome! Every video I have now binge watched I have thought about or have bought something in it at some point or will be buying soon! Thank you for these clean and cincise videos!

[@missj7765]

This is soooo what I needed to see because I was going to get a Unify system. Thank you for the detail and effort

[@wesheim]

Been anticipating this one!

[@Instrumental222]

Man I Appreciate you so much for doing all this! You put so much in your videos. Keep it up man! Going to be watching you with all the tech for sure!

[@mike_x48954]

With all the stick I've seen you get on ipct, I have to say well done to you. This is a great review that is very hard to argue with.

[@kimtyson7908]

That was an amazing job! Thanks for all your work.

[@how2q]

thanks for being a supergeek and spending a HUGE amount of time on this video! Using the links...appreciate it!

[@DiHandley]

I’m a qualified CCTV installer in Australia and this is a very impressive video. I’m subbed!

[@deenibassam3002]

This was really really helpful. I appreciate how objective it was.

[@WillSteeleMusic]

This is goooooood!! Nice work Rob

[@bobginn9141]

I agree with all the positive accolades from other viewers that The Hookup reviews are the best Quick and to the point education with all the pertinent info simply and concisely offered and very clear enunciation, with no BS . Kudos especially for the price point evaluations, spot on!

[@brianpowell2298]

Thanks for the color/IR night comparison!

[@Doylerealestateteam]

Great work Rob!

[@shazg]

Wow exceptional review, thanks so much!!! This is incredibly helpful

[@QuentinT9]

Thanks for this, very helpful in switching over to POE camera's from my older 720p analog system. I just realized in your run test you are running with no shoes on like a weirdo, haha. Keep up the great content.

[@MrHeHim]

I only do about 2-3 installations a year, as my main work is in IT but i have fun installing cameras. I found it better IMO (limited) to install 2 cameras with a narrow field of view rather than a optical zoom camera or motorized. My reason is that with two cameras you are constantly recording everything all the time and make more effective use of pixels capturing a landscape.

[@topandrun126]

Always appreciate your work.

[@jasonperry6046]

I appreciate the selection. Thank you

[@yutehube4468]

@The Hook Up This must have taken a lot of work. What an enormous and detailed breakdown.

[@oscarmilanes2801]

Dude, thank you for the hard work! Lots of great information here!

[@hassankhwaja]

this was really useful. I'm considering getting a security camera and this is a really good review!

[@AdamSmith-fe9jf]

Very good video and a great analysis and review of the different camera brands. This is very helpful, thanks.

[@martyb3783]

Great video. Very unbiased and fair tests. Well done.

[@tropmonky]

You are a beast! Thank you for all your hard work and wonderful videos.🤩

[@MelE33]

You're good at this! Keep up the good work

[@michaelallen6417]

Solid video man!

[@LiveeviL6969]

I purchased Reolink camera based upon some of your previous videos and I could not be happier with them. The phone app and desktop app are so good, I really don't even use my Blue Iris much anymore. The person a vehicle detection works great. But general motion detection can get annoying without using BI and DeepStack.

[@750Pressure]

Can you elaborate on your last sentence?

[@LiveeviL6969]

@@750Pressure I'm feeding the camera streams to Blue Iris and it's using DeepStack AI for better detection. He has a couple of videos on it and how to set it up. After a year now, I lowered the sensitivity of the motion and it works much better with fewer false alarms. I ended up using both systems.

[@doctorboy5892]

@@750Pressure They are programs which run on blue iris and make objects sharper in images. In Liveevil's situation they are the positions he enjoys with Rodger.

[@eitelify]

Really enjoy watching your videos because they're super informative and I almost always learn something from them! :) It would be nice to have a video about NVR's or rather, storage/management options. For example, pro's or con's for using NVR vs NAS or your PC for example. Another example could be if you're using something like Deepstack and maybe Frigate (or Blue Iris - which I understand is installed on a PC), would you even need an NVR? Maybe then just NAS for storing video clips etc. So basically, if someone wanted to buy camera's from different manufacturers, understanding what kind of "NVR" solution would be appropriate, would be nice to know.

[@Cronson82]

This is exactly the question I'm researching right now. I have a Unifi setup at my house that I really like, but totally get it's too much money. My father in law is building a house and got it wired for both internet and surveillance. Now I'm trying to figure out what's the best option for him. Reolink is looking really good, although I'd love to have an NVR that supports RAID. Looking at Reolink's NVR's, I don't think any do (not sure yet).

[@FrankGraffagnino]

Great video as always

[@rezarezaie595]

Thank you so much for the very helpful video and advices 💯💯💯

[@travismcgee100]

Very helpful as always. Thank you.

[@caveman3201]

Thanks a lot for this comparation! 👍🏻

[@ELGusher88007]

Excellant Test! I truly thank you!

[@hardeho]

I use a reolink 811 to watch my mailbox, which is about 200 feet from my home. I'm able to get a license plate during daylight hours. I have 4 reolink 810's around the house, but I really like the idea of using 811's so I can dial in the FOV using the zoom function. I bought a reolink kit based on your suggestion, and we are very happy with it for our needs.

[@jramosbklyn]

Awesome video. Going to upgrade my old cameras to the Reolink because of your video. Your neighbors must think you're working on your 40 yard dash time. 🤣

[@randallsemrau6911]

Thanks for using the graphing approach for feature comparison. Once viewers understand it, it's by far the best technique.

[@Mmmyess]

Thank you for creating such a thorough and useful comparison video. Now I'll look for the best 8-camera system. Hopefully you made such a video....

[@Mlaprades]

Good stuff!. Thanks for doing what you do

[@techworld8961]

Great video!

[@kayberry6292]

Sensational test, clearly and very knowledgeably presented.

[@x86cowboy]

Great review. Thank you!

[@MrgLoRybLue]

I am quite entertained with you running in the videos and the video in general 😂

[@georgepark423]

Great review!

[@ronm6585]

Good stuff Rob. Thanks.

[@Pro1er]

Thank you for the hard work you put into this video! I am running three different Reolink cameras and for the life of me I can't understand the praise for their daytime image quality which I find to be mediocre at best - and yes, the nighttime quality is quite bad. What I do like about them is that the AI person detection is very good on all of them and the phone app is really good too.

[@jd415]

Amazing video as always, watch out IPVM!!

[@Chris-uh3cm]

Awesome review!! I subscribed!

[@ethanpeters7035]

The advice for criminals gave me a chuckle which I was not expecting haha Great video!

[@madrian_hello]

Very informative, thank you.

[@chloeleedow7250]

I subscribed first 2 minutes into another video lol, did have a chuckle wondering what your neighbours would think if they had no idea what you were doing 🤣🤣

[@gordangekko8312]

good comparison and TY for your time

[@pmaint1]

Very professional video. Thank you

[@pablopenasco4254]

Awesome test. Thanks.

[@MurrayWayper]

excellent review, I certainly appreciate the time it would have taken to put this together. One other feature of the cameras is stream compression. Axis's Zipstream and variable frame rate drops the recorded file size to a tiny fraction of a full stream. This will pay for itself in storage requirements in the long run. Professionally, I was able to run 65 Axis cameras, using motion sensing, on about 4T of storage (via Milestone). The same number of cameras in the same locations were using 7.6T storage (on Milestone) using VGA mjpeg settings.

[@TheHookUp]

I had to turn zipstream off for this review because it didn’t play well with blue Iris dual stream setup.

[@ilyavolodin7414]

As usual, extremely thorough review! Thanks. You seem to be doing more camera reviews lately, and I know you are firmly settled on BlueIris, but I though it would still be nice to do another review of available software NVR solutions at some point. There's been some newcomers to that area that might be interesting to compare, like Shinobi and Frigate, as well as your standard BlueIris, Unifi Protect, Synology Surveillance Station, iSpy, ZoneMinder, MotionEye, etc.

[@TheHookUp]

It's on my list, but it's definitely a daunting task. In order to do a good review I feel like I'd need at least a few weeks of testing with each different NVR.

[@ilyavolodin7414]

@@TheHookUp Probably still shorter timeline overall than your door sensor video :-) That one was epic in it's scope!

[@TheHookUp]

Yeah, but that was more of a "set it up and let the computer deal with collecting data", this would be me using it day in and day out to try to find issues.

[@LouisGedo]

What an epic video! 👏 👏 👏

[@michaelrobil7013]

You honestly put an amazing effort in creating this video And I am definitely using your affiliate link

[@OthmanAlikhan]

Thanks for the video =)

[@Nubya66]

wow great video!

[@theheatmagazine]

Thanks for the review nice work

[@ArticBeatle]

I work on multimillion dollar CCTV systems everyday and you truly produced some of the best content on KZbin. Thank you for what you do keep up the great work!

[@TheHookUp]

Thanks!

[@theamazingworldoutthere]

Congratulations for this test

[@pierrec3203]

Seeing how the YT gods delivered you to me, and that the last review was over a year ago, I feel inclined to do something I don't normally do, which is to leave a review. However, hands down, this was one of the most knowledgeable, informative, exhaustive, accurate, coherent and relevant videos I have viewed for anyone looking to not only purchase one of these products but to also learn and gain useful information about the technology and underlying principles of image/video capturing. +1 subscriber - Thank you good sir!

[@TheHookUp]

Thanks! Glad it was helpful.

[@ringoklassen]

Thanks for this video. I really wanted to like the UniFi but after seeing this video I have changed my mind. Uniview is probably my new favourite.

[@stevecamera3111]

Thank you.very useful

[@WeiserShare]

Great job. Thank you.

[@Moonbeam68x]

Your reviews are PERFECT! Thank you for spending so much time into the videos you have helped me out alot. Can you tell me if there's much of a difference between the cheaper cameras VS the industrial/commercial cameras? The Security Camera installedrs have talked negative about Amcrest, Reolink., Loren, ect...

[@JOINTHEORG]

this is so elaborate and helpful lol

[@luddesterner]

Amazing video

[@n2ocharged]

As always, good content. I'm very glad I found this video, I was debating whether or not to ditch my current camera setup for the Unifi G4 Pro 4k cameras because I purchased the Dream Machine Pro. After seeing this, I'll keep what I have a little longer. I just don't like the NVR I'm using anymore. The software updates have made it too difficult to do much of anything anymore. While it's easy to navigate, getting footage off of it is a nightmare now and I don't do it anymore. I wish the DMP would support ONVIF.

[@Rannd]

One thing I didn’t like about this video is he didn’t show the settings he used for the Unifi camera. You can adjust frame rate and image quality