Are the rebranded Dahua cams via Empire B-Stock?

[MacFun]

Are the rebranded Dahua cams via Empire B-Stock?

I was recently examining a recent crop of cameras via EmpireTech where the following was noted:
-There was dirt in the paint…
-There was dirt behind the lens….
-The internal gasket was deformed on one cam… Where is Dahua QC?
-The previous cams came with a tool and a template…. No big deal…. Probably a cost cutting measure by Dahua.
-Why change the box for a relabeling effort….?
-Why relabel the item but then put the original part number on a custom label….?
-Why custom firmware when the international version seems to be as up to date with “animal detection, etc?

Just curious…. Could my hypothesis be true?

R

 

[wittaj]

With the shortage of workers and chips and everything else, everyone is struggling with QA/QC

Andy is a 3rd party reseller. As such Dahua has made him repackage it so that their authorized distributors don't get mad.

That is also why it isn't Dahua firmware. But if you are that over the top about the firmware saying Dahua, then flash it with the international firmware. Many people do.

I am sure the tools and template were there - they are under the fake bottom as I pointed out in that thread - take the box apart and you will find it.

Andy is probably the biggest 3rd party reseller.

Dahua invites him several times a year to their HQ.

Dahua contributes to the lottery Andy puts on.

You can update the firmware on Andy's cameras and NVRs from the Dahua website, thus proving they are real Dahua. But you will find that the firmware we get from him is actually better and more recent than what is on the Dahua website because many members here provide feedback to Andy and then Dahua makes modifications to the firmware and sends back to him and then he sends out to his customers. These have been great improvements that Dahua doesn't even update their firmware and add to their website. So many of us are running a newer firmware than those that purchase Dahua cameras through professional installers. Smart IR on the 5442 series is one such improvement. Autotracking on the 49225 and 49425 PTZ is another. We got the next version of AI SMD 3.0 prior to anyone else as well. We got animal detection before anyone also.

Look at the threads here where members are actually testing firmware and improving it for Dahua - find a Dahua dealer with that type of relationship that Andy has with Dahua - I don't think you will find it. Look at the Dahua 4k camera on the 1/1.2" sensor as an example - Dahua provides cameras to Andy to sell before Dahua even made it available and look at all the improvements being made to the firmware from input from customers right here on this site. And the kicker is, we are not Dahua's target market - it is the professional installers...


Do you really think Dahua would sell him the rejects if they are having him introduce new models first and have him allow his customers to test firmware?

And if you think just because it has Dahua on the box and camera means it is better, think again.

Here is a post of a guy that spent a $#!tload of money to get official Dahua authorized gear. It was trash and he replaced it with Andy's cameras and has been tickled pink with their performance and build quality.

Tripwires --- ugh, I need help!

I really need some help here. Trying to setup alerts in my Dahua camera and NVR so that a particular camera (it looks out towards the beginning of my driveway) catches "vehicles" coming UP the driveway into the property.... BUT I do not want vehicles to trigger when they are leaving the...

ipcamtalk.com

I have an official Dahua Thermal - it sucks. It misses motion all the time. I spent countless hours with level 3 Dahua support from China and they couldn't fix it. The thermal I have from Andy never misses.

I bought an official Dahua PTZ many years before I found this site. One of the bolts holding the lens was sheared off inside the camera.

@tech101 bought an expensive official Hikvision camera that was thousands of dollars. It wobbled like a mother effer. Hikvision said it was normal.


Here are other threads of people being burned by buying official authorized Dahua cameras:

Human / Face detection

So I have some of these cameras: https://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/All-Products/Network-Cameras/Pro-Series/8-MP/IPC-HDW4831EM-ASE But can not get the face detection working like it should (or maybe, like I think it should). It will only detect a face if the person is not wearing a hat...

ipcamtalk.com

Dahua TIOC camera does not recognize the IVS rule at night, original support is at a loss...

Hello Community, I would like to ask for help with the configuration of the Dahua camera model D-IPC-HFW3449T1P-ZAS-PV-27135. https://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/All-Products/Network-Cameras/WizSense-Series/TiOC/IPC-HFW3449T1-ZAS-PV The camera is mounted on the pillar in the outdoor area...

ipcamtalk.com

Here is a good one from one of the official international dealers Oprema from your other thread:

Help newb here with a messed install looking for help.

HI all, I'm from the UK and have two H-IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV-S3 without going into loads of detail detail the installer put the wrong NVR in and now I need to look for a NVR that can use AI and do 8MP at 20Fps as I find the the most comfortable to view, with room for expansion and also so I can use...

ipcamtalk.com

So see just because you buy official Dahua doesn't mean it will be better....

I guarantee you people are getting better service from Andy.

By the way, B&H is simply another 3rd party reseller and I doubt Dahua was flying their reps to their HQ and offering them to sell cameras first and allowing their customers to suggest changes to the firmware...

 

[looney2ns]

You talking to yourself?

 

[samplenhold]

Are the rebranded Dahua cams via Empire B-Stock?

No.

 

[tangent]

I was recently examining a recent crop of cameras via EmpireTech where the following was noted:

Did you buy a refurbished camera?

Refurbished cameras are seller refurbished not manufacture refurbished and their condition can vary significantly.

 

[wittaj]

Some further background as well.

When I found this site in 2019 and bought my first camera from Andy, it came in a Dahua box with a Dahua logo.

Many of my cameras over the years from Andy have been a mix of Dahua logo or no label. Other than no logo on the camera or the firmware, they have performed exactly the same.

I paint my cameras so you cannot even look at to know which is which and I don't remember LOL.

I seem to recall that as he got bigger, Amazon made him have to have a company store, so cameras were then sold under EmpireTech and Loryta.

Then a few years later Dahua required him to rename the cameras.

 

[flynreelow]

no.


hope this helps.

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

...
I was recently examining a recent crop of cameras via EmpireTech...

What exactly does that mean? Are you reviewing comments on Internet? If so, where are the comments (amazon, reddit, ipct, etc)?

-There was dirt in the paint…
It's mounted at an average height of 8-9 feet... can you see it from the ground?

-There was dirt behind the lens….
We had a batch of 4 IQEye's that all had debris on the optics out of the box. The company would not even work with the authorized installer to resolve the issue

-The internal gasket was deformed on one cam… Where is Dahua QC?
Define internal gasket? I've encountered several non-empiretech cams in which the seal is not where I believe it should be when I take off the customer serviceable cover/component. No way of confirming the seal was out of place prior to disassembly.

-The previous cams came with a tool and a template…. No big deal…. Probably a cost cutting measure by Dahua.
In my 50-60 empire tech cams, they've all included the mount template's and tools

-Why change the box for a relabeling effort….?
Did you have a bad experience with one box, but not another? I am not an expert, but I am fairly confident a box printed with a single color is far cheaper than a box printed with 2-3 colors. The cost savings reduces the cost of the respective item. Did you know there only 2-3 manufacturing plants for residential lawn mowers? The same plant that produces yellow mowers, also makes red and green mowers. They all have different labels

-Why relabel the item but then put the original part number on a custom label….?
Why re-invent the wheel? If a company gives me their blessing to sell a variation of their products, it makes perfect sense to keep the model numbers similar in order to reduce confusion. Heck, I just ordered aftermarket replacement parts for my lawn mower... the part numbers were the same

-Why custom firmware when the international version seems to be as up to date with “animal detection, etc?
I would be more incensed that dahua has different firmware for different regions of the world. There are a multitude of companies the make versions of their products for specific regions of the world. Often time it is due to restrictions of the respective country, that does not allow for some functionality and/or features to be included in products

 

[steve1225]

Are the rebranded Dahua cams via Empire B-Stock?

I was recently examining a recent crop of cameras via EmpireTech where the following was noted:
-There was dirt in the paint…
-There was dirt behind the lens….
-The internal gasket was deformed on one cam… Where is Dahua QC?
-The previous cams came with a tool and a template…. No big deal…. Probably a cost cutting measure by Dahua.
-Why change the box for a relabeling effort….?
-Why relabel the item but then put the original part number on a custom label….?
-Why custom firmware when the international version seems to be as up to date with “animal detection, etc?

Just curious…. Could my hypothesis be true?

R

Three things:
- Dahua and HIK are OEM producers.. OEM (original Equipment manufacturer) means that most of the sale is done by different brands. Both Dahua / HIK have thousands OEM partners, which sells Dahua / HIK equipment under own packaging / labeling / support. They can't use Dahua / HIK logo & model numbers (to not compete with main brands).

Andy is no exception here - is simply one of many who sells in this model. There is no repackaging - HIK / Dahua delivers to OEM equipment without Dahua / HIK branding on product and packaging. OEM can order from Dahua / HIK own dedicated packaging or labeling and this is done at MFC process.

Only some part od Dahua / HIK productions is sold under Dahua / HIK brands / sales & support channel. With 3-4x price markup. This is very normal (and most popular) way how Chinese MFC works...

- B-stock is b-stock. In any manufacturer - it means product which was returned. Sometimes only opened sometimes with some flaws. I bought about 100 cams from Andy for many installations and I the only problem which I sometimes find is that some cams have little worse sharpness in comparison to other ones ( usually only in fixed cams, where is no sharpness regulation ).

- Dahua delivers two lines of firmware - one with Dahua logo, one without (IPCAM). They are identical in any other way (except branding)...

Some biggest OEM partners have own dedicated (usually crippled) firmwares and sometimes even dedicated cam models (Lorex and other consumer based shit sold in millions pcs)..

Both OEM partners and HIK / Dahua representatives in each country can ask HIK / Dahua HQ CHina for dedicated firmware version with fixed some bug or feature, which is not included in main firmware lines. Dahua have policy of not generating to much firmware updates (they combine many updates from longer periods of time into one), so very often is much easer to get fixed some problem by dedicated firmware...

I saw teens of dedicated NVR firmwares with features asked by biggest customers for biggest projects, which were never integrated into main firmware lines..

 

[tangent]

In my 50-60 empire tech cams, they've all included the mount template's and tools

The tools / screws may be hidden in the box under a piece of cardboard.

 

[wittaj]

Three things:
- Dahua and HIK are OEM producers.. OEM (original Equipment manufacturer) means that most of the sale is done by different brands. Both Dahua / HIK have thousands OEM partners, which sells Dahua / HIK equipment under own packaging / labeling / support. They can't use Dahua / HIK logo & model numbers (to not compete with main brands).

Andy is no exception here - is simply one of many who sells in this model. There is no repackaging - HIK / Dahua delivers to OEM equipment without Dahua / HIK branding on product and packaging. OEM can order from Dahua / HIK own dedicated packaging or labeling and this is done at MFC process.

Only some part od Dahua / HIK productions is sold under Dahua / HIK brands / sales & support channel. With 3-4x price markup. This is very normal (and most popular) way how Chinese MFC works...

- B-stock is b-stock. In any manufacturer - it means product which was returned. Sometimes only opened sometimes with some flaws. I bought about 100 cams from Andy for many installations and I the only problem which I sometimes find is that some cams have little worse sharpness in comparison to other ones ( usually only in fixed cams, where is no sharpness regulation ).

- Dahua delivers two lines of firmware - one with Dahua logo, one without (IPCAM). They are identical in any other way (except branding)...

Some biggest OEM partners have own dedicated (usually crippled) firmwares and sometimes even dedicated cam models (Lorex and other consumer based shit sold in millions pcs)..

Both OEM partners and HIK / Dahua representatives in each country can ask HIK / Dahua HQ CHina for dedicated firmware version with fixed some bug or feature, which is not included in main firmware lines. Dahua have policy of not generating to much firmware updates (they combine many updates from longer periods of time into one), so very often is much easer to get fixed some problem by dedicated firmware...

I saw teens of dedicated NVR firmwares with features asked by biggest customers for biggest projects, which were never integrated into main firmware lines..

To follow-up on this, as an example, many years ago IPVM made a little graphic showing some of the companies that sell Dahua or Hikvision OEM under their own label.

This is by no means the full list.

Do they all get rejects?