PoE optional?

[veert]

I'm looking at an IP cam where it says in the description "PoE Optional".
I don't have much experience with this, so am really at a loss - does that mean "no PoE out of the box"?

 

[cyberwolf_uk]

I'm looking at an IP cam where it says in the description "PoE Optional".
I don't have much experience with this, so am really at a loss - does that mean "no PoE out of the box"?

If the IP camera has a pig tail with the power connector on then the POE is optional (If the camera is a POE version)...
You can either use POE or power block... The fact you have to wire an Ethernet cable to the camera, you may as well use that same cable to power the camera rather than running an additional power unit to the camera.

 

[J Sigmo]

I agree. Most of these cameras have both the POE capability and a separate power pigtail so you can run the camera from a separate power supply if you do not have POE capability. Their wording "POE Optional" is, I agree, ambiguous. But it may have been translated into English from Chinese by someone who is not a native English speaker, so they might not be aware of the nuances of English.

 

[alastairstevenson]

Their wording "POE Optional" is, I agree, ambiguous.

I'd guess that it means you need to specify you'd like the POE capability when ordering.
Some camera models have both POE and non-POE options.
Without POE the price will be slightly lower.

 

[veert]

Thanks to everyone. It does look like in my specific case POE is a product version to be specified when ordering. I just thought, "optional POE" was somehow a standard term. But turns out, it can mean anything.

 

[fenderman]

Thanks to everyone. It does look like in my specific case POE is a product version to be specified when ordering. I just thought, "optional POE" was somehow a standard term. But turns out, it can mean anything.

avoid junk no name cameras

 

[veert]

This looks dangerously close to that definition, doesn't it?
Shenzhen LWSTFOCUS Store - Small Orders Online Store, Hot Selling and more on Aliexpress.com
They claim to put brand-name matrices in some of their models - how important is that factor, in your opinion?
Would you rather go for a Hikvision with a weaker matrix?

 

[alastairstevenson]

They claim to put brand-name matrices in some of their models

Presumably a translation consequence - for 'matrix' read 'sensor'.
Yes, the low-cost camera brands use the same sensor brands as Hikvision and Dahua, sometimes better ones.
But there is more to a camera than just the sensor, though that is very important.
Hikvision and Dahua have much more advanced video analytics, for example, which improves the camera usefulness.

 

[veert]

Sure, 'sensor'.
Speaking of the relative importance of different components, I just need the camera to send a stream to Blue Iris - should I worry about anything else but the sensor in this case?

 

[looney2ns]

May I suggest you study the Cliff Notes in the Wiki at the top of the page.
The firmware is very important. How insecure is it, how many backdoor does it include.
How many places is it phoning home to.

 

[veert]

Yes, will do, thanks. Those are important points.