Hey
@tibimakai as I mentioned before in this thread, there are 2 separate branches of this FW therefore if you are in a
non AT unit and want it, you currently have to use the custom branch which will enable it. If you have a unit that
DOES support AT from the factory then you can use the regular branch. To answer your question specifically on upgrades and make it clear for all,
IF you upgrade a non factory AT 49225 to the regular firmware branch then YES you will lose AT. My hope personally is that Dahua merges the FW branches in future which
could happen as they did revisit the re-flash to AT for 49225's sold through dealers/distributors. WRT to security issues those are generally (note I say generally) taken care of by any cam manufacturer due to the criticality and exposure of not patching these. Therefore if there were a security hole found at some point, I would expect it to be taken care of. Dahua & Hik have been pretty good about this in the past where these types of situations have occurred, even when a product is old in the tooth or on a non standard FW branch.
Next your question about camera selection. My personal favorites right now for PTZ's (unless you want to spend a ton of money or have a specific business / project or location need for a well built workhorse like the SD10A and even more specialized, SDT5
) are the 49225 if you want something cheaper BUT a powerhouse of features, or the 5A425 if you want to step up to the very capable 4MP sensor. Either one, must be installed (plan your install location) and configured correctly to ensure you get good results. See my posts here and in my 5A425 review for details on how that makes a big difference. Also see my post where I go through sensor size vs optics in both threads and the importance of that when selecting a cam. Both of these cams I mention represent the best in their relevant price ranges for performance, optics, features, ability, overall PQ
currently. While there are definite build quality differences between 49xxx/59xxx/5Axxx and the SD6/8/10 (for example), in the favor of the SD6/8/10, the price to performance ratio and PQ quality of these 2 cams
for residential installs is something that can't be overlooked and certainly when compared with sensor and optics (per my post) these 2 do beat out the 49445, 59225, 5A232 and even 5A445 (hence would not recommend those 4 over these 2). When you combine all of that with quiet operation (even more so whisper quiet on the 5A425) that can be incredibly important to the particular install requirements, in your case residential.
I will cover the regular caveat however of ensuring that you build your system for the location itself. As you've heard me (and others) mention many many times, PTZ's should not be looked at as a solve all solution where 1 PTZ can replace xx cameras. They can compliment an install very well and in some cases are absolutely required due their flexibility in range, height and features BUT they really shine when you pair with spotter cams in triangulated or quad cam configs as part of your overall solution. This ensures you never have a gap (PTZ looking the wrong way) in coverage or target zone which lets be honest is why you build a security system in the first place
The only other thing to consider is aesthetics, some people like the new 5A housing, others prefer the 49xxx/59xxx housing and others prefer the SD6/8/10 styles but that's down to you
To the point of can these cameras have issues or seemingly not perform as expected, YES of course. Now with that said, a large majority of the time these can be attributed to incorrect expectations of a unit, people buying the wrong piece of kit for a given area, OR config and install location related, BUT there is the occasion (we've all seen them) where you see a cam have build issues just like any technical equipment. Heck I've even seen build issues on $40k Canon CJEX lenses and Panasonic AJ-PX bodies I use but these are generally uncommon and if they do surface are in small batches that can be tracked to a build date range etc. In other cases these can be code level issues that get triggered in perfect storm situations or surface when component level HW has changed during build ranges. The key as we all know is ensuring you get good service through great dealers/distributors that take care of you in that time of service need. We all know that at some point we're going to end up with a cam, intercom, NVR, computer, phone etc that will break or even arrive defective, sometimes even DOA, its then down to quality of service and support that for me is key to any purchase I make personally or business wise.
HTH and as always let me know with any questions, you can always DM as well, happy to help where I can.
I have asked before, but nobody gave me an answer.
Andy, you provide this firmware, that includes the auto tracking, which is great, but in the future, if this camera receives an updated firmware and that update does not have the auto tracking, what we will do?
I'm considering this camera, but I'm concerned about this issue.
