Why Not To Buy Cheap Security Cameras

Why Not To Buy Cheap Security Cameras 

If you are shopping for security cameras for your home or business you may wonder why there are large price differences between camera models that seem to have the same specifications but are sold by different companies. Truth be told, prices often reflect the quality of the product you are buying. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” It is important for savvy shoppers to know why it’s not recommended to cut corners when shopping for a security camera system. Is saving a couple of hundred dollars worth the thousands that you can save by investing in quality surveillance cameras?

Video Surveillance market especially regarding IP-based surveillance systems, is the customer’s lack of knowledge on what they want to buy. They compare IP Surveillance systems with IP devices that are used in general networking/LAN. The problem is that LAN/WAN is focused more on the network or the backend. For IP surveillance, they need to pay attention to the camera as it is the major component, apart from other network devices. This is where the price sensitivity issues that have become a nightmare for foreign vendors in India resurface. Competition from Chinese manufacturers is a challenge to SIs working with premium solution providers. Dr. Arindam Bhadra, Technical director of SSA Integrate said” “With the presence of various low-quality Chinese products, the biggest challenge for us is to convince our customers to buy products, which, although high in pricing, offers a better quality coupled with world-class technology. Still, many customers take cameras as just a device to watch the videos rather than for security surveillance. So, educating the customer and convincing them on the quality of products is the major challenge. Even they not bother type of cyber certification, UL etc.”

Below we list the features that industry experts at CCTV Camera World recommend considering when comparing surveillance products. These features provide more insight about the cost difference between professional vs cheap security cameras.

Quality of Image Sensors

With cheap security cameras come cheap image sensors. Manufacturers like to cut costs wherever possible. Image sensors are one of the most expensive parts of a camera, and the main component that determines the video quality of a camera. Cameras that use poor quality image sensors do not produce clear video.

For example, a camera made with a low quality sensor may claim to have 4K resolution but will fall short when its video quality is compared with video from a real 4K security camera. An inexpensive 4K camera that costs $100 from a low-cost vendor will never come close in providing the kind of clarity provided by a 4K security camera that costs $200 from a reputable  manufacturer.

Many low cost surveillance cameras have blurry video when compared to higher quality products. Always look for actual video samples, like the ones featured on CCTV Camera World. Don’t fall for stock photos that do not demonstrate actual performance of the camera you are considering to purchase.

How to compare security cameras?

Digital zoom is a great way to measure the quality of the image sensor inside the camera that captures video. Using digital zoom is common for gathering detail on a face, license plate, or vehicle. Digital zoom works by magnifying a selected part of the field of view in the video to see minute detail. When using digital zoom some pixelation can be expected depending on the resolution of the camera and the quality of the sensor. Low-quality image sensors fail to provide pixelation-free digital zoom when compared with high-quality sensors.

To illustrate the difference, below is an actual example comparing one of CCTV Camera World’s 4K Security Cameras (model IPC4K18)  to a 4K camera from an Amazon vendor. When we use digital zoom to magnify license plates on cars parked 30ft away the difference in video clarity is apparent. The image provided by the cheaper camera on the right becomes blurry making it difficult to interpret the license plate numbers.

The difference in image quality between the two cameras is more pronounced when attempting to see farther away. We explain this in further detail in the video below.

Night Time Video Quality

All cameras with built-in infrared for night vision will appear to have fuzzy, grainy or unclear video at night. High quality security cameras feature technology to detect and correct noisy video. Noise Reduction Technology, also called 3DNR, uses image processing to enhance video production at night.

Inexpensive or "cheapo" cameras claim to have noise reduction features but do not perform. Noise reduction is  important when trying to see detail at a distance in black and white mode at night. With poor quality noise reduction it is almost impossible to make out a face or writing on a sign at a distance.

In our comparison we found the “cheapo” Amazon Cameras to have poor image production by the sensor compounded by poor noise reduction. You can see the difference for yourself below.

Encoding and Codecs - Video Compression Artifacts

Low-cost cameras also means that not enough money went into research and development. This leads to software that has a poor design and introduces issues. One of the major issues with low-end video products is video artifacts. Video requires encoding to be done by a chip on the camera. Low cost chips with poor video encoding power and poorly implemented video encoding algorithms cause video artifacts. Video artifacts are frustrating streaks, blotches, or weird pixelations in video. Sometimes it looks like a pixel dance as shown in the video comparison above.

Video artifacts are common in the video produced by cheap cameras, especially in high resolution cameras like 4K. The video encoder inside the camera cannot handle the amount of power needed to encode 4K resolution video properly.

Artifacts prevent identification of intruders, and can render video clips useless. It’s hard to see when video distorts, blurs, or does not record well. What good is a camera if it lacks the ability to record footage without video artifacts?

Durability and Longevity

Cost cutting measures related to a camera’s physical construction are also common in the production of a low-cost camera. Unfortunately most frugal buyers are unaware that cost cutting includes poor physical design of the camera, low-grade materials, poor weather sealing, and cheap solder.

An outdoor surveillance camera should be constructed with aluminum or plastic that is durable enough to withstand the elements. Particular attention is paid so that water is never pooling on the joints or gaps that are reinforced with a rubber gasket. Low quality aluminum that is not properly powder coated is known to rust over a short time. Similarly, cheap plastic camera casings crack outdoors while strong ABS plastic casings can outperform metal encased cameras.

Weather proofing is another way to cheap out when producing security cameras. By industry standards an outdoor security camera should have an Ingress Protection or IP rating of 66 or higher.

Although low-cost cameras may have an IP rating they are often misleading. When poorly thought out camera design that fails to create a watershed on the camera is combined with low quality rubber gaskets to keep the moisture out, water can easily find its way in. Moisture can condensate to fog the camera lens, or pool inside and damage the internal electronics.

Commonly no one thinks about the quality of the solder that is used on the circuit board inside. Soldering that goes into creating the circuit boards inside is another way to cut costs. High quality soldering helps to create connections that will not break over time.  Low-cost cameras have poor solder material that will degrade quickly over time or bubble in hot temperatures. Cutting corners for soldering means that the product will have a higher rate of failure when exposed to hot temperatures outside.

Warranty

When you see something that's too good to be true, it usually is. Vendors claiming free warranties in excess of 2 years on surveillance camera products are riddled with exclusions. Product warranties are limited warranties against manufacturing defects and it is normal to have exclusions for misuse, tampering, modification, incorrect voltage or surge, lightning, and acts of God. When no sign of these exclusions is present, warranty claims are frequently denied by some vendors.

For Indian scenario, such customer not get any support due to loss of Invoice or invoice not accepted by service vendors, as called unauthorised sales – just use & through.

It is important to realize the reasoning behind why warranties beyond 2 years are too good to be true. New camera models are developed every 2 years, while older models are phased out and  so is their inventory for parts to repair products. If there are no parts to fix an item that is more than 2 years old, nor are there equivalent products to replace the malfunctioning item, how is the warranty claim going to be filled?

Tech Support

Security products have become complicated electronics. Having good quality technical support is important to learn how to use what you purchased. Manuals with poor English are common with cheap products as there is little investment made by those companies in creating modern instructional material that is easy to follow.

Surveillance systems do require troubleshooting as there are other components like cabling, DVR recorders, and power supplies which can cause issues in video quality. Having access to qualified and experienced technical support is crucial to resolve problems. Most online sellers are driven by price alone to sell the cheapest camera or system to entice buyers. However, when help is needed, buyers are met with long hold times, voicemail systems,, email response times of 48 hours if they are lucky, or completely clueless tech support representatives.

Unfortunately, when buying cheap security cameras you should not expect anything better than third-class support from a representative in a Third World Country.

At CCTV Camera World we get more calls for support each day from buyers who have not even purchased from us. They are desperate individuals looking for technical help with a cheap security camera system they purchased on Amazon, Ali Express, Ebay or the like, and the product seller failed to provide support or even easy access to a support department by email or phone.

Take away

We hope this guide serves to provide useful information to a buyer whose shopping online for security cameras and evaluating products based on price alone. In the security camera industry, there are hundreds of vendors to choose from. Choosing the vendor that's a fit for you depends on how much you want to spend, the quality you are looking for, and the cost and quality of after-sales technical support provided by the vendor.

A couple of days before we wrote this post, a customer called in and told us a great story about how he learned his lesson that you get what you pay for. He recounted several years back he bought brake pads with a lifetime warranty for his pickup truck. His brakes faded in 6 months, which never happened to him before with aftermarket brakes from a different manufacturer. Usually his brake pads last him 2 years. He went back to the shop that sold him the brake pads and they said sure we can replace those brakes, there will be a $80 charge for each axle. That meant every 6 months, he would have to spend $160 to get the lifetime warranty.

Network Video Recorder cum Network Switch

Network Video Recorder "Built-in" Network Switch 

The introduction of a Network Video Recorder (NVR) with a built in network switch confused a good portion of the professional market.  It very much seemed to be something that was geared towards catering to a side of the market that was completely unfamiliar with how an IP camera system is setup and installed.   Not a lot has changed since their original release dates.  Most installers still scratch their heads at the thought of using them, but the fact remains that there is an audience.  For those who aren't looking to educate/teach themselves the way of "proper IP installation," these simple to adapt to NVRs are very appealing.  Having said that, it's equally important to understand what you're getting yourself into with a built in switch.

Cost Comparison

There are two ways to look at cost, but we're going to start with your initial purchase for getting this system up and running.  There's no way to conceal the fact that purchasing an NVR with a built in switch is going to be cheaper.  A standard NVR purchased together with a dedicated PoE switch will probably cost you about 25% more than the alternative.  Because of the somewhat basic nature of network switches, you probably won't notice any difference in performance between the two options.  It really comes down to quality in this case, and you're just going to pay more money for the more proven brands; your built in switches are generally built by an unnamed Chinese manufacturer.

The other way to look at cost is to look towards the future.  Network switches are just as imperfect as everything else.  The most common occurrence is that a network port burns out and is no longer able to be used.  If your warranty has expired, you're now in a position where you're going to need to start spending money to get to a solution.  Depending on how much that damaged switch effects your system, you're left with a couple options.  In the case of a dedicated switch, you can replace the switch entirely or you can purchase another smaller switch as an add-on to make up for malfunctioning port(s).  These can be purchased for as little as $50.  An NVR with a built in switch is not going to have such an easy time.  You can try using a dedicated switch as an add-on, but you're now just setting up your system via the alternate method.  If you still have a demand for the same type of "camera hardwired to NVR" setup and your NVR is out of warranty, you'll now find yourself needing to replace the entire NVR instead of the much cheaper network switch.P

Cable Runs

A built in switch is going to require that you run your cable the same way you would with an analog system.  In this scenario, you're going to be running a cable for each camera all the way back to the NVR to create your hardwired connection. Your cable length is limited, in this case, to the standard 328 feet.

A dedicated switch can potentially have some major advantages here. Thinking that a dedicated switch needs to be placed anywhere near your NVR or router would be a mistake.  It makes the most sense to place your switch as close to the biggest cluster of cameras as possible.  This can make for a lot of short cable runs from IP cameras to switch.  From there, it's just a matter of running a single cable from that switch back to your router.  The end result is that you simultaneously put all of your IP cameras on your network by running that one cable.

This is a rough example of what an installation might look like with a dedicated switch.  Of course your own personal hardware situation might be different, but you should get the concept we're going for.  Installing your IP camera system like this will also double the potential distance you can run your cable.  In addition to your cable length being able to be run as far as 328 feet from cameras to switch, you can also run up to another 328 feet from switch to router.  You can revert back to cost as much as you want, but a dedicated switch is going to give you more capabilities and versatility for your money than a built in PoE switch will.

Reliability

This is mostly a matter of opinion and how much you trust individual manufacturers to begin with.  Dedicated switches are usually going to be found with a name brand printed on them.  You've heard of certain brands like Linksys, Netgear, and D-Link because they have an established reputation.  It's not hard to go online and find out how well these companies are performing.  The internet will contain a plethora of reviews and discussions related to these company's products.  This is all to say that transparency is much easier to find with big brands; the general public doesn't let them keep any secrets.  This makes selecting and purchasing a product a very straight forward and simple task; it just takes a bit of research.

There are those among us who are completely against the idea of owning anything that's "unbranded" under the pretense that they believe it's all junk and lacks in longevity.  The fact remains that a good number of the unbranded devices that people have come to feel uncomfortable with are actually performing, and in some cases outperforming, a lot of the big brand names.  If something like this bothers you, you're going to have a hard time feeling comfortable with an NVR that has a built in switch.  The lower costs of these switches makes them attractive but getting passed the uncertainty of knowing whether or not they're going to perform as needed is not as simple.  Researching an NVR with a built in switch can gain you a general public opinion, but those opinions don't usually cover things like speed tests or information regarding longevity of the product.  This is one of those things you'll likely just have to try for yourself in order to know for sure.

All in all, you have good options for both dedicated switches and built in switches. Doing a little bit of homework/research into the product you’re considering should shed enough light on the subject where you can feel confident with your decision either way.

Compatibility

A dedicated switch, no matter who it may be manufacturer by, is compatible with any IP camera from any manufacturer across the board; no questions about it.  A built in switch relies on information it receives from the NVR to determine compatibility.  This can quickly turn into a problem absent any solution.  If you hard wire your IP camera to your built in switch on your NVR and you find that the camera isn't being detected, you're almost guaranteed to be the owner of an NVR and IP cameras that are probably never going to play nicely with each other, and likely not at all.  There is seldom anything you can do to fix a problem like this. On rare occasions, there's a setting that needs to be toggled somewhere, but don't plan on being this lucky.

You can still have compatibility issues with a dedicated switch, but those problems are usually limited to specific features and not the complete inability to bring up the camera whatsoever.  For example, a HikVision IP camera cannot be accessed by a Dahua NVR if you attach that camera to a built in switch on the NVR.  However, if you connect that same camera to a dedicated switch, you'll very easily be able to add that camera to the NVRs device list, but you'll be missing the motion detection feature without a lot of tampering.  We should mention again that any compatibility issues you encounter with a dedicated switch aren't cause by the switch, but by the manufacturers of the cameras and recorders. We are not promote HikVision / Dahua as both “High" level vulnerabilities. No participation in ONVIF committees for both brands. No access to new ONVIF software. Below media statement.

MINIMIZE VULNERABILITIES IN YOUR IP SECURITY CAMERA

MINIMIZE VULNERABILITIES IN YOUR IP SECURITY CAMERA 

A security consultant can act as an adviser for a building owner, occupant or property developer in relation to the design and incorporation of the security solutions. Clients typically require security consultants to advice on potential security threats and potential breaches, and to create contingency protocols to safeguard their organisation or assets. Every security consultant should guide about Camera vulnerabilities to there customers.

Internet Protocol (IP) cameras are an important component of state-of-the-art video surveillance systems. Unlike analog closed-circuit cameras, IP security cameras, which send and receive data through a computer network and the Internet, offer businesses a number of benefits. These benefits include the ability to monitor and control their video surveillance system remotely and a significant cost savings by allowing cloud storage of video files. However, like any device that is plugged into the Internet, without proper attention to cybersecurity, the same IP security cameras you have installed to improve security in your business may, in fact, be making it more vulnerable to physical and network attacks.

What are Hackers Looking For?

Hackers look for vulnerabilities to exploit, usually for malicious purposes. There are plenty of reasons why hackers might want to break into your IP security camera surveillance system, including some that promise potentially huge rewards:

·        They may be planning a burglary or a physical attack on your building or its occupants. If they can break into your network cameras, they can observe your physical security practices, including when guards come and go and where there are opportunities to enter the building. Once they know where and when to break in, your entire facility and all of its occupants are at risk.

·        They may want to take advantage of your business computing resources, such as your network’s processing power, for the purpose of stealing large data sets or more recently, mining cryptocurrencies.

·        To steal high-value trade secrets to sell to your competitors on the black market.

·        To steal personal information for the purposes of conducting phishing attacks to obtain credit card and banking information from individuals.

·        To install malware, such as keyloggers, to capture passwords as they are entered or ransomware that takes your system hostage until you pay the hacker to release it.

Are Your IP Security Cameras Vulnerable?

The short answer is yes. All security cameras are vulnerable to hacking. The unfortunate reality is that in today’s cybersecurity environment, the question is not whether your system will be hacked but when, which makes ongoing and proactive cybersecurity measures a must.

Hackers can break into your video surveillance system in a variety of ways. In addition to hacking the cameras themselves, they can get into your network through:

·        The computer operating system you use (e.g. Microsoft Windows, Linux, etc.)

·        The software your system uses, including digital video recording (DVR), network video recording (NVR), or video management system (VMS) software

·        Any firewall ports you may be using to access the system controls

Given these additional entry points, the security of your IP cameras depends not only on the cameras you use but also on the network technology and configuration of your system. In general, the relative security the system provides depends on how access is configured:

Most Secure — The safest system uses the local network equipped with a network firewall and virtual private network (VPN) software for access. With this type of system, the only way to get through the firewall is through a secure, encrypted connection.

An alternative to this would be to use a cloud-managed IP security camera. With this type of system, rather than opening the firewall and relying on a password to gain access to the camera on a local network, cloud-managed IP cameras are configured to communicate with a secured server in the cloud over an encrypted connection, and users gain access by linking up their devices with those servers. Cloud-managed devices offer a good alternative to locally networked systems because most cloud services monitor their servers continuously.

Least Secure — The least secure type of IP security camera is used in conjunction with a system that relies on port forwarding (China based OEM propose) for access, which allows users to access the camera through a network firewall with nothing other than a password. With this type of system, the only thing keeping a hacker out is the strength of the password used.

How to Protect Your IP Security Cameras

One of the most important things you can do to protect your IP security cameras is to know what you have and whether there are any known vulnerabilities. The CVE Security Vulnerabilities Database is a great place to start. This site tracks the vulnerabilities of all kinds of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and is searchable by the vendor (manufacturer), product and version, specific vulnerabilities and their severity. When checked regularly, this information can help you identify and address new issues with your IP security cameras so that you can address them more quickly.

A comprehensive set of cybersecurity best practices can go a long way to improving the security of your IP security cameras and your video surveillance system as a whole:

·        Contain and compartmentalize your internal networks. Creating separate networks for your video surveillance system and your information systems not only saves on bandwidth, but also minimizes risk should any part of your system be compromised.

·        If you are not already using a firewall, implement one as soon as possible.

·        Use a unique, long, and non-obvious password for each camera. This is critical if you are allowing access with a port forwarding system. If your system employs a VPN, however, having a single strong password for all cameras will suffice.

·        Change all passwords every 90 days at a minimum.

·        Enable two- or multi-factor authentication for your system, which requires the user to provide another piece(s) of information unique to the user, such as a code sent via text or phone, secret questions, etc. This is critically important if you are using a port forwarding system.

·        Develop and document cybersecurity guidelines and provide cybersecurity training to all employees who will have access to your video surveillance system.

·        Establish a cybersecurity incident response team so that you can swiftly and effectively respond to any breaches.

·        Stay on top of the operating system and software updates and apply them promptly when they come out.

·        If you use a cloud-based system, make sure you use a trusted provider.

·        Stay up-to-date with the latest cybersecurity standards.

 

Cybersecurity concerns are a long-standing issue for Hikvision, e.g., it was US government federally banned by the 2019 NDAA and the US government is planning to ban FCC authorizations for Hikvision, so this admission comes at a critical time for the company.

Researcher describes only access to the http(s) server port (typically 80/443) is needed. No username or password needed nor any actions need to be initiated by camera owner. It will not be detectable by any logging on the camera itself. This is the worst Hikvision vulnerability since Hikvision's backdoor was discovered in 2017 where Hikvision included a magic (ostensibly secret) string that allowed anyone with that string to perform admin operations, without having the device's admin credentials.

The attack can be executed via HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443). Once a camera has been compromised, the attacker can use it as a starting point to explore the rest of a victim’s network. Past attacks on connected cameras have also sought to enlist the devices into botnet armies capable of launching massive DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks or spam campaigns.

This vulnerability is about as serious as they come, rated 9.8 out of 10 on the Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS).

IPVM estimate 100+ million devices globally are impacted by this vulnerability making it, by far, the biggest vulnerability to ever hit video surveillance. The combination of its critical nature (9.8 / "zero-click unauthenticated remote code execution") and Hikvision's massive market size make this risk unprecedented.

For background, back in 2016, Hikvision said they manufactured "more than 55M cameras" and the annual output has grown substantially since. Hikvision has therefore shipped a few hundred million cameras and tens of millions of recorders during the time frame the vulnerability covers.

The end-users who buy these cameras are responsible for the data/video footage they generate. They are, in other words, the data custodians who process the data and are in control of the video footage, which is required to be kept private by law (under the GDPR). Secret access to video footage on these devices is impossible without the consent of the end-user.

Dahua is another in Ban list. Watch above video. https://youtu.be/MtkeaoS3jBc

Keeping Up with Cybersecurity Threats Can be Daunting

Hackers are relentless in their attacks and there is not a single industry today that is immune to them. Almost half of all cybercrimes are committed against small businesses, and it has been predicted that a business will fall victim to a ransomware attack every 14 seconds by 2019.

If you need help with your video surveillance system, SSA Integrate can help. Our security experts stay on top of the technology and all the best practices in cybersecurity so you don’t have to. We give importance of our customer data security.

If you are installing a new video surveillance system, we can help you select the right technology to meet your needs and ensure it is properly configured to provide the top level security you expect. We can also look at your current system to identify and eliminate any vulnerabilities and provide the monitoring and updates you need to keep your system secure. Whether you need five cameras or 500, SSA Integrate can help. Contact us today to learn more.

Ref:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/leemathews/2021/09/22/widely-used-hikvision-security-cameras-vulnerable-to-remote-hijacking/?sh=138e83062f31

https://ipvm.com/reports/hikvision-36260

https://cve.mitre.org/cgi-bin/cvename.cgi?name=CVE-2021-36260

https://watchfulip.github.io/2021/09/18/Hikvision-IP-Camera-Unauthenticated-RCE.html