Acti E33 IP Camera Review

[Harri Whipp]

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Over the past few weeks ACTi's new range of cameras has slowly filtered through the office and we have seen some great products! But the one that has really caught my eye is their E33 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera. This camera is a great example of a high quality product at an affordable price. ACTi have really put some serious effort and work into the camera as well as the costs. A few months ago you would have paid the same (if not more) for a 1MP outdoor bullet camera.

This camera has many great features. It has true day/night capability with a mechanical IR cut filter, which means you can view at a minimum of 0 LUX with the IR LEDs on. The quality of this camera is exceptional for the price shooting 15fps at 2592x1944 pixels. It also has basic WDR (Wide Dynamic Range) making images with different light levels a lot clearer. This camera is waterproof with an IP66 rated casing and uses PoE which is the preferred method of power of 95% of our customers.

To view this product in our webshop, click here.

Acti has released 3 different E bullet cameras:

• E31- a 1MP outdoor bullet camera
• E32- a 3MP outdoor bullet camera
• E33- a 5MP outdoor bullet camera

Each of these cameras appear the same in size, style and shape. They also come in near identical packaging. If you would like to watch an unboxing of the E33's sibling the 3MP E32 please watch below.

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With these new-styled cameras you now have an ethernet connector presented on a short lead at the rear of the camera. However, if you unscrew the back cover you also have an RJ45 jack that enables you to connect an ethernet cable directly through the rear of the camera. This camera is supplied with an alternative cable gland which allows you to use flexible weatherproof conduit. Here's what the rear of the camera looks like with the cover removed:

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We recorded our footage for this device using the free ACTi NVR 3 software that works with every ACTi camera. This software allows you to view and record up to 16 channels free of charge (with optional paid-for upgrades for further cameras) and comes with iPhone and Android applications. You can also connect non-ACTi ONVIF devices, however ACTi does charge license fees for this function.

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You may also be interested in our forum post on how to set up the NVR 3 and add a camera.​

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As standard for IP cameras, this one has a web application that allows you to configure settings, watch live footage, set up separate streams and take snapshots. Using this software we took the full resolution snapshot (2592x1944) that you can see below or at full resolution by clicking here.

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We also captured some great sample footage, shot on a sunny day outside the office:

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In conclusion I feel that this camera is a great buy and ACTi have really surpassed other competitors with the quality, capability and price. I would suggest this for any home user or office/business that need that bit of extra quality surveillance. This coupled with the NVR 3 is a great solution to CCTV security.

ACTi's many new high quality products and great prices would allow you to build a superior system at a low cost, without losing any of the quality; this 5MP is only around £75 more than its 3MP sibling and only £98 more than the 1MP model.

The 5MP E33 Outdoor Bullet Camera offers great value for a high-resolution, weatherproof, true day/night IP Camera!