POE PTZ with motion activated spotlight?

[macman]

I'm looking for a POE PTZ camera to give me some visible light in a dark place at the bottom of my garden when motion activated (usually by residents, not intruders). I've found various Hikvision cameras with supplementary LED light but they all seem to emit strobe light only whereas I want a built-in continuous spotlight/floodlight which stays on for maybe 20secs after activation. Most dual light cameras also seem to link their visible light with an audio recording which I would need to deactivate. I don't need AI bells and whistles but would like some basic presets and patrol function. Any ideas? TIA.

 

[Dan]

Hi @macman

Apologies for the lack of response but we were also struggling to think of any model we could recommend, did you find a solution?

 

[macman]

Hi @Dan

I'm still on the case. I thought I had found a good/cheap ONVIF solution from YCX in China - see my test results here - but its SD card slot is inaccessible from a Mac (although the excellent SecuritySpy will make recordings from the live feed to my HD as long as I am willing to keep it running).

I'm sure that the new RLC-823A from Reolink will work properly (once they update the firmware to debug vertical PTZ tracking) but it's 250% more expensive and only works within Reolink's closed ecosystem. I may try it once the price comes down as their Mac client is refined but exclusive.

Unfortunately, the camera I like the most - the Uniview Mini PTZ at about £200 - has a linked strobe light and audio warning siren which aren't suited to a residential application and can't be turned off.

There are a couple of other very cheap Alibaba options but their sales agents will tell you anything and you never know until you've paid for it (and for Fedex) whether it actually works on a Mac:

- £77 + shipping
- £90 delivered
- £140 delivered

Of the above, I would be almost certain that the Reolink offering will be the only one which works properly on a Mac.