The Dericam H502W was a huge success due to the exceptional follow up of its developer, Maygion.
The new H503W has more potential to brings up the missing features of its predecessor, like the preset positions.
The H503W keeps the well-known design of its older brother.The double antenna and the removal of the WPS button are the only visible differences.
The unit tested came with the firmware 14.08.19.02 which is also found on Dericam.com
User Interface
I've been tempted to do a copy/paste of my previous review, because that's what the user interface looks like. The only change in the interface is the, now operational, Presets page
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| Always backup your board.dat! |
so first things first, backup of the board.dat, which can also be done via the unadvertized page /debug_hw.htm
A Wi-Fi hotspot option has been added so the IP Camera now supports a router-less connection to its clients.
Better PTZ control
The H503W does a full rotation when powered up. That's good news! The motors have been upgraded to support preset positions (preset.html seen before).
ONVIF and Synology Surveillance StationNothing has changed really with the H503W, there's still no audio capabilities detected by Synology Surveillance Station (ONVIF Profile S certified), nor patrolling option. It's still better to select the H502W in the list so at least the PTZ control is possible.
Video quality:
No change from H502W, both model have the same excellent picture quality.
The streaminfo.htm page tells you all you need to know to intercept the video stream
Audio quality:
The audio quality seems unchanged. I found it good. There are reports of audio being lost after a while, just like with the older H502W but I rarely used the audio it simply doesn't work with Synology Surveillance Station.
Conclusion:
The H503W is not a revolution.
Apart from the welcome addition of the PTZ presets, it shows the same limited Synology compatibility as before. The rest is virtually unchanged and I suspect the double antenna to be there only as a visual distinction with the older model.
However for the price (67.54€ on ebay), it is worth spending the mere 4€ extra for that newer model. Unlike many IP Cameras, the developer has earned some credit in improving his firmware at regular interval.
Better:
Position presets
Nothing else
Not changed:
Synology limited compatibility: no audio, no presets control.(Who's fault is not clearly determined).
Similar models:
Cybernova WIP604SW (not WIP604MW),
EyeSight ES-IP922W
Software Download
Dericam: www.dericam.net/Support.asp?i=1
From Cybernova; www.ipcam-online.com (includes SDK)
1 comment:
I have a number of Dericam H502W and H503W cameras. If, like me, you want to order some spares for in case one fails, make sure you test them. I routinely find the IR cut filter does not work and so the camera stays "stuck" in the daytime/daylight mode. Other issues which I have identified and passed along to Dericam but which get no reply or fix:
1 - Unlike FOSCAM there is no place in the firmware to disable the network lamps.
2 - The presets seem like a good idea, there just is no way to use them. That is right, you can point the camera and specify names, but there is no location I can find where buttons are present in order to actually use the feature.
3 - Laughably, when you look at the "Control Panel" menu there is a listing for "Outer Device". This is used universally across their camera line. I have told them repeatedly that it is "Other Device" and they apparently don't have good enough English comprehension skills to grasp that input.
4 - There is zero documentation.
5 - When I write their support address I do not get a reply most times.
6 - There is no way to subscribe to get notices of firmware upgrades/updates.
7 - On their website they mix all manner of software such that you have to read through everything they support to pick your software. Just changing that page to organize it a bit (i.e. by camera, camera type, etc.) would be helpful.
Their price is right, their performance is OK but their lack of support of any kind is unfortunate. That is a general observation. Their lack of response to emails is disappointing. If you are looking for cameras you might want to consider the other market offerings and see if those are supported any better.
Best Regards,
Phil
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