Annke NC800

[testman78]

Introduction

Even the most advanced night vision security cameras face three essential problems: lack of color, inability to capture detail, and backscatter, which is the reflection near the camera caused by dust particles and flakes of snow. These persistent issues significantly reduce the applicability of the night vision camera, particularly for home security. The NightChroma NC800 by Annke is designed to solve this problem, being able to capture color images even in conditions of very low light, not only thanks to its technical characteristics, but also to the presence of a spotlight that further increases the visual capabilities. Illuminating at a minimum of 0.0005 Lux, Annke’s color vision technology is one of the best in the market right now. Combining that with a 1/1.2″ image sensor and ultra HD recording, it is safe to say that this camera will cover most of your surveillance needs. You can choose between the highly visible bullet case or a more subtle turret casing. Of course, it supports Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology, so you can power the camera with the same network cable.



Specifications:




Packaging & Contents

The packing box is made of a brown cardboard box and it comes in a blue design. The white label indicated the exact model inside.



The Camera itself is packed very securely. Foam pad is made in the most vulnerable places.



It come's with drill template.



Inside the box, you won't find an Ethernet cable, nor a power adapter, so Annke doesn't convince you to go either way (although PoE is clearly the best option, especially for outdoors), but the manufacturer added a waterproof cover for the ethernet cable.



The kit includes a also screws, and dowels.



Allen key.



Quick Installation and user manual.




Like other security-focused products, Annke includes a surveillance sign sticker with the NC800 that lets you notify visitors your home is protected.




A Closer Look

Made with a white painted metal body , the Annke NC800 is a premium product and you notice this as soon as you pick up the camera for the first time. His body is sturdy and the weight is quite important, around 860 grams. The camera does not have the usual "torpedo" shape, but is more rounded.



The unit includes an extremely sensitive CMOS sensor with 2.8mm fixed focal length that does away with traditional IR and Starlight style night vision to produce “full color” night vision with or without the small, integrated spotlight and the ability to record images with a resolution up to 4K. With an f/1.0 aperture, capturing colors in dim lighting has significantly improved. This means it can collect 4 times the amount of light as a regular f/2.0 aperture camera. So you can expect a much brighter and therefore detailed picture! With its 124-degree (diagonal) field of view, the Annke NC800 has a slightly narrower field of view than many outdoor cameras. The peculiarity of this model is the support for the H.265 + codec which, compared to H.264 and H.265 itself , allows the camera to record longer videos with less weight and above all a lower bandwidth consumption when accessing to remote streaming cameras. This camera features also four image enhancement technologies! We are talking about 130 dB True WDR, BLC, HLC, and 3D DNR technologies. The camera supports RTSP and ONVIF protocols. You can integrate it with any ONVIF-supporting video surveillance software, such as Blue Iris or Synology. The camera features noise-canceling audio that can pick up voices from as far as 20 feet away but it does not support two-way audio. Note that the camera also has a Mute option, in case you decide to place the camera where audio recording is not allowed, such as in work environments.



Like Annke's other products, the NC800 is IP67 certified and can operate in practically extreme conditions, the company ensures optimal performance from -30 degrees up to around 60 degrees outside (two rather unlikely temperatures, by the way).



There is a slot for the MicroSD in the back with a maximum capacity of 256GB, next to a reset button. The slot is useful for bypassing the NVR and, therefore, recording 24/7 with the camera alone and without a really structured system. Now, the pros of this solution are undoubtedly the very high video quality that the NC800 has compared to the classic smart cameras that are born to record on MicroSD , as well as continuous recording which is a function only present on these more “professional” cameras. The cons, however, are the need to wire the power supply and the network cable to your router, given the absence of a wireless module.



Then, you get a two-part plastic base, a detachable bracket that you need to use to mount the camera on the wall or ceiling, and the top base that holds the main camera body in place and allows for a certain amount of movement. It has the ability to move on the Y axis , but only manually and not automatically. Three screws are required for a solid and resistant fixing and you can find them directly in the sales package.



At the bottom of the camera, you will notice a permanently connected cable which is split into two smaller cables: one is for connecting the Annke NC800 to a PoE switch or directly to a router and the other is for connecting the camera to a power adapter.




Vision App & Configuration

The Annke NC800 has no support for a WiFi connection, so you have to connect it directly to your router and this can be done in two ways. Get a power adapter and an Ethernet cable and connect the camera to the router and a wall outlet, or use a single Ethernet cable and a PoE switch or PoE adapter to power on the C800. Since I don't like too many outdoor cables, especially power cables, I preferred to use PoE, so I connected the C800 to Annke's NVR N48PAW. Next, I opened the Annke Vision app (I had already installed it since I tested the C800) and then I tapped the Plus sign to add the NC800 - there are two options to do this, either by scanning a QR code or by manually entering the serial number. Since the Annke NC800 does not have a QR code, I used the latter option and, after selecting the device type (wired camera), a device password was required to activate the NC800. Moving on, I set up a verification code, so that the videos are encrypted automatically (don't lose this code) and got the message that the device has connected.




The graphical interface of the app is relatively simple, it shows the live footage in the middle, while right below you can select how many cameras you want to view at the same time (it can go up to 16 - of course, it will work great if you have a bigger tablet). Further down, you can select the available image quality as Basic, Standard or HD. Note that the higher the resolution, the higher the bitrate, but since the connection is wired and the connection is made at 100 Mbps. At maximum video quality, there is a noticeable delay of about 1.5 seconds both day and night. Next to the image quality icon, you can use the digital zoom icon (zoom in up to three times), take a photo, start recording a video, pause live view, etc. The last option will allow you to select the level of noise reduction for your movie. If you tap the three dots in the top right corner, four more options will be brought up, the first one letting you check the footage saved on your SD card or HDD (the device supports SD cards up to 258GB, which is acceptable ). The second and fourth options are for Sharing the device with other people or Add to favorites, while the third option allows you to change the Settings. With smart motion notifications, you can receive alerts when a person is trespassing, intruding on your property, entering your property, or exiting it. You can decide which areas the camera will alert you about and which regions count as your private property. Additionally, AI algorithms can sense humans and vehicles, which is perfect for identity and license plate recognition and avoiding false alarms. But don't expect too much, as there's only a limited amount of options - the good things can be found on the web-based UI. However, you can enable image and video encryption, microphone, configure notifications and set up DDNS.









We have already explored several times the discussion concerning the configuration of PoE type cameras and how advisable it is to use an NVR in order to take full advantage of all their functions. In case you are interested in the subject, in the review of the Annke NVR N48PAW you will find the ways to configure a surveillance system with NVR. To set up the Annke NC800 correctly, you need to access the web-based interface because the app doesn't cover the more in-depth features. To access it, you need to know the IP address provided by the router, then check the customer list from the router's user interface and, after finding the correct address, enter it in the URL of any browser. You will be asked to enter your username and password (it is admin and the password you have already set on the app) and then, you will be greeted by the live view window which will cover most of the screen.





Performance

The video quality of this camera, is exceptional, with the sensor capable of recording at a 4K resolution and 20 fps. In fact, the video quality is some of the best we’ve ever enjoyed on an outdoor security camera. During the day, the camera really manages to capture a lot of detail, unbeatable in this respect, with excellent colors and able to handle exposure very well. Credit for this is definitely the 1/1.2″ STARVIS CMOS sensor. AI facial recognition and vehicle detection worked just fine.





I am really impressed with the low light sensitivity of this camera. It can appear to be completely dark outside but the camera makes it appear as if it is daytime. The resolution and sharpness of the video feed are excellent during the day and at night too. The small light on the camera for night vision is very subtle and a warm light is not a bright cool white that dazzles or looks like a floodlight. Here, too, you can set how bright it should glow. The camera needs very little ambient light! Again, the camera uses BLC technology to bring light to the foreground subject, whether people, vehicles or entire buildings.






Final Thoughts

It’s an amazing thing Annke have achieved, really, being able to put this technology into a package. There’s way more detail with this camera than you’d ever get with 1080p using a 2.8mm lens. The camera is phenomenal. Normally, you have a great daylight camera with 4k resolution, or you have a great night-time, low light camera. Having both requires some serious engineering magic. The day and night performance is outstanding. This captures incredible color video with almost no light. You can finally recognize faces and license plates at night. Better image quality makes Software even more capable, giving brilliant performance to 25m, even at night, and up to 40m during the day. Other detection functions work very reliably, it detects people and cars very well, which greatly reduces false alarms. There is a well designed app for remote monitoring and support for most third party software and NVRs (there is also a way to locally save videos using a microSD card). Besides that, the NC800 is perfectly capable of withstanding external conditions and supports PoE. Unfortunatelly there is no integrated speaker. This removes the possibility of two-way audio with subjects or the ability to trigger a siren or alarm through the speaker. Still not optical zoom on subjects. Also, keep in mind that to work at its full potential you need to have a good NVR (I suggest Annke's NVR N48PAW) or a good NAS (I suggest QNAP or Synology-installing the camera as a generic HIKVISION model works).



The NC800 is a high-end camera and that comes at a cost ($279.99). While it's fine to pick up a couple of these to fit within a budget, if you needed 8 or 16 of them, then it'll get expensive pretty fast. I'd recommend selecting these for important surveillance locations where you need it most. Users who need something robust with no compromises in image quality, the Annke NC800 is impossible to beat. Keep an eye on Annke's Store because they offer limited time offers:
https://www.annke.com/collections/store