IP Cameras

Q: What's the difference between an IP camera and an analog camera?

IP cameras connect over Ethernet, deliver native-digital HD/4K resolution, run on-camera analytics, and integrate with software-based VMS platforms. Analog cameras use coax and require encoder/DVR hardware to reach network resolution beyond 1080p. For new deployments, IP is the standard — analog exists only for retrofit use cases where coax already runs.

Q: Which IP camera brands are NDAA compliant?

Axis, Hanwha Vision, i-PRO, Pelco, Digital Watchdog, Vivotek, and Bosch are all NDAA-compliant. Hikvision and Dahua are restricted under Section 889 for federal, state government, and critical-infrastructure procurement but remain available for commercial deployments.

Q: How do I choose the right resolution for an IP camera?

Start with the farthest point of the scene you need to identify. Calculate required PPF (pixels-per-foot) on that target: 125 PPF for recognition, 250 PPF for identification. Work backward from PPF and sensor size to resolution and lens focal length. A 2MP camera with the right lens often outperforms a 4K camera with the wrong one — see our DORI guide.

Q: What PoE standard do modern IP cameras require?

Fixed indoor cameras run on standard 802.3af PoE (15.4W). Outdoor cameras with heaters and IR need PoE+ (802.3at, 25.5W). PTZ, multi-sensor, and heated-housing cameras need PoE++ (802.3bt, 60-90W). Plan switch power budget for simultaneous-peak load, not nameplate ratings — see why PoE switches fail at scale.

Q: Can I mix IP camera brands in one VMS?

Yes — any ONVIF Profile S + G certified cameras work with any certified VMS. Milestone XProtect, Genetec Security Center, Avigilon ACC, and Exacq routinely mix Axis, Hanwha, i-PRO, and Hikvision cameras on one server. Note: vendor-specific analytics metadata (Axis Object Analytics, Hanwha AI, etc.) may require that vendor's VMS or a VMS with explicit integration.

Q: How many cameras can a typical NVR support?

Channel count is only one dimension — total bitrate is the real constraint. A 32-channel NVR rated for 320 Mbps can't run 32 4K cameras at 8 Mbps each (that's 256 Mbps, leaving almost no headroom). For high-resolution deployments, size by aggregate bitrate first, channel count second. See retention math for sizing methodology and our NVR catalog.

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Vivotek FD9399-EHTV 8MP Vandal-Proof Dome Camera
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Vivotek FD9399-EHV 8MP AI IR Dome Camera
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Vivotek

Vivotek FE9180-H-v2 5MP Fisheye IP Camera

180° fisheye IP camera with 5MP and 30fps for full-room coverage
- 5MP 1920×1920 square sensor captures 180° panorama in color at 0.05 lux
- 30fps H.265/H.264 with WDR Pro and <0.005 lux B&W for high-contrast scenes
- IP66/IK10 rated, PoE powered (4.6W), mounts ceiling or wall with ePTZ zoom
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Vivotek FE9191-H-v2 12MP Indoor 360° Panoramic WDR Pro Day/Night IR MicroSD Remote Focus Fisheye IP Camera

360° 12MP fisheye with WDR Pro and IR for complete indoor coverage
- 12MP at 2944×2944 with H.265 compression and 120dB dynamic range
- 360° panoramic view with WDR Pro handles bright and shadowed areas
- IR night vision to 0.005 lux B/W, remote focus, microSD recording
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Vivotek FE9380-HV 5MP Outdoor 360° Fisheye IP Camera

180° fisheye IP camera with 5MP & 10m IR for full perimeter coverage
- 5MP 180° H/V/D fisheye eliminates blind spots; single unit replaces 2–3 narrow cameras
- 10m IR range + WDR Pro handles day/night outdoor scenes; IP66/IK10 rated
- H.265/H.264 compression; PoE powered (<13W); 4 concurrent video streams
$582.00 $398.99 Save $183.01

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Vivotek FE9382-EHV-v2 6MP Outdoor 360° Panoramic WDR Pro IR Vandal Proof Fixed Fisheye IP Camera

360° 6MP fisheye for complete area coverage without blind spots
- 180° horizontal and vertical panoramic view captures entire scenes from one camera
- IK10 vandal-proof, IP66 sealed housing rated for outdoor impact and weather exposure
- 20m IR night vision with WDR Pro handles high-contrast lighting from day to darkness
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Vivotek FE9391-EV-V2-M12 12MP Fisheye Mobile Camera
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Vivotek IB833-HV-1Y 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera
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Vivotek IB839-EHTV-V2-1Y 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera
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Vivotek IB9365-EHTV-V2 2MP Dome Camera
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Vivotek IB9369-F2 2MP Outdoor MicroSD Card Slot IR Night Vision Bullet IP Camera

2MP outdoor bullet with 30m IR night vision and microSD recording
- 1920x1080 Full HD at 30 fps with 118° field of view for wide coverage
- 30-meter Smart IR illumination with day/night and WDR for mixed lighting
- Local microSD/SDHC/SDXC storage plus PoE and 12V DC dual power options
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Vivotek IB9380-HTV-V2 5MP Outdoor Motorized Bullet Camera
$279.99

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Vivotek IB9380-HV-V2 5MP Outdoor Dome Camera
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Vivotek IB9383-HTV 5MP Motorized Zoom Outdoor Bullet Camera
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Vivotek IB9383-HV 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera
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Vivotek IB9387-EHTV-V3 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera
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What to Look For When Buying

The six decisions that matter most before you spec.

Form Factor by Scene

Bullet cameras signal deterrence and reach long distances; domes blend into architecture and resist tampering; turrets split the difference with clean IR without dome-ball reflection. Panoramic 360° replaces 3-4 fixed cameras in open interiors. Match form factor to scene geometry, not aesthetic preference. See our coverage engineering guide for scene-planning methodology.

Pixel Density Over Megapixels

A 4K camera set 80 feet back delivers worse identification imagery than a 2MP camera at 30 feet. PPF (pixels per foot) on the target — not raw resolution — is what determines recognition vs. identification grade coverage. Our DORI pixel density guide covers the math for every common scene.

NDAA Section 889 Compliance

Federal, state, and critical-infrastructure procurement excludes Hikvision, Dahua, and their OEM-rebranded subsidiaries. Axis, Hanwha Vision, i-PRO, Pelco, Digital Watchdog, Vivotek, and Bosch are all NDAA-compliant. Specify compliance in RFPs — it cannot be retrofitted into a deployment after-the-fact.

Edge AI & Analytics

Modern IP cameras run object classification, line-crossing detection, loitering, and people counting on the camera itself — filtering false alarms before they reach the NVR. Axis Object Analytics, Hanwha Wisenet 7 AI, i-PRO Scene Analytics, and Hikvision AcuSense all run on-camera. Proper scene setup matters as much as the algorithm.

PoE Power Budget

Peak draw for outdoor cameras with heaters + IR can hit 25W+; PTZ models can demand 60-90W (PoE++). A 24-port switch with 370W total budget can't actually run 24 PTZs. Plan switch power for simultaneous peak — see PoE budget planning and why your PoE switch fails after 18 cameras.

Storage & Retention Math

H.265 cuts bitrate 40-50% versus H.264 at equivalent quality; smart codecs drop further during static scenes. 30-day retention on 4K across 32 cameras is very different math than 30-day on 2MP H.265. Use our retention math guide before sizing your NVR or storage array.

Technology Stack

The specs and acronyms that actually affect outdoor performance.

ONVIF Profile S + G + T

Industry standard for IP camera interoperability. Profile S = live streaming, G = recording/playback, T = advanced streaming (H.265 + analytics metadata). Certified conformance — not vague "ONVIF compatible" language — is what guarantees cross-VMS interoperability. Check spec sheets for profile-level certification.

DORI Classification

IEC 62676-4 defines four detection distances: Detect (25 PPF), Observe (63 PPF), Recognize (125 PPF), Identify (250 PPF). Most forensic-grade IP camera deployments need Recognize or Identify at the scene's farthest point — which drives lens selection and mounting distance calculations.

H.265 + Smart Compression

Modern codec with 40-50% lower bitrate than H.264 at equivalent perceived quality. Smart Stream / Zipstream / WiseStream variants drop bitrate further by identifying static scene regions. Matters most for multi-month retention at scale — storage savings compound.

Wide Dynamic Range (WDR)

Scene lighting ratio handled simultaneously. Entry-level 120dB, premium 150dB. Matters most at doorways, loading docks, and glass-heavy entries where interior shadow meets exterior sunlight. Hanwha Wisenet 7 and Axis Forensic WDR flagship at 150dB+.

PoE+ / PoE++ (802.3at / 802.3bt)

802.3at delivers 25.5W/port — sufficient for most outdoor cameras with heater + IR. 802.3bt (Type 3 = 60W, Type 4 = 90W) powers PTZs, multi-sensor, and heated-housing cameras. See PoE injectors for single-port solutions.

Edge Storage + Failover

SD card slots on modern IP cameras provide local failover recording when network or NVR drops. Not a primary-storage solution — but essential for high-availability deployments. Industrial-grade SD cards (not consumer) required; typical 256GB to 1TB.

Typical Deployment Scenarios

Multi-Site Retail Chain

Mixed deployment: 180° panoramic at POS/entry, bullet cameras at back-of-house and dock, domes at stockroom and offices. Centralized VMS with per-site NVR or cloud hybrid. Analytics for people-counting and dwell-time. Typical 12-24 cameras per site, 30-60 day retention.

Corporate Campus

Outdoor bullets + PTZs at perimeter and parking structures; indoor domes at main lobbies, elevator banks, server rooms, and loading bays; multi-sensor at atriums. Integration with access control for door-forced-open and tailgating event overlays.

Industrial & Warehouse

Long-range bullets at loading docks and fence-line, thermal at fuel-storage perimeter, panoramic cameras in high-bay for wide-coverage single-camera monitoring. Heavy use of on-camera analytics for forklift-zone intrusion detection. See warehouse surveillance.

Municipal & Critical Infrastructure

NDAA-mandatory deployments: Axis, Hanwha, i-PRO only. Thermal + visible dual-sensor at perimeter; PTZ with radar-slewing at large-area monitoring; LPR at ingress/egress points. FIPS 140-2 encryption, TLS 1.3 streaming, integration with emergency communications.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between an IP camera and an analog camera?

IP cameras connect over Ethernet, deliver native-digital HD/4K resolution, run on-camera analytics, and integrate with software-based VMS platforms. Analog cameras use coax and require encoder/DVR hardware to reach network resolution beyond 1080p. For new deployments, IP is the standard — analog exists only for retrofit use cases where coax already runs.

Which IP camera brands are NDAA compliant?

Axis, Hanwha Vision, i-PRO, Pelco, Digital Watchdog, Vivotek, and Bosch are all NDAA-compliant. Hikvision and Dahua are restricted under Section 889 for federal, state government, and critical-infrastructure procurement but remain available for commercial deployments.

How do I choose the right resolution for an IP camera?

Start with the farthest point of the scene you need to identify. Calculate required PPF (pixels-per-foot) on that target: 125 PPF for recognition, 250 PPF for identification. Work backward from PPF and sensor size to resolution and lens focal length. A 2MP camera with the right lens often outperforms a 4K camera with the wrong one — see our DORI guide.

What PoE standard do modern IP cameras require?

Fixed indoor cameras run on standard 802.3af PoE (15.4W). Outdoor cameras with heaters and IR need PoE+ (802.3at, 25.5W). PTZ, multi-sensor, and heated-housing cameras need PoE++ (802.3bt, 60-90W). Plan switch power budget for simultaneous-peak load, not nameplate ratings — see why PoE switches fail at scale.

Can I mix IP camera brands in one VMS?

Yes — any ONVIF Profile S + G certified cameras work with any certified VMS. Milestone XProtect, Genetec Security Center, Avigilon ACC, and Exacq routinely mix Axis, Hanwha, i-PRO, and Hikvision cameras on one server. Note: vendor-specific analytics metadata (Axis Object Analytics, Hanwha AI, etc.) may require that vendor's VMS or a VMS with explicit integration.

How many cameras can a typical NVR support?

Channel count is only one dimension — total bitrate is the real constraint. A 32-channel NVR rated for 320 Mbps can't run 32 4K cameras at 8 Mbps each (that's 256 Mbps, leaving almost no headroom). For high-resolution deployments, size by aggregate bitrate first, channel count second. See retention math for sizing methodology and our NVR catalog.

Plan Your Deployment

Sub categories

Showing Results for IP Cameras

Vivotek FD9399-EHTV 8MP Vandal-Proof Dome Camera

Vivotek FD9399-EHV 8MP AI IR Dome Camera

Vivotek FE9180-H-v2 5MP Fisheye IP Camera

Vivotek FE9191-H-v2 12MP Indoor 360° Panoramic WDR Pro Day/Night IR MicroSD Remote Focus Fisheye IP Camera

Vivotek FE9380-HV 5MP Outdoor 360° Fisheye IP Camera

Vivotek FE9382-EHV-v2 6MP Outdoor 360° Panoramic WDR Pro IR Vandal Proof Fixed Fisheye IP Camera

Vivotek FE9391-EV-V2-M12 12MP Fisheye Mobile Camera

Vivotek IB833-HV-1Y 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera

Vivotek IB839-EHTV-V2-1Y 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera

Vivotek IB9365-EHTV-V2 2MP Dome Camera

Vivotek IB9369-F2 2MP Outdoor MicroSD Card Slot IR Night Vision Bullet IP Camera

Vivotek IB9380-HTV-V2 5MP Outdoor Motorized Bullet Camera

Vivotek IB9380-HV-V2 5MP Outdoor Dome Camera

Vivotek IB9383-HTV 5MP Motorized Zoom Outdoor Bullet Camera

Vivotek IB9383-HV 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera

Vivotek IB9387-EHTV-V3 5MP Outdoor Bullet Camera

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