AVTech
Is This Your Business?Author: Kaitlyn Short
AVTech is a leading provider of networked camera solutions for businesses with limited residential applications. This company is based out of Taiwan, but does a considerable amount of business in the United States. You can get the cameras available directly through AVTech's website, but they are also readily available through online stores by searching on Google. TriStar Security is a leading dealer of AVTech cameras here in the United States. AVTech does not provide prices on its website, but the prices are listed through TriStar Security. Basically, the premise of an AVTech system is that it's a networked series of IP and analog cameras that are networked through a series of hubs and backups and report back to a centralized station. Some AVTech clients are linked into central monitoring centers in large buildings. Other AVTech solutions work with iOS and Android devices.
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The Good
- Camera Options
- Compatibility
- Integration
Camera Options
AVTech had the most cameras available of any company reviewed here, with at least 50 different styles and designs to choose from.
Compatibility
Another nice aspect of AVTech was that their cameras are all fully compatible with iOS and Android systems. AVTech uses a push video feature on its cameras that pushes video from certain models of cameras directly to the device, meaning that the video is streamed live, rather than having it stored on a network and not in real time. There are also optional brackets available with each camera offered through AVTech. AVTech also has white papers and data schematics for each of the cameras that it sells. This is an important feature for those who are going to be making a significant purchase for their business. The schematics provide information on the dimensions of each camera, the brackets available, as well as the abilities/features of the camera. AVTech cameras are not so cost restrictive that they were inaccessible to the higher end homeowner. The cameras ranged in price from $143.99 up to the $400 range.
Integration
Another aspect of AVTech cameras was that they were easily integrated into systems that required sensors. One factory had thermometer sensors hooked up to cameras to monitor their chemical processing operations. This suggests that the cameras can be used with motion sensing activities in a smaller business or home.
The Bad
- Prices
- Software System
Prices
While the prices were not necessarily out of reach, all of their cameras cost more than $140. Meanwhile, other home camera companies provide high-feature/low-priced cameras. With AVTech, there doesn't seem to be an entry-level product grade available. Another aspect of AVTech cameras was that they depend upon a central hub nexus to interact with the Internet. These hubs can drive up the installation price of a camera significantly.
Software System
Also, the Trident software system seems complicated. The software package only works on Windows systems. You also need a fast machine to run the Trident software. Your computer needs Windows 7, minimum, and at least 8 GB of memory. There is multiple-camera monitoring possible, but the view is not always perfect, based upon the screenshots that were presented. No Mac accessibility is going to be a problem for Apple users. AVTech's IE browser-only compatibility has poses some issues. Many of the entry-level camera companies are compatible with Firefox, Google Chrome, and Safari. There are, however, apps that integrate with iOS and Android compatible devices.
The Bottom Line
Our experts are a little bit hesitant to recommend AVTech for the homeowner. However, this product might be a great fit for a large or small business. AVTech is one of the leading providers of camera technologies for businesses and large commercial operations, and this is where their expertise lies. The experts were pretty pleased with AVTech's apps. They are iOS and Android friendly. There is a unique "push video" feature that ensures the best real-time accessibility possible. Another aspect of AVTech that makes it a great fit is that they present white papers and detailed schematics of each product. Different solutions are possible depending upon the operation requiring the cameras.
