Lilin has been making surveillance products since 1980, and offers a huge range of IP cameras. Its latest, the LR7022, has a sharp focus on image quality, with a top resolution of 1080p. At only £179, it appears to be a good deal.
Two models are offered by Network Webcams at the same price; the E6 sports a 6mm lens where the E4 version on review uses a 4mm lens for a slightly wider view. It’s ready for nighttime viewing: the lens is surrounded by 35 infrared LEDs.
The solid metal shell is IP66-rated, and power and Ethernet cables are routed through its plastic wall-mount bracket. You can use it with the optional power supply, but we had no problems running the camera over PoE from our HP ProCurve switch.
Lilin’s IPScan tool simplifies installation, and its CMX software is provided for viewing multiple cameras. From the camera’s web interface, you can create three streams using H.264 or MJPEG with resolutions ranging from 1080p down to 352 x 240 pixels for mobile viewing.
The live view is one of the best we’ve seen at this price. The sharp focus delivers a very clean image, with excellent colour balance for both indoor and outdoor use.
Even with full-screen 1080p resolution selected there was no image degradation. For nighttime use, we found the useful range of the IR LEDs was around 15m, but image quality was still better than many pricier cameras.
To use the electronic zoom, draw a box around the area of interest and the live view will blow up its contents, with a navigation window set to one side. Make the box too small and the image will break down badly, but it’s quite usable at up to a 3x zoom.
For motion detection, a single window is defined in the live view, and when triggered, snapshots can be sent to FTP and email event servers. You can also take snapshots and record on demand to a folder on the local PC.
The LR7022E4 can’t match Y-cam’s Bullet HD 1080 for features, but its image quality is superior. It’s also much cheaper, making it a fine choice for low-cost 24-hour surveillance.
Thanks to Network Webcams for supplying the Lilin LR7022E4 for review
Warranty | |
|---|---|
| Warranty RTB years | 3 |
Specifications | |
| Sensor type | 1/2in RGB CMOS |
| Video frame rate | 15fps |
Software | |
| Web interface? | yes |
| Software supplied | Lilin IPScan and CMX |
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