Samsung Wisenet PNF-9010R
Samsung’s all-seeing eye delivers phenomenal image quality and a superb feature set – it’s not cheap, though
SCORE PRICE £739 exc VAT from networkwebcams.co.uk
The name might sound boringly generic, but Samsung’s Wisenet PNF-9010R is something special – it’s the first IP camera we’ve tested with an Ultra HD 4K sensor. Yes, this unassuming discus captures video at resolutions up to 4,168 x 3,062 pixels – and it also features the latest H.265 compression technology, to help keep your captures to a manageable size.
The price, of course, is a lot more than you’ll pay for a 1080p camera, but you’re getting a lot of surveillance for your money: the hemispherical design offers a full 360° all-round view from the ceiling, while mounting it on a wall delivers a 180° vista.
Like most IP cameras, the PNF9010R can be PoE-powered – although unusually its Ethernet port runs at Gigabit speeds to accommodate chunky 4K video streams. There’s also a separate power socket if you want to use the optional mains adapter, along with an integrated mic, a microSD card slot and audio jacks for an external microphone and speaker. If that’s not enough flexibility for you, the cable bundle also features an I/O connector block, which can be used to add features such as a door sensor and an alarm system.
It’s a hardy thing, too. An IP66 rating means you can mount the PNF-9010R outside, without having to worry about rain or grime – and its thick metal casing and polycarbonate dome have the highest possible IK10 impact rating, so it should survive even a concerted vandal attack.
Setup is simple, and the first time you log into the web interface you’ll be required to set up a secure password. One slight catch is that you’ll need to use Internet Explorer to watch high-resolution video and access the full range of features. If you’re using Edge, Chrome or Firefox, you’ll have to use the “plugin-free” profile, which drops the resolution to 800 x 600 pixels and lacks options for changing the stream profile.
Still, using IE isn’t a huge hardship – and it allowed us to enjoy stunning image quality, with pin-sharp focus, great colour balance and bold contrast. Movement is lovely and smooth with no noticeable latency, and although the 16x zoom is of the digital variety, the camera captures so much detail that you can zoom in a very long way before image quality deteriorates significantly.
Night vision is more limited: the camera’s six IR LEDs only have an effective range of about 5m, but if you mount the camera on the ceiling, this gives you a pretty good all-round view of the area below it.
“Event-based actions allow the camera to respond to audio, tampering, external alarms, network disconnection and more”
It’s also worth noting that if you want to use the camera in fisheye mode, you’ll have to drop the resolution slightly to 9MP. If the 360° globular view doesn’t suit, you can switch to single or double panorama modes, which straighten things out into one long image, or two images showing the view in opposite directions. There’s also a good range of PTZ options, so you can use the 16x digital zoom and virtual pan and tilt functions to explore what your camera can see.
Of course, the camera isn’t just for real-time monitoring. An extensive range of event-based actions allows the camera to automatically respond to audio, tampering, external alarms, network disconnection and more. Video can be uploaded to FTP servers, sent to email addresses or saved to a NAS appliance or the internal microSD card. Schedules can also be used to record images at set intervals.
Motion detection is well covered, too. Video analytics can detect movement in specific directions, or objects being removed or added to the scene. And the built-in people-counting and heatmap features are ideal for retail units: you can monitor the shop floor and track the greatest concentrations of footfall.
In all, the Wisenet PNF-9010R is an exceptional camera. Its massive 12MP sensor delivers superb image quality, it’s tough enough to survive whatever the world throws at it – and its wide range of event-based actions ensures that it will fit into more or less any sort of surveillance role.
SPECIFICATIONS 1/1.7in 12MP RGB CMOS 2.1mm f/2.2 lens 4K (max res) 20fps MJPEG/H.264/H.265 Gigabit Ethernet PoE 6 x IR LED illuminators microSD card slot internal mic 16x digital zoom IP66 IK10 Samsung SmartViewer software 146 x 146 x 64mm (WDH) 805g 5yr RTB warranty