Every PoE camera kit gets a score from 0 to 100% built from five factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new kit never moves another kit’s rating. Kits are grouped by recorder size, 8 channels or fewer and 12 to 16 channels, and use the same scale in both groups.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Value | price per camera in the kit | 30% |
| Resolution | camera resolution in megapixels | 20% |
| Night & smart features | person and vehicle detection, color night vision, two-way talk, siren or light, microphone | 25% |
| Storage | included hard drive, in total and per camera | 15% |
| Warranty | warranty length | 10% |
Where the numbers come from
Camera count, resolution, features, drive size and warranty come from the maker’s product copy, including the maker’s own copy on a retail listing. Where a listing contradicts itself, for example a title with one drive size and a bullet with another, we leave that kit out rather than guess. Prices are checked at Amazon, and the lowest price at a store the page links to is used.
The factors
Value is the current price divided by the number of cameras in the kit, on a log scale, so halving the price always counts the same. $260 per camera scores zero and $45 per camera full marks. The recorder and drive are part of that price, so a kit with fewer cameras pays more per camera for the same box.
Resolution is the megapixels of the main camera: 4 MP scores zero and 12 MP full marks. 4K is 8 MP. A dual-lens camera is scored on its main lens. When a maker gives a resolution only as “2K+”, it is left unscored and the product page marks it as estimated. We do not score image quality, because makers do not publish a measure of it.
Night and smart features is 30% for person and vehicle detection, 25% for color night vision, 15% for two-way talk, 15% for a siren or deterrent light and 15% for a microphone (a camera with two-way talk counts as having one).
Storage is the included hard drive, scored half on its total size (1 TB scores zero, 4 TB full marks) and half on gigabytes per camera (125 GB scores zero, 500 GB full marks). Maximum supported storage is listed but not scored.
Warranty is the maker’s stated warranty: 1 year scores zero and 3 years full marks.
What isn’t scored
Infrared range, viewing angle, camera shape, weatherproof rating, maximum storage, recorder channels and release date are listed but not scored.
Missing data
If a figure isn’t published, that factor gets the neutral middle score (50) and the product page marks it as estimated. Features score neutral only when none of them is published; a feature a maker doesn’t mention otherwise counts as absent. The exception is warranty: a maker that doesn’t publish one gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero, the same as a one-year warranty, and is marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.