More and more, Hunt has migrated to solutions that integrate video with IoT and home automation devices, in its attempt to stay competitive in a market that is increasingly commoditized.
Since 1988, Hunt Electronic has been a pioneer in video surveillance products, providing cutting-edge cameras and recorders to meet users’ needs. More and more, though, the company has migrated to solutions that integrate video with IoT and home automation devices, in its attempt to stay competitive in a market that is increasingly commoditized.
The offerings that the company had on display at secutech 2016 reflected this developmental trend. In terms of video surveillance, Hunt showcased its latest products, including 4K cameras and 5-megapixel and 4-megapixel cameras supporting H.265, which reduces bandwidth and storage usage by about 50 percent. Besides those, Hunt also displayed its PoE H.265 NVRs, PoE NVRs, and regular NVRs, as well as analog HD cameras and DVRs supporting the AHD technology.
Yet, the company has detected a commoditization trend for video surveillance equipment and has decided to migrate to solutions that offer higher value to users.
“Every year, we exhibit equipment like IP cameras and NVRs, but we’ve noticed that this does not generate the kind of excitement and enthusiasm as it did before. So this year we decided to focus on integration,” said Cherry Chu, Sales Manager at Hunt.
Specifically, the company has forged partnership deals with manufacturers of IoT sensors and devices, for example curtains, lights, and smoke detectors, to integrate these devices into Hunt’s NVRs. “Sensor makers aren’t experts on video, and vice versa. By partnering with them, we complement each other and make up for each other’s shortcomings,” she said.
The advantage of connecting these devices to the NVR is that whenever there is an event, there is footage saved up in the recorder. “The thing is, for these sensors and devices, they can detect anything, but they can't see who actually triggered it. So now we make up for it by video,” Chu said. “This adds another protective layer to security.”
According to Chu, offering solutions that bring extra value to users is a path that Hunt will continue to take. “We have hardware and solutions. We've got both,” she said. “For those who only look for low price and do not pursue quality, that’s the segment that we’ll focus less and less on.”