Today, we have our Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review, which will focus on two products from Synology. These are part of the 500 Series of IP cameras and are its first-ever cams.
The TC500 and BC500 are ideally designed for the Surveillance Station package. You can learn more about these as you continue reading our Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review. We will discuss their design, performance, functions, features, and specs.
But before these, let us unbox the products and see what Synology has for us.
Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Packaging
Our cameras arrived in time for this review. Synology shipped these in separate yet identical sturdy boxes thick enough to protect the items inside. The company keeps everything simple and minimal, but we love how sturdy and thick these packages are.
The products come in the standard environment-friendly package. It also appears that Synology opted for a lighter box colour which gives off a fresher and cleaner look.
The packaging of these items is compact and lightweight despite their sizes. This fact is more evident in the case of the TC500.
The TC500 and BC500 have the same accessories included in their package, and these items include the following:
- Quick Start Guide
- Wall Guide Installation
- Raw Plugs
- Screws
- Waterproof Cable Cover
Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review – Design and Functionality
The TC500 and BC500 sport a decent build and adequate weight. They feel premium to the touch, which you will not expect, given their price point and IK10-rating.
Both cameras feature fixed cables for the DC power and RJ45 network connector. You can link the latter to a PoE-compatible router/switch. It is worth noting that a rubber cap protects the DC jack when not used.
TC500
This camera is considered the turret version of the BC500 and is practically the other camera in a different form. It is the only minor difference between the cameras. Plus, it has a reversed mounting role too.
Designed for a ceiling mount, the TC500 is still functional when wall-mounted. Since you can set the camera on any flat surface, you can use it in several scenarios.
The camera dome has an ideal 90-degree movement, enough for several corrections when you complete its installation. However, ensure to install it to provide coverage of the target area.
Under the camera base is a detachable mount element you need to screw in. From there, connect the TC500 and lock it in place.
The product has a fixed cable that you can conceal inside a drywall. Or, you can route it to the side of its base for a flatter installation when necessary.
The TC500 features an SD card slot and a reset button. However, you can only access these by unscrewing their cover.
BC500
Our Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review will also discuss the functions and design of the BC500. The body of this camera is hard plastic without movable/detachable parts. It has a solid and compact build, so it does not feel cheap or flimsy.
Overall, the BC500 is a typical bullet camera sporting mounting accessories.
It extends and reaches its mount body – a solid metal linked via a steel joint. Most of its weight is from its mount, allowing the camera to weigh adequately without being too heavy or light.
The base also features a sticker with the product details and a QR code featuring a serial number. It also comes with access to the reset button and SD card, which you can access by removing its bracket. The latter is screwed securely to prevent the SD card from falling out or anyone from resetting the camera.
Key Features of the Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera
Stay Safe With Around-the-Clock Surveillance
The TC500 and BC500 can record crystal-clear videos at night with their four high-power IR LEDs. These provide adequate brightness and can cover a distance of up to 30m.
Detailed Footage, Regardless of Lighting Conditions
HDR guarantees detailed images in bright spots and shadows, ensuring security even in low-light conditions.
Enhanced Surveillance with Camera-Based AI
Deep learning makes you proactive with surveillance. The integrated AI features allow security staff to monitor multiple locations.
Precise Motion Detectors of the Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera
Boost your security with the TC500 and BC500, which use AI to identify people and vehicles from other moving objects. Later in our Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review, we will discuss how well it can detect motion.
Instant Search
The TC500 and BC500 have Instant Search, which allows immediate investigation of incidents. With this feature, operators can search for activities of interest in specific locations.
Optimised for Surveillance Station
Synology designed the two cameras to work seamlessly with Surveillance Station. As a result, it works better than using third-party IP cameras.
Simplified Installation and Configuration With the TC500 and BC500 Camera
Once connected, you can use the TC500 and BC500. You can configure and modify all camera settings, network settings, and image quality via Surveillance Station. The accessibility and convenient setup of these products make them excellent for single or multi-site businesses and deployments.
Highly Secure and Reliable
The TC500 and BC500 have integrated safeguards to guarantee surveillance availability, privacy, and data security. These can also fail over to a microSD card during network failures, allowing them to continue recording.
Surveillance Station CMS (Centralised Management System) offers efficient multi-site deployment management with footage backup and automated fail-over protection. As a result, the cameras can provide uninterrupted, continuous surveillance.
The Archive Vault allows you to perform automated archival off-site, increasing redundancy and enabling longer footage retention.
Another security feature is the C2 Surveillance, which adds another layer of protection to your footage. You can also access it in the cloud in case of server damage or theft.
DS Cam to Keep You Aware
The DS Cam is a powerful companion smartphone application for the Surveillance Station and is available via Android and iOS. Here, you can select specific locations for the cameras to monitor and provide accurate, relevant notifications.
The cameras instantly send alerts sent to your smartphone when movements trigger them. You can review the events with a few taps and watch up to six live feeds simultaneously. Plus, it allows taking snapshots.
Protected Videos from Recording to Archiving
You can set custom update schedules to keep the TC500 and BC500 up-to-date with the newest security patches. It helps you avoid downtime during critical periods.
With watermarks and privacy masking, you can stop the cameras from recording sensitive areas. Plus, you can add watermarks on live feeds to prevent and track unauthorised recordings.
Aside from watermarks, these cameras allow using separate encryption keys for recordings to keep these safe from unauthorised access. The TC500 and BC500 support HTTPS and SRTP for guaranteed privacy and security.
Specifications
We listed the specifications of the two products in our Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review. Here, you will recognise the minimal differences between the two cameras. Most of their specifications are identical, except for their designs and sizes.
- BC500 Camera Type: Compact Style IP Camera
- TC500 Camera Type: Dome Style IP Camera
- Image Sensor: 1/2.7-inch
- Resolution: 5MP – 2880×1620 @30fps
- IR LED wavelength: 850nm
- Maximum IR distance: 30m (0.001lux)
- Shutter Speed: 1/16000 s to 1/30 s
- Focal Length: 2.8 mm
- Aperture: F1.8
- Ethernet: 1x RJ45 10M/100M Ethernet port
- Weatherproof standard: IP67 Rating
- On-Board Storage: Micro SD card slot
- Support Micro SDHC/SDXC card up to 128GB
- Supported file format: exFAT
- BC500 Dimensions: Ø110 × 161mm
- TC500 Dimensions: Ø97 × 88mm
- Warranty: Three years
Hands-on with the Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera
We tested these cameras for a week to share how it performs in this Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review. Before we share our hands-on experience with it, we will discuss its setup process, configuration, and the Synology Surveillance System.
The hardware and installation setup of the TC500 and BC500 are similar since their package includes the same content. These cameras can be mounted to a wall or ceiling. However, the TC500 might be better fixed on the latter and the BC500 on the former.
It is worth noting that these cameras need manual adjusting when fixed onto the axis. So, install them in the proper spot.
Avoid positioning the TC500 and BC500 close to reflective surfaces. Also, do not place them in areas with direct sunlight to prevent problems and issues during recordings.
Like every similar product, you must anchor the camera or base in your preferred position. If you will use the LAN cable and need it to be waterproof, place the cap cover on the cable. Then, crimp the latter onto the RH45 connector.
When you successfully attach the camera to its cable, there are two possibilities, depending on its switch/router:
- It can receive power from the same gadget, a PoE 802.3 af
- Use an extra 12V DC power adapter if you have a non-PoE device.
Sometimes, the Synology NAS/DVA that runs the Surveillance Station and the cameras are on the same subnet (network). If so, you must start the Add Camera wizard to detect it. And from there, you can begin using it once the process has been completed.
You can also access Surveillance Station 9.1 to use the TC500 and BC500. One benefit of using this to configure the cameras is that the SVS will automatically detect compatible ones.
The next step will ask you to initialise the cameras. You can do this by creating an account that will become necessary for future authentication needs. Lastly, a quick/complete configuration setup is needed to finish the entire process.
You can alter all the settings from that configuration later on. Also, some of these are not accessible via the wizard, so you will need to configure these manually eventually.
Like all other cameras, once integrated into the SVS (Surveillance Video System), the TC500 and BC500 become operational. The typical method involves incorporating them into the Monitor Centre. Because of these, extra configurations may be necessary based on their locations and potential functions.
Subsequently, incorporating the cameras into the surveillance setup is remarkably straightforward. The process was completed in under five minutes. It is all thanks to the feature that enables setting duplication from an existing camera to a new one.
Following this step, the TC500 offers an equivalent level of personalisation comparable to that of the BC500. This degree of customisation surpasses any other external cameras currently available in stores.
Notably, it encompasses the practical features of Edge Recording. This functionality allows the camera to save recordings onto a miniSD card.
The function becomes handy when the camera gets disconnected from the NVR. Subsequently, Surveillance Station seamlessly retrieves this stored footage as soon as the connection is re-established.
Compared to the conventional third-party models, Synology cameras present an expanded array of choices and functionalities within the SVS platform. Moreover, setting specific options in distinct sections and menus is possible.
However, it is worth noting that the appearance of the camera editing interface varies based on the specific model/brand.
Under the General Tab, the initial camera settings provide an extensive selection of network configurations and parameters. These surpass those found in typical third-party models.
The settings encompass a broad spectrum ranging from network IP addresses, ports, and protocols to IP filtering and auto-blocking. These configurations would be familiar to DSM users. The reason is that they are integral components of the DSM OS found in any Synology NAS.
Like any conventional camera, whether the BC500 or TC500, you can customise various aspects such as video and audio formatting. Other elements you can personalise include image clarity and live streaming configurations.
A handy feature within the camera settings is exposure control. This function is beneficial when the cameras are operating under LED-powered lighting.
By fine-tuning the exposure settings, it is possible to mitigate potential issues. These include stream flickering and recording disruptions caused by LED lighting.
We recorded multiple videos using each camera in different lighting conditions for our tests to see their recording quality.
By default, the TC500 detected people without issues. This camera delivered crisp image quality, allowing us to determine the people it captured. Various objects were also visible and detailed, even from a distance.
Based on the settings we configured via Surveillance System, it also worked as expected. All videos had commendable clarity in the morning and evening, and night vision features provided adequate brightness under low light. As a result, all people and objects were visible and identifiable in night recordings.
Aside from image and video clarity, the camera never missed anything. It detected people and vehicles, and we received accurate alerts when necessary. Overall, the TC500 proved reliable during our one-week product test.
We also tested the other features and functions of the TC500, and all these worked seamlessly.
Like the TC500, the BC500 proved to be a very reliable camera.
The recordings of this camera were crisp during the day. We tested it on default settings and noticed all colours were sharp and vivid. Plus, we reviewed the videos and recognised all the crystal-clear details and identifiable people and objects.
The images in our night recordings were also crisp, and most details were visible due to the IR LEDs. Surprisingly, the BC500 also captured the car from around 20m away.
Other functions worked well in the BC500. Based on our configured settings, it did not miss any motions and performed as expected.
As expected, both cameras had decent sound quality in our recordings. Of course, we did not expect superior audio since these are security cameras. These do not function to record movie-quality audio, so we have no complaints about this.
Conversations had sufficient clarity, and sounds triggered the cameras to record clips. Also, the TC500 and BC500 managed to capture sound from 40m away.
Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review Summary
To simplify, the TC500 and BC500 are identical in build quality, function, features, and performance. The cameras do not require a licence for Surveillance Station; they are also optimised products for the platform.
These cameras are more expensive than other IP cams but have excellent designs and many handy features. Plus, the products are easy to use, making them optimal additions to your security system. They are even better if you are already a Synology NAS user since it will make using Surveillance System easier.
The products excellently performed when we tested these for our Synology TC500 and BC500 Camera Review. Both cameras delivered detailed and high-quality recordings in all lighting conditions. Also, their audio quality is decent for surveillance, which is not usual in most IP cameras.
These cameras are superb options, especially for business-class users who need large-scale surveillance with deep AI functions. The high-level security features are more suitable for business scenarios.
We highly recommend both cameras for their impressive features, streamlined design, efficiency, and excellent performance. As for choosing between the TC500 and BC500, you only need to choose your preferred mounting style. They have identical features, specifications, and functions, and both cameras deliver excellent recording quality.
Learn more about the TC500 and BC500 Camera by visiting the official product page of Synology.
