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When considering a Lorex vs Amcrest comparison, it’s worth looking at where they manufacture their kit.
Lorex is owned by Dahua while Amcrest is primarily a reseller of Dahua OEM products. So as you can imagine, they have a lot in common.
Let’s have a look at what sets them apart.
Lorex vs Amcrest at a Glance
High-End PoE Turret Head to Head
Mid-Range Wi-Fi Bullet Head to Head
Mid-Range Wire Free Bullet Head to Head
High-End PTZ Head to Head
Video Doorbell Head to Head
Lorex vs Amcrest Overview
Lorex was founded in Canada in 1992 and has a wide range of Wi-Fi, Wire-Free, IP, and Coax cameras all tied together with NVRs, DVRs or Smart Hubs. They were acquired by Dahua in 2018.
Amcrest was founded in 2016 by Foscam US with a similar product offering to Lorex. Due to some commercial disputes with Foscam Shenzhen, it now primarily resells Dahua OEM products.
Amcrests product range is slightly wider than Lorex, also selling niche products such as Fisheye and Thermal cameras.
Amcrest makes a big deal about how interoperable their products are with large scale ONVIF and RTSP compatibility. While a lot of Lorex cameras have the same interoperability, they do not generally advertise it.
Amcrest have recently established a cloud offering, primarily based around cloud storage, whereas Lorex has not yet ventured into that space.
The Lorex mobile apps have a much better rating in the various app stores than Amcrest, which is something worth considering.
Neither Lorex nor Amcrest products can be used in US Federal contracts, because of their Dahua connection.
High-End PoE Turret Head to Head
Key Differences
The Amcrest IP8M-VT2879EW-AI is a little more costly than Lorex LNE9292B. It offers true wide dynamic range (WDR) compared to the HDR on the Lorex cam, which provides better image clarity in poor lighting conditions.
Lorex offers full color night vision for improved night time surveillance. Lorex only has an NVR storage option while Amcrest also has a back-up MicroSD card slot and supports NAS, FTP, and optional cloud storage.
Amcrest is highly compatible with 3rd party devices such as Blue Iris via RTSP, CGI, and Peer-to-Peer protocols. It also has face detection features with an optical zoom of 5x magnification compared to Lorex’s 4x.
Amcrest can be operated using mobile, desktop, or browser apps. Audio systems and alarms can interface externally with it. The Lorex cam needs to be connected to an NVR to access the various apps.
Key Features in Common
Both Lorex and Amcrest are turret cameras with wired PoE data and DC power connections. These cameras can be placed both indoors and outdoors with an IP67 rating.
Both cameras have an integrated microphone however two-way audio communication is not possible.
The cameras have a 4K Ultra HD resolution with a motorized lens and 1/2.8” image sensor. Both cameras have night vision with infrared light covering at least 98ft in total darkness. Neither camera has a spotlight.
Continuous recording is supported by the camera with a max 30fps frame rate. The camera supports two video streams to the NVR. Motion detection features are supported along with motion alerts that send out push notifications.
Mid-Range Wi-Fi Bullet Head to Head
Key Differences
The Lorex W282CAD-E is a good deal more expensive than the Amcrest ASH43-W.
With the extra cost you get dual-band Wi-Fi compared to single-band and two-way audio compared to Amcrest’s one-way.
It has a spotlight for full-color night vision in the dark, and sirens for motion alerts/alarms.
The Lorex W282CAD-E is a lower resolution camera at 2MP (1920x1080) while Amcrest offers a 4MP (2560x1440) resolution. It also has a lower IP65 rating with Amcrest rating being IP67.
Lorex comes with vehicle detection as an extra and has better smart integrations with Chromecast and FireTV among others.
Key Features in Common
Both these cameras are independent/standalone indoor and outdoor cameras with a bullet-type shape. They have Wi-Fi data transmissions with a wired DC power system.
They have a fixed focus lens with a focal length of 2.8mm. Videos have a maximum frame rate of 30fps.
Lorex and Amcrest both have a motion-activated recording feature as well as a continuous recording feature. These recordings are stored using H.265 and H.264 protocols to compress the file and save space. Both cameras have onboard storage of 256GB.
Neither camera has PTZ controls so you can not check outside the field of view of the camera. They both have an integrated microphone so you can listen to what’s happening in the environment the camera is placed.
Mid-Range Wire Free Bullet Head to Head
Key Differences
Lorex is a full-color night vision camera with an integrated spotlight which illuminates when it detects motion. It supports the continuous recording of videos and it also has an integrated siren that can be set to go off in case of detected motion.
Amcrest is a night vision camera with infrared night vision. It has a recording feature that can be activated by motion. It can detect humans as well as vehicles. Video recordings of this camera are compressed using H.265/H.264 protocols.
Lorex has an additional solar panel option to charge the camera battery while also offering a DC power connection. It also offers NVR support for storage while the Amcrest hub has a USB flash drive slot and optional cloud storage.
Lorex has a digital WDR/HDR as well as a 3D DNR for noise reduction. It also has a wider field of view with 120° horizontal and 65° vertical.
Amcrest has an ethernet Wi-Fi port and two antennas with two streams of data. It also has an IP65 rating while Lorex has an IP66 rating.
Key Features in Common
Lorex and Amcrest both are bullet cameras with no PTZ controls. They are 2.4GHz Wi-Fi transmission cameras with battery power.
They support two-way audio communication using integrated microphones and speakers to listen and respond. Neither camera can interface with an external audio device or alarm system.
Infrared night vision is available in these 2MP 1920x1080 HD cameras with fixed focus lenses and CMOS image sensors.
Motion detection features are present while the motion sensitivity of the area is also configurable. Motion alerts caused are sent out through push notifications to the mobile app.
High-End PTZ Head to Head
Key Differences
Lorex LZV2925SC is a camera with coax cable data transmission. Its competitor Amcrest IP4M-1083EW-AI is an IP data with PoE data transmission.
Lorex has only DC power while Amcrest supports both DC and PoE power connections. Amcrest can carry a two-way audio conversation by interfacing with an external audio system. It also has a higher 4MP (vs 2MP) camera and a higher optical zoom of 32x (vs 25x) magnification.
Lorex has full-color (requires ambient lighting) and infrared night vision that can be stored on a DVR. Amcrest has a backup MicroSD slot along with NVR, NAS, FTP support along with optional cloud storage. Lorex supports a maximum of 30fps with digital WDR/HDR while Amcrest supports 25fps with true WDR feature.
Amcrest can connect to 3rd party devices using Blue Iris, ONVIF, RTSP, and CGI protocols. It can detect a person, face, vehicle, non-motor vehicle, and object which shows its intelligence. It is available for mobile, web, and browser apps.
Lorex needs to be connected to a DVR for remote access via mobile and desktop apps.
Key Features in Common
Both Lorex and Amcrest cameras are PTZ cameras having 360° pan and motorized 90° tilt angles. They have PTZ tour, present, scan, and pattern features. Digital zoom of 16x magnification is also available.
Both cameras have a wired data and power connection. They have a motorized lens with a ½.8” image sensor.
They have motion-activated and continuous recording features. Motion detection features are present in both cameras. In fact, when there is a motion, an alert is sent via push notification to the app.
Both cameras have an advanced digital noise reduction property to eliminate noise from the feed. Neither night vision camera has an integrated spotlight
Video Doorbell Head to Head
Key Differences
The Lorex Video Doorbell is considerably more expensive than the Amcrest equivalent. With the extra price, you get 5GHz Wi-Fi support and a higher resolution. Lorex also has an integrated siren which can be triggered from the app.
Both doorbells have infrared night-vision with Amcrest having two infrared LEDs. Only Lorex has full-color support with a small integrated spotlight to increase visibility in the dark. Lorex has digital WDR/HDR that can balance the lighting, producing a clearer video. It also has intelligence to detect a person from other objects in view.
Amcrest supports Synology, Blue Iris, and the RTSP protocol that make this video doorbell more interoperable with other devices. It also has optional Cloud storage with a monthly subscription. The video recordings are compressed with H.264 protocol to save storage.
Key Features in Common
These Lorex and Amcrest Video Doorbells use Wi-Fi data and rely on your doorbell wiring for power.
Recordings are activated when there is motion and a continuous recording feature is also available for both. Both doorbells can configure motion zones and motion sensitivity levels.
Two-way audio communication is a very helpful feature with the microphone and speaker integrated into the doorbell.
These doorbells come in both white and black colors with fixed focus lenses. Neither camera has PTZ control functions but both of them have mobile apps.
The Lorex vs Amcrest Verdict
Despite both having Dahua as the product manufacturer, both brands have unique characteristics that make them stand out from each other.
Let us know in the comments which brand you prefer and why!
