Synology BC800Z review
Surveillance has always been a specialized segment of Synology's business. It began with their Surveillance Station software, initially available on NAS models—and still is—as well as on dedicated DVA devices, thereby expanding the scope of possibilities.
In recent years, starting in 2022, Synology has begun developing its own surveillance cameras, including both PoE and Wi-Fi models. After several preview presentations at various events, the company officially launched its first two cameras in May 2023.
The BC500 (bullet) and TC500 (turret) models, both PoE-powered, exemplify the company's intended direction for future developments.
Luka Manestar
Full review of the first two PoE-powered bullet and turret camera models
Offering extensive features and seamless integration with Surveillance Station, these models are also license-free, enabling users to utilize the default two free licenses for other third-party cameras if desired.
Luka Manestar
Full review of Synology's first wifi only surveillance camera
Just one year later, in July of the previous year, Synology continued expanding its camera lineup by moving away from all-metal PoE models and introducing a smaller, indoor Wi-Fi-only model—the CC400W. This camera was an ideal choice for SOHO users due to its lightweight design, versatile magnetic mounting, and Wi-Fi connectivity. Coupled with an affordable price point, it quickly became a popular option for quick installations, delivering impressive image quality relative to its cost.
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Synology Solution Day 2025 also demonstrated all the current and future camera models
Over the past six months, Synology has been previewing its upcoming camera models, with one of them being launched today. Introducing the new bullet model, the BC800Z.
"The Synology BC800Z is a 4K varifocal camera with IP66, IP67, and IK10 durability ratings, offering excellent image quality and edge license plate recognition"
Table of Contents
:: Specifications
:: Packaging
:: Installation and hardware setup
:: Configuration with Surveillance Station
:: Features and tests
:: Conclusion
:: Specifications
Building on the previous BC500 bullet model, the new BC800Z is a robust surveillance camera designed for harsh environments and high-quality footage. Weighing 1.3 kg, the BC800Z is an all-metal, bullet-shaped PoE camera. Featuring an 8 MP 4K resolution at 30 fps, it is also rated IP67, IP66, and IK10 for weather and impact resistance. This makes it an excellent choice for high-value asset surveillance in settings such as factories, warehouses, large commercial facilities, stadiums, as well as indoor and outdoor parking lots and driveways.
It has a horizontal field of view ranging from 112.1° to 47.5° for flexible area coverage, and superior night vision with a 1/1.8" starlight sensor and hybrid white/IR light for clear images in low-light conditions.
Highlights
-
Ultra HD 4K with Optical Zoom
High-quality imaging with a 3840x2160 resolution and an adjustable viewing angle ranging from 112.1° to 47.5° -
Superior Night Vision Performance
1/1.8" starlight sensor and hybrid white light/IR LEDs for up to 38m (126 ft) color night vision -
Edge License Plate Recognition
Directly supports on-camera License Plate Recognition without requiring
additional license for AI features -
Weather and Impact Resistant
Outdoor-ready camera with IP66/67 and IK10 ratings, protected from dust, rain,
and impacts -
Edge AI Detection and Search
On-camera People and Vehicle Counting, Smoke Detection, People and Vehicle
Detection, Intrusion Detection, Instant Search, and Auto Tracking
With recent Synology changes in terms of support for H264 and H265 video compression, this model works with both and has a smart bitrate control on top of it.
Focusing on some of its many hardware features, it is worth mentioning that on top of its 8MP image sensor that delivers 4K video at 30 fps, the BC800Z also features a 4.38 - 9.33 mm optical motorized lens with adjustable angles from 112.1° to 47.5°, offering flexible coverage and detailed monitoring.
Simple - The Synology Camera is designed for seamless, straightforward integration with Surveillance Station, ensuring smooth and efficient management. With no need for additional device licenses, users can handle setup, configuration, and firmware updates directly through Surveillance Station—all in just a few steps. This streamlined approach makes it easy to keep your camera system up-to-date and running smoothly, enhancing overall user convenience.
BC500Z is also equipped with both IR LEDs and white-light LEDs to provide enhanced night vision and discreet illumination in low-light conditions, as well as full-color night vision that will result in high-quality images even in complete darkness up to 38 meters.
Just like the previous models, BC800Z, being an outdoor-ready camera, is also weather and impact-resistant, with IP66/67 and IK10 ratings offering protection from dust, rain, and impacts.
SD card and reset bay are located under a secure metal plate on the bottom side of the camera
The camera is equipped with a microSD card slot on the bottom side secured behind a metal plate with rubber isolation. It can be used for event recording triggered by various scenarios like NAS disconnect, people and vehicle detection, intrusion or motion detection, as well as audio and tampering detection.
This will allow recording continuity so that no event goes undetected.
Unlike other BC and TC models, the BC800Z offers license plate recognition as well as the new smoke detection feature. While on the topic of AI analytic features, best to summarize all of them.
- People and Vehicle Detection
- Loitering Detection
- Crowd Detection
- Intrusion Detection
- Instant Search
- Auto Tracking
- People and Vehicle Counting
- License Plate Recognition
- Smoke Detection
- Face Recognition (only supported on DVA devices like the DS1622)
: Packaging
As already mentioned, the camera is all metal, and because of its purpose, mounting it will require a strong surface to secure it with the included screws, as well as an Allen key.
The key will be used in three different locations/joints to unlock them and rotate the body of the camera to get the correct mounting position.
The camera can be mounted from the ceiling or it can be mounted directly on the wall with plenty of vertical and horizontal movement. Once the location has been fixed, we can again use the Allan key to secure it in place.
Apart from the camera, some screws, and tools, nothing else is in this very large packaging.
With the camera alone being 10,5 cm in diameter and 27 cm long (4,13" x 10,71"), we can tell that this is some serious piece of hardware.
Unlike the other three camera models so far, the BC800Z comes with a 5-year warranty, and it is priced at around €399,99 (depending on the market).
In terms of availability, the model has launched today in the EU, Taiwan, and Japan. Following this will be the APAC launch in January of next year, with, of course, exclusion of Taiwan and Japan.
Finally, in Q1 2026, we can expect the launch in the SAC region.
Now that we have gotten the idea of the hardware, let's see how it performs in various scenarios and conditions.
: Installation and hardware setup
To get started with any surveillance camera setup, we need the Synology Surveillance Station software, which is a part of DSM OS. With it, we can use almost any camera on the market with any number of licences on top of the two free licences with each NAS.
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However, Synology also has several NVR devices (and a few more coming soon) that can be used. Those, so far, are the DVA3221 and the DVA1622. Unlike regular NAS devices, the DVA lineup offers more features and capabilities, especially paired with Synology cameras.
In the linked articles above, there is plenty of material on the topic of both the DVA3221 as well as Surveillance Station capabilities. Because of that, in this article, we will not deep dive into all the features of the platform but rather focus on specific scenarios and features not covered so far with the BC800Z at the center of it.
This time around, we will be using a DVA1622 NVR model with a single 4TB Synology HAT3300 drive.
DVA1622 specifications:
- CPU: Intel Celeron J4125, Quad Core 2.0 (base) / 2.7 (burst) GHz, 64-bit, with AES-NI hardware encryption
- Memory: up to 6 GB DDR4 non-ECC (2 GB + 4 GB pre-installed)
- Drive Bays: 2 (supports 3.5" SATA HDD and 2.5" SATA SSD, hot swappable)
- Video Output: HDMI x1, up to 1080p 60Hz
- LAN: 1 x RJ-45 1GbE
- USB: 2 x USB 3.0
- Dimensions: 166 mm (H) x 106 mm (W) x 223 mm (D)
- Weight: 1.51 kg
- System Fan: 92 mm x 92 mm x 1
- Power Supply: 60 W adapter, 100–240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
- Power Consumption: 19.93 W (access) / 4.02 W (HDD hibernation)
- Operating Temperature: 0°C to 40°C
- Warranty: 3 years (extendable to 5 years with Extended Warranty Plus, region-dependent)
Both externally and internally, the DVA1622 is a familiar device in Synology's portfolio. With an Intel Celeron J4125 and 6GB of RAM, it is almost a perfect match to the DS720+ with some slight modifications.
Unlike the said NAS, the DVA1622 is equipped with an extra 4GB of RAM and has one LAN port. The back side is also missing the eSATA expansion port that all 7 and 9-series models have. Instead, the DVA has a single HDMI port for direct connection to an external display, should it be needed.
Unlike its older and bigger brother, the DVA1622 is not equipped with an NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1650 because the Celeron J4125 has GPU capabilities. True, it can't handle as many video streams or advanced analytic tasks (only two), but for the price point and its size, it is more than enough.
Deep video analytics tasks:
- People/vehicle detection (with license plate recognition): up to 2 tasks
- People counting: up to 2 tasks
- Vehicle counting: up to 2 tasks
- Intrusion detection: up to 2 tasks
- Face recognition: up to 1 task
- Face database: up to 10,000 registrations
- Note: License plate recognition only for stationary vehicles
Regarding the HDD/SSD support, the DVA1622 is compatible only with Synology-branded drives with up to 24TB per bay when using HAT5320.
The DSM installation of a DVA model is the same as any other Synology NAS, and this time around, DSM 7.3.1 will be installed.
Following the DSM installation, Surveillance Station 9.2.4 will be installed automatically
Considering that the installation of the DSM and SVS package, as well as the configuration of the volume, is automatic, it will take some time for the DMS to complete the creation of the volume and its optimization. However, in the meantime, we can still use the device and the SVS platform to move forward with the configuration.
Connecting the camera
It was already mentioned that the BC800Z is a PoE camera, and as such, it can be connected via a PoE-capable switch or router, as well as a standard non-PoE device, with an added 12V power source (the adapter is not included in the packaging).
In terms of power consumption, it hovers around 4,5-5,5 W while recording full 4K resolution at 30 fps with HDR active.
There is not much to connecting the camera apart from the said RJ45 cable to a compatible PoE device. Securing it in place and positioning it physically, now that is something that will require some time, but once in place, it is rock solid thanks to its all-metal design.
Smart - Synology Camera offers advanced AI capabilities for enhanced surveillance. This includes People and Vehicle Detection, Intrusion Detection, Instant Search,and Auto Tracking. These features enable fast incident response, reliable threat identification, quick investigation, and relevant footage retrieval. For the BC800Z, the camera directly supports advanced AI features such as License Plate Recognition and People and Vehicle Counting without needing to pair with the DVA series.
This is why we have installed the DVA device ahead of time, because once the camera is in place, it will be ready to go following a brief initialization and configuration inside Surveillance Station.
Configuration of the BC800Z with Surveillance Station 9
One of the benefits of using a "proprietary" Synology camera is that the SVS platform will detect it almost immediately and notify the user that the new unused camera can be configured.
Adding it to the SVS follows a short adoption and initialization wizard that will require nothing more than a configuration of username and password for that particular camera.
The BC800Z was still not on the market at the moment of writing this article, so a firmware update was needed. Just like any other camera, using the "more" menu or the appropriate "update required" link, we can start the firmware update process.
Camera selection and firmware version selection
Following the update, the camera will be ready, but many options can be configured depending on the location of the camera (indoors or outside), frame rate, resolution, and more.
Depending on the actual surveillance location and camera position, many configuration parameters can be set and changed to get the best possible image and video quality.
As with any compatible SVS camera, starting with the video and audio format, we have many options along with the image settings.
As previously mentioned, the camera is equipped with both IR and white LED lights, which can be either automatically activated based on the scenario or manually controlled. The white LEDs can be manually activated when needed.
Default settings provide a good starting point in many cases, but it is important to test and adjust the settings depending on the camera's placement indoors or outdoors. The HDR setting can significantly improve image quality, especially indoors under LED lighting, and adjusting the exposure control can help achieve the best possible image clarity.
: Features and tests
Let's start with certain features of the camera and this setup, without covering all the possible scenarios, considering that many of those are shared with previous models covered in already-mentioned articles.
With the BC800Z, the new addition to the mix is optical zoom. As a reminder, the camera is equipped with a 4.38 - 9.33 mm optical motorized lens.
Face detection video at 100% optical zoom example (the detection square is not visible in the video export by default)
This capability is particularly useful for advanced AI features such as face recognition. Although the camera is highly efficient at detecting objects, the BC800Z is well-suited for indoor detection and identification of individuals, especially in scenarios involving access control or monitoring sensitive areas.
Thanks to its high-quality image and video output, the BC800Z performs effectively in this regard. However, optimal results depend on correct placement and avoiding direct glare on the lens. Additionally, automatic switching of the IR lights can sometimes pose a challenge, potentially causing delays in capturing fast-moving subjects when triggered by motion detection.
Speed of camera IR turning off
Another area where the visual quality excels is in license plate detection. Although this test was deliberately conducted with a suboptimal camera placement—about 7 meters from the point of contact—the BC800Z still delivered impressive results.
As shown in the image above, the vehicle was detected almost instantaneously upon entering the garage (indicated by the green square), with license plate recognition following almost immediately. Repeated tests conducted during both day and night yielded 99% accuracy from this angle. The only recurring issue was that the letter "I" was often mistaken for the number "1." Given that the camera was positioned at a greater distance than typical real-world scenarios and under challenging lighting conditions, I find the results quite commendable.
When focusing on people and vehicle detection, the BC800Z continues to deliver excellent results. During testing, the camera was mounted outdoors, approximately 8 meters high and about 20 meters from the main road.
For testing purposes—considering that recording a public street is illegal—the narrow passage where vehicles and pedestrians pass was sufficient for the camera to reliably capture all passing individuals, cars, and motorcycles, even multiple objects simultaneously.
The vehicle was successfully captured with 50% optical zoom, despite passing by in less than a second, demonstrating the camera's quick detection capabilities.
The optical zoom on the BC800Z is highly advantageous, particularly in outdoor environments and at long distances. It ensures a clear image while maintaining the camera in a fixed position, resulting in consistently sharp footage. Night mode functions with the support of IR and LED lights, which can be manually activated or configured as needed.
This outdoor-rated camera was tested extensively in adverse weather conditions, including heavy rain and wind over several days. During these tests, there were no issues with the camera functionality or recording quality.
With its integrated smoke detection capability, the BC800Z has successfully avoided false triggers caused by fog, as demonstrated in the attached video. However, in scenarios involving heavy rain and dense fog, the image quality may be limited even with the IR LEDs active, resulting in reduced detail.
Night real time capture under heavy rain and fog
Outdoor recordings remain very clear and sharp, particularly in daylight and favorable weather conditions. Even in overcast or unpredictable weather, the camera effectively captures the necessary details.
Secure - Synology cameras prioritize security with advanced encryption, including HTTPS and SRTP for recordings. They also feature failover edge storage for enhanced system reliability. The cameras are NDAA and TAA compliant, ensuring the highest level of device security. Additionally, they offer privacy masks and watermarks to protect sensitive footage. These protections ensure the integrity, privacy, and efficient management of your surveillance operations.
The BC800Z supports SD card recording (edge recording) as a backup in case of network issues affecting the NAS or DVR system. The storage capacity and recorded duration depend on the chosen bitrate. With support for variable bitrate and a 256 GB SD card, it can store approximately 35 hours of footage at a 16 Mbps stream. For reference, 24 hours of recording at this bitrate requires about 173 GB of storage.
Additionally, the camera's smart bitrate control allows it to reduce file sizes by up to 70%, regardless of scene complexity, optimizing storage efficiency.
A 4K downscale to 720p time lapse demo
An example of space-efficient recording is time-lapse videos. The sample above was downscaled to 720p to reduce size. The original 4K video was nearly 7 GB for just 1 minute and 15 seconds of footage, covering 5 hours of real time. This method results in approximately one-seventh of the storage space required for a full 5-hour recording at full resolution.
: Conclusion
Is the 400€ bullet camera worth it? Considering its capabilities alone and when paired with the SVS platform (or even further with a Synology DVA device), I think it is safe to say that Synology has made a very solid and capable piece of hardware.
The BC800Z stands apart from its smaller, primarily indoor counterpart, the BC500. Its full metal IK10-rated enclosure and substantial weight ensure durability and reliability in harsh environments and adverse weather conditions. Designed for the surveillance of valuable assets and long-range monitoring, this camera delivers impressive performance and peace of mind.
With onboard AI capabilities that can be further enhanced through integration with the SVS platform and DVA devices, it offers nearly unlimited customization for various surveillance scenarios. Additionally, the price includes a 5-year warranty, making it a highly competitive and valuable investment for a camera of this caliber.
A final point regarding the integration of this camera—or any PoE model—is that Synology has announced and demoed its upcoming surveillance network switches this year. In collaboration with NETGEAR, these new switches will complete the ecosystem, offering users and businesses a comprehensive, end-to-end surveillance solution.
With cameras, DVA devices, and now switches, Synology aims to cover all hardware requirements, while Surveillance Station continues to serve as the essential, high-quality software component.
It is worth noting that Synology will not restrict access for the over 8,000 camera models already compatible with their Surveillance Station solution. However, it is clear that the company is advancing toward its goal of delivering a turnkey surveillance solution—eliminating the need to assemble systems from multiple vendors.
The BC800Z is one of four PoE cameras primarily targeting a broad range of businesses. Whether Synology will expand beyond these options remains uncertain. Currently, their portfolio offers a camera for virtually every need. Although these cameras may be priced slightly higher than competitors’ models, it’s important to note that deploying multiple cameras does not count against the license quota of a particular DVA or NAS running Surveillance Station. This consideration is especially relevant when there is a need for more than two cameras per surveillance device.
The BC800Z will be available starting today, with global availability expected within the next two quarters.
