Compare
SiteOps Command vs IPVM Calculator
The IPVM Design Calculator made PPF math accessible to every installer. SiteOps Command computes what a flat calculator cannot: per-camera 3D points of view, fisheye and panoramic lenses, IR reach at night, and the shadows your walls and racking actually cast.
A fair frame
IPVM is a respected research organization, and its free calculator is many teams' first camera-planning tool. This page compares design tooling — the calculator — not the research.
A PPF number answers one question: how many pixels land on a target at a distance. It does not answer whether a rack blocks the view, what a fisheye lens resolves at the edge of its image, what the sensor sees after dark, or how the camera plan interacts with the Wi-Fi and A/V going into the same building.
SiteOps Command starts from the same math and keeps going: the design is a computable 3D model of your actual building, where every coverage figure is derived from real manufacturer datasheets and scored per zone — and where cameras are one discipline of the install, not the whole job.
Capability by capability
| Capability | SiteOps Command | IPVM Calculator |
|---|---|---|
| Pixels-per-foot (PPF) math | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3D per-camera point of view — what the camera actually sees | ✓ | — |
| Fisheye and panoramic lens models | ✓ | — |
| IR night-vision reach from datasheet beam specs | ✓ | — |
| Wall, glass, and racking shadow casting | ✓ | — |
| Occlusion-aware coverage heatmaps | ✓ | — |
| DORI pixels-on-target scored per zone (IEC 62676-4) | ✓ | PPF guidance |
| Wi-Fi, A/V, cabling, and power on the same model | ✓ | — |
| BOM, proposals, and site plan sets from the design | ✓ | — |
| Design → install → as-built → renewal lifecycle | ✓ | — |
Beyond PPF
From pixel math to camera physics
Pixels-on-target is the floor, not the ceiling. SiteOps Command scores every zone against DORI (IEC 62676-4), models fisheye and panoramic projection, computes IR night-vision reach from the manufacturer's beam specification, and casts shadows from walls, glass, and warehouse racking — so the coverage map shows what the sensor can actually resolve.
- DORI pixels-on-target per zone, not one number for the whole site.
- Fisheye and panoramic lens models with their own projection math.
- IR reach from datasheet beam specs — night coverage is part of the design.
- Wall, glass, and racking occlusion in every heatmap.
Proof
Deliverables a customer can stand in
Every camera has a 3D point of view you can open, walk, and export. Per-camera POV reports, occlusion-aware heatmaps, and print-ready site plan sets come straight from the design — proof your customer can verify on site, camera by camera.
- Walk the building in 3D and read pixels-on-target live at any position.
- Per-camera POV reports show each field of view before a bracket goes on the wall.
- The BOM is generated from the same design — no separate spreadsheet.
One model
Cameras are one discipline, not the whole job
The same obstacle model that casts camera shadows computes Wi-Fi RF from wall materials and scores conference rooms against AVIXA DISCAS and IEC 60268-16 STI. Design the cameras, and the rest of the install is already on the canvas — through BOM, quote, install, as-built, and renewal.
The project lifecycleThe basis of every camera number
Standards and datasheets — named, citable, and computed deterministically.
- IEC 62676-4
- DORI pixels-on-target
- Scored per zone, not a single PPF guess
- Datasheets
- Real lens, sensor, and IR specs
- Thousands of camera models with manufacturer data
- 3D POV
- See what each camera sees
- With wall, glass, and racking occlusion
- Free
- IPVM Design Calculator
- A free planning aid — camera-only by design
Frequently asked questions
Is SiteOps Command an IPVM Calculator alternative?
For camera design, yes. It covers the PPF math the calculator is known for, then computes what a flat calculator cannot: per-camera 3D points of view, fisheye and panoramic lens models, IR night-vision reach from datasheet beam specs, and shadow casting from walls, glass, and racking. The camera plan also lives on the same model as Wi-Fi, A/V, and cabling.
Does this replace IPVM’s research and testing?
No, and it does not try to. IPVM’s independent research and camera testing are valuable to the industry. This comparison is about design tooling: the free calculator is a starting point; SiteOps Command is a computable model of your actual building.
How is camera coverage actually computed?
Deterministically, from geometry and datasheets. Lens and sensor specs project pixels-on-target per zone against DORI (IEC 62676-4); fisheye and panoramic cameras use their own projection models; IR reach comes from the manufacturer’s beam specification; and walls, glass, and racking cast shadows in the result. SOC never invents the numbers — the optics engine owns them.
Can I show a customer what a camera will see before install?
Yes. Every camera has a 3D point of view you can open and walk, and the design exports per-camera POV reports and occlusion-aware coverage heatmaps as customer-facing deliverables your customer can verify on site.
What does night coverage look like in the design?
IR night-vision reach is computed from each camera’s datasheet beam specification, so a zone that scores well at noon and fails at midnight shows up in the design — before the install, not after the incident.
See what every camera sees — before the install
Upload a floor plan, place cameras from the product library, and open each point of view in 3D. Night reach, fisheye edges, and racking shadows included.