Looking for assistance

[Stephanie Cline]

Good morning,

I am looking for cameras that work with Blue Iris, are ptz, motion detection, night vision, reliable, and (of course) inexpensive.
When I started my job there were foscam in place. They work, they do what I need them to. But we have added 80,000 sq ft of warehouse and because of owner delay and no desire to buy more cameras we have already experienced theft. So, now the push is on for me to deliver quickly. I can use Amazon Prime.
I have recently had surgery and am not currently on site and I am medicated. I have been looking for cameras that are reasonably priced, under $100 each, but can't seem to find one that fits the bill. Either they don't have PTZ or they don't have motion detection. I am beyond frustrated.
Any assistance, point in the right direction, would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks
Stephanie

 

[bp2008]

Blue Iris does its own motion detection so it doesn't matter what camera you get -- you still have motion detection through Blue Iris.

Your price limit is too low if you indeed require PTZ. Sure, you can find PTZ cameras with night vision that cost under $100 but they are garbage like Foscam. These are the cheapest PTZs I could possibly recommend: Aliexpress.com : Buy Dahua 4x optical zoom Dome PTZ Camera Built in Mic IR cctv ptz SD29204T GN W,free shipping from Reliable dome ptz suppliers on Empire Technology Co., Ltd

 

[Stephanie Cline]

Let me clarify that I am able to find cameras that fit the bill but inevitably they are not on the Blue Iris list of tested and approved cameras.

 

[Stephanie Cline]

Thank you bp2008! My inexperience definitely comes out here as I didn't realize the motion detection can be controlled via Blue Iris. That helps tremendously!

 

[bp2008]

Blue Iris works with basically all IP cameras that aren't locked in to their manufacturer's ecosystem.

The problem is your budget is too low for a reliable PTZ.

 

[Stephanie Cline]

I know. I could probably go a tad higher. I absolutely have to have ptz in the new warehouse area so I can get in close on license plates and people. That would take it down to 4 cameras. They don't want me to spend more than $600. I need a couple watching workstations, 2 to be exact. But they only need to monitor and record.
I have been trying to get them to replace all of the foscams but they will not budge. They work so that is that. They don't have to ensure they are all up and running. I spend a dumb amount of time restarting those things. But that is an entirely different issue.

 

[bp2008]

This PTZ is a great deal better than the little 4x indoor model. Dahua SD49225T HN 2MP 25x Starlight IR PTZ Network Camera ,free DHL shipping-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

Of course it also costs more than twice as much. There is a version of that PTZ with wifi built-in for around the same price but wifi is a nightmare with security cameras so I would avoid using wifi at all costs.

 

[Stephanie Cline]

Thank you everyone for the feedback! I foresee myself spending a lot of time here in the future.

 

[Mike.in.Minnesota]

I agree that the $100 price point is unrealistic in a corporate environment. This shows the company is not really interested in security, or, needs some education. Probably just a band-aid for the insurance company?

You mentioned "owner delay and no desire to buy more cameras we have already experienced theft". 'Shrink' ($ loss caused by customer & employee theft) seems to be not high on their agenda. Write up a prospectus detailing the amount of $ loss & projected future loss, verses, the cost of some high quality cameras & hardware. It just sounds laughable! They don't want to spend any more $ when they have added 80k sf!!! I tend to think they just want a band-aid to show the insurance company, without actually being effective!


A few thoughts and points....

- Whatever cameras you get, make sure the computer/server that runs Blue Iris has some hefty hard drives to store at least 6 months of recordings. Some thefts can go unnoticed for a while until stock runs low, or, performing inventory. What does the insurance company require? Also, it allows the security group to find 'trends'.

- How about some quality 360 ceiling mounted cameras? BI can handle these, and, make them panoramic, or split them into individual camera views. Some of the 360 cameras can also do this.

- Be sure whatever camera you get has a wide field of view. The wider, the more you will see - but it will look a bit further away. So, in some cases, a less field of view is better. But, if the camera has zoom, you can also zoom in to the field of view you want. In my opinion, the wider the better.

- Make sure the cameras you get have preset for the zoom level. Some do not. It's a real hassle to have to set the zoom on cameras without zoom presets. A few cameras it's not too bad, but having several makes those cameras useless.

- Always use ip cable - not WiFi. WiFi is easier, but also easy to jam and circumvent. If WiFi is preferred, you will most likely need WiFi repeaters thru out the company.

- Choose 2-4 cameras (regular PTZ & 360), and test them out in the same location to see what works best. Move them around. See how they work in the hot spots around your company.

- Corporate security is not a quick and easy solution. It can take quite a bit of time to get it setup. Walk around a Target store. Look up. You'll see cameras everywhere! It's amazing how many they have on the ceilings - those round black domes. Also, cameras & 360 cams around the registers.

- Go to Holiday gas station (if you have those in your area, or another popular gas station). By the registers you'll see monitors that automatically scan the pumps, find a vehicles license plate, zoom in to the plate and capture the plate number, then it unlocks the pump so you can fill up. It used to be the clerk would use binoculars to view the plate BEFORE unlocking the pumps. Now it's all automatic! Amazing really.

- You could also use BI to trigger different detentions for different shifts/times/days. For example, take a snapshot of everyone crossing a line (movement between zones), as they enter and leave an area(s). Not very good for high volume traffic. But, effective for low traffic areas and times, or, for areas employees have no business being.


Sorry for the ramble.

What's worse than finding a worm in an apple? ...Finding half a worm!

 

[TonyR]

Just curious: I understand you may be reluctant to answer this, as I could be a retired tech who has fallen on hard times and trolls surveillance camera forums looking for illicit ways to obtain a living. But I am curious as to what types of items are in that warehouse. Are all bigger than a toaster or are some smaller than a pack of cigarettes? Could you tell me this? About how much would the value be of your goods that a person could steal in an unobserved area in 10 seconds?

I ask because I totally agree with @Mike.in.Minnesota regarding a quick, 3 minute visual presentation (barchart ?) that shows in dollars how much they could save over a time period with their investment and how soon that investment would not only pay for itself but actually begin to produce a profit based on the goods that are NOT stolen or are successfully recovered by evidence provided by the surveillance.