Desperate need of help!

dpatton75

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Hi guys

I am VERY much in need of a high quality outdoor security camera system for my
residence. I have tried researching on and off for over a year without much
success. I am simply overwhelmed by the information and array of choices. I am
desperate for help. There is a lot of property crime (drug fueled) in the region
where I live. Break-ins are VERY common. Last week I walked outside and
encountered someone on my property who immediately ran.

The specifications that I would like if possible are as follows.

- Very high quality and long service life.
- The best image possible. I prefer high definition.
- As much night vision capability as possible. We have a lot of property out
back so night vision range should be considerable.
- Ability to either record on a DVR, NVR or cloud storage.
- 24/7 streaming
- Ability to connect to large monitor or TV placed on my wall so that I can see
whats going on around my house 24/7.
- Ability to view remotely on multiple devices (eg. Phone, Tablet, PC)
- As easy to install as possible.

I know that there are wireless, truly wireless, standard wired, and Ethernet
cameras. I am open to any so long as they meet my requirements.

I means a lot to me that there are guys out there like you who are willing to
help people like myself.

Thanks!

Don
 

mat200

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Welcome Don,

Similar issues compelled me to also join. I recommend going for the best quality you can afford and avoiding the super affordable products, as well as those requiring a cloud service.

Definitely take a look at the links looney2ns has provided.

Take some time to learn and ask yourself some questions ( some of my notes attached here ).

Have fun joining us!


--- additional notes ---

Security Camera System Minimal Viable Product requirements:
  • 1) It must be Reliable.
  • 2) It must be able to capture good enough images to potentially ID suspects.
  • 3) It must be useful for evidence. [ thus date and time stamps are critical

What does this mean in practical terms?
Wired systems with local storage will be the most reliable. While some maybe able to get wifi cameras to work well enough it requires a significant investment in building and maintaining a quality wifi network, which most people are unwilling to learn and spend the resources to do. Wifi is also subject to interference ( common ) and even possible jamming ( less common ).
Quality cameras are required. 1080p+ The best way to determine if a camera is good is to test it and compare it to others. Megapixels is only one factor to look at, and does not in itself determine the quality of the image. That said, your search should avoid 720p and poorer spec'ed cameras, they tend to be the cheaper cameras and provide poorer results. Test both day time and night time.
Few consumer marketed cameras have date and time stamps. This is critical if you plan to use your video images for evidence.
[ good wired camera = In general either PoE ( Power over Ethernet ) using cat5e/cat6 cable for digital, OR coax wire with power wires and BNC connectors for analog based systems. ]

..

What do you want to accomplish with a security camera system?
  • Is the day time more of a threat? or night time? If night time look at the starlight models referenced here, if day time the 4K cameras work well. If a combination get both starlights and consider good 4K cameras.
  • See what happened?
  • Potentially ID suspects? Locate cameras less than 8 feet high and close enough to get a potential ID'able facial image. ( please see the ID distance list )
  • Help deter criminal activities? Mount your cameras in obvious locations.
  • Keep an eye on your car parked in your drive way? in the street?
  • Potentially ID cars which suspects maybe using?
  • Watch of other activities, wild animals, your dogs, your cats, birds,..
  • License plate captures? For successful license plate captures you may need to dedicate a camera to it as it requires camera tuning adjustments which makes the overall picture darker.
  • While you are thinking about these issues, you will need to look at potential camera installation locations and measure the distance to the potential suspect and determine if you are within the ID distance. You may need a camera with a better "zoom".
 

mat200

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Hi Don,

Reolink is not liked for a number of reasons.

Amcrest uses Dahua OEM. Both Dahua and Hikvision products are better liked for numerous quality of product reasons.

Do you know what your function requirements are?
Example:
Is daytime or nighttime a greater threat?
What distance do you see needing to be able to ID a suspect. ( example if you park your car on the street you may want to be able to ID someone attempting to break into it )
 

dpatton75

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Nighttime would be by far the greatest threat. We have a very large yard. Out back I would need night vision capability over 100 feet. I know Amcrest offers a camera with 165 ft. nice vision capability. The figure that I observed was in my back yard about 2:30 AM. TBH I am still trying to get my mind around what I saw. He quickly ran and just seemed to vanish behind a small tree. I have a theory of where they might have went but it is not without holes in it. Another family member saw a very strange bright light originate from the area just moments before I saw the figure.
In any case we have had things stolen from buildings out back. Ideally I want to be able to see 180 degrees around my house with as much clarity and night vision as I can possibly afford.
 

mat200

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Nighttime would be by far the greatest threat. We have a very large yard. Out back I would need night vision capability over 100 feet. I know Amcrest offers a camera with 165 ft. nice vision capability. The figure that I observed was in my back yard about 2:30 AM. TBH I am still trying to get my mind around what I saw. He quickly ran and just seemed to vanish behind a small tree. I have a theory of where they might have went but it is not without holes in it. Another family member saw a very strange bright light originate from the area just moments before I saw the figure.
In any case we have had things stolen from buildings out back. Ideally I want to be able to see 180 degrees around my house with as much clarity and night vision as I can possibly afford.
Hi Don,

Those numbers they show you in the catalogs and webpages are really misleading... probably closer to 10-20% of that for any meaningful picture quality.

The best value for low light / night time performance will currently be the Dahua starlight cameras, the preferred one to consider is the starlight varifocal turret camera IPC-HDW5231.

Please see the link Looney2ns provided.

Those are the ones I got after I wised up and gave up on the cheap garbage I had purchased before.
 

dpatton75

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Are the Amcrest cameras considered cheap junk? If they are made by Dahua shouldn't they be similar in terms of quality?
 

mat200

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Are the Amcrest cameras considered cheap junk? If they are made by Dahua shouldn't they be similar in terms of quality?
Hi Dpatton75,

Amcrest has a number of different products - some I know are clearly made by Dahua. ( IP PoE products )

Having looked at both their more expensive models and their cheaper models, I would try to avoid their cheaper stuff ( a lot of their affordable coax stuff I would avoid ).

Update - note if night time is the greatest threat you really should take a look at the Dahua starlight models - much better than most "normal" security cameras for night time.
 

dpatton75

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How do the Dahua starlight models compare price wise to the Amcrest PoE cameras? Also are the Dahua starlight models good in daylight as well?
 

dpatton75

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I'd like to keep it under $1000 bucks for the entire to system, to include 6 cameras and at least 3 terabyte hard drive.
 

mat200

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I'd like to keep it under $1000 bucks for the entire to system, to include 6 cameras and at least 3 terabyte hard drive.
Hi Don,

Better to decide what you want the system to accomplish and what equipment can accomplish that before deciding a budget, as we often have higher expectations due to Hollywood distortions of what security cameras are really capable of doing.

The Starlight models do a good job also in the day - please do take a look at the notes, as we have example videos and pictures available here.
 

dpatton75

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mat200

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EMPIRETECANDY

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Ok I will
Where can I get the Dahua cameras? Can someone point me in a general direction of one that might suits my needs? The camera system that I was looking at it below
Amcrest 8CH Plug & Play H.265 4K NVR 4MP 1440P Security Camera System, (4) x 4-Megapixel 3.6mm Wide Angle Lens Weatherproof Metal Bullet POE IP Cameras, 164 Feet Night Vision (Black)
It seems to fit all of my needs. What would be the Dahua equivalent?
You can use IPC-HDW4231EM-AS, this model better than the 4mp ones, not expensive.
 
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