OUTDOOR WIRELESS CAMERA RECOMMENDATIONS

DYNO1 · Dec 5, 2016

I would like brand recommendations on the following:

1. two cameras that will monitor a small driveway and front entrance with high quality picture
2. able to withstand temperatures that in the winter dip below 30 degrees Celsius
3. have the ability to see at night
4. have the ability to transmit the video wireless ( I can provide AC power to power the units only)
5. two way audio is great however is not required
6. the ability to view the video on apple and android devices (would like to view video on a windows PC)
7. the ability for me not to pay for video storage (ability to record video which will be easy to playback)
8. motion alert of some sort
9. prefer bullet type versus dome only because I can hide the bullet type cameras easier

Anything else that I should consider please let me know. I live in Canada so any brands that are easy to access in Canada would be appreciated. I have looked at Amcrest ProHD Outdoor 3-Megapixel (IP3M-943B Black),
Foscam HD1080P FI9900P Outdoor Wireless, Lorex however any other brand recommendations would be appreciated. I am somewhat tech savvy however the easier the setup the better. Thank-you in advance for everyone's help.

fenderman · Dec 5, 2016

Forget foscam. Amcrest is simply rebranded dahua...

nayr · Dec 5, 2016

Consider Powerline Networking instead of Wireless; its a hell of alot more reliable.

DYNO1 · Dec 5, 2016

How does Power line Networking work and will that affect my router modem combo?

Also, the distance between the cameras and router / modem is about 30 feet in a straight line (of course through walls etc)

Any brands you would recommend if I still wanted to go wireless and any brands you would recommend if I used this power line networking

thank-you for everyone's time

zero-degrees · Dec 5, 2016

Don't do wireless - it is simple, this is a constant video connection. This isn't a wireless laptop surfing the web that when a packet gets dropped it's resent. This is video, you have dropped or interrupted info you will have choppy video.

As nayr said, consider powerline adapters - it will not effect your router or modem. Power line adapters do not require a "special" camera/brand. All it does is utilize your powerlines to transfer data thus creating a standard RJ45 network connection at each end.

Amazon.com: TP-LINK AV200 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit, up to 200Mbps (TL-PA2010KIT): Computers & Accessories

looney2ns · Dec 5, 2016

Stick with Dahua, plan on running network cables, wireless sucks, and will just cause you heartburn.
Go here and start your education: Dahua

And here is the new Starlight series from Dahua compiled by nayr: Dahua 2MP Starlight Lineup

Go here to calculate the correct lense for the Field of View you want: Camera Calculator / Design Software

DYNO1 · Dec 6, 2016

Thank you for your response. Sounds like you would recommend Dahua CCTV. Now you mention, " pan on running network cables". I assume I am running network cables so I can plug them into a powerline adapter.
Do I need a NVR or can these systems record to a PC?
Also should I stay away from brands like Amcerst or Lorex. My neighbor installed Amcrest and he felt it was a good system and it seems that Lorex has issues with support based on comments I read online. Any thoughts

Also, can you recommend any good Canadian websites to purchase these products?
Again I appreciate everyone's feedback.

zero-degrees · Dec 6, 2016

DYNO1 said:
Thank you for your response. Sounds like you would recommend Dahua CCTV. Now you mention, " pan on running network cables". I assume I am running network cables so I can plug them into a powerline adapter.
Do I need a NVR or can these systems record to a PC?
Also should I stay away from brands like Amcerst or Lorex. My neighbor installed Amcrest and he felt it was a good system and it seems that Lorex has issues with support based on comments I read online. Any thoughts

Also, can you recommend any good Canadian websites to purchase these products?
Again I appreciate everyone's feedback.

1. You will need an NVR or a PC in order to record and store footage, unless you use an SD card inside the camera. PC software like "Blue Iris" will give you all the same functions of an NVR PLUS a lot more custom options/features/compatibility.
2. Armcrest is Dahua, just rebranded/private label
3. You at the very minimum need Power where you are going to connect your cameras. If you already have power BUT no network connection then that is where the powerline adapters come in. You plug the camera into a power outlet and then plug the powerline adapter into the power outlet and connect a network cable from it, to the camera. Then you go back to where the PC/NVR are and connect a network cable from that adapter to your switch/nvr. You now have a network connection to the camera.
4. If you do NOT have power OR network where you want to place your camera then you can simply run one network cable to each camera location. You can then provide power to the cameras over the network cable as well as receive the video/data from the camera over the same cable back to the switch/nvr.

As for purchasing in CA - sometimes your tax/duties suck so I don't know what the additional cost would be for someone like Nelly's SEcurity to ship to you from the USA. With that said you may want to check out Amazon.ca obviously or look for some reputable sellers on AE.

DYNO1 · Dec 7, 2016

Okay if I use powerline adapters, do I just need to find a camera that is rated for my needs (outdoors) and ensure that it is IP capable? Or does it need to be WI FI capable? Or is that the same thing? Also, I have seen cameras that have POE. Will a powerline adapter and a POE camera work? Last question. I have seen that most cameras are rated at 30fps. Do I need to get 60fps or does it matter

Again, any brand recommendations would be welcome

thank-you again for everyone's help

bp2008 · Dec 7, 2016

WiFi capability is not required. Find cameras rated for outdoors that are IP capable. PoE likely will not be required for you using powerline networking since you are probably mounting near electrical outlets, however most good cameras have PoE capability whether you want it or not. There will be no compatibility problems between a PoE camera and a powerline adapter, but you should be aware that most powerline adapters do not provide PoE power, you'll need to power the camera separately and whether you use PoE for that or not is up to you. 30 FPS is already more than you need. 15 FPS is more than enough.

DYNO1 · Dec 7, 2016

When I am looking at brand of camera's, do I need to worry about which brand may or may not work with the suggested Blue Iris software?
thank-you

bp2008 · Dec 7, 2016

Very few brands do not work with Blue Iris. Stick with Dahua or Hikvision to be safe, but any camera that lists "ONVIF" and/or "RTSP" in its specs should be fine.

Netgear Arlo, Nest, and Ubiquiti (UniFi Video cameras) in particular are commonly mistaken for decent security cameras and purchased with regrets once the buyer realizes they are locked in to the manufacturer's software ecosystem.

Paloma Dave · Dec 9, 2016

Excellent information, thanks for the tip on the powerline adapters. I just placed an order for one which will save me from running cable.

fenderman · Dec 9, 2016

Paloma Dave said:
Excellent information, thanks for the tip on the powerline adapters. I just placed an order for one which will save me from running cable.

Running cable is a much better solution than powerline and doesnt cost that much more if you pay someone to do it. It will be much more stable and reliable. Powerline is a last resort.

DYNO1 · Dec 10, 2016

As I continue to plan out this installation I keep coming up with more questions:

1. I plan to have two to three cameras. Can a powerline adapter accommodate more than one camera especially if one cctv may be a PTZ?

2. For two of the cameras I would need to run roughly a 25 - 30 foot cord to reach the outlets (extension cord). I assume any power supply that would come with the cameras is a few feet long in length so that would not be enough to reach the outlet. Would an extension cord be an issue with the camera and / or powerline adapter

3. I also had some feedback from a company that recommended Axis and Hikvision. Any thoughts?

Again I look forward to any other suggestions or ideas

thank-you

nayr · Dec 10, 2016

permanent installation via extension cord is against just about every fire and electrical code known to man.

this is why cameras are PoE (Power over Ethernet), because rarely is there power near the camera..

Powerline performance is largely dependent on your environment; you might be able to get 8 cameras on a PowerLine network; or you might get None.. it is a last ditch effort to avoid wireless, and wont come close to reliability and scale that a good old wired ethernet cable can achieve.

PTZ just uses more power; it has no impact on bitrates/network performance.

DYNO1 · Dec 12, 2016

And the questions keep coming..... lol

Do a bit more research I get the impression I should be looking for a vari focal type camera. My goal is to monitor a driveway and front entrance
If I do not get vari focal camera, is there a lens size I should be looking at?

It looks like I will want to get the Blue Iris program to control the cameras and now I am thinking I would like a camera for inside the home
Are there any recommendations for inside the home

thank-you again for everyone's input

Kawboy12R · Dec 12, 2016

3.6mm is a good lens for cameras at doors, 6mm minimum for facial ID guarding cars close to the cam in driveways. Outdoors, 2.8 is good for "wassup?" but lousy for "who dat?"

Play with the ipvm.com/calculator and keep ppf at 100 or higher for good results.

Hik 2432 is a good full-featured indoor cam you can move around. I'd prefer ceiling mounted minidomes for permanent mounting.

DYNO1 · Dec 13, 2016

Thank you for your help. I have been looking at various cameras and I noticed that some do not list the ppf. Any suggestions if they do not list that info or should I stay away from the camera if that info is not listed

Also for inside, do I need to still think of 100 ppf. And is Vari-Focal lens something I should consider and why. I have read online info however I would prefer feed back from this forum as I assume everyone here has more day to day experience

thank-you

Kawboy12R · Dec 13, 2016

Ppf is a function of sensor megapixels, sensor size and shape, lens length, and distance from the camera. It can't be listed in the spec sheet because it varies with distance from the camera. A wide-angle camera won't give a high PPF at much of a distance from the camera because it has to spread all those pixels over an extremely wide area. 100ppf is considered a minimum standard to get a really good ID quality picture of a person's face. Any less than that and you don't have enough dots to make up a good face. A longer lens will give you a narrower field of view but give you more pixels on target at any given distance.

Varifocal lens will give you good flexibility when mounting your camera, especially if you need to precisely target a given area or you don't really know what will give you a good picture in that spot. They are more expensive but great for newbies or if you can't find a camera with the exact lens length you want. Very flexible.

Search

OUTDOOR WIRELESS CAMERA RECOMMENDATIONS

DYNO1

n3wb

fenderman

nayr

DYNO1

n3wb

zero-degrees

Known around here

looney2ns

DYNO1

n3wb

zero-degrees

Known around here

DYNO1

n3wb

bp2008

DYNO1

n3wb

bp2008

Paloma Dave

n3wb

fenderman

DYNO1

n3wb

nayr

DYNO1

n3wb

Kawboy12R

Known around here

DYNO1

n3wb

Kawboy12R

Known around here