Dahua cams on Amazon for cheap

farnk

Getting the hang of it
Joined
Dec 31, 2018
Messages
132
Reaction score
10
Location
New York

c hris527

Known around here
Joined
Oct 12, 2015
Messages
1,782
Reaction score
2,067
Location
NY

awsum140

Known around here
Joined
Nov 14, 2017
Messages
1,254
Reaction score
1,128
Location
Southern NJ
Those cameras both have 1/3" sensors and are 4MP. That translates to terrible night vision. Additionally the firmware may be "hacked" Chinese firmware which makes any firmware upgrades risky, as in bricking the device. Stick to known, good, sellers like Andy at EmpireTech. More expensive, yes, but you know you'll get the best pricing, shipping and support available for the right product. Like c hris said, read the Cliff Notes, they're there to save you time, money and frustration.
 
Last edited:

mat200

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Jan 17, 2017
Messages
13,670
Reaction score
22,775
Hi @farnk

Search the model number on google or your preferred search engine
IPC-HDW4433C-A
IPC-HFW4431R-Z

If you do not see the Dahua International site or Dahua USA website returned on the first page, you can be fairly confident that those are Chinese Market cameras.

Also if images show Chinese instead of English on materials, you can also see they are designed for the Chinese market
upload_2019-4-17_12-45-57.png

upload_2019-4-17_12-48-8.png

notice the Chinese on the box, as on the label on the camera.

Do take some time to read the cliff notes - we've all gone through the same process to ID Chinese market cameras from international models and have shared that information in the cliff notes as well as in the various threads.
 

Attachments

Last edited:
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.

tigerwillow1

Known around here
Joined
Jul 18, 2016
Messages
3,816
Reaction score
8,424
Location
USA, Oregon
I have been running a few of the 4431R-Z model for over 2 years with no hiccups. They are chinese market cameras hacked to use english for the UI. As noted, the night image is not as good as the international starlight models, and in general you can't update the firmware. This in itself isn't a killer issue. If you're going to buy a dahua NVR, forget these cameras because dahua has specifically programmed the newer nvr firmware to not work with them. That's the killer issue. The 4431R-Z is a reliable camera with a great daytime image. Since I got mine, the prices on the 2mp starlights have come down, and that's what I've purchased for my newer additions. Another issue is support. There's no factory warranty and you're at the mercy of the seller if it doesn't work correctly (I've been lucky in that regard), and you won't get a whole lot of support on this forum. I'm trying to list the issues, not tell you what to do. If you're running BI and don't need the better night sensitivity, they could be a good choice if you are willing to deal with downside risks.
 
Top