Review-Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M Dual Starlight Cam

maxxborist

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anyone having issues with duplicate push notifications in IDMSS while using these cameras? I can't seem to fix the problem.
 

Alan Carter

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@fenderman first mentioned this cam back in March here: Seeing double - New Dahua dual Starlight IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M/M12

Courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY we have the, as my wife has dubbed it, the "boobie" cam IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M to checkout. ;)
I have received this cam in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This cam can be purchased here at Andys store: Aliexpress.com - Online Shopping for Electronics, Fashion, Home & Garden, Toys & Sports, Automobiles and more
Or send him a PM here to inquire.

This is listed as a "mobile Ip cam". But I see no reason why it wouldn't work just as well at a home or business setting.

https://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/productDetail/20667

Image Sensor Two 1/2.8” 2Megapixel progressive scan CMOS
Effective Pixels 1920(H)x1080(V)
RAM/ROM 512MB/256MB
Scanning System Progressive
Electronic Shutter Speed Auto/Manual, 1/3(4)~1/100000s
Minimum Illumination 0.009Lux/F2.0( Color,1/3s,30IRE) 0.07Lux/2.0( Color,1/30s,30IRE) 0Lux/F2.0(IR on)
S/N Ratio More than 50dB
IR Distance Distance up to 20m (66ft)
IR On/Off Control Auto/ Manual
IR LEDs 10 x 2

I have the 3.6mm version, 2.8mm version is also available.



Data spec sheet is here: https://www.dahuasecurity.com/asset/upload/product/20180316/DH-IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M-M12_Datashhet-20180121.pdf

As with all of Dahua's products they come in a sturdy all metal case. Everything fits together nicely.
View attachment 29722

Remove 3 captive screws to remove the cover.

View attachment 29723
View attachment 29724
View attachment 29725
View attachment 29730
View attachment 29753
View attachment 29726


Same base size as the one that started the Starlight movement.
View attachment 29728

View attachment 29729

Temporarily mounted next to the MiniPTZ.View attachment 29732
I can't look at this one with a straight face @looney2s
 

m3tpe

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Having some issues with this camera. I installed it couple days ago and have been running fine until today. It keeps loosing connection and Blue Iris shows no connection for a few seconds, then it comes back online.. When I view the video, it's super lagged out and objects get on the screen and it's stuck on the screen even tho it's already out of sight.

There's 5 cameras on the switch. The switch is plugged into a powerline adapter
This is the 6th camera. Other cameras don't seem to have an issue.
 

usaf_pride

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Having some issues with this camera. I installed it couple days ago and have been running fine until today. It keeps loosing connection and Blue Iris shows no connection for a few seconds, then it comes back online.. When I view the video, it's super lagged out and objects get on the screen and it's stuck on the screen even tho it's already out of sight.

There's 5 cameras on the switch. The switch is plugged into a powerline adapter
This is the 6th camera. Other cameras don't seem to have an issue.
Simple test is to unplug 2 other cameras (this is really camera 6 & 7) and see what your results are.
 

ingenium

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Having some issues with this camera. I installed it couple days ago and have been running fine until today. It keeps loosing connection and Blue Iris shows no connection for a few seconds, then it comes back online.. When I view the video, it's super lagged out and objects get on the screen and it's stuck on the screen even tho it's already out of sight.

There's 5 cameras on the switch. The switch is plugged into a powerline adapter
This is the 6th camera. Other cameras don't seem to have an issue.
Powerline adapter is probably your issue. They should be avoided whenever possible, because they have unpredictable latency spikes and packet loss. In some cases a dedicated wifi link might even be better. Is MOCA a possibility instead?

To confirm that's the issue, I'd try moving the Blue Iris computer temporarily and plug into the switch directly to see if the issue goes away. Or temporarily use a really long ethernet cable to connect them.
 

m3tpe

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Powerline adapter is probably your issue. They should be avoided whenever possible, because they have unpredictable latency spikes and packet loss. In some cases a dedicated wifi link might even be better. Is MOCA a possibility instead?

To confirm that's the issue, I'd try moving the Blue Iris computer temporarily and plug into the switch directly to see if the issue goes away. Or temporarily use a really long ethernet cable to connect them.
Is there a reason that the 5 other cameras don't lag or drop connection?
 

ingenium

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Is there a reason that the 5 other cameras don't lag or drop connection?
It might just be the thing that puts the link over the limit. Or maybe that camera uses a higher bitrate, or it's more sensitive to link jitter and packet loss. I just know that powerline causes issues for a lot of people.

But as usaf_pride said, maybe try unplugging some of the other cameras first and see if it still drops out. If it works after disconnecting the other cameras, then it's definitely the powerline.
 

m3tpe

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I went into every camera and set the bitrate to VBR. reduced framerate all to 15. changed couple cams to 1080p. now i can get a stable connection on the dual lens dahua. seems like i was overloading the powerline signal with too much data. now it seems stable again.
 

BayAreaDave

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So far, I am very pleased with this camera. I was initially sent the wrong one with the 2.8mm lens and Andy straightened it out by getting me the 3.6mm. I have seven cameras covering the entire exterior of my residence. Initially, I wasn't interested in any interior cameras. When I saw this camera, I then reconsidered having an interior camera to help with my self-monitored alarm system in case someone got inside. I have an L-shaped 1800 sq. foot home. I placed this camera in the hallway where the 90 degree turn is and it will allow me to see pretty much down the entire length of the house from all the access points. I have also noticed how hot this camera gets and followed a previous recommendation of using washers to keep it off the ceiling about 1/4" to help with a little air flow. The only thing I am trying to figure out is my CPU usage after installing it. I was averaging around 28-35% CPU usage with the seven exterior cameras. However, it jumped to 55-65% after installing this camera with the same exact settings. I have no idea why the CPU usage jumped so high adding this one camera.

Update 09/28/20 Increase in CPU with this camera stopped being an issue, especially after setting up sub-streams. Averaging around 17% CPU with only about 5 of my 8 cameras on sub-streams.

Cam8-2_-1303857917[5569].jpg Cam8-1_1307258745[5570].jpg IMG_3345[5576].jpg
 
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motef

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So just got this delivered from Andy yesterday.

Straight out of the box from the Camera UI I only have one camera?

Not sure what I am doing wrong.

I can also setup in BI and get only 1 camera. Even setting up both cameras in BI the second cam just shows as no signal.

Camera UI



BI



 

BayAreaDave

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Not sure why its only showing one camera on the Dahua UI. You might find an answer in the prior 23 pages if you haven't read through all of them yet. I compared your Blue Iris settings to mine. The only difference I see is that you have a single forward slash at the beginning of the video path for camera 2 while I have two. The rest is the same. I checked the video path on camera 1 and it begins with only one forward slash. Not sure how that comes into play.
 
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BayAreaDave

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That's definitely a final touch I could put on it, although the washers are barely visible as is.
 
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scull20

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Has there been any update/resolution on the IVS only being active in one channel at a time? I have my camera set up properly and am able to set up intrusion zones and tripwires in both channels, but only one will be active at a time.

@EMPIRETECANDY any updates or firmware updates?
 

concord

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So just got this delivered from Andy yesterday.

Straight out of the box from the Camera UI I only have one camera?

Not sure what I am doing wrong.

I can also setup in BI and get only 1 camera. Even setting up both cameras in BI the second cam just shows as no signal.


As stated in Looney's second post (Review-Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M Dual Starlight Cam), you define two separate cam configs in Blue Iris and use "channel=1" for one an "channel=2" for the other in the path string...
 

concord

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Looks like he tried, but did something wrong in the process.
I can also setup in BI and get only 1 camera. Even setting up both cameras in BI the second cam just shows as no signal.
Another diff is Looney had the "Camera" field setting set to "1", with channel=2... motef has "Camera" set to 2... Maybe setting it to 1 (for both cams) and have channel-1 for one and channel=2 the second one might do the trick...
 
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DRZmaui

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Like to thank you guys about reducing the camera temp with spacers

Read the post, then checked my camera. Sure enough, a bit warm to the touch. Not hot, but still warm enough to be a concern. After placing spacers between the cam and wall, big difference. A very noticeable difference in reducing temps. Think should lengthen the life of the unit.


Thanks again.
dual.jpg
 

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archedraft

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Ok, I have to ask this again. Has anyone noticed a good jump in their CPU usage with this dual camera? Previously, I had seven cameras (a few 6mp) that averaged around 28-35%. After installing this camera, it jumped up to about 55-66%. I wouldn't have expected that much of a jump. The settings for this camera are the same as the other seven. When I disable this camera, it immediately drops down to its original CPU usage.
What happens if you enable this camera and disable 2 others?
 
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