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    What do you think about having cameras INSIDE your home?

    More noob questions! Since I'm going to go through the exercise of setting up a network of cameras and likely a Blue Iris computer, it occurred to me that I could also put cameras inside my home. The thought of capturing what went on during a burglary was going through my mind. Perhaps...
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    Inexpensive PoE camera for overview of door for package deliver / porch piracy?

    The 5442 above the door facing the street will do the identifying. But due to its position, it might only see the perp bend down and then walk away. ("I was just tying my shoes...") A lower quality image of him actually picking up my package and tucking it into his jacket could be useful. I...
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    Inexpensive PoE camera for overview of door for package deliver / porch piracy?

    Thank you both. But the 2 cams look to be high(er) end. I'm thinking for just being able to prove that someone pinched my package, a year 2000-era webcam (360p?) could be good enough. Yes, I'm cheap. But also the additional requirements that make the ideal camera harder to find might be...
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    Inexpensive PoE camera for overview of door for package deliver / porch piracy?

    Is there an inexpensive PoE camera out there that people in this forum like where the specs don't have to be particularly high-end? I plan to have a 5442 turret at the top of my front door facing out towards the street for identifying people. I'm also wanting to have a camera to oversee the...
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    Did I blow it? i5-8500T --note the "T"

    So I pulled the trigger too fast and bought a used i5-8500T tiny PC for Blue Iris. Note the "T" in the processor spec. I believe it's a laptop processor... How will this laptop processor be able to handle Blue Iris? The intention is to have the PC run perhaps 3 or 4 Dahua 5442-style...
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    Do you care (and thus record) traffic on your street?

    Another naive question: do you care about what happens on your street or the alley behind your house? At first blush, I am thinking it would be nice to know who's walking near my house or be able to record the cars that go past. But now that I've read a little here, I believe that having a...
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    Could I end up with "too many" cameras? Consequences?

    Just a beginner here with a naive question: could I draw unwanted attention simply by having too many cameras visible on my home? I currently have zero cameras. But as mentioned in another thread, there's a good chance I could get caught up in all this and have a variety of them mounted on my...
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    It turned into a hobby

    I find this concept...disturbing... :D I can get caught up quite badly in hobbies. Before I realized it, a foray into photography turned into a mountain of cameras and lenses and other camera toys... Before that, an automotive interest resulted in a series of sports cars. I'm deeply...
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    Vari-focal vs fixed-lens?

    Very true. I guess I am getting caught up in my photography equipment geekiness and am chasing that 1/2 stop of extra light... I do that for my (photo) camera gear (and thus have too large a collection of lenses...) but I take your point that security cameras can be redeployed and my mind...
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    Vari-focal vs fixed-lens?

    Thanks, everyone, for the answers and advice. Based on that, I'll go with a single varifocal 5442 turret camera and move it around the house using a bucket-and-2x4 test rig and test for the "best" focal length. If a location has a "best" focal length that is very close to one of 2.8, 3.6, or...
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    Smallest computer that I could get for BI

    Actually, my mistake. The SFF Elitedesk G4 800 does indeed fit a 3.5-inch HDD. It's the little micro G4 800 Elitedesks that accept only a 2.5-inch laptop hard drive.
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    Smallest computer that I could get for BI

    Thanks again. Your signature suggests that you are using a WD80PURZ hard drive. Google seems to think it's a 3.5-inch hard drive and I don't believe that fits in the little Elitedesk G4 800.
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    Zoom for fixed lens chart?

    I had a similar question to the OP but am not equipped with the security camera knowledge to understand. To use the Dahua 5442 as an example, what are the 2mm, 3.6, and 6mm lens equivalents when it comes to full-frame camera lens focal lengths? E.g if the camera I had was the classic Canon 5D...
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    Vari-focal vs fixed-lens?

    I a hobbyist in photography and in the camera world, zoom lenses (which I am thinking equate to "vari-focal" lenses) generally have a smaller aperture than prime lenses ("fixed-lens" lenses). Thus prime lenses capture more light and are better in low light. Often prime lenses are cheaper too...
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    Smallest computer that I could get for BI

    That little HP looks great. How much RAM is needed to run as many as 9 cameras? Will 8GB do? I see you are running 20 so it's good that this unit has more capacity than I need.
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    Pros and cons of IR floodlights?

    Great visual proof that more than 15fps is a waste if one has to bend over backwards to try to achieve it. From my eyes, 10 fps looks sufficient and maybe I'll aim for 15.
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    What could be the role of old-school motion-detector lights in the security camera world?

    That video of the 2 perps and the 911 was great! Was the camera locked into B&W mode? It didn't take too long for the camera to adjust. And (to my eyes) there wasn't really any period of significant overexposure when the motion-detector light came on. Perhaps the area was already lit fairly...
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    What could be the role of old-school motion-detector lights in the security camera world?

    Many years ago I put up some traditional security lights driven by the detection of movement of (I'm guessing) infra-red generating objects. Classic Heath-Zenith 180-degree motion detector lights from a big box store. They actually work surprisingly well. Anyone walking through the alley...
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    Pros and cons of IR floodlights?

    Could the problem of IR overexposure be dealt with more numerous but lower-powered lights spread around the area I want monitored? Or one that is powerful and casts a wide beam but which is situated high up (rooftop perhaps)?
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    Inexpensive IP camera for indoor room monitoring?

    Sounds good! What could I use on my side to view this composite video? If it was Blue Iris, I guess I could use remote access across the VPN. But what if I chose an NVR instead? Would it be an app on a phone or tablet? Ideally, I'd be looking at the video stream on a large-ish monitor on...
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    Inexpensive IP camera for indoor room monitoring?

    I feel it's too early in the process to ask this (as I should really do some research first), but in your scenario of an NVR and a composite stream, what is actually being sent? In my beginner levels of thinking, I was hoping I'd have the cameras send a photo every 30 seconds or so and I'd...
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    Pros and cons of IR floodlights?

    Some cameras have built-in IR LEDs. I'm sure their range isn't good. How well do IR floodlights complement recent model cameras? I'm assuming the video will still be in B&W but will be clearer, right? And will frame rates and shutter speeds go up because of the better illumination? Aside...
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    Inexpensive IP camera for indoor room monitoring?

    This is the little Amcrest, right?
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    Inexpensive IP camera for indoor room monitoring?

    That Amcrest is indeed inexpensive. So thanks. Though I don't need PT or wifi. In fact, I'm not normally a fan of wifi cameras as I have doubts about their (communications) reliability, though I have said above that I don't mind dropped frames and such. It's just that I've had bad memories...
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    Inexpensive IP camera for indoor room monitoring?

    It'll be kind of a baby monitor situation. I'd like to know that an aging parent is ok. She's fully fine right now but is beginning to need a cane. I am thinking of sprinkling a few cameras around the house--including inside the house in places like her kitchen, sitting room, etc. For the...
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    Hello from north of the border!

    First post! Noob here. Am glad I found this forum. Lots of good info. Looking to add security cameras to a couple of households, first for an aging parent and, later, for my own home. I'll create threads for my questions. I'm just posting to say "Hi!" :thumb:
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