A Tricky Back Patio...

Mluck0315

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I've got a configuration in my backyard that's a little tricky and I'm trying to figure out the best way to configure the camera angle(s). Below is a horrible hand drawn picture. The right half is supposed to illustrate the physical structure of our house; the left half is our backyard (horribly out of proportion, but you get the idea). We have a plan for a handful outdoor cameras, positioned strategically, to cover all four sides of the house, esp. points of ingress/egress. Good so far.
Screenshot 2023-02-06 at 3.29.43 PM.png
But then we have this tricky patio in the middle of the picture. It's roughly 6m x 4m. My main outdoor camera in the backyard won't see the patio area because the cam is located on the back plane of the house (to the left of the patio) pointed outward from the house. I thought about PTZ, but rejected it, because my experience with PTZ and 24/7 recording is that the lens is always pointed in the wrong direction at the wrong time. So, now I'm thinking I'll add a camera dedicated to the patio itself. And it's important because, as you can see, there are two doors in/out between the patio and the house.

In red are the two scenarios I was considering.
A. Put a good outdoor camera (like the 5442T) on the closest tree with an unobstructed view pointed back toward the patio. See camera placement A. It's about 50 feet from the patio. I could use a longer lens suitable to the distance. Done. But then I have to run ethernet underground and deal with that hassle. But not impossible by any stretch.
B. Put a camera with a very wide FOV at the edge of the patio (see camera placement B) pointed to the "right". I think (?) the only way to accomplish such wide FOV at such minimal distance would be a 5441F boobie cam that folks seem to talk about around these parts. Or our good friend Andy from EmpireTech recommended the Color4K-T180. I don't know why but these dual cameras just seem weird to me. More pragmatically, I wonder if the robust functionality of BlueIris will get confused by these dual cameras -- or maybe it shows up in BlueIris as two logical cameras, not sure? Plus at these prices, I wonder if it's better just to get 2 cameras for the patio. But then that seems overkill. (Can you feel by confusion yet?!?)

And then of course there's option C, which is "fill in the blank", dealers choice. You tell me.

OK,ready, go! TIA for your ideas and creativity!
 
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looktall

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Can you not have the camera mounted in between the doors looking out?
What are you trying to achieve here?
 

Mluck0315

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Can you not have the camera mounted in between the doors looking out?
What are you trying to achieve here?
I’m trying to surveil both doors, including in low light conditions. Secondarily, I’d like to monitor activity on the patio generally. The rest of the backyard is already covered, so this is strictly about the patio.

If I put the cam in between the doors looking out, then I can’t see the doors unless I have a 180 degree FOV, which is why I considered Option B. But that option has the noted disadvantages so not sure if that’s right.
 
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Do you have a varifocal cam, or a 2.8mm cam that you could use as a test cam? Really the best way to decide is to set up a test cam and walk the area day and night. Do this before running cable or making set-in-stone decisions.

Test Rig.JPG

Personally, I would go with two cams. But I would test the positions first. I have five covering my front door and a sixth covering the porch approach from the driveway. This will give you two cams to get a face shot. Each cam covers a door and a stairway. One cam gets them coming, the other going. Redundancy is your friend.

1675750825298.png
 

Mluck0315

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Does anybody know if these dual lens cams work with BI? And does BI treat such a device as two cameras or one?
 
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