Advice appreciated

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greenmarcus_02

n3wb
Feb 22, 2017
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What would be the best location and camera for the driveway?
8581e0ec55cce9ce1ba4fb0874e801be.jpg



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I struggled with the same question as do I think a lot of folks. Most end up with one camera trying to do the job of two and fail miserably. The object is to capture with enough detail for facial recognition around your vehicles, not just ID on "a guy in jeans with a black tshirt".

I'm pretty happy with my solution as it gives me good facial ID on either side of the vehicles, and with the Bonus of overview of the street. The right camera of course makes a difference and I chose the Dahua Starlights. Mine are the 3231 HD-CVI version - identical to the IP versions mentioned here in nayr's post. I would recommend the best cameras you can afford for driveway and front door surveillance as this is where 90% of your most important activity is likely to occur.

***Makes sure to choose 1080p playback for these youtube clips


 
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bigredfish said:
I struggled with the same question as do I think a lot of folks. Most end up with one camera trying to do the job of two and fail miserably. The object is to capture with enough detail for facial recognition around your vehicles, not just ID on "a guy in jeans with a black tshirt".

I'm pretty happy with my solution as it gives me good facial ID on either side of the vehicles, and with the Bonus of overview of the street. The right camera of course makes a difference and I chose the Dahua Starlights. Mine are the 3231 HD-CVI version - identical to the IP versions mentioned here in nayr's post. I would recommend the best cameras you can afford for driveway and front door surveillance as this is where 90% of your most important activity is likely to occur.

***Makes sure to choose 1080p playback for these youtube clips


Click to expand...


Did you already have an HD-CVI system in place?
 
I had a 2012 analog system originally, fortunately I had anticipated equipment upgrades in the future so I ran Cat5 to each location, so in 2015 picked up a Tribrid DVR that allows me to run CVI and/or IP cams. At roughly 1/2 the price with very close to the same performance, I went with CVI cams to start. I may add IP cams where there is a clear benefit/improvement, but so far the 2MP Dahua CVI cams have worked well., Hell they even have 4MP and soon 4K CVI cams out now o_O Right now I'd like to upgrade one cam to that 5231 IP turret cam as there isn't anything with that form factor with that Starlight quality in the CVI line. I'm just not an IP network guru so the CVI/DVR system has been a good way to still do quality video. I think a lot of "IP network stupid" folks like me have that same networking learning curve.
 
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bigredfish said:
I had a 2012 analog system originally, fortunately I had anticipated equipment upgrades in the future so I ran Cat5 to each location, so in 2015 picked up a Tribrid DVR that allows me to run CVI and/or IP cams. At roughly 1/2 the price with very close to the same performance, I went with CVI cams to start. I may add IP cams where there is a clear benefit/improvement, but so far the 2MP Dahua CVI cams have worked well., Hell they even have 4MP and soon 4K CVI cams out now o_O Right now I'd like to upgrade one cam to that 5231 IP turret cam as there isn't anything with that form factor with that Starlight quality in the CVI line. I'm just not an IP network guru so the CVI/DVR system has been a good way to still do quality video. I think a lot of "IP network stupid" folks like me have that same networking learning curve.
Click to expand...

No judgement here dude, whatever tool does the job well. I'm not a zealot, I personally wouldn't buy analog cams but if I had an analog system, and didn't know much about computers and didn't really care to learn nothing wrong with sticking with that. There is something retro and cool about it to me in fact.
 
you can pretty much figure on one camera per car, 2mp starlight zoomed in for good enough pixel density, will not cover two cars, if that one car is all you have, one cam in the middle of where you park will be fine.
 
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greenmarcus_02,
Welcome to the forum!

hmjgriffon said:
You need a test rig
Click to expand...
+1 on that advice!

Most cameras I mounted (temporarily) were moved later as I learned and got up to speed.
Important considerations I learned about:
1) "Choke points", to get facial id
2) Height: No higher than 8ft, if you can help it. Unless you wanna see the top of a hoody, ball cap, or bald spots.
3) FOV: Don't think "wide angle" means you see more. Avoid 2.8mm lens for outdoors, anything more than 10ft away won't have enough detail.

looney2ns said:
Play around with this, keep PFF 100 or above: Camera Calculator / Design Software
Click to expand...
+1 on that advice!

About "test rigs":

nayr said:
Make a test rig that you can move about and find the best FOV, give it a few days to sink in and ensure your satisfied.. 5g Bucket of Rocks/Sand + 2x4 works well enough, just make sure bad weather wont get to it for those test periods
Click to expand...
Doing it right!

tangent said:
Mount the camera to a long 1x4 or a tripod and try it in a bunch of the locations you're considering. Pay attention to night performance.
Once you've got narrowed down some, evaluate how hard it would be to run the cable / how ugly conduit would look in that location.
Click to expand...
Where to install turret camera I'm about to purchase?

nayr said:
you should pick your locations first w/camera and then run conduit to it; the view you think you have and the view you end up getting are rarely the same until you've done this a few times.. as I was saying in another thread today; a big benifit to DIY installing over hiring a pro is you can take your sweet time.. install locations can make or break a camera, you'd be amazed what a few feet difference can make.
Click to expand...
Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

The 3 linnks above should help....

Fastb
 
greenmarcus_02 said:
What would be the best location and camera for the driveway?
Click to expand...
There are about 4 locations I'd suggest you try:
upload_2017-3-12_16-14-2.png

You may need 2 cameras to fully cover the driveway, depends on how often the car is in the driveway.

A varifocal camera is a good choice so you can zoom in and out to get the image just right.
 
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My favorite "test rig" is a light bulb changer. The pole is extendable (easy height adjustable) (without unscrewing the cam from a 2x4 in a bucket to change height). The end has a spring basket, to grab the bulb. I screw the cam to a 6" chunk of 2x4. The 2x4 is inserted into the spring basket. The 2x4 can be moved withing the basket, to tilt down or up. This is an easier adjustment than removing the camera cover to re-aim the turret, bullet, dome, etc. I lean the pole against the house, or fasten it to a ladder using bungee cords.
Fastb
 
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greenmarcus_02 said:
What would be the best location and camera for the driveway?
Click to expand...
Your question seems to indicate a single camera for the driveway. I think you should considered what cameras and views you desire for the entire front of you house. For example, I have wide driveway for a 3 car garage. I installed cams on the opposite ends of the garage with them pointing across each other. Therefore, there's overlapping views and I can see both approaches on my street. Also, I have side yard access on the side opposite of my front door. So for this side access choke point I installed a varifocal to achieve a better facial ID. Lastly, I have a front door cam covering the other side of my house.

If your budget is limited now, then try to prioritize your needs and add cams as your budget allows.
 
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greenmarcu_2,

Check the tool at this site:
Camera Calculator / Design Software

Enter your address, google maps will be used to pull up a view.
Then place a cam on your house. Pick a lens, aim the cam, and you'll have an idea for FOV. And pic quality at various distances (ie: PPF)

Fastb
 
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Wow thanks for all the helpful information. I have a lot of work to do and this will get me going in the right direction! Glad I joined the forum!


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