Anyone in Austin area that can help?

[funkybunch]

I figured at this point i'm going to see if there's anyone in the austin area that could offer help as far as coming over to look at my new already built custom home and give me an idea what cameras i should in the locations pre-wired below. i've already read the cliff notes and ipvm. I'm posting in this sub forum because I want to buy dahua cams from andy but seems i'm spinning my wheels here. I purchased a varifocal and wanted to install it at different locations and adjust the lens to see if i needed a 2.8, 3.6, 6mm, etc in those locations but i can't seem to get the camera to display what mm it's showing me. there are windows , etc that need coverage directly below the camera so some need to be wide angle but some need to telescope to the back patio, or mailbox for example in hope to identify facial features, license plates, etc. currently i'm watching my 2231T zoomed all the way in and the cars that go by rather choppy and blurry in broad daylight. the network and settings seems to be good, i just think i need better cameras. before i go too far buying and returning cameras i figured it'd be better for someone to come over and lay eyes on my situation. ipvm doesnt do anything for me, most of the cameras i'm after aren't even in their system. thanks in advance.

 

[giomania]

I am pretty sure we have the correlating zoom number for the older VariFocal cameras to the approximate fixed lens size.

Did you look in there?

Cliff Notes

The IP Cam Talk ‘Cliff Notes’ is a document containing a lot of collective wisdom, and is incorporated into the IP Cam Talk Wiki IPCamTalk.com. While it is a little out of date with respect to specific camera models, it provides a solid foundation of information.

To access it via IPCamTalk.com, find the horizontal blue navigation bar at the top of any page, and select "Wiki", then in the "Everything Else" category, and then click on "IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes.

Here is a direct link:

https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/ip-cam-talk-cliff-notes

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[funkybunch]

here is a rough layout of the house. it's mostly single level with the camera on top of the garage being the upper level. left side is hvac, right side is septic with no points of entry, windows, etc. using ipvm is telling me 3.6 to 6mm for perimiter, and 64mm for the mailbox which is across the street 100' away.

 

[funkybunch]

I am pretty sure we have the correlating zoom number for the older VariFocal cameras to the approximate fixed lens size.

Did you look in there?

Cliff Notes

The IP Cam Talk ‘Cliff Notes’ is a document containing a lot of collective wisdom, and is incorporated into the IP Cam Talk Wiki IPCamTalk.com. While it is a little out of date with respect to specific camera models, it provides a solid foundation of information.

To access it via IPCamTalk.com, find the horizontal blue navigation bar at the top of any page, and select "Wiki", then in the "Everything Else" category, and then click on "IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes.

Here is a direct link:

https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/ip-cam-talk-cliff-notes

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

read the cliff notes, didnt see it. i found this, but this isn't telling me anything useful. i need the varifocal camera to tell me what i'om looking at, a zoom level, mm level or something on screen so i know what to order.

Focal Length Calculator

Calculate the focal point of a camera to help determine the best size lens to order. Save & view your results later.

ipcamtalk.com

 

[mat200]

here is a rough layout of the house. it's mostly single level with the camera on top of the garage being the upper level. left side is hvac, right side is septic with no points of entry, windows, etc. using ipvm is telling me 3.6 to 6mm for perimiter, and 64mm for the mailbox which is across the street 100' away.

View attachment 52160

Hi @funkybunch

It is a bit challenging to imagine what is what in that particular sketch of a layout.

See the cliff notes on location suggestions, and placement suggestions.

Is the framing up already?

Remember to over cable while it is affordable...

 

[funkybunch]

house is already built.

 

[flynreelow]

really cant go wrong with turrets. those new 4mp starlights are pretty damn nice. think they are only fixed lens with a few options. Not sure if they have a new varifocal one out.

another option would be to buy the 5231 varifocal and set up a test rig, to see with FOV MM you want it those certain locations. I am located in Cali, but you can fly me out and Ill help you out.

 

[Sybertiger]

Why not use the IPVM Calculator. Plug in your home address, select the IP cam you are considering and see the coverage you get.

 

[funkybunch]

Why not use the IPVM Calculator. Plug in your home address, select the IP cam you are considering and see the coverage you get.

sigh, you didnt read what i typed. i said ipvm isn't doing it for me and the cameras i have aren't even on their list.

i'm about to send these cameras back. a few people have helped and i appreciate it, others i seemed to have pissed off. i can't even view these cams from my phone now. i need the phone to adjust them properly, it's just too many steps to dial this system in, an off the shelf lorex should work fine for me.

 

[flynreelow]

sigh, you didnt read what i typed. i said ipvm isn't doing it for me and the cameras i have aren't even on their list.

i'm about to send these cameras back. a few people have helped and i appreciate it, others i seemed to have pissed off. i can't even view these cams from my phone now. i need the phone to adjust them properly, it's just too many steps to dial this system in, an off the shelf lorex should work fine for me.

off the shelf lorex wont be much better.

u seem like a customer for RING. Just saying.. thats the easy plug and play and set up, but truly aint great cameras.

 

[funkybunch]

off the shelf lorex wont be much better.

u seem like a customer for RING. Just saying.. thats the easy plug and play and set up, but truly aint great cameras.

i'm NOT a ring customer. i'm trying to get away from ring, that's why i'm here.

here's how i think lorex will be better (and i hate lorex) , they have qr codes you can scan, they have an app that works, they have cameras that work, they have push notifications, you can adjust the camera from the phone, none of which i can do at this point. i've tried timycam, gDMSS, etc. again, all of the dahua info online, quick help, step by step guides are outdated. there's tons of typos in the english owners namual, i here i am looking up quick DNNS when it's DDNS, again a typo on dahuas part. i feel like i need a degree in networking just to set these cams up and it's driving me nuts honestly. if i ever find out what cams i need what app do i use to view them, and how do i view them over cellular? if you see something on the screen, where's the quick playback button? there's so many things that seem to be missing. i'm going around in circles trying to soak it all in yet i hit a seem to be going two steps back on everything, next i'll need a vpn, full server with switches in the closet, i just want to buy some good cameras, plug them in and have a good app so i can see what the heck is going on around here. just frustrated, i've been at this for weeks, about to throw in the towel.

 

[flynreelow]

i'm NOT a ring customer. i'm trying to get away from ring, that's why i'm here.

here's how i think lorex will be better (and i hate lorex) , they have qr codes you can scan, they have an app that works, they have cameras that work, they have push notifications, you can adjust the camera from the phone, none of which i can do at this point. i've tried timycam, gDMSS, etc. again, all of the dahua info online, quick help, step by step guides are outdated. there's tons of typos in the english owners namual, i here i am looking up quick DNNS when it's DDNS, again a typo on dahuas part. i feel like i need a degree in networking just to set these cams up and it's driving me nuts honestly. if i ever find out what cams i need what app do i use to view them, and how do i view them over cellular? if you see something on the screen, where's the quick playback button? there's so many things that seem to be missing. i'm going around in circles trying to soak it all in yet i hit a seem to be going two steps back on everything, next i'll need a vpn, full server with switches in the closet, i just want to buy some good cameras, plug them in and have a good app so i can see what the heck is going on around here. just frustrated, i've been at this for weeks, about to throw in the towel.

check out sighthound software.. aint great, but its more of a plug and play that you are looking for. has a nice web app, and phone app, and u can set up trip lines, etc. prob much more user freindly than the apps you are trying to use now.

 

[Sybertiger]

sigh, you didnt read what i typed. i said ipvm isn't doing it for me and the cameras i have aren't even on their list.

i'm about to send these cameras back. a few people have helped and i appreciate it, others i seemed to have pissed off. i can't even view these cams from my phone now. i need the phone to adjust them properly, it's just too many steps to dial this system in, an off the shelf lorex should work fine for me.

Sorry, I guess I didn't understand what "ipvm isn't doing it for me" means. Doing what?

You can request the IPVM guys to add a specific camera that's missing off the list. I requested the Dahua N22AL12 be added the other day because it wasn't on the list and the very next day I received an email from them letting me know they added the camera to the list.

Likely, you aren't going to find a camera that is all things for every situation and you're going to probably need overlapping cameras. On the one hand you want a wide field of view but on the other hand you want to see detail. You might want to consider an PTZ camera.

p.s. Take a look at Blue Iris software that runs on a Windows PC. There's plenty of info on this forum. I've tried a couple of canned systems like Lorex, et al and in the end it was clear that canned systems weren't going to cut it. That's the reason I went with Blue Iris.

 

[CCTVCam]

Some photos or even a drone photo from above might help. Personally, I'd reverse the positioning of at least one of those cameras. The ideal solution is you want every camera to be covered by another camera so there are no blind spots or areas where someone can sneak up and disable or re-point a camera away from it's watched area.

 

[Pneuma]

i'm NOT a ring customer. i'm trying to get away from ring, that's why i'm here.

here's how i think lorex will be better (and i hate lorex) , they have qr codes you can scan, they have an app that works, they have cameras that work, they have push notifications, you can adjust the camera from the phone, none of which i can do at this point. i've tried timycam, gDMSS, etc. again, all of the dahua info online, quick help, step by step guides are outdated. there's tons of typos in the english owners namual, i here i am looking up quick DNNS when it's DDNS, again a typo on dahuas part. i feel like i need a degree in networking just to set these cams up and it's driving me nuts honestly. if i ever find out what cams i need what app do i use to view them, and how do i view them over cellular? if you see something on the screen, where's the quick playback button? there's so many things that seem to be missing. i'm going around in circles trying to soak it all in yet i hit a seem to be going two steps back on everything, next i'll need a vpn, full server with switches in the closet, i just want to buy some good cameras, plug them in and have a good app so i can see what the heck is going on around here. just frustrated, i've been at this for weeks, about to throw in the towel.

To set up a security camera system yourself, you need to know how the network works and how to set up NVR software. It is a trial and error process and not always a smooth ride. If you don't want any of the trouble, you can hire a professional to set up a system for you and pay monthly fees to have someone maintain the system.

 

[mat200]

...there's tons of typos in the english owners namual, i here i am looking up quick DNNS when it's DDNS, again a typo on dahuas part. i feel like i need a degree in networking just to set these cams up and it's driving me nuts honestly. ..

Hi @funkybunch

Traditionally security camera / cctv / surveillance systems have been setup by professionals who acted as middle men and service techs to get customers setup with those systems.

Buying these kits directly you are basically cutting out the middle man / service tech ( and saving $ ) - while things are getting easier to setup yourself, you still need to have some knowledge or willingness to learn to get them up. If you are comfortable setting up a router and home LAN you should be able to DIY learn enough to get these to work well. Once you have them up they'll be fairly reliable.

The other side of the coin is the Ring and other Cloud dependent products which have their own downsides in terms of reliability, ownership of equipment and video ( can you really own a cloud dependent product and the video? ), bandwidth issues,....

The truth is that you will not find a product which can be internet connected and meets all of the "easy to setup". "secure", "reliable", "easy remote access", .. and various other factors.

Remember also that you are attempting to assemble parts together yourself and that will require some more time and DIY learning.

 

[john-ipvm]

You can request the IPVM guys to add a specific camera that's missing off the list. I requested the Dahua N22AL12 be added the other day because it wasn't on the list and the very next day I received an email from them letting me know they added the camera to the list.

Yes, to confirm, we will add any camera model for anyone, and we typically do it within 24 hours. There is a built-in feature that lets you submit requests for missing models or you can email us at info@ipvm.com and we will add it in.

 

[kroq83]

Also in planning stage.
just Ideas

Take a cell phone and mount it on a stick to see the view. Their is apps to control the shutter time.

Or

this is what I will be doing. for $25 will I buy a Wyse and put it on a stick so can to see the reaction to wifi to see to place the router. Move it around the house For best view.

For garage area if camera mounted high to mount downward flat led panels under the roof eaves. When trigger the panels turn so camera get best shot.

Still up in the air.
In the chase for doorbell camera is will be mounted at chest to get the the best shot.
Ring will let the local police view by legal meaning by ask the own to view. But ring will not let blue iris record.

Mine parents is Nest base at a cabin. Two thing that work is the green led to tell them it a camera and sign telling them they are there. I watch live two snowboarder thinking to snowboard on stairs until they saw camera and sign. Also a mic is a must to me.

 

[looney2ns]

If you take the time to watch the tutorial for the IPVM tool, it will tell you exactly what lens you need.
Be sure to do this on a REAL computer, not a phone.
And has been stated before, most newbs will not wrap their head around this in an afternoon. It takes time and studying to do it right.....just like anything else.

 

[funkybunch]

thanks for all the tips, i read about cameras all day, then move the cameras at night and try them out. i played with ipvm some more and it has me in the ball park, but i'm physically moving this varifocal to every spot and zooming in or out depending on what i want to see. now that i know what setting is what mm on the varifocal it gives me a better understanding. i wish i could just buy 8 varifocals and call it a day but different location shave certain needs, zooms, color, LED's etc. then throw in the networking aspect and it will make your head explode. last night i couldnt figure out how to make the app receive video when i was on cellular, seemed no one knew, i searched and couldnt find anything, then i remember seeing a barcode when initializing the camera. i reset it and enabled P2P this time and scanned the code and it worked like magic. the wiki is about 50% for me, when i look stuff up it seems it's outdated. like looking for an instruction manual for your microwave in the toaster oven section. gets confusing with usa/international, etc. i noticed some of these links when you click them, they will redirect to the usa dahua front page. you have to click on them twice to pull up the correct page if that makes sense. all in all i'm going to step back and learn more and tinker with the cams i have now to see i'm barking up the right tree. it's not that i dont have the time, i'm retired surveillance , but more of an end user, where things just worked. i can rip apart an engine, and build a house but one little unchecked box in buried in a program with no instructions will leave me pulling my hair out for days thanks guys.