Camera Recommendations/Installation questions

[IAH343]

In that case, you simply add a second ethernet port on it (less than $20) and then you can completely isolate the cameras from the internet by having all of the cameras connect to one NIC and the internet to the other NIC.

It is called a dual NIC system and is a quick, simple, and easy way to keep cameras off the internet. Much simpler than VLANs.

Dual NIC setup on your Blue Iris Machine

In making your system more secure this is a great option to eliminate your cameras calling home / connecting to the internet This is a great place to start to setup a bit more secure network and learn more about IP/Subnets etc. before adding dual NICs: Router Security - Subnets and IP addresses...

ipcamtalk.com

So you lost 8k but are balking at spending more than 800?

The WIKI can give you a lot of info on camera selection. @wittaj has given you lots of links to other threads that you really should read through about securing the network etc.

It is hard to respond to being violated in a less than quick fashion. We want to quickly solve the issue. Sometimes that causes us to make rash decisions.

Think about where the intrusion took place. What video would have been important to have? Where would you need to have cams mounted to get that video? What focal length lens would you have needed? You may find it difficult to answer those questions without any prior security cam experience. It might help to use a smartphone camera or DSLR camera to take some pictures of where the intrusion took place and shots of where you think cams should be placed and post them here for people to help give you direction.

I'll probably go with the dual NIC system then! just to confirm its just one other NIC card I need as opposed to the existing Ethernet ports on the machine?


In regards to where the cameras will be placed... I'm planning to have one covering the front w/ two way audio, one covering the back and one covering the porch as in the three instances we've been burgled, theyve opened the front porch door and smashed in the front door.

 

[wittaj]

I'll probably go with the dual NIC system then! just to confirm its just one other NIC card I need as opposed to the existing Ethernet ports on the machine?


In regards to where the cameras will be placed... I'm planning to have one covering the front w/ two way audio, one covering the back and one covering the porch as in the three instances we've been burgled, theyve opened the front porch door and smashed in the front door.

Yep your computer just needs two ethernet ports - one for the cameras and one for the internet. Some have even got by with using the ethernet port for the cameras and the computer wifi for the internet - not preferred, but sometimes we work with what we got.

You will find 3 cameras not enough. As mentioned above, you were hit for $8k and want to only put 3 cams up? At a minimum there should be coverage for any entrance point to the house - windows, doors, etc. What about a camera that can capture license plates? You can always expand. But don't think 3 cams will capture everything either.

Here is yet another great thread by @samplenhold

Why I Like Redundant Views/Multiple Cam Views

A lot of newbies ask for help with their camera setups and most think that they can get by with a single cam to cover quite a bit of area. While that is possible if all you are interested in is a wide-angle overview, it usually will not give you a great chance of getting a face shot good enough...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[IAH343]

Yep your computer just needs two ethernet ports - one for the cameras and one for the internet. Some have even got by with using the ethernet port for the cameras and the computer wifi for the internet - not preferred, but sometimes we work with what we got.

You will find 3 cameras not enough. As mentioned above, you were hit for $8k and want to only put 3 cams up? At a minimum there should be coverage for any entrance point to the house - windows, doors, etc. What about a camera that can capture license plates? You can always expand. But don't think 3 cams will capture everything either.

Here is yet another great thread by @samplenhold

Why I Like Redundant Views/Multiple Cam Views

A lot of newbies ask for help with their camera setups and most think that they can get by with a single cam to cover quite a bit of area. While that is possible if all you are interested in is a wide-angle overview, it usually will not give you a great chance of getting a face shot good enough...

ipcamtalk.com

I'll need a camera with good zoom then for the license plates. Maybe 2 at the front and two at the back? that should cover all angles, maybe another somewhere else.... again as you said expanding is an option down the line.

 

[samplenhold]

I'll need a camera with good zoom then for the license plates.

I would not expect to get license plates (called LPR) in the beginning. See these threads on LPR.

New to LPR? Considerations Before You Begin

Thought I would throw together a post on my experiences so far with LPR in an effort to help others that are considering running down that rabbit hole. There are some practical considerations you should know about LPR. I am approaching this from the position of using Blue Iris and Plate...

ipcamtalk.com

LPR Case Study: Scoping, Planning, Proof of Concept, Installation, & Results

Introduction This thread is about my journey into LPR (License Plate Recognition) after having about 18 months of experience with IP cams and having quite a bit of my system finished. I am not an expert on LPR, or IP cameras either. But I have spent a lot of time working with my system and...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[IAH343]

Cool. DS-2CD2386G2-ISU/SL does this Hikvision model have two way talk? The manual isn't very clear....


Two way talk is a must no matter what. Can I also ask, what actually contributes to the quality? I know wittaj said above not to chase MP however since Hikvision and Dahua and the standouts why are they recommended?

 

[sebastiantombs]

Two way talk is yet another gimmick. If you really want/need that look at the TIOC cameras from Dahua. Video surveillance. if it's to be effective at identifying, is not a plug and play system. Time needs to be invested to decide exactly what you are trying to accomplish, what areas need coverage, what areas need overlapping coverage (two angles) and then each camera location needs to be thoroughly tested. Don't just scan read the material in the Wiki. Everything you need to know is in there, including how to secure your network generally as well as secure the cameras.

Here's a list of the current leaders in terms of performance versus price -

The 5442 series of cameras by Dahua is the current "king of the hill". They are 4MP and capable of color with some ambient light at night. The 2231 series is a less expensive alternative in 2MP and does not have audio capabilities, no built in microphone, but is easier on the budget. The 3241T-ZAS has similar spcs as the 2231 and has audio. There are also cameras available from the IPCT Store right here on the forum and from Nelly's Security who has a thread in the vendors section.

Review - 8MP 1/1.2" sensor full color camera

Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera

Intro I’m excited to be doing another Worlds First Review. this time as I mentioned in the full color thread, I’ve been testing the new Dahua full color 4K camera. This was provided courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY for a fair, honest, no holds barred, unbiased review. I’ll attempt to answer any and...

ipcamtalk.com

2021 Full Color 2.0 Has a Fantastic New Dual Lens Camera

Hey guys The full color 2.0 has been released. Most cams I already posted here. Like: IPC-Color4K-X Bullet 4MP Motorized Full color. Today I bring a secret model, 1st release for the Dual-Lens Full color model in the world. Dual-lens Camera( Sample at Early Sep ) Ø Dual light fusion...

ipcamtalk.com

5442 Reviews

Review - Loryata (Dahua OEM) IPC-T5442T-ZE varifocal Turret

Review-OEM Loryta IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal 4mp camera (Dahua)

IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal from @EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret Varifocal Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk store: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price Approximately US $200.00...

ipcamtalk.com

Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

All, thanks to Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY ) we have a new 4MP AI camera for testing. This camera has been provided by Andy in exchange for a fair and honest review. This camera is using the OEM model number of IPC-B5442-ZE which is the equivalent of the Dahua IPC-HFW5442-ZE for reference. The IPC-B...

ipcamtalk.com

Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ Turret

Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+

Dahua OEM IPC-T5442TM-AS from EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk store: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price Approximately US $160 Link to camera...

ipcamtalk.com

Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Turret, Full Color, Starlight+)

Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)

Dahua OEM IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED from EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Andy's Email: kingsecurity2014...

ipcamtalk.com

Review: IPC-HDBW5442R-ASE-NI - Dahua Technology Pro AI Bullet Network Camera

Review: OEM IPC-B5442T-ASE-NI 4MP Pro AI Starlight Full-color Fixed Bullet

Many thanks once again to Andy @EMPIRETECANDY we have for testing the OEM IPC-B5442T-ASE-NI 4MP Starlight+ Full Color bullet. This camera has been provided by Andy in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is a fixed 3.6mm bullet (Pro AI) series with the 1/1.8” sensor. It has no built in...

ipcamtalk.com

2231 Review
Review-OEM IPC-T2231RP-ZS 2mp Varifocal Turret Starlight Camera

Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal

Again courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY EmpireTech Andy we have a new cam to look over. Its a new model in Dahua's new Lite H265 Series of cam's. Available for purchase here: Aliexpress.com - Online Shopping for Electronics, Fashion, Home & Garden, Toys & Sports, Automobiles and more Price is approx...

ipcamtalk.com

3241T-ZAS Review

Review-OEM IPC-T3241-ZAS 2mp AI Lite series Varifocal

IPC-T3241-ZAS from EMPIRETECANDY 2MP WDR Turret Varifocal AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Purchase in the IPCT Store Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[IAH343]

Two way talk is yet another gimmick. If you really want/need that look at the TIOC cameras from Dahua. Video surveillance. if it's to be effective at identifying, is not a plug and play system. Time needs to be invested to decide exactly what you are trying to accomplish, what areas need coverage, what areas need overlapping coverage (two angles) and then each camera location needs to be thoroughly tested. Don't just scan read the material in the Wiki. Everything you need to know is in there, including how to secure your network generally as well as secure the cameras.

Here's a list of the current leaders in terms of performance versus price -

The 5442 series of cameras by Dahua is the current "king of the hill". They are 4MP and capable of color with some ambient light at night. The 2231 series is a less expensive alternative in 2MP and does not have audio capabilities, no built in microphone, but is easier on the budget. The 3241T-ZAS has similar spcs as the 2231 and has audio. There are also cameras available from the IPCT Store right here on the forum and from Nelly's Security who has a thread in the vendors section.

Review - 8MP 1/1.2" sensor full color camera

Worlds First Review - Dahua - IPC-Color4K-X / DH-IPC-HFW5849T1-ASE-LED - Full Color 4K Camera

Intro I’m excited to be doing another Worlds First Review. this time as I mentioned in the full color thread, I’ve been testing the new Dahua full color 4K camera. This was provided courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY for a fair, honest, no holds barred, unbiased review. I’ll attempt to answer any and...

ipcamtalk.com

2021 Full Color 2.0 Has a Fantastic New Dual Lens Camera

Hey guys The full color 2.0 has been released. Most cams I already posted here. Like: IPC-Color4K-X Bullet 4MP Motorized Full color. Today I bring a secret model, 1st release for the Dual-Lens Full color model in the world. Dual-lens Camera( Sample at Early Sep ) Ø Dual light fusion...

ipcamtalk.com

5442 Reviews

Review - Loryata (Dahua OEM) IPC-T5442T-ZE varifocal Turret

Review-OEM Loryta IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal 4mp camera (Dahua)

IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal from @EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret Varifocal Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk store: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price Approximately US $200.00...

ipcamtalk.com

Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

All, thanks to Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY ) we have a new 4MP AI camera for testing. This camera has been provided by Andy in exchange for a fair and honest review. This camera is using the OEM model number of IPC-B5442-ZE which is the equivalent of the Dahua IPC-HFW5442-ZE for reference. The IPC-B...

ipcamtalk.com

Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ Turret

Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+

Dahua OEM IPC-T5442TM-AS from EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk store: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price Approximately US $160 Link to camera...

ipcamtalk.com

Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Turret, Full Color, Starlight+)

Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)

Dahua OEM IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED from EMPIRETECANDY 4MP WDR Turret AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Andy's Email: kingsecurity2014...

ipcamtalk.com

Review: IPC-HDBW5442R-ASE-NI - Dahua Technology Pro AI Bullet Network Camera

Review: OEM IPC-B5442T-ASE-NI 4MP Pro AI Starlight Full-color Fixed Bullet

Many thanks once again to Andy @EMPIRETECANDY we have for testing the OEM IPC-B5442T-ASE-NI 4MP Starlight+ Full Color bullet. This camera has been provided by Andy in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is a fixed 3.6mm bullet (Pro AI) series with the 1/1.8” sensor. It has no built in...

ipcamtalk.com

2231 Review
Review-OEM IPC-T2231RP-ZS 2mp Varifocal Turret Starlight Camera

Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal

Again courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY EmpireTech Andy we have a new cam to look over. Its a new model in Dahua's new Lite H265 Series of cam's. Available for purchase here: Aliexpress.com - Online Shopping for Electronics, Fashion, Home & Garden, Toys & Sports, Automobiles and more Price is approx...

ipcamtalk.com

3241T-ZAS Review

Review-OEM IPC-T3241-ZAS 2mp AI Lite series Varifocal

IPC-T3241-ZAS from EMPIRETECANDY 2MP WDR Turret Varifocal AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Purchase in the IPCT Store Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price...

ipcamtalk.com

Let me tell you, I could very much do without it. My family are incessant on it. If you take a look above I said floodlight and two way talk were both a must for them as they want deterrents. However I'm now seeing that even the floodlight is a gimmick too, as the camera will be overexposed when it comes on.

I am slowly starting to realize that CCTV to protect your own home is a big thing and needs time (who woulda thought?). But yeah, I'll need to survey the property properly. Right now I'm still thinking of 2 in the front and back somewhere.

Appreciate the suggestions ill take a look at the TIOC cameras from Dahua.

 

[sebastiantombs]

We live in a small ranch house, single floor home. I have four cameras on the front, one on each end looking toward each other, one center mounted looking out and a doorbell camera. The back only has three at the moment, one on each end looking back toward each other and another looking straight out. The side yards are fairly small so there's only two on each end, looking back toward each other. Coverage, full coverage that can provide identity is important. The cameras are grouped according to location and alert sounds are all different so we know, immediately, where to look when they detect motion.

You might be better served by using some LED floodlights. A 10 or 20 watt size may supply enough light to allow full color at night. My cameras, the few I have configured to switch between day, color, and night, b&w, will switch to color at night when the flood lights are turned on. YMMV with this though.

 

[wittaj]

Cool. DS-2CD2386G2-ISU/SL does this Hikvision model have two way talk? The manual isn't very clear....


Two way talk is a must no matter what. Can I also ask, what actually contributes to the quality? I know wittaj said above not to chase MP however since Hikvision and Dahua and the standouts why are they recommended?

We say do not chase MP because these sensors are tiny. So when you put an 8MP on a 1/2.8" sensor, it needs over 4 times the amount of light as a 2MP camera on the same sensor.

@sebastiantombs sums it up best with his comment:

720P - 1/3" = .333"
2MP - 1/2.8" = .357" (think a .38 caliber bullet)
4MP - 1/1.8" = .555" (bigger than a .50 caliber bullet or ball)
8MP - 1/1.2" = .833" (bigger than a 20mm chain gun round)


Consumer grade, big box store cameras are mostly considered budget cameras, which use lessor quality material and smaller sensors to sell a MP that the uninformed general public thinks they want.

Sensor sizing can confuse a lot of people LOL.

It is simple division:

1 divided by 3 equals 0.333

1 divided by 2.8 equals 0.357

Is a 1/2.8" sensor bigger than a 1/1.8" sensor? Most people say yes LOL. But it is a fraction, so the 1/1.8" sensor is the bigger of the two. A 1/2.8" sensor is smaller than a 1/2.7" sensor.

This applies to camera sensors too LOL:

Hikvision and Dahua are considered the best for price/performance based on reviews of many people here and elsewhere. Granted there are a lot of YouTubers that will say Reolink is the best for price/performance, their nighttime quality with motion shows that isn't the case. Axis cameras are considered by many to be the top of the line, but they are 5 times as much as these two brands.

Further Hikvision and Dahua are the supplies for many OEM cameras - Amcrest, Lorex, and hundreds of others.

Here are just two samplings of the other companies Hikvision and Dahua make cameras for:

 

[wittaj]

Let me tell you, I could very much do without it. My family are incessant on it. If you take a look above I said floodlight and two way talk were both a must for them as they want deterrents. However I'm now seeing that even the floodlight is a gimmick too, as the camera will be overexposed when it comes on.

I am slowly starting to realize that CCTV to protect your own home is a big thing and needs time (who woulda thought?). But yeah, I'll need to survey the property properly. Right now I'm still thinking of 2 in the front and back somewhere.

Appreciate the suggestions ill take a look at the TIOC cameras from Dahua.

We get they want deterrents, but motion activated floodlights are useless, not only for the potential to blind the camera right at the moment that you could get a clean capture, but look at all the posts here and on social media where a perp doesn't even flinch when the floodlights come on. It doesn't faze them one bit.

They prefer to stay away from well lit up houses, so floodlights on all night is a much better deterrent than motion activated.

Two way talk sounds good, but the reality of it is that they are more of a hassle. Between the lag and the walkie-talkie aspect (push the button in and talk and then remember to push it again so you can hear), you will never have a conversation with it.

I have 5 two-way talk cameras, one of which is a TIOC. I have never used them to talk to anyone.

Now what they are good for is pre-recorded messages that play when the camera is activated. It won't scare them all away, but we see many posts here and on social media that when a voice comes over the camera, they tend to run.

 

[Steve.L]

Let me tell you, I could very much do without it. My family are incessant on it. If you take a look above I said floodlight and two way talk were both a must for them as they want deterrents. However I'm now seeing that even the floodlight is a gimmick too, as the camera will be overexposed when it comes on.

I am slowly starting to realize that CCTV to protect your own home is a big thing and needs time (who woulda thought?). But yeah, I'll need to survey the property properly. Right now I'm still thinking of 2 in the front and back somewhere.

No offense meant here at all, but you still have the new "consumer" mentality thinking (only) two in front. My setup is very similar to sebastiantombs' arrangement, and with 6 in front (4 turrets and 2 LPR), I find I want (need) more. If you can, utilize undereave areas to stash the cameras upward without creating excessive angles to the ground (sometimes hard to do on 2-story homes). Nobody will even notice the things. On my house, only two are noticeable on the garage gable overlooking the driveway/street, and that's a deterrent (maybe) if people have the brains to recognize that they're cameras. Apparently the asshole that's been stalking me doesn't realize as much

I've talked on here about my neighbor that went and got a 3-pack of rings recently, they have the 2-way talk, and it is....ahemmm.....LAUGHABLE. He demo'd it for me and I cringed inside, what a silly notion that all is. And floods being a "gimmick?" No. Definitely not a gimmick. My entire property is flooded, and the deterrent factor is leaving them on ALLLL night. The cameras are totally adjustable to the light, and it only helps, it doesn't create overexposure. Use LEDs and power consumption is lessened, keep thinking about the cost of family, safety, and property, and you'll get over it quick.

Rant over, peace!

 

[wittaj]

No offense meant here at all, but you still have the new "consumer" mentality thinking (only) two in front. My setup is very similar to sebastiantombs' arrangement, and with 6 in front (4 turrets and 2 LPR), I find I want (need) more. If you can, utilize undereave areas to stash the cameras upward without creating excessive angles to the ground (sometimes hard to do on 2-story homes).

I've talked on here about my neighbor that went and got a 3-pack of rings recently, they have the 2-way talk, and it is....ahemmm.....LAUGHABLE. He demo'd it for me and I cringed inside, what a silly notion that all is. And floods being a "gimmick?" No. Definitely not a gimmick. My entire property is flooded, and the deterrent factor is leaving them on ALLLL night. The cameras are totally adjustable to the light, and it only helps, it doesn't create overexposure. Use LEDs and power consumption is lessened, keep thinking about the cost of family, safety, and property, and you'll get over it quick.

Rant over, peace!

The gimmicky part is in reference to the floodlight camera or a floodlight that comes on when motion activated. That is a gimmick. Leaving them on all night is the deterrent as I mentioned in the post just above yours (that you may not have seen when you were typing yours LOL) as well as by sebastian earlier in the the thread.

 

[Steve.L]

The gimmicky part is in reference to the floodlight camera or a floodlight that comes on when motion activated. That is a gimmick. Leaving them on all night is the deterrent as I mentioned in the post just above yours (that you may not have seen when you were typing yours LOL) as well as by sebastian earlier in the the thread.

Hahahaa, I didn't see your post, but thank you for clarifying the gimmick angle

 

[wittaj]

Hahahaa, I didn't see your post, but thank you for clarifying the gimmick angle

No problem LOL - I just didn't want you thinking people here were saying floodlights are a gimmick. It is the motion activated aspect of floodlights (whether as part of the camera or separate) that is the gimmick. But we are game on in support of all night lights on!

 

[Flintstone61]

Unifi stock in American websites seems to have a lot of things out of stock when I looked at stuff last week.
Unifi....goes against....Industry standards in some cases....".and ropes you In" with only works with Unifi bullshit.
If you get equipment that follows POE industry Standards, Sky's the limit.
The marketing ploy is "Were the best, and only our shit with works with our other shit,"
That's my take on it. The Ubiquiti Loco Nano 2.4 Ghz Wireless devices added complexity to my setup because they required Propietary Power Bricks, because they're Radio's had a Mickey Mouse Voltage.

 

[IAH343]

We live in a small ranch house, single floor home. I have four cameras on the front, one on each end looking toward each other, one center mounted looking out and a doorbell camera. The back only has three at the moment, one on each end looking back toward each other and another looking straight out. The side yards are fairly small so there's only two on each end, looking back toward each other. Coverage, full coverage that can provide identity is important. The cameras are grouped according to location and alert sounds are all different so we know, immediately, where to look when they detect motion.

You might be better served by using some LED floodlights. A 10 or 20 watt size may supply enough light to allow full color at night. My cameras, the few I have configured to switch between day, color, and night, b&w, will switch to color at night when the flood lights are turned on. YMMV with this though.

We say do not chase MP because these sensors are tiny. So when you put an 8MP on a 1/2.8" sensor, it needs over 4 times the amount of light as a 2MP camera on the same sensor.

@sebastiantombs sums it up best with his comment:

720P - 1/3" = .333"
2MP - 1/2.8" = .357" (think a .38 caliber bullet)
4MP - 1/1.8" = .555" (bigger than a .50 caliber bullet or ball)
8MP - 1/1.2" = .833" (bigger than a 20mm chain gun round)


Consumer grade, big box store cameras are mostly considered budget cameras, which use lessor quality material and smaller sensors to sell a MP that the uninformed general public thinks they want.

Sensor sizing can confuse a lot of people LOL.

It is simple division:

1 divided by 3 equals 0.333

1 divided by 2.8 equals 0.357

Is a 1/2.8" sensor bigger than a 1/1.8" sensor? Most people say yes LOL. But it is a fraction, so the 1/1.8" sensor is the bigger of the two. A 1/2.8" sensor is smaller than a 1/2.7" sensor.

This applies to camera sensors too LOL:

Hikvision and Dahua are considered the best for price/performance based on reviews of many people here and elsewhere. Granted there are a lot of YouTubers that will say Reolink is the best for price/performance, their nighttime quality with motion shows that isn't the case. Axis cameras are considered by many to be the top of the line, but they are 5 times as much as these two brands.

Further Hikvision and Dahua are the supplies for many OEM cameras - Amcrest, Lorex, and hundreds of others.

Here are just two samplings of the other companies Hikvision and Dahua make cameras for:

View attachment 125877

View attachment 125876

We get they want deterrents, but motion activated floodlights are useless, not only for the potential to blind the camera right at the moment that you could get a clean capture, but look at all the posts here and on social media where a perp doesn't even flinch when the floodlights come on. It doesn't faze them one bit.

They prefer to stay away from well lit up houses, so floodlights on all night is a much better deterrent than motion activated.

Two way talk sounds good, but the reality of it is that they are more of a hassle. Between the lag and the walkie-talkie aspect (push the button in and talk and then remember to push it again so you can hear), you will never have a conversation with it.

I have 5 two-way talk cameras, one of which is a TIOC. I have never used them to talk to anyone.

Now what they are good for is pre-recorded messages that play when the camera is activated. It won't scare them all away, but we see many posts here and on social media that when a voice comes over the camera, they tend to run.

No offense meant here at all, but you still have the new "consumer" mentality thinking (only) two in front. My setup is very similar to sebastiantombs' arrangement, and with 6 in front (4 turrets and 2 LPR), I find I want (need) more. If you can, utilize undereave areas to stash the cameras upward without creating excessive angles to the ground (sometimes hard to do on 2-story homes). Nobody will even notice the things. On my house, only two are noticeable on the garage gable overlooking the driveway/street, and that's a deterrent (maybe) if people have the brains to recognize that they're cameras. Apparently the asshole that's been stalking me doesn't realize as much

I've talked on here about my neighbor that went and got a 3-pack of rings recently, they have the 2-way talk, and it is....ahemmm.....LAUGHABLE. He demo'd it for me and I cringed inside, what a silly notion that all is. And floods being a "gimmick?" No. Definitely not a gimmick. My entire property is flooded, and the deterrent factor is leaving them on ALLLL night. The cameras are totally adjustable to the light, and it only helps, it doesn't create overexposure. Use LEDs and power consumption is lessened, keep thinking about the cost of family, safety, and property, and you'll get over it quick.

Rant over, peace!

Floodlights are definitely something I'll look into then. They seem worth it.

No offense taken at the "consumer" mindset. You are correct.


The two way talk isn't so much to have a conversation - just to shout at anyone who may be there when they shouldn't be.

How's the motion detection alerts? Are they delayed at all?



Something like this would be good then?

 

[wittaj]

That system is much better than a Ring or Reolink you were looking at LOL.

These cameras are on the 1/1.2" sensor, so it is the correct MP/sensor ratio.

Now do keep in mind that these are what are considered full-time color cameras, which means if you do not have enough white light, it will be blind at night and the images will be too dark. These cameras do not see IR (even though that snapshot you posted says 30m IR they mean white LED), so you couldn't add it later. So keep that in mind.

Further, at night, you will not IDENTIFY someone much past 10-15 feet. You will certainly see them further out, but that focal length is intended for up close IDENTIFY distances.

The motion alerts are fairly quick - again depends on your network speed and if you are using the Hik or Dahua server to push out the notifications for an NVR.

 

[sebastiantombs]

With IP cameras there is an inherent delay. Typically a second or two at the most. Not much of a problem. Another advantage of Blue Iris is that you can use DeepStack AI, which is integrated to work with Blue Iris. It allows "filtering" of motion events so that alerts only happen when the system sees a person or vehicle for example. While it is not perfect, no system really is perfect, it is quite effective at reducing false alerts.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Incidentally, with Blue Iris you can set it so that alerts trigger audio files That in turn can be piped to wherever you want a speaker to be to produce the "get out of here" effect.

 

[samplenhold]

Why we say do not chase MP. Something to consider:

Here is the numbers from above showing the minimum sensor size for a specific MP that most here on IPCAMTALK would recommend.

2MP - 1/2.8" = .357"
4MP - 1/1.8" = .555"
8MP - 1/1.2" = .833"

What affects the sensor's relative low-light performance? To get the best performance in low light, one needs to get as much light onto each pixel as possible. Many things can impact that value, like how far the lens opens, how long it stays open, and how big each pixel on the sensor is. Let's assume that all of the variables other than pixel size are the same, and look at how pixel size impacts low light performance. The more pixels you cram on a sensor of a given size, the smaller those pixels have to be and therefore each one gets less light. As an example if I took a 1/2.8" sensor and crammed 4MP on it, each pixel would have to be half the size of those on a 1/2.8" 2MP sensor. So twice as many pixels on the same size sensor would mean each pixel is half the size and therefore gets half as much light.

A few years ago (2018-2019), the best low-light performing prosumer grade cam was a 2MP on a 1/2.8" sensor (0.357 inches). These sold for about $165.
I believe that it was early 2020 the next jump in performance was the 4MP on a 1/1.8" sensor (0.555 inches). These sold for about $155.

I will tell you that the 1/1.8" sensor is NOT twice as big as the 1/2.8" sensor, it is only 55% bigger. But there are twice as many pixels on that 4MP sensor than the 2MP sensor. One would assume that the 2MP sensor would be better in low light than the 4MP sensor, except that the technology and processing in the cams has gotten better in the two years between those cams. When I compare the two cams the 4MP on the 1/1.8" sensor is much better than the older 2MP on the 1/2.8" sensor in low light.

Consider the 8MP on the 1/1.2" (0.833") sensor. It has twice the number of pixels as the 4MP cam. But the sensor is only 50% bigger than the 1/1.8" sensor. Now these newer sensors for the 8MP cams are not much different in technology and the onboard processing is not much better than the 4MP 1/1.8" cams. So they really do not perform better than the 4MP on the 1/1.8" sensor. But if you really want an 8MP cam, that 1/1.2" sensor is the best you can get at these price points. There are a few threads here that make this comparison between the 4MP 1/1.8" and the 8MP 1/1.2" sensor cams.