Camera Recommendations

[merkaba]

Hey all,

My wife's parents recently bought a second home in Florida and want to get some security cameras. I personally have several Dahua IPC-HDW5231R-Z, a single IPC-HDW5231R-Z with the PFB203W mount, and a NVR5216-16P-4KS2. I am very happy with them. I know there are now some newer, potentially better models out there nowadays.

Here is what they are looking for.

• They want four 360 degree cameras that track/follow for outside
• They want either one or two turrets that will capture 180 degrees or so for inside
• They want to be able to both hear and talk back on all cameras
• They want good mounts for both models
• POE
• NVR

They are expecting to spend +/- $500 if possible for the 360 degree cameras and +/- $200 on the indoor cameras. I was hoping to get your recommendations. Let me know if i'm missing anything. Thanks!

 

[SouthernYankee]

The first thing you need to do id educate your inlaws. What they want is not practical for the price they want.
Motion following cameras that are 360 will be pointing in the wrong direction when the actions happen.

read the reviews.

Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras or ICPT Night eye cameras (https://store.ipcamtalk.com/) if you need good low light cameras.

Cameras to look at
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW5231-ZE Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
DS-2CD2325FWD-I

My preferred indoor cameras
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW
IPC-K35A Review-Dahua IPC-K35A 3mp Cube Camera

 

[merkaba]

The first thing you need to do id educate your inlaws. What they want is not practical for the price they want.
Motion following cameras that are 360 will be pointing in the wrong direction when the actions happen.

read the reviews.

Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras or ICPT Night eye cameras (https://store.ipcamtalk.com/) if you need good low light cameras.

Cameras to look at
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW5231-ZE Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
DS-2CD2325FWD-I

My preferred indoor cameras
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW
IPC-K35A Review-Dahua IPC-K35A 3mp Cube Camera

Thanks for the reply. I'd prefer to give them some options for what they do want vs what they were expecting if you think it's unrealistic. What camera would you recommend if they needed to go above their budget? Something like the SD5A445XA-HNR or SD6CE245U-HNI? Your saying either of these 360 cameras can't set itself back to it's original or "home" position after it's done tracking? Thanks for the recommendations on the indoor cameras.

 

[looney2ns]

Your terminology is incorrect.
A 360 degree camera is like this: Review-Dahua IPC-NB5531P 5mp Fisheye Camera | Page 2 | IP Cam Talk or this: Review-Dahua PSDW5631S-B360 panoramic 360 camera. | IP Cam Talk

What I believe what you are talking about is actually a PTZ cam, such as this: Review-Dahua DH-SD22204T-GN 2mp 4X Mini PTZ | IP Cam Talk

More fixed position cameras, properly sighted, are almost always a better choice, than a PTZ camera.
A PTZ camera has a very high chance of looking the wrong way, when something happens. They can also be problematic with the auto tracking dependent upon the surroundings they are in. You don't want to depend on the auto tracking.

On a real computer, study this: Cliff Notes

 

[merkaba]

Your terminology is incorrect.
A 360 degree camera is like this: Review-Dahua IPC-NB5531P 5mp Fisheye Camera | Page 2 | IP Cam Talk or this: Review-Dahua PSDW5631S-B360 panoramic 360 camera. | IP Cam Talk

What I believe what you are talking about is actually a PTZ cam, such as this: Review-Dahua DH-SD22204T-GN 2mp 4X Mini PTZ | IP Cam Talk

More fixed position cameras, properly sighted, are almost always a better choice, than a PTZ camera.
A PTZ camera has a very high chance of looking the wrong way, when something happens. They can also be problematic with the auto tracking dependent upon the surroundings they are in. You don't want to depend on the auto tracking.

On a real computer, study this: Cliff Notes

Thanks for the reply. Yes my terminology was definitely incorrect. A PTZ is what i was referring to. I'll check out that guide. If i end up going with more fixed cameras...what is the go-to nowadays? The budget was around 500-600 per PTZ and they needed four of them. So i'm assuming their budget for 2x fixed cameras in place of every PTZ would be somewhere around $300. I was initially looking at the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE, but i'm not sure if there is something better.

 

[looney2ns]

Thanks for the reply. Yes my terminology was definitely incorrect. A PTZ is what i was referring to. I'll check out that guide. If i end up going with more fixed cameras...what is the go-to nowadays? The budget was around 500-600 per PTZ and they needed four of them. So i'm assuming their budget for 2x fixed cameras in place of every PTZ would be somewhere around $300. I was initially looking at the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE, but i'm not sure if there is something better.

5231r is still a solid choice, if they don't want or need audio then the 2231r is the same cam with a few features removed, but $50 cheaper.
Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE | IP Cam Talk
Review-dahua-ipc-hdw2231rp-zs-starlight-camera-varifocal
Be sure to study the cliff notes.

 

[merkaba]

5231r is still a solid choice, if they don't want or need audio then the 2231r is the same cam with a few features removed, but $50 cheaper.
Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE | IP Cam Talk
Review-dahua-ipc-hdw2231rp-zs-starlight-camera-varifocal
Be sure to study the cliff notes.

What are your thoughts on the HDW5831R-ZE vs 5231r-ze? If it stays fairly well lit during the night in those spots i'm going to go for a 5831r-ze, if it's darker i'll probably go with a 5231r-ze.

 

[ThomasPI]

The 5131R-ZE is a solid performer and you can’t go wrong. To date in dimly lit situations, the 2MP Starlights are still king of the hill. We will be using 12 or so of them in our new house build. Andy just shipped me 5 cams to test last week, Hong Kong to Florida in 36 hours door to door! Read read read. Invest your time and money wisely and you’ll be pleased. As you already know, read the Wiki and read it till you’re tired of reading it, then read it again.

 

[catcamstar]

In addition to all (good!) suggestions above, do not forget the networking part! Don't be tempted to port forward, don't use p2p, setup a VPN environment and secure your network (eg. vlans etc).

Good luck with your project!
CC

 

[merkaba]

In addition to all (good!) suggestions above, do not forget the networking part! Don't be tempted to port forward, don't use p2p, setup a VPN environment and secure your network (eg. vlans etc).

Good luck with your project!
CC

I will definitely be using OpenVPN! I'll be using pfsense I think. Thanks!

 

[YYZed]

My current build uses nine of the IPC-HDW2231R-ZS turret cameras, two IPC-HDW2231T-ZS bullets, and several others, but I am not at all dissatisfied with the lack of audio. Some jurisdictions don't even allow audio recording without consent, so the money saved went right back in to the rest of the build. Unless you truly need audio I think the 2231 cameras do a fantastic job. They're about $125 +/- each through Andy.

 

[merkaba]

Is there any starlight 4MP cameras that are in between the HDW5831R-ZE and the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE that are worth considering? I'm trying to figure out how much space I need in my blue Iris build. I'm concerned that the 8MP camera's are going to use tons of space.

 

[ThomasPI]

Do you need good low light performance ? Don’t chase MP, read the Wiki. We’re not creating a Hollywood production. We want a solid surveillance system and nothing more. Double the MP does not = double the performance.

 

[merkaba]

Do you need good low light performance ? Don’t chase MP, read the Wiki. We’re not creating a Hollywood production. We want a solid surveillance system and nothing more. Double the MP does not = double the performance.

There is a street light fairly close by, so it's not super dark. Andy himself recommended that i get the HDW5831R-ZE. I'm definitely not trying to chase MP. I read through the Wiki as well, which is great. That's why i was wondering if there was an in-betweener that was available and something that would be recommended. A 4MP seems like it would be a great sweet spot.

 

[ThomasPI]

Look at the recent reviews here on any camera you are considering and that may well be the cam for you. Invest your time reading so you spend wisely.

 

[merkaba]

I'm interested in the N45DL7Z, but i can't find anything on it at all.

 

[SouthernYankee]

send a email to andy and ask him ? I beleive that this is a new camera

@EMPIRETECANDY
kingsecurity2014@163.com

 

[merkaba]

Does anyone know if the new smart AI features of the cameras required a Dahua NVR, or will those features also work with Blue Iris? I'm assuming a specific NVR is required.

 

[catcamstar]

Does anyone know if the new smart AI features of the cameras required a Dahua NVR, or will those features also work with Blue Iris? I'm assuming a specific NVR is required.

If your IPC has already the smartAI features (eg IVS, people counting), the cam can already perform these actions (and eg. send out mails based on face detection). NVR does "simply" extend these capabilities toward that NVR (and grab snapshots/make timelines etc). When selecting an NVR, make sure you grab one with the latest firmware, as "new" AI features might not be available (yet) on elder models.

Cannot comment on BI, but I'm guessing it can not leverage any "advanced" feature which are brandspecific, as BI will inspect the feeds by itself.

Hope this helps.
CC

 

[J Sigmo]

I don't think any of the cameras that have been mentioned have the ability to "talk back". Hopefully this isn't a deal-breaker for them.

Maybe they can set up just one such camera or a separate system to achieve this at the front door, for example.