Camera selections

ftggm

n3wb
Jul 11, 2025
1
0
New York
Hi everyone! Complete newbie here. I have a 2-story house with an attached 2-car garage, so entry points (apart from windows) are (1) the front door, (2) garage door next to it, (3) garage side door and (4) a glass door from the family room to the backyard. Can someone please give me some recommendations as to what kind of cameras could be good for each spot? I am hoping to cover (1) and (2) with one camera if possible.
(1) and (2) obviously face the front yard and the driveway roughly 50ft long
(3) faces a neighbor with around 6ft between the door and his fence
(4) back yard is roughly 50ft by 50ft

I've been looking at EmpireTech units and am overwhelmed by the infinitely large selection of cameras with no clear purpose indicated for each (for a newbie that is). From lurking here and on reddit I have seen some general suggestions. 5442 (54IR) fixed lens 2.8mm but only 15ft for identify; IPC-Color4K-T but needs extra (?) light and only has 20ft identify; 5441F-AS-E2 recommended for front door but I've seen some reviews claiming poor performance at night.

Please help! I'm lost. Thank you so much!

 
Things that would be helpful:
  • Aerial image of your home/property.
  • Photos of your home/property from various angles. Make sure to include any features that may need additional attention.
  • Intent of different camera locations.

You should look at your system as an investment.

Many here will say that the T5442 / T54IR is the best bang for the buck and I would need to agree with them.

I started with Lorex (they use Dahua cameras). I bought and installed a Lorex analog MPX system. They were 2MP cameras in 2.8mm focal lengths. I then won a Lorex giveaway and was sent a 2K IP camera system with 2 turrets and 4 bullets and ran the two systems in parallel.

I managed to get a usable capture of a neighborhood vandal, but it wasn't all that great. It mainly confirmed the suspect, but wasn't good enough to search someone down.

What ultimately pushed me to using Blue Iris and Loryta/Empiretech cameras was when my house was struck by lightning; it took out my Lorex systems and I needed to start over. Cameras multiply like rabbits; once you can see part of your property you will want to see all of your property. This is especially true when something happens and you realize there is a hole in your coverage.

A properly spec'd Loryta/Empiretech camera and system may increase your budget a little, but the goal is to have usable footage. I look at my camera system as an investment; let's say the whole thing has cost me $5000. That is a lot of money, but I now have a higher chance of catching the vandals, thieves, stranger dangerers, etc that come around my house and, because of this, have a greater chance of recovering my loss. If I had not made the investment I would likely be out my loss PLUS adding on the cost of the system for the next time it might happen. We get posts all of the time with people reacting to a loss Stolen Lawn Equipment and Tools

I have had a couple friends get interested in putting in a system, but it never goes anywhere once I tell them it's more than just slapping up a couple cameras from Costco. It does take work, but once set up with quality equipment you should be good to go. One friend recently had a tractor stolen and still has not put a proper system in place.

Buy once, cry once, and get experience and knowledge along the way.

I have learned a lot since joining and try to pay it forward when possible. This is a post I put together with images from my journey showing the differences between focal lengths, install heights, changing fields of view, etc.
 
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Seeing someone is one thing, but identifying someone is another.

Below are captures from my 2MP B52IR-X3 that has 3.6mm, 12mm, and 25mm focal lengths. The three lenses in the camera all point at the same spot. In this case, the guy is across the street about 100ft away.

He is in every capture, but not all of the FOVs give the same detail.

One can Detect or Observe.
One can Recognize.
One can Identify.

Pick the capture that best describes what you are wanting to accomplish and we can recommend the appropriate camera for that location.

3.6mm:
1752329571507.png

12mm:
1752329578073.png

25mm:
1752329582824.png