CCTV system for home
- Thread starter H6h7h8
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IAmATeaf
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If 5mp plus is your only requirement then there are plenty of cams from Hikvision and Duhua that will fit the bill.
looney2ns
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Yeah like I see all the systems on Ebay and Amazon I was about to buy a reolink 8mp system till I saw everyone shooting it down.
I dont want to be paying an arm and a leg I just want something with decent picture quality that you can make out there face and licence plates
Even if someone could recommend a specific DVR and camera as I'd buy them camera at the time
I dont want to be paying an arm and a leg I just want something with decent picture quality that you can make out there face and licence plates
Even if someone could recommend a specific DVR and camera as I'd buy them camera at the time
Frankenscript
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Per the various guides, your best bet is to buy an eBay computer (off-lease i5-6500 Optiplex or ProDesk type computer, ~$250) and use Blue Iris software. I made the mistake of buying an NVR before finding this site; it's ~$300 worth of wasted money sitting on a shelf now.
Pick each camera based on your needs at that camera's specific location.
Pick each camera based on your needs at that camera's specific location.
Any recommended YouTube tutorials on how to do this ?
mat200
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Welcome @H6h7h8
"I just want something with decent picture quality that you can make out there face and licence plates"
At what distances?? Under what lighting conditions?
Note, do not spend any money right now - take some time to determine what you want first, what your needs are.
Read the cliff notes - it is a great resources thanks to everyone here who have shared their knowledge and experience. ( and thanks to giomania who assembled them together in the notes ).
It will take you a bit of time to learn this better.
40ft about
Ok so 40ft to see an object coming 25ft to make out face and licence plate under daylight for night I would like around 20ft to make out face and reg
mat200
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HI @H6h7h8
So, this is giving you an idea of how to line up requirements.
Now go to this webpage... find your location, and place a camera on your home and point it down the driveway. You can play with the generic camera model at 1080P... and play with the H FOV a bit.
IPVM Camera Calculator V3
This will give you a rough idea about what you can see with different resolutions and H FOVs.
Naturally, there's more to it than resolution and H FOV - as some cameras are better than others even with the same resolution and H FOV specs.
Reduce the H FOV until you get the results you want ( to read the license plate, see a face )
You'll quickly notice it's not as simple as just picking a kit and going with it.
Frankenscript
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Most varifocal lenses are set and forget. You zoom them in to the area of interest such as a mailbox and leave it there. I have a couple of these.
More involved PTZ cameras can have autotracking and zoom based on motion.
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More involved PTZ cameras can have autotracking and zoom based on motion.
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fenderman
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He mean that motorized vf is set it and forget it, its not mean to zoom in during operation.
I have several vf camera’s and the focus sometimes takes a second to catch up after zooming, making it impractical for zooming during live action. Definitely better than fixed lenses in my opinion. Perfect for tweaking to get the best image you can get and having the ability to adjust later is awesome.
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mat200
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HI @H6h7h8
Basically a varifocal lens on a camera allows you to customize the H FOV with the range that the varifocal camera lens is able to do so, so that you have enough pixels on target.
These sorts of cameras are very good options for looking down longer driveways to adjust the H FOV to a "choke point" where you can ID someone or a car walking / driving on to your property
CCTVCam
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Only part of it. Different sensors have wildly different responses to low light. What's good in the day can be unable to see 6 feet at night. The Wiki and the camera section - Dahua and Hikvision brand sections especially are your friend. As others have said, don't get too hung up on MP. The 2 MP cameras tend to see better at night although the new 4mp cameras are pushing them hard and well worth a look.
One way you can achieve both face recog and licence plate recog using a lower MP camera is to use 2 cameras, 1 wide angle giving an overview, the other with a zoom lens giving a tight shot of the area of interest. One of the considerations with MP, is not how many there are, but over what area they're spread. Look at turrets, a 2mp turret can sometimes (depending on the model) recog at several hundred feet whereas a wide angle lens at the same 2mp might not recogn past 10 feet. That said, Turrets have their drawbacks which is why many prefer 2 cameras providing the same function.
Frankenscript
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