Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

[billv]

@billv that looks like some serious highlight compensation going on. What is your HLC setting on?

Not using HLC. Using WDR @ 55

 

[Tic]

Got my 2 camera from Andy a week ago but only got time to replace a 4MP bullet Hikvision with one of this. Pleased so far. I haven't got to tweak any setting yet. I wonder if @nayr has any recommendation on them?
They will be used as outdoor camera covering the front door and garage entrance.

Please post pics so I can see how you set it up since we have the same goal (entrance & driveway).

 

[nayr]

Got my 2 camera from Andy a week ago but only got time to replace a 4MP bullet Hikvision with one of this. Pleased so far. I haven't got to tweak any setting yet. I wonder if @nayr has any recommendation on them?
They will be used as outdoor camera covering the front door and garage entrance.

I'm running defaults, with one exception, Backlight: WDR@10%

 

[hmjgriffon]

you can sync your BI Server upstream to a Stratum 1 server, then sync your cameras to your BI server.. I guarantee your latency to between your cameras and your BI server is a tiny fraction of the latency between your cameras and nist.gov

Is this the preferred tool to use in windows? NetTime - Network Time Synchronization Tool

 

[nayr]

yep, your BI Server has a battery backup on the RealTimeClock.. so after a power outage, it knows what time it is.. your cameras will not; and there is no guarantee you'll have internet connectivity immediately after a power outage.

so running TimeSyncTool on your BI Server means your cameras will have a network time source as long as the NVR is up and removes the requirement that your cameras even need internet connectivity.. and thats good; because now you can just block all traffic too/from the internet and your cameras at your router.. or just throw all the cameras on an isolated LAN and dual home your BI Server.

 

[DuncanMcDonuts]

Does this camera pan and tilt with a controlled motor? Or does it just have a motorized zoomed lens?
The quality looks great! I want a camera I can control through my I-phone that can pan & tilt as well. Thanks!

There's no PTZ with this camera. It's like a ball and socket joint. You can fully rotate it and angle it any way you want, then you tighten the set screw.

 

[bug99]

Etiquette note. It used to be bad form to link to a stratum one server more than once from an organization. The NTP protocol and procedures are fantastic at compensation of network latency through a mesh (think multiple cell towers and triangulation). Your hosts (cameras should all point to your server (normally stratum 2 or 3). The time difference errors as nayr points out are going to be insignificant (sub 1 ms (1/1000 second)) in all but the most extreme cases. The errors will be in the cameras ability (time to execute) to set its time from the data given to it. In other words perfect without undue burden on the NTP stratum 1 servers. Definition note: a server synced from two stratum one servers will be a stratum two server and so on.

 

[nayr]

Mine already paid for itself - I've been lazy in the bad weather so haven't replaced another cam in the garden so it's been sat benchtesting running looking out the window. 2 nights ago BI picked up two guys marking properties (for reasons as of yet unknown).

I'd meant to set BI to make a timelapse and instead had it running with full motion detection which is where I spotted the two randoms.

Police etc were called and even they commented how clear the footage was at night (I had IR disabled so was just letting the sensor strut it's stuff).

I've also installed a 128GB Toshiba Exceria microSD which is working fine - when you first pop the card in it will give an error under the local storage area, but just format the card, the camera will reboot and then it should be able to use all of the storage

Happy days

Care to share any caps?

 

[Little Moose]

@istreich, i doubt zoom will work with blueIris.. it has no PTZ type commands avilable.. but it can zoom/focus with API commands so it might be done, but standard ONVIF PTZ commands wont do diddily squat.

@bp2008, its definitely wider than the 3.6mm 4300S I have back there but I dont think its a full 90 or else the swingset would of been completely in frame.. but its very close to it.. will double check, I may have zoomed it in a click or two to try to match the FOV of the 4300s.

I asked a seller about the PTZ and type of wall mount I would need, here's their response;

here is the official site, and it shows wall mount is pfb203w, and we have this bracket.
DAHUA Wall Mount PFB203W IP Camera CCTV Bracket Camera Mount DH PFB203W-in CCTV Accessories from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

About PTZ, please use Smartpss, and the software shall can control the lens auto zoom , focus.
you can also manually rotate the camera.

 

[hmjgriffon]

I asked a seller about the PTZ and type of wall mount I would need, here's their response;

here is the official site, and it shows wall mount is pfb203w, and we have this bracket.
DAHUA Wall Mount PFB203W IP Camera CCTV Bracket Camera Mount DH PFB203W-in CCTV Accessories from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

About PTZ, please use Smartpss, and the software shall can control the lens auto zoom , focus.
you can also manually rotate the camera.

It's not a ptz, it just has powered zoom and focus.

 

[looney2ns]

It was a combo of the silica packet rubbing and the lens binding up against the black foam seal ring that sits between the lens and the outer glass of the front cover.
When I took it apart with the cover separated it zoomed almost silently.
I reassembled and it without the silica packet and made the squeaky sound but not the grindy sound. Just have to figure out how to properly position that foam ring and I'm back in business.

Thanks @nayr , YOU DA MAN!!

p.s. Curious has anyone ever had to return a cam to China for repair\replacement? How do they handle that and what is the shipping from the U.S. roughly?
Glad I did not have to mess with that. This is where not having a warranty would be an issue....I assume any problems and a resolution would be a combo of Andy's discretion and your wallet.

You want the silica packet back in the cam, or you could have moisture issue's.

 

[Tic]

Peeps...I've seen some screenshots here w/ the Day (MON,TUE...) stamped right after the Time...how do you get that to show up? Thanks.

 

[mcx]

Peeps...I've seen some screenshots here w/ the Day (MON,TUE...) stamped right after the Time...how do you get that to show up? Thanks.

Camera - Video - Overlay check Week Display

 

[Tic]

Camera - Video - Overlay check Week Display

Thanks, mcx!

 

[nbstl68]

Why didn't you put the silica packet back in? It's there to absorb any moisture that may form up inside and you don't want droplets of water or condensate to short the boards, do you?

I should clarify, there were 2 silica packets in the camera. One was pressing against the barrel. The whole barrel rotates when it focuses and must have been snagging the 2nd packet.
This particular cam I am using indoors, pointed at a basement entrance, so figured I prob did not need any silica in it much less two packets.

With regard to the other question about placement of the foam ring..the front barrel is pressing right against it so when the unit is reassembled it twists on it and causes a squeak...not sure of proper placement but I don't think it should touch it but it does.

The 2nd cam is outside. I have not gotten out to mess with it yet as we are in the middle of an ice storm here.

 

[billv]

I'm having curious behavior with my 5231 cameras. Even though it is night, on the Camera->Conditions tab, it insists on using the Day profile. If I set it to Normal or Night and save, when I switch away from that tab or log out, it switches back to Day. This is happening on all 3 of my 5231 cameras. What determines which profile it's going to use?

 

[Tic]

Check the time setting for your Day and Night profiles.

 

[nayr]

Day & Night is set to auto on both profiles by default

 

[mike2874]

Maybe someone can answer this… in the Starlight’s camera settings I set the Frame Rate & I Frame Interval to 15 fps. Since I’m using BI I went to Properties > Video and changed the Max rate to 20 fps. I then went to Record to change the Pre-trigger video buffer setting to 45 but it won’t stick... it keeps reverting back to 25.

I’m assuming it’s something simple I’m not doing?

 

[fenderman]

Maybe someone can answer this… in the Starlight’s camera settings I set the Frame Rate & I Frame Interval to 15 fps. Since I’m using BI I went to Properties > Video and changed the Max rate to 20 fps. I then went to Record to change the Pre-trigger video buffer setting to 45 but it won’t stick... it keeps reverting back to 25.

I’m assuming it’s something simple I’m not doing?

the pretrigger buffer is not in seconds NOT frames...