Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

flynreelow

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@looney2ns thanks, I hadn't noticed the cliff notes, lots of useful stuff there. I currently have some software called motioneyeOS ccrisan/motioneyeos running on my Raspberrypi and I was hoping I could use this with the Dahua camera. But a quick search of this forum I only found one other post which mentions this software. As far as I can tell it should work, but wondering what alternatives there are apart from blue iris as I run macs. I really don't want to order a camera from china only to find that it's not going to work with my preferred software.
Sighthound software works great on Mac's
 

j4co

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One of my 5231 has moist on the inside, shows on the lens.
Strange thing, it is under the carport, so never had direct rain as it is in the edge at least 2.5 meters away from the side.

I saw in the z5 thread the suggestion of opening it, use warm/hot air to inside and dry the gel bag in the microwave.

Is there anyone who did this already, and perhas has some good tips?
 

looney2ns

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One of my 5231 has moist on the inside, shows on the lens.
Strange thing, it is under the carport, so never had direct rain as it is in the edge at least 2.5 meters away from the side.

I saw in the z5 thread the suggestion of opening it, use warm/hot air to inside and dry the gel bag in the microwave.

Is there anyone who did this already, and perhas has some good tips?
When you open it up, inspect that all the seals look good and no places in the seal has any deformities.
Its possible that changes in temperature is causing moisture to be drawn in around where the cable enters the cam.

I would open the cam up, only in a conditioned space with normal humidity levels, no higher than 40-50%.
Leave it open for 24 hrs, check to make sure it has a gel bag in the cam. You will want to gently clean the inside of the glass, with a soft clean cotton cloth. If you can, replace the gel pack with a new one, or place in an oven on it's lowest setting for an hour or so.
Possibly add an additional gel bag during assembly. Make certain the gasket lines up correctly when putting the halves back together.
Tighten each screw a little at a time so you get an even seal. Only re-assemble in the same conditioned space.
I would then take some RTV silicone and make sure the cable is well sealed going into the camera case.
Let the silicone dry 24hrs before putting it back in service.

If you have any doubts about the gasket, you can also use the RTV silicone in place of the seal. Use only a very small continuous bead.
Then carefully wipe any excess that squeezes out with your finger so as to be sure the gap is sealed.
 

jesd03

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hello guys

what is the latest firmware for this, i am currently running..

Also as they have replaced this model does it mean no more software updates for it?

2.622.0000000.18.R, Build Date: 2017-11-10

Thanks
 

ingeborgdot

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How cold of temp will this thing handle? My brother in law is talking about a nest camera system. What should I tell him about that?
 

ingeborgdot

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I like the comment about the Nest. I told him no one would think they were good. I really need to find out about temp though.
 

awsum140

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Seriously, with all the people here running 5231R-Z, and many other models of Dahua cameras, being located throughout the US and pretty much world wide, I have yet to hear someone mention a camera failing due to temperature extremes. Kansas may get hot, really hot, and cold, really cold, but it can't be exceeding the worldwide experiences. Heck, even my junk cameras have held up through the same temperature ranges.
 

myipcam

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When you open it up, inspect that all the seals look good and no places in the seal has any deformities.
Its possible that changes in temperature is causing moisture to be drawn in around where the cable enters the cam.

I would open the cam up, only in a conditioned space with normal humidity levels, no higher than 40-50%.
Leave it open for 24 hrs, check to make sure it has a gel bag in the cam. You will want to gently clean the inside of the glass, with a soft clean cotton cloth. If you can, replace the gel pack with a new one, or place in an oven on it's lowest setting for an hour or so.
Possibly add an additional gel bag during assembly. Make certain the gasket lines up correctly when putting the halves back together.
Tighten each screw a little at a time so you get an even seal. Only re-assemble in the same conditioned space.
I would then take some RTV silicone and make sure the cable is well sealed going into the camera case.
Let the silicone dry 24hrs before putting it back in service.

If you have any doubts about the gasket, you can also use the RTV silicone in place of the seal. Use only a very small continuous bead.
Then carefully wipe any excess that squeezes out with your finger so as to be sure the gap is sealed.
Should be added to Cliff notes (if not already.. I forget). I had the same concern and was about ask.
 
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Ive got 3 5231R-Z cams, a Dahua PTZ (cant remember exact model but its 25x Starlight), and a Sunba PTZ that I picked up before finding this site.

Last winter I had one night at -44F and they ran fine. Tons of nights at -30F do not phase them either.

The Sunba freezes up (literally) with ice and snow and will not move, but this is more due to the mounting location than the camera.
The Dahua PTZ has iced up a few times too, but this is due to spring/fall conditions when wet before dark.

Ive worried more about condensation in the POE switches mounted in barns than the cameras, and even that has not been an issue.
 

redfive

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Usually, I use IP56 boxes , with some desiccant pack, second image is an IP55 box (is inside), at the time of the snap, three ethernet cables were still missing (the switch provides PoE for three cams and the wireless bridge, and is under UPS, while the three PoE injectors aren't under UPS and are for three UniFi AP's) now is finished, with, of course, the dessicant packets inside :)
 

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manwald

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Hi guys,

I've got 4 of these cams right now and I'm very pleased with the picture-quality so far.

But I asked myself if there is a starlight-version that's comparable with this one, but with PTZ and also maybe a mic?

Best regards
Mischa
 

erkme73

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Usually, I use IP56 boxes , with some desiccant pack, second image is an IP55 box (is inside), at the time of the snap, three ethernet cables were still missing (the switch provides PoE for three cams and the wireless bridge, and is under UPS, while the three PoE injectors aren't under UPS and are for three UniFi AP's) now is finished, with, of course, the dessicant packets inside :)
That looks very professional. I have something similar with an 8-port PoE switch in an weather tight box - but I didn't add desiccant (yet?) because that switch runs pretty warm. Anytime I open the box, I can feel warm air come out - so I just ASSumed the heat would prevent condensation. Maybe I ought to rethink my approach?
 

Tibor Makai

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There are some, but some have different shapes. You will have to decide, which one would work better for you. I have just got the SD5925U-HNI(has also autotracking), there is a SD4925 version as well, cheaper but does not have auto tracking, than there is a dome versions, something like the SD5225(forgot the exact model #).
 

redfive

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@erkme73
Yes, the switches are pretty hot, and this should help, but humidity is a bad beast (here, eg. the fiber come into the box through a conduit that is directly connected to another underground conduit (D. 63mm), so, ... prevention is better than cure :)
 
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