Deciding how to get started

Herondas

Herondas

n3wb
Apr 26, 2022
15
3
US
I have been going back and forth between going with Reolink and going with Blue Iris.

My server is an Intel NUC i5 (4 cpu/8 threads) currently running a Linux Mint host with Windows 7 in a Virtualbox VM.
From reports from others Blue Iris runs ok in a Windows 7 VM with more cameras than the three or four I plan to have.
I figure to trial test Blue Iris with the Windows 7 VM and if necessary still have the option to set up another system to host Windows 7 and Blue Iris.

What initially put me off of Blue Iris is The Hook Up video "Blue Iris + Deepstack BUILT IN! Full Walk Through" - the Deepstack install recommends having Nvidia and also requires Windows 10 which I will not use (no Windows after v7 for me), and my Intel NUC doesn't support Nvidia.

My requirement is three or four PoE cabled cameras to monitor day and night for people at the front or sides of the house, and signal an event to my phone.
Also would like a wireless camera with two-way audio at the front door and phone app - this camera must be wireless as that one area is tough to run an ethernet cable to.
Don't see many wireless camera two-way audio options in the store here or elsewhere - this is where the Reolink RLC-511WA and their app might be a good point fix.

My thought is that I should spec as best I can and get a camera to start testing with Blue Iris and get some experience.
I would like as much and clear detail as possible day and night - how about the Amcrest UltraHD 4K (8MP) Outdoor Security IP Turret PoE Camera, 3840×2160, that I see in the store here?
 
Herondas said:
I have been going back and forth between going with Reolink and going with Blue Iris.

My server is an Intel NUC i5 (4 cpu/8 threads) currently running a Linux Mint host with Windows 7 in a Virtualbox VM.
From reports from others Blue Iris runs ok in a Windows 7 VM with more cameras than the three or four I plan to have.
I figure to trial test Blue Iris with the Windows 7 VM and if necessary still have the option to set up another system to host Windows 7 and Blue Iris.

What initially put me off of Blue Iris is The Hook Up video "Blue Iris + Deepstack BUILT IN! Full Walk Through" - the Deepstack install recommends having Nvidia and also requires Windows 10 which I will not use (no Windows after v7 for me), and my Intel NUC doesn't support Nvidia.

My requirement is three or four PoE cabled cameras to monitor day and night for people at the front or sides of the house, and signal an event to my phone.
Also would like a wireless camera with two-way audio at the front door and phone app - this camera must be wireless as that one area is tough to run an ethernet cable to.
Don't see many wireless camera two-way audio options in the store here or elsewhere - this is where the Reolink RLC-511WA and their app might be a good point fix.

My thought is that I should spec as best I can and get a camera to start testing with Blue Iris and get some experience.
I would like as much and clear detail as possible day and night - how about the Amcrest UltraHD 4K (8MP) Outdoor Security IP Turret PoE Camera, 3840×2160, that I see in the store here?
Click to expand...

Welcome @Herondas


1) "My requirement is three or four PoE cabled cameras to monitor day and night for people at the front or sides of the house, and signal an event to my phone."

Normally the requirements should be more detailed on this area than a general statement.

Please see the DORI section of the cliff notes for more details on using DORI to determine what you may want to do with requirements here.


2) "Also would like a wireless camera with two-way audio at the front door and phone app - this camera must be wireless as that one area is tough to run an ethernet cable to."

WiFi in our experience tends to be problematic, and thus many of us end up accepting that we have to go to the work to run proper cabling to the positions of the cameras, as we have to run power to those locations anyways.

Yes, often the front door is more of a challenge for video doorbells - and often this is where many try a ONVIF spec'ed WiFi video doorbell product ..


3) "Don't see many wireless camera two-way audio options in the store here or elsewhere - this is where the Reolink RLC-511WA and their app might be a good point fix."

Reolink is not a good fit if you need quality low light image capture ..
 
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Stay away from Reolinks in case you only want to know what time it happened.

The Hookup has screwed over lots of people LOL - just do a search on this forum for Hookup. If you get cameras with AI built in, then you don't even need DeepStack unless you have a special case, but running a few cams without a GPU is fine.

Many have found NUC to be problematic for 24/7 video surveillance systems. Since you have one, go ahead and try, but be prepared to get something better.

Wireless and surveillance cams do not go together. Unlike streaming services, these cameras do not buffer and will be continual source of problems for you. How are you going to provide power to this location? If it is an outlet, then get a powerline adapter that runs the data over the electric wires.

2-way talk for these cameras are problematic - there is an internet lag and it is more like walkie-talkie. If it is the front of the house, a doorbell camera would better serve you.

The distance to be covered from the camera to the object location is the most important factor.

You need to identify the areas you want to cover and pick a camera designed to cover that distance. In some instances, it may be a 2MP or 4MP that is the right camera. DO NOT CHASE MP!!!

It is why we recommend to purchase one good varifocal and test it at all the proposed locations day and night to figure out the correct focal lengths and cams.

A few other tips....It is simple LOL do not chase MP - do not buy a 4MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/1.8" sensor. Do not buy a 2MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/2.8" sensor. Do not buy a 4K (8MP) camera on anything smaller than a 1/1.2" sensor. Unfortunately, most 4k (8MP) cams are on the same sensor as a 2MP and thus the 2MP will kick its butt all night long as the 4k will need 4 times the light than the 2MP... 4k will do very poor at night unless you have stadium quality lighting (well a lot of lighting LOL).


Here is the unofficial master thread on Reolinks:

Reolink: Deconstruction of a dangerous misleading youtube review "Finding the BEST 4K Security Camera NVR Package (Reolink vs Amcrest vs Swann)"

Executive Summary: DO NOT be a sheep. Ask what a reviewer can be missing, ask if a reviewer is using hype words to sell the cheapest product. Test your cameras and kits right away. Just do a bench test. Test real world conditions. Test moving suspects. Test at night, test at day. Use a test rig...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com


And here is an unofficial thread on the importance of focal length over MP:

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
 
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I like the idea of testing with a varifocal camera. Can you recommend a varifocal camera in the store here?
Is there a phone app that can control the camera when testing or just browser connect and control the camera?

Can I assume that all the cameras in the store here are Blue Iris compatible?

I'll read the recommended articles at the links.
 
In your store there are only a couple of cameras that explicitly are described with AI. Do you have any articles on AI vs non-AI cameras and Blue Iris?

If I have question about your store cameras or accessories should I continue to ask here, or what other forum?
 
Basically AI cameras costs a little more because they have functionality to recognize human or vehicle and the non-AI cameras do not. Both work with Blue Iris.

You can continue to ask camera questions here.

You can also reach out to a trusted vendor here, @EMPIRETECANDY that provides many of the cameras in the store here, as well as his Amazon store.
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.
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At his amazon store I found the EmpireTech PFB203W White Water-Proof Wall Mount Bracket .
Will it support the IPC-T5442T-ZE camera? and any other turret cameras in your store?
I did not find it in the store here.
 
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At least one screw hole will match :) I always use a self-tapping sheetmetal screw to make my holes in this bracket. I don't care what camera it's supposed to fit. I just make it fit. Ain't nobody got time for dat!
truss-head-self-drilling-screws-500x500.jpgscrewdownload.jpg
 
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I'm running a Wifi doorbell, with 1 DVR/NVR- 8 Cameras ( RSTp over ethernet) and Blue Iris. and the Blue Iris Machine is not hard wired to the network...( I'm a Bad person). But the thing is working.
(I'm borrowing my ethernet from the Blue Iris Pc, to test another instance of Blue Iris, on another Dell computer. )
Wifi is definitely not the Preferred way to run an entire Surveillance system. but some segments may be ok. (Your mileage May Vary)
 
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Herondas said:
I found a 2022 "EmpireTech Spring Sales.pdf" that shows the IPC-T5442T-ZE discounted to 169.99
I see a higher price using its link to Amazon.
Is that sale still going?
Click to expand...
No, that sale pricing passed by and closed already. According to @EMPIRETECANDY , the next sale will be around Memorial Day weekend (Late May), but of course no guarantees on which items will be on sale and new pricing in effect at that time (until officially announced).
 
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What is recommended for long running PoE ethernet cables through attics and outside under the roof?
UV rated? And is shielded cable recommended?
Solid wire vs stranded?
Cat 5e good enough for cameras, or Cat 6 or better?
 
Herondas said:
What is recommended for long running PoE ethernet cables through attics and outside under the roof?
UV rated? And is shielded cable recommended?
Solid wire vs stranded?
Cat 5e good enough for cameras, or Cat 6 or better?
Click to expand...
You will be limited to 100 meters or 328 ft for a ethernet run on CAT cable. Suggestion would be to make the cable run continuous, without any breaks or adapters in the middle of the run.

If you are running CAT cable outdoors, get an outdoor rated CAT Cable. Non-outdoor rated will work in a temporary pinch. but you don't want to make that a permanent installation.

Shielded is nice, but I have never run into a situation with a camera where it was required for the camera to operate properly.

Always use solid gauge COPPER wire. If the outer jacket says CCA on it, don't buy that. That is copper clad aluminum. I am seeing cheap CCA cable on Amazon and on e-Bay. Steer clear of that junk. It is sold cheap for a reason.

Cat5e can support network operating speeds of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps or 1000 Mbps. This will handle any camera feed through the foreseeable future. Some guys like to boast about "future proofing" and will invest in Cat6a, which is all good. The Cat6a cable will outlast the camera several times over.

Welcome to the Forum.
 
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I like the recommendation above to purchase a varifocal camera like the IPC-T5442T-ZE to test for camera location requirements.
Seems to me I would need to use a Windows laptop with Blue Iris, a PoE injector or switch, and hold the camera - all near to the test location.
I searched Ipcamtalk and can't find any articles on how to do this. I'm just guessing here on how to setup the test.

Unless I don't need Blue Iris for this testing this raises a Blue Iris licensing question: Blue Iris on the laptop is just for temporary use but I may need to test later after it is out of trial mode. Is Blue Iris licensing like (for instance) MS Office software wherein a single user desktop license is legal to also install on one laptop?

BTW, I downloaded Blue Iris onto a test-bed Windows 7 system just to make sure of no run time issues that of course started a trial.
When I download Blue Iris onto my production Windows 7 server will I still start a new trial?
 
You don't need Blue Iris to test a camera. There is a web GUI for the camera and a free VMS software available directly from Dahua.

For location testing use a bucket full of sand or rocks with a 2x4-8 sticking up out of it. Mount the camera to the 2x4. Use a long ethernet cable, say 150-200 feet, to allow placement anywhere around the house. Test it for at least a day or two to get day and night conditions. Have someone play bad guy, hat hoodie, and sneak around, both day and night. Make sure you can get captures good enough to be used for evidence to provide identity at each location unless it's just for an overview.
 
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Concerning at Andy's Amazon store the IPC-T2431T-AS 2.8mm camera:
I am thinking of getting this camera to start getting experience with setting up a camera with Blue Iris.
Is it an ONVIF compatible camera, and fully compatible with Blue Iris?

If this camera is wall mounted outside like with the PFB203W can it be exposed to rain?
 
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