Dumping my old system and starting new! Looking for camera recommendations

[KurB]

My current situation is that I have Ring cameras which continue to let me down so I'm looking to replace them. I have no interest in Wi-Fi based cameras, I'll pull a home run to each camera powering them from a POE+ (90 watt) switch.

1x Doorbell camera with all the bells and whistles and possibly an associated chime. Needs to be compact due to lack of real estate where the CAM mounts.

1x PTZ camera for the left front corner of my house. Its approximately 25 feet to the street and about 35 feet to my mailbox which I want to closely monitor if there is movement. This camera should track foot traffic and vehicle traffic on the street.

1x Bullet camera for the side ally of my house. This is probably around 70 feet to the road.

1x dual lens or wide angle for my back door which will cover the porch and backyard with pool. The distance to the fence is less than 30 feet.

1x dual lens camera to mount over my double garage doors to monitor my driveway. The distance to the street from here is about 25 feet. This camera will monitor foot traffic on the sidewalk in front of my house and monitor my driveway.

I'm not looking to cheap out on the cameras. Ideally the cameras would announce they have detected a person inside the perimeter (Hi you are currently being recorded or something like that). All cameras will be mounted under an awning so they will have some protection from the elements. I want monitoring and alerts to my smart phone where I can get playback, and I don't' want any subscription services. I have a EERO Max 7 mesh router and 2g fiber from spectrum so bandwidth shouldn't be an issue during playback.

I have a Brocade ICX7450-48P for the POE switch which I believe should be good for pretty much any camera I want to add. I'll be running CAT6 plenum to all the drops with all the equipment living in my attic.

For server hardware I have two spare servers that may work:

Dell EMC R240 and a Precision R7610.

My thoughts where one would run Frigate and the other would run home assistant. I want something solid that won't require a lot of tinkering once it's up and running though I don't mind putting in the time to get it setup correctly. That being said I hope Frigate is the right choice but maybe something else would be better.

Please give me those comments, good or bad.

Thanks!

 

[wittaj]

Welcome!

You won't find many here recommending wifi cams, or any consumer stuff you can pick up at Best Buy LOL.

See this thread for the commonly recommended cameras (along with Amazon links) based on distance to IDENTIFY that represent the overall best value in terms of price and performance day and night. These also meet your specs of not wifi and no subscriptions.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

You will probably need more cameras or revise the goals. One camera cannot be the be all/see all. The camera to IDENTIFY at 15 feet is a different camera than one to IDENTIFY at 70 feet.

PTZs are a compliment to an existing system and not replacements for fixed cameras.

So with only PTZs and no additional fixed cameras - what happens when 2 or more people come up to your house - the PTZ is only catching and tracking one of them, not all of them.

PTZs are not perfect and can lose tracking. Then you miss the person.

What happens when the PTZ is looking left and a perp comes from the right?

That is why PTZs are not a replacement for fixed cameras - they are a compliment to an existing system.

If you rely on a PTZ only it will miss many instances, especially when it is off tracking something else.

You are much better off using fixed cams as spotter cams to point the PTZ to where the action is and then let the autotracking take over from there.

See this thread on how a PTZ compliments a fixed camera system.

 

[Mike A.]

PTZs also tend to have a relatively higher lowest focal length. i.e., You’ll be starting out at ~5mm instead of 2.8/3.6 as with most fixed/variable focus non-PTZ cams. So at 25/35 feet to the street/mailbox you’re likely going to have a tighter field of view than you may want at the camera’s widest setting. If you’re intending to shoot farther down the street then will be better.

 

[TonyR]

Welcome to IPCT!

Consider the Reolink POE doorbell for that specific job. It's the only Reolink camera that gets much love here on IPCT but it has more likes than dislike. I've got 2 of the Wi-Fi versions since June of '23 and like them a lot. POE on CAT cable would be even better.

Have you considered Blue Iris?

 

[KurB]

Welcome to IPCT!

Consider the Reolink POE doorbell for that specific job. It's the only Reolink camera that gets much love here on IPCT but it has more likes than dislike. I've got 2 of the Wi-Fi versions since June of '23 and like them a lot. POE on CAT cable would be even better.

Have you considered Blue Iris?

First, thank you for your service and happy Veteran's Day!

Yes, looks like the Reolink POE doorbell is really the only choice for my application. I hadn't really considered Blue Iris due to all the praise I hear about Frigate and Coral USB accelerators, but I'm open to suggestions. Basically, my expectation is something similar to the Ring product when it comes to detection (package and perimeter notifications). If Blue Iris does that then I probably don't need Frigate.

Kurt

 

[Tech Lucas]

Doorbell camera, support ICR night vision and voice prompt. support Two-way audio

IP Villa Door Station
HD CMOS camera.
Zinc alloy panel, IP65 and IK10 rated.
ICR night vision and voice prompt.
Video and audio messaging.
TCP/IP, and SIP.
Surface mounted.


2MP Fisheye Camera

2-wire IP Villa Door Station
Anodized alumimum front panel.
CMOS low illumination 2MP HD colorful 160° fisheye camera.
Video intercom function.
Access control function that supports two locks.
Mobile phone app, talk to the visitor or unlock the door remotely on your phone.
Compatible with 2-wire interface & RJ45 interface.
IK07&IP65.
Support H.265.
Support surface and flush mount.
PoE.

 

[Tech Lucas]

PTZ IP Camera, Auto Tracking

8MP 25× Starlight IR WizSense Network PTZ Camera
1/2.8" 8Megapixel CMOS.
Powerful 25× optical zoom.
Starlight Technology.
Max. 25/30fps@8MP.
IR distance up to 150 m.
Deep-learning-based perimeter protection.
Auto-tracking 3.0 and IVS.
PoE+.
IP67, IK10.
SMD 4.0.

 

[Tech Lucas]

4MP Bullet Camera 2.7 mm–13.5 mm Focal Lens


4MP Smart Dual Light Vari-focal Bullet WizSense Network Camera
4-MP 1/2.9" CMOS image sensor, low luminance, and high definition image.
Outputs max. 4 MP (2688 × 1520)@20 fps, and supports 2560 ×1440 (2560 × 1440)@25/30 fps.
H.265 codec, high compression rate, ultra-low bit rate.
Built-in multi-core light, the max. IR distance is 60 m and the max. warm light distance is 60 m.
ROI, SMART H.264+/H.265+, flexible coding, applicable to various bandwidth and storage environments.
Rotation mode, WDR, 3D NR, HLC, BLC, digital watermarking, applicable to various monitoring scenes.
Intelligent monitoring: Intrusion, tripwire (the two functions support the classification and accurate detection of vehicle and human).
Abnormality detection: Motion detection, video tampering, audio detection, no SD card, SD card full, SD card error, network disconnection, IP conflict, illegal access, and voltage detection.
Alarm: 1 in, 1 out; audio: 1 in, 1 out; supports max. 256 G Micro SD card; built in Mic.
12 VDC/PoE power supply, easy for installation.
IP67, IK10 (optional) protection.
SMD Plus.

 

[Tech Lucas]

Dual Lens Camera

2x4MP TiOC Duo Splicing Fixed-focal Eyeball WizSense Network Camera
Outputs 180° wide angle splicing image.
Outputs max. 8 MP (4096 × 1860)@20 fps.
H.265 codec, high compression rate, ultra-low bit rate.
Built-in IR LED and warm light, the max. IR illumination distance is 25 m and warm light distance is 20 m.
ROI, SMART H.264 +/H.265+, AI H.264/H.265, flexible coding, applicable to various bandwidth and storage environments.
WDR, 3D NR, HLC, BLC, digital watermarking, applicable to various monitoring scenes.

Alarm: 1 in, 1 out; audio: 1 in, 1 out; supports max. 256 G Micro SD card; built in dual Mic; built in speaker, support two-way talk.
12 VDC/PoE power supply, easy for installation.
IP67 protection.
Sound and light alarm (red and blue lights)
EPTZ: Enlarge and track the targets of intelligent alarms.
SMD 4.0.
One-tap arming/disarming through alarm input

I can recommend a store to you if you want to know where to buy these cameras at good prices.

 

[wittaj]

PTZ IP Camera, Auto Tracking
View attachment 207079
8MP 25× Starlight IR WizSense Network PTZ Camera
1/2.8" 8Megapixel CMOS.
Powerful 25× optical zoom.
Starlight Technology.
Max. 25/30fps@8MP.
IR distance up to 150 m.
Deep-learning-based perimeter protection.
Auto-tracking 3.0 and IVS.
PoE+.
IP67, IK10.
SMD 4.0.

Dude - why do you keep on suggesting cameras that are on less than ideal MP/sensor ratios? 8MP on a 1/2.8" sensor is horrible at night and even worse for a PTZ. This is at least the 3rd different post where you are suggesting stuff nobody else uses.

I have compliled in my post the most commonly suggested cameras based on actual use by members here.

 

[steve1225]

4MP Bullet Camera 2.7 mm–13.5 mm Focal Lens
View attachment 207082

4MP Smart Dual Light Vari-focal Bullet WizSense Network Camera
4-MP 1/2.9" CMOS image sensor, low luminance, and high definition image.
Outputs max. 4 MP (2688 × 1520)@20 fps, and supports 2560 ×1440 (2560 × 1440)@25/30 fps.
H.265 codec, high compression rate, ultra-low bit rate.
Built-in multi-core light, the max. IR distance is 60 m and the max. warm light distance is 60 m.
ROI, SMART H.264+/H.265+, flexible coding, applicable to various bandwidth and storage environments.
Rotation mode, WDR, 3D NR, HLC, BLC, digital watermarking, applicable to various monitoring scenes.
Intelligent monitoring: Intrusion, tripwire (the two functions support the classification and accurate detection of vehicle and human).
Abnormality detection: Motion detection, video tampering, audio detection, no SD card, SD card full, SD card error, network disconnection, IP conflict, illegal access, and voltage detection.
Alarm: 1 in, 1 out; audio: 1 in, 1 out; supports max. 256 G Micro SD card; built in Mic.
12 VDC/PoE power supply, easy for installation.
IP67, IK10 (optional) protection.
SMD Plus.

Man, what are You doing here on this forum???
Except one doorbell model (VTO2202F) all Your recommendations are garbage...

small cheap sensors, not proper resolution / sensor size ratios, low-end lines...

You are for some time on this forum, You should learn how to choose cameras at this time...

 

[TonyR]

+1^^^.
Yes, a 4MP camera with anything smaller than a 1/1.8" sensor will suck at night if there's movement, an 8MP even more so.

@Tech Lucas ,you've been a member of IPCT for 4 years and haven't come to that conclusion yet? If not, either you have not been paying attention or are intentionally disregarding the opinions and qualified recommendations of members with far more experience than yourself.

Which is it?

 

[looney2ns]

Obvious to me that @Tech Lucas is a full blown spammer and should be ignored.