Entryway camera mounting question

[Audz]

Hello, just looking for a recommendation on where to mount a cam within my entryway in the pic I included.

I thought about mounting it on the ceiling towards the upper right corner so I have good ID as people walk up but I thought the porch light would get in the way and cause the image to be washed out when on at night any thoughts?

I thought about removing the light completely and installing a recessed light in the ceiling but didn’t know if that would be any better?

Camera options I’ve looked at so far:
IPC-HDW5231R-Z/ZE
IPC-HDBW4231F-AS

Thanks for the help!

 

[Mr_D]

Any way you can mount it on the left wall, punching through from the garage? From what I've been reading, and from a few test shots, you want a front door cam lower than ceiling height if you can manage it as it will provide a better view of faces.

 

[Audz]

That is a possibility also, I still don’t know about the light being mounted the way it is though. I feel it would was out the image at night time.

I could mount it on either the right or left side below ceiling level, just gotta figure out what to do about the light I suppose.

 

[mat200]

Hi @Audz

You'll want to test out a few spots before deciding, as certainly the porch light can be problematic.

I like mine about 5 feet high to better get a chance at a good facial shot for cameras by the front door.

Test some spots with a friend with a baseball cap and hoodie during both day and night with the porch light functioning as normal and see what is the best option.

 

[Mr_D]

If possible, rotate the camera 90 degrees (corridor/portrait mode) and use a longer lens to avoid getting the light in-frame. If you have a DSLR or mirrorless camera with an ultra wide angle lens, you can take test shots at different focal lengths to see what you'd get from the surveillance camera. The surveillance camera's specs will show the horizontal and vertical angle of view. Use an online calculator to determine what length lens that equates to on your real camera.

 

[Audz]

I actually do. I will have to try that out, great idea to test out

 

[Mr_D]

FWIW, here's a couple of my test shots to show the difference between a high and a low camera. My house has double door with about half a door's width of solid wall to one side. That is, the doors aren't centered in the entry way. The first picture shows a shot from above the doors, about 7.5' above the concrete with a 16mm lens (similar to a 2.8 mm lens on the cameras listed in the first post. Of course, a permanently installed camera would be pointed more downward, but you can get an idea of the perspective.

The second shot is with a 36mm lens (about 6mm equivalent) from the right of the door at about chest height. As you can see, by concentrating on the entry, you'd get much more detail on anyone coming through. It makes the first shot look very unnatural.

 

[Audz]

I have one more question, should I use a junction box to mount the camera to the wall?

Not sure if it will do any good..what is suggested? Screw them into the wall with some long screws and hit a stud?

 

[Mr_D]

I have one more question, should I use a junction box to mount the camera to the wall?

Not sure if it will do any good..what is suggested? Screw them into the wall with some long screws and hit a stud?

Dahua has a PFA130E junction box with a lid now. You mount the box to the wall, screw the camera to the lid, then install the lid on the box. It has room for the Cat5 couple so you don't have to drill a huge hole in the house to pass it inside.

 

[Audz]

So the pigtail where you plug the cat cable into is contained inside the junction box, right? Sounds like that may be the route to go, either way a hole has to be drilled I suppose.

 

[TonyR]

So the pigtail where you plug the cat cable into is contained inside the junction box, right? Sounds like that may be the route to go, either way a hole has to be drilled I suppose.

Yes, 3/8" for cable only and you terminate with male RJ-45 or 3/4" (twice as big) if you try to run the cam's Ethernet female connector thru the wall. A 3/8" masonry bit is less likely to crack that stucco than a 3/4" would (and less expensive, too).

 

[Audz]

I got the camera mounted about 5' off the ground on the side of the entry way, how does it look? Should i change anything? Ignore the wire hanging down connecting it, its temporary.

I think the angle is pretty good for IDing someone standing at the door.

The only issue is during the day the entrance where the camera is, is very dim because not much sunlight gets to the door. So when someone is standing at the door their face isn't lit up due to the sun being behind them. Any suggestions on how to fix that? Black and white mode for at night works well, maybe I should just run it in black and white mode all the time?

 

[Mr_D]

Look for BLC in the camera's web GUI which will adjust for backlit scenes. Also, they have a brightness slider. Let the directly lit scene overexpose somewhat to bring up the shadows.

 

[Audz]

Okay, I will look through the settings and see what I can find. Thank you!

 

[tangent]

I got the camera mounted about 5' off the ground on the side of the entry way, how does it look? Should i change anything? Ignore the wire hanging down connecting it, its temporary.

I think the angle is pretty good for IDing someone standing at the door.

The only issue is during the day the entrance where the camera is, is very dim because not much sunlight gets to the door. So when someone is standing at the door their face isn't lit up due to the sun being behind them. Any suggestions on how to fix that? Black and white mode for at night works well, maybe I should just run it in black and white mode all the time?

View attachment 27026

View attachment 27025

Rotate the camera 90 degrees and lower it a bit so the porch light isn't in the way.

It's certainly not subtle.

 

[Audz]

Rotate the camera 90 degrees and lower it a bit so the porch light isn't in the way.

It's certainly not subtle.

I think I will be removing the light fixture and adding a recessed light in the ceiling of the entryway so that it isn’t in the way.

I agree it isn’t very subtle but I wanted the best view of someone standing on the porch and part of the drive way. I tried it higher up towards the corner and it didn’t look as good to me looking down onto people.

 

[tangent]

I think I will be removing the light fixture and adding a recessed light in the ceiling of the entryway so that it isn’t in the way.

I agree it isn’t very subtle but I wanted the best view of someone standing on the porch and part of the drive way. I tried it higher up towards the corner and it didn’t look as good to me looking down onto people.

rotating it will be better (like pictures earlier in the thread). less wall in the frame, less ir reflection, and a chance of seeing packages on the porch.

I'd probably use an HDBW4231F-AS "wedge" at the door as it's a little less in your face and save the 5231 for the driveway.

 

[Audz]

I just turned the camera, you mean like this? I will have to make the fine adjustments tomorrow. I was considering that camera, I will have to look into it. Thanks for your help!

 

[mat200]

I concur with tanget's suggestion.

The mini-dome wedges do well in shaded front door setups at eye level.

 

[tangent]

I just turned the camera, you mean like this?

yep, just like that.