First camera setup

LiveTrash

n3wb
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Hello everyone,

I am looking to get my first camera setup going. I have been using my Nest Thermostat in conjunction with IFTTT to alert me when there's motion detected. It's been nice to know when my roommate gets home or if someone (not yet, knock on wood) happens to break in during the day/night when no one is home. It's been a nice start but I'd like to upgrade to a camera system for a more visual look at what is going on.

I'm sort of familiar with the terminology, so excuse me if I get some things wrong.

Ideally I would like to have a PC running Blue Iris. I'd like to have a POE camera out front of the house and a WiFi pan and tilt camera inside that only needs to plug in to a wall outlet. Will I need a network switch (or is it referred to as a POE switch?) to connect the POE camera outside or can it plug directly in to the PC in some way?

I'd like to have alerts sent straight to my phone if high motion is detected (right at the front door for example) Or any motion at all for the indoor camera, no pets, so house is always empty during the day. Does Blue Iris support localised motion detection in the field of view to block out street traffic? Are alerts fairly instant?

As for IFTTT, does Blue Iris work fairly well with it? Eventually I'll be getting some Phillips Hue lights that I'd like to have turn on full brightness if motion is ever detected inside the house, for example.

I've been browsing some pre-assembled desktops and have seen OptiPlex or EliteDesk mentioned around the forum. My local PC store sells those but not for anything under $600 Canadian. Seems rather pricey and I think I could get something a little more basic, especially if I am only running 2 cameras. Would I be better off building my own? Here's an example of what I am finding for Optiplex: http://www.canadacomputers.com/search_results.php?search_in=&keywords=optiplex

As for cameras. I've been finding highly rated cameras, but in my opinion, it comes down to what's been used and thoroughly tested by other Blue Iris users. If you could chime in with your camera suggestions, that would be great.

Any other input is highly appreciated.
Thanks,
Sean
 
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mat200

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LiveTrash

n3wb
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Welcome Live Trash,

A lot of us here like the Dahua Starlight varifocal turret for low light performance, see below for examples and notes.

It's easy to get swamped with information here, so I wanted to share some notes with you

Please check out @giomania 's notes:
Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

I have also made notes which are a summary of a lot of the reading I've been doing here,:
Looking for some advice and direction!

Have fun joining us here.
Fantastic, thank you very much! I find the same, highly active forums tend to have so much it's hard to come down to a single conclusion on what to do.
These notes are great and should guide me in the right direction.

Thanks again,
Sean
 
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