First system and new member

[Aerox]

Hello I've been browsing and reading the whole day on internet, youtube, and finally found this very resourceful forum.

I started by reading various topics and ended up finding the cliff notes on the wiki.

I need to secure a garage that I rent that has one entry depicted by the red line on the map below.

Blue line, the public road.
In the yellow area background it's accessible by foot and car at parts.
Orange area is accessible by foot across the 2 buildings.
Red line is a sectional door.



The main entrance is a door depicted by the red circle.

After reading the reviews and the recommendations, I was thinking to start with a varifocal like the
IPC-HDW5842T-ZE-S2

And place it as shown on the picture.
I can't place anything on the wall depicted by the green line as it's not mine unfortunately.



I'll post real pictures tomorrow.

Also, I don't have a broadband internet connection there. Only 4G with a limited plan.

What do you think? Am I taking the things with the correct approach?

Thanks !

 

[wittaj]

Looks like a good start. Do you plan to have an NVR or BI or just an SD card?

Keep in mind these cameras can consume bandwidth quickly, so hopefully you were not looking at using the 4G to try to stream it some place as it will exceed that plan quickly.

 

[Aerox]

That's the part I have researched the least at the moment.

At the site I want to secure, I have a desktop pc with a intel i7-3770K with 16GB of ram.

I wasn't planning to stream as, like you said, the data plan would dry up quite quickly.

My idea, was to have multiple systems in place. Sdcard in the camera, a BI or similar system on the pc connected to 4G for remote access to view footage in case of alerts.

 

[wittaj]

OK that makes a lot more sense and can be done.

BI has a trial so after you get the camera, download it and see if it accomplishes what you want (it will).

 

[Aerox]

Thanks for the help.

What do you think of the model of the camera I mentionned for my situation?
I see different versions of the same model.

According to your post, the 5442-Z4E has a varifocal up to 32mm vs "only" 13mm for the 5442-ZE.

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

• 5442 ZE or 5831R-ZE- varifocal up to 13mm- distances up to 40-50 feet (personally I wouldn't go past the 30 foot range but I like things closer)
• 5442 Z4E - varifocal up to 32mm - anything up to 80-100 feet (personally I wouldn't go past 60 feet but I like things closer)
• 5241-Z12E - varifocal up to 64mm - anything from 80 feet to almost 200 feet (personally I wouldn't go past 150 feet because I like things closer)

 

[wittaj]

It depends on how much light you have. Most here prefer the 5442, especially if you are concerned about available light at night.

As far as the camera focal length, it depends on the area you want to IDENTIFY someone.

One camera cannot be the be all, see all.

If you want to be able to IDENTIFY someone that gets within 10 feet of that door, then a 2.8mm or 3.6mm is the right choice.

if you want to be able to IDENTIFY someone as they come around the corner, then the varifocal is the better choice.

 

[Aerox]

If the varifocal can identify some as they come around the corner, am I right to assume it will be also able to do so if the person is right in front of the door ?
Sorry for the dumb question. I may need to rest on all I read today

 

[wittaj]

If the varifocal can identify some as they come around the corner, am I right to assume it will be also able to do so if the person is right in front of the door ?
Sorry for the dumb question. I may need to rest on all I read today

No because the focus would be out at X meters so they could be blurry up close potentially.

And if you mounted the camera say 4 m high, then based on angle, they would be missed after they round the corner (blind spot of the camera).

If you mounted it at head height then you would see them the whole way, but it could be blurry as it gets closer.

 

[Aerox]

I ordered the 5442 3.6mm fixed lens from Andy. Will update when I get it. Thanks @wittaj.

 

[wittaj]

That is a great choice to get that identify shot close to the door, but will still be able to alert you to someone coming around that corner!