Frustrated with confusing model numbers

[chugger22]

I don’t have a home POE camera system yet. Over the course of several months now I’ve spent hours upon hours on this site and Andy’s website trying to determine what cameras would be best and to say the model numbers and description of camera specs is frustrating is an understatement. I feel like I need a secret Annie decoder ring. I’m about ready to just hit the amcrest site and buy the first system that fits my budget which I feel is generous at $2K+
I’m in IT so I’m not afraid to play around with setup and learning BI, maybe I just have analysis paralysis right now. I would like to go with BI, POE switch, and turret cameras. I live in a rural area with one street light out by the road and motion activated lights near front and rear entrances.

Is Ipc_T5442T-ZE varifocal now replaced with a newer model called ipc-t54ir-ze? Should I just get IPC-T54IR-AS with fixed focal?

here is what I want. I’m open and thankful for your suggestions:

1. Overview coverage around the perimeter of the ranch house. Something placed under the eve that looks down each side
2. Entrance camera x2 - something I can place near the front door and rear patio entrance
3. Garage view - camera on the inside facing towards the garage doors
4. 2 internal cameras that would cover the living room (dog sittting) and also one under kitchen cabinets (maybe PTZ) for monitoring foyer entrance and kitchen activity.​

 

[Broachoski]

Yep, those are the same camera. Here is a link from Andy about the name changes.
I think all of his cameras have changed identity due to Dahua's requsest for competative reasons.

EmpireTech Item Name Adding,important

Hey guys In order to make our client know easier for the product we sell, will use the Item name instead of Model Name on the amazon list for some cams we sell currently. Camera function/working no change. So each camera will have a product name and a model No. IPC-T5442T-ZE model Name, item...

ipcamtalk.com

You should get at least 1 varifocal like the ZE with 2.7 to 13.5mm zoom and make a temporary rig to place in different areas to see what you like. I am in a rural setting and that 2.7 will not cut it for me. Some areas I use 6mm fixed cameras. The Amcrest are not bad as I have a couple of the cheap-o's like the $50. IP5M-T1179EW which I found with 3.6mm lens instead of their standard 2.8mm. The IR works great at night. It has a plastic body which I don't care for but has been no problem for the past 3 years. They have a newer one for $60. the IP5M-T1277EB-AI which has a nice metal body and AI and LED night light but I am not thrilled with it at night in color so I use the IR.
Inside the house, I have a couple of Amcrest IP2m-841B PTZ cameras that I move around to keep tabs on the cat and dog.
Those prefab bundles will give you several 2.8 mm cameras that you will not be pleased with when the new wears off.

 

[chugger22]

Yep, those are the same camera. Here is a link from Andy about the name changes.
I think all of his cameras have changed identity due to Dahua's requsest for competative reasons.

EmpireTech Item Name Adding,important

Hey guys In order to make our client know easier for the product we sell, will use the Item name instead of Model Name on the amazon list for some cams we sell currently. Camera function/working no change. So each camera will have a product name and a model No. IPC-T5442T-ZE model Name, item...

ipcamtalk.com

You should get at least 1 varifocal like the ZE with 2.7 to 13.5mm zoom and make a temporary rig to place in different areas to see what you like. I am in a rural setting and that 2.7 will not cut it for me. Some areas I use 6mm fixed cameras. The Amcrest are not bad as I have a couple of the cheap-o's like the $50. IP5M-T1179EW which I found with 3.6mm lens instead of their standard 2.8mm. The IR works great at night. It has a plastic body which I don't care for but has been no problem for the past 3 years. They have a newer one for $60. the IP5M-T1277EB-AI which has a nice metal body and AI and LED night light but I am not thrilled with it at night in color so I use the IR.
Inside the house, I have a couple of Amcrest IP2m-841B PTZ cameras that I move around to keep tabs on the cat and dog.
Those prefab bundles will give you several 2.8 mm cameras that you will not be pleased with when the new wears off.

First off thank you for giving me some real life experience and references. Please correct me if I’m wrong but, it seems if the budget allows I should just buy all ipc-t54ir-ze so the focal length is adjustable to the place it’s installed for external monitoing right?
I actually had the Amcrest IP2m-841B PTZ in my Amazon cart. I know I can’t run too many of them on my WiFi but it would be nice to have 2 or 3 connected to BI for internal home (dog/cat/garagedoor) monitoring and feed into a BI stream. Thanks for your help!

 

[Flintstone61]

heres the Amcrest IP5M-1179EW 2.8mm in the dark next to a IPC color 4k 3.6mm in the same garage....just for reference....

 

[Flintstone61]

heres my 2 varifocal Bullet cams.... IPC-B54IR-Z4E-S3 ( formerly known as IPC B5442-Z4E)

 

[Flintstone61]

Here's an Amcrest IP5M-1179EW
with 2 garage lamps ( 9 watt 4000k LED's)

 

[Broachoski]

I actually had the Amcrest IP2m-841B PTZ in my Amazon cart. I know I can’t run too many of them on my WiFi but it would be nice to have 2 or 3 connected to BI for internal home (dog/cat/garagedoor) monitoring and feed into a BI stream. Thanks for your help!

Those can be ran WiFi or ethernet and you can assign a fixed IP for both but will only feed one IP at a time. Mine are old and have to have a 5 volt barrel adapter to operate. The newer ones need 5 volt via a micro USB adapter. If you wire them to ethernet they still have to be fed 5 volts as they are not true POE ethernet.I keep them on ethernet most of the time using long patch cords for temporary locations.
This is where these adapters come in handy.

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801329735492.html?gatewayAdapt=glo2usa4itemAdapt

 

[Broachoski]

The Amcrest IP2M-841 was my first po boy PTZ so I pushed it to the limit by mounting it outside as a deer cam.
Here are photos of how I mounted it in an electrical box and fed ethernet to it and using a 5 volt adapter to power it.

Also attached is a video from it mounted and another with the camera alone lying on the ground to capture a curious young buck.

Bucky ground camera

From a "wired" Amcrest ProHD 1080P WiFi 2MP (1920TVL) Indoor Pan/Tilt Security Wireless IP Camera IP2M-841B

www.youtube.com

 

[Ri22o]

Please correct me if I’m wrong but, it seems if the budget allows I should just buy all ipc-t54ir-ze so the focal length is adjustable to the place it’s installed for external monitoing right?

It's hard to say. In my experience, and I believe some of the others on here, the non-varifocal versions have slightly better low-light/IR performance than the varifocals.

I am running a mix of fixeds and varifocals and, other than one that I have set to an approximate 6mm (waiting/hoping for one to come available as a refurb to put there), all of my varifocals are set to full rip at 12mm.