Guide to selecting the right IP Cam

[frankred]

Hi all,
Is there a guide on how to select the best IP Camera? There is definitely a ton of info available and much of it is very specific. Maybe there is something like this on this site and I am missing it...
Thanks!
John

 

[fenderman]

Hi all,
Is there a guide on how to select the best IP Camera? There is definitely a ton of info available and much of it is very specific. Maybe there is something like this on this site and I am missing it...
Thanks!
John

There is no guide because every location is different.

 

[Mike]

Let us know what your requirements are, what you're looking for, etc., and we can point you in the right direction.

 

[frankred]

Pardon my delayed reply. I posted that from a flight yesterday.
While I do have specific questions, I thought there might be a guide or basic FAQ for specs like Resolution, Recording Capability, Power Requirements, Bandwidth, etc etc. However, I agree that each situation is definitely different.

Here is what I am looking to add a camera to my back patio and my front door. I already have a Laview Panda LV-PC902F2-W for inside so I would like to stick with Hikvision.

For the back, I am thinking a 2232-I5 would be good. I would be mounting it on a horizontal surface below soffit. Thoughts? 4mm seems to be the right choice. Right?

What model would you put on the front door?

I see Hikvision via Amazon shows the 2235 won't deliver until July 1-20. Is there a way to see if the CCTV China seller will have the same delay?

Here is a basic pic of what I am working with. Let me know if you need more info.
Thanks!!
John

 

[bp2008]

In my experience, CCTV Camera China takes a few weeks to deliver to the USA. If you ordered now you could probably expect it by the end of the month. It costs more, but you can find many of these cams from sellers that ship from the USA.

http://www.nellyssecurity.com/
http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/

These places both ship from USA and have the 2232-I5 for $169.99 (plus shipping I believe), though wrightwood also has the chinese model for less money.

You can also find the 2232 for $93.37 with prime shipping from amazon warehouse deals, though there is no telling what you'll get. Could be someone's broken or bricked cam or one that crashes all the time or has chinese language all over the web interface. Surely amazon would let you return it cheap if it turned out to be unusable.

DS-2CD2532F-IS with a 2.8mm lens is fairly popular for front doors since it is small, vandal resistant, and has audio recording ability. Even an SD card slot if you care to use it. It only has weak infrared LEDs, though this is usually fine if it is not supposed to cover much distance. I use one above my own front door.

 

[paarlberg]

I prefer the turret (have 6 of them) and/or domes (1 currently) to bullets (1 currently). Bullets seem to have more issues with spider webs. I also have a 2532 (2 of them) above my front and rear patio door. It does a good job, since I have other cameras near the location, the IR from them helps cover the area better. If you have any other lighting source in the coverage area, it helps a lot.

http://www.ipcamtalk.com/showthread....ens-with-audio is my 2532

bp2008, I think you need some paint on those rails :rapture:

 

[bp2008]

LOL yeah my entire front porch needs replaced, truth be told. Some of those boards have 5 screws in each end because they keep tearing out after just one winter around here.

 

[NVR]

I will share my experience, I think Hikvision 3mp is the current standard. Best bang for the buck with great images and quality gear.

I have ordered from china and it arrived in 7 days via DHL, shipping price was included in the products price.

I am learning the Turrets make perfect cams for outdoors, kitchens, basements where being conspicuous is not a priority, while a smaller dome may be better suited where the cam size is of a concern and the large IR array for long distance night viewing is not needed.

I think I should have gone with the DS-2CD2532F-IWS for indoors, I haven't tested this cam yet but its on my list due to its very small size. Google it for images.

I do wish it came without an SD card slot, mic or speaker as I have no need for those features. Unsure if there is a model without these features or not, in this type.

If you wind up with Chinese cams do not worry, for one, you hardly need to go in other then to change the cams default password and the cams page can be easily translated in Chrome.

If your in the market for an NVR, something to consider is whether you want an NVR with a built in POE or without. Getting a separate POE switch which was recommended to me by the pros, saved me from running each cam to the NVR, and just running one Ethernet from the switch to the NVR, locating the switch at the center point of the project. This advice saved me tons of unnecessary wire routing.

 

[NVR]

Ebay item 181759484696 seller has more than 10 of the DS-2CD2232-I5 for $108 shipped from Cali.

 

[OldStyle]

In my experience, CCTV Camera China takes a few weeks to deliver to the USA. If you ordered now you could probably expect it by the end of the month. It costs more, but you can find many of these cams from sellers that ship from the USA.

http://www.nellyssecurity.com/
http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/

These places both ship from USA and have the 2232-I5 for $169.99 (plus shipping I believe), though wrightwood also has the chinese model for less money.

You can also find the 2232 for $93.37 with prime shipping from amazon warehouse deals, though there is no telling what you'll get. Could be someone's broken or bricked cam or one that crashes all the time or has chinese language all over the web interface. Surely amazon would let you return it cheap if it turned out to be unusable.

DS-2CD2532F-IS with a 2.8mm lens is fairly popular for front doors since it is small, vandal resistant, and has audio recording ability. Even an SD card slot if you care to use it. It only has weak infrared LEDs, though this is usually fine if it is not supposed to cover much distance. I use one above my own front door.

I just received my latest order from CCTV China and it took exactly 9 days for it to arrive in the US.

 

[NVR]

Its amazing how fast they're getting here. Mine took 2.5 days via DHL, 24 hours from Hong kong to Ohio and a day and a half locally, the other 4 days was handling back in China, which I thought was very fair.

 

[OldStyle]

Its amazing how fast they're getting here. Mine took 2.5 days via DHL, 24 hours from Hong kong to Ohio and a day and a half locally, the other 4 days was handling back in China, which I thought was very fair.

For free shipping, absolutely. Mine was sent via China Post.

 

[frankred]

Thanks for all of the helpful replies! Sorry I haven't responded. I have been doing an install. I need to lookup a few things before replying with a question or two.

Semi relevant pop quiz - Bonus points for anyone that can guess the industry that captures an anolog pic of a ball and uses a capture card to display the image on a TV via a PC.

 

[frankred]

What are going to be the main differences between the DS-2CD2232-I5 and the DS-2CD2032-I? I can see the larger camera gets you a better IR range. Anything else? They don't mention audio in the specs so I am guessing there is none.

 

[frankred]

In my experience, CCTV Camera China takes a few weeks to deliver to the USA. If you ordered now you could probably expect it by the end of the month. It costs more, but you can find many of these cams from sellers that ship from the USA.

http://www.nellyssecurity.com/
http://wrightwoodsurveillance.com/

These places both ship from USA and have the 2232-I5 for $169.99 (plus shipping I believe), though wrightwood also has the chinese model for less money.

You can also find the 2232 for $93.37 with prime shipping from amazon warehouse deals, though there is no telling what you'll get. Could be someone's broken or bricked cam or one that crashes all the time or has chinese language all over the web interface. Surely amazon would let you return it cheap if it turned out to be unusable.

DS-2CD2532F-IS with a 2.8mm lens is fairly popular for front doors since it is small, vandal resistant, and has audio recording ability. Even an SD card slot if you care to use it. It only has weak infrared LEDs, though this is usually fine if it is not supposed to cover much distance. I use one above my own front door.

Thanks BP. Pretty good image and thanks for the info! I think I will pass on the warehouse deals. I think I will probably get a 2532 for my front door. Just working on the back patio first. Can you comment on the differences between the DS-2CD2232-I5 and the DS-2CD2032-I?

 

[bp2008]

As far as I know, the DS-2CD2232-I5 is a bit bigger and has better infrared illumination. I've never owned one. If I was going for the strongest IR power I would go straight for the Hikvision 2CD2T32-I8 and skip the 2232 altogether.

 

[frankred]

As far as I know, the DS-2CD2232-I5 is a bit bigger and has better infrared illumination. I've never owned one. If I was going for the strongest IR power I would go straight for the Hikvision 2CD2T32-I8 and skip the 2232 altogether.

Thanks. I looked into the 2CD2T32-I8 (who makes up these model names?!). 80meters IR is impressive. But I don't think I can use that much range so I will skip that model since it is also higher priced.

 

[fenderman]

Thanks. I looked into the 2CD2T32-I8 (who makes up these model names?!). 80meters IR is impressive. But I don't think I can use that much range so I will skip that model since it is also higher priced.

Keep in mind that 80m is not 80m...its a spec...for example, the base 30m cameras dont project ir nearly that far..

 

[frankred]

Keep in mind that 80m is not 80m...its a spec...for example, the base 30m cameras dont project ir nearly that far..

Thanks. What camera do you think would do well in the back yard in the image above (day and night)?

 

[fenderman]

Thanks. What camera do you think would do well in the back yard in the image above (day and night)?

It really depends on what the camera will be looking at..IR is funny that way..when it has something to reflect off of, it is much more effective...I personally dont like large bullet cameras on residential homes, so I would use a 2332 turret...and if it wasn't enough, either add ir or better yet, get some led bulbs and light the area up..its personal preference though...