Hello everyone, I most probably need your help ;-)

[Perimeter]

Hello everyone!
I have registered here to benefit from your compiled experience.

My minimum goal is to recognize a moving person at night at 10 ft. or less. If the person is unknown, the ability to identify would be great. There are several light sources present, street lights, motion activated lights and permanent lights. One might barely be able to read a page at the level of illumination.

I have played around with consumer systems like blink or rechargable reolinks and realized that I need a better system and control over the shutter speed to have a chance. Blinks are just toys, and the reolink cam can't do the job at night. The Argus 3 Pro has no shutter control, so moving objects are blurry (as is common knowledge here). But I must give it credit that it's detection itself has created no false positives and no known false negatives so far. In other words, I never got a "person alert" that didn't have a person and when we passed it, it always send a person alert. It has registered a ton of motion alerts without persons and classified them correctly. So while I can't use it to recognize someone reliably at night, I may turn the siren and lights alarm function on. (I just mention all this because other members commented they like to know where one stands.)

I also experimented with a cheap Reolink Lumus which offers 24/7 to SDcard and can turn off all active (IR/visible) lights. I can use it through a window. I can also lower the shutter speed manually on this one so blur turns into a person with some "holes". I can recognize myself on that now. Perhaps there is some other change to improve the result, like adding bandwith?

My immediate objective now is to pick one suitable starlight camera, to find out myself what to expect from a real low light system. And this is why I post here. In the long run, I expect to set up a system outside via POE. From reading here, I will likely be fine with 2 or 4 Mp resolution. So I need a capable sensor for low light. I have to settle for a focal lenght too. The person will likely not be further than 8-9 ft away from the camera when it enters the fov. I have seen many cameras with focal points beyond that distance. With fixed focal ranges, it seems that I am limited to 2.8mm? How blurry do 4mm cams get when people get closer? Should I get a varifocal, even thou that will cost me f-stop? Would that have auto focus? Or can I set a distance range? And how fast would auto focus respond?

The camera needs to be able to record continuously on some SD. I would also like to use the opportunity to take a look at the smartphone app, to see how that works. I'd also like to monitor it from a computer. In the long run, a dedicated recorder is planned do the job.
Aside from testing it in varous parts of the house, I would use it for stop gap monitoring through a window. Which means, I must be able to turn off all camera lights. The camera should have an intelligent detection so that it flags the recording with the various detects. If it can send push messages to the phone, that would be nice too.

As I reside in Europe, I checked local offers. From Hikvision I found a DS-2CD2047G2-LU/SL and an DS-2CD2047G2-L(U) as something that seems suitable from the sensor size, f-stop, focal length and intelligence. I'd probably rather have this with IR, but was not able to find it in all their products.

So if you could help me to find my first low-light camera for a start, I would much appreciate it!

Many thanks in advance!

 

[wittaj]

Starlight is a marketing term...Some Reolinks are labeled as Starlight and you seen how they perform.

Since you mentioned ColorVu cameras, I wanted to point out that many people have come here after buying the Hikvision ColorVu series (or any full color type camera) expressing their disappointment in the picture quality of the camera because they were expecting magic. If you do not have ambient light outside or do not like the white LED lights on, you are better off with cameras that can see infrared. ColorVu type cameras cannot see infrared, so you can't add infrared later.

Here is link to a thread of many that shows the disappointment of many thinking a ColorVu camera was magic and could defy physics. Full Color type cameras are great if you have light, but will be horrible if you do not have enough light.

Initial review of the DS-2CD2347G2-L(U) ColorVu 2.0 IP camera.

What about adding some additional landscaping lighting - this cam is awesome and with minimal light will do great. External lightning will have new power cable and new installation, cost lot of time and extra money. Not everyone like light at night. So select a good cam is very important...

ipcamtalk.com

Varifocal cameras are a set it and forget it and the focus doesn't auto adjust as things go thru the field of view.

A 3.6mm for 8-9 feet away would be a great choice.

But you have to stay away from the consumer big box store cameras - the Blink, reolinks, Ring, Arlo, Night Owl, Swann, etc. will all perform poorly at night.

You need better cameras like Hikvision and Dahua where you can set parameters and the camera actually adhere to them.

My suggestion is to get a camera that has infrared capabilities unless you know for sure that you have enough light to use a full-color type camera.

A trusted vender here @EMPIRETECANDY serves Europe and he carries predominately the Dahua OEM product line that many have found to have much better options and selections.

From the Dahua line I would suggest the 5442 series camera.

Amazon US shop Link. Amazon.com
Amazon Canada Shop Link. Amazon.ca
Aliexpress Shop Link. Empire Technology Co., Ltd - Amazing prodcuts with exclusive discounts on AliExpress
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Direct Order Contact me to order by email if you want to buy directly. My email is kingsecurity2014@163.com.

2023 EmpireTech Spring Sales

Hey Guys After the 2022 thanksgiving day and the black Friday sales, we are very pleased to offer the sales. Cameras for security and fun bring us together here, make the ipcamtalk community more and more popular.Though lots of guys not use our cams, but we have the same hobby IP CAMERA. :D...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Perimeter]

Many thanks for your speedy reply!

Starlight is a marketing term...Some Reolinks are labeled as Starlight and you seen how they perform.

Yes, I've seen that. Some cams are marketed with a starvis sensor (Sony). Is that something to look for?

Since you mentioned ColorVu cameras, I wanted to point out that many people have come here after buying the Hikvision ColorVu series (or any full color type camera) expressing their disappointment in the picture quality of the camera because they were expecting magic. If you do not have ambient light outside or do not like the white LED lights on, you are better off with cameras that can see infrared. ColorVu type cameras cannot see infrared, so you can't add infrared later.

Thanks and yes, I read several consumer reports with the same complaints. I said that myself: I'd rather have them with IR instead, but I was just not able to find some. I can also settle for fullHD if it helps my goal. Doesn't have to be 4 MP.

Varifocal cameras are a set it and forget it and the focus doesn't auto adjust as things go thru the field of view.

From reading this place, I can see some wisdom in the suggestion to having one moderate varifocal for planning the focal length from various positions. But if it doesn't allow for enough light to actually go on patrol in the end, it will end up in storage. In that case, a cheap one will do. If it can't be focused under 10 ft when zoomed, it can't do the job.

A 3.6mm for 8-9 feet away would be a great choice.

That was my first consideration. But for Hikvision, they list very long focal distances, over 10tf. I wonder if they forgot to convert it to meters? A wide angle lens should be fine at closer distances. I would also think it should be OK.

But you have to stay away from the consumer big box store cameras - the Blink, reolinks, Ring, Arlo, Night Owl, Swann, etc. will all perform poorly at night. You need better cameras like Hikvision and Dahua where you can set parameters and the camera actually adhere to them. My suggestion is to get a camera that has infrared capabilities unless you know for sure that you have enough light to use a full-color type camera.

I realized that too. I looked for Dahuas and Hikvisions but the sheer numbers of models are just overwhelming.

A trusted vender here @EMPIRETECANDY serves Europe and he carries predominately the Dahua OEM product line that many have found to have much better options and selections.

How can I use those OEMs? What about a smartphone app, what about PC app, what about recorders? Do they work with Dahua stuff/progs/apps? Where do I find information on that?

From the Dahua line I would suggest the 5442 series camera.

Many thanks for pointing me to this 1/1.8" series. I have tried to reduce it to 3.6 mm models.


DH-IPC-HFW5442E-SE (Wizmind series)
DH-IPC-HFW5442T-SE (Wizmind series)
(T seems to stand for "tough" and for 2 IR LEDs more?)

IPC-HFW5442E-ZE (Wizmind series)
Wizmind with zoom. From spain for a good price, beats the others above.
(The price variance makes me suspect that there is a lot of grey stuff out)

I could not help to notice that Empiretech also offers a IPC-T5442T-ZE product. I am going to check the thread on it.

Am I right in assuming that this is the most night vision I can get for the money involved?
(Aside: What about something like this: IPC-HFW2531T-ZS-S2? I have seen that offered at suspectly low prices. Would it be of any use as a varifocal? Another gray product? IPC-T5442T-ZE would be varifocal.)

Many thanks for taking your time!

 

[wittaj]

Do not get caught up in the name of the sensor. As an example, Reolink puts Starlight and Starvis sensors in their cameras, but at the end of the day it is what they do with the firmware algorithms that determine if the camera will work well at night. And they have favored a nice bright static image over quality of image with motion at night.

It is best to chase sensor size. You want a camera on the proper MP/Sensor ratio. We have found if manufacturers adhere to these MP/sensor ratios, they tend to also have firmware that allows you to get clean captures at night and be able to adjust parameters like shutter and the camera adheres to it.

8MP on a 1/1.2" sensor or larger
4MP on a 1/1.8" sensor or larger
2MP on a 1/2.8" sensor or larger.

That last one you mentioned IPC-HFW2531T-ZS-S2 is a 5MP. There is no current 5MP model on the market on the right MP/sensor ratio. That camera would perform horribly at night.

See this chart. If the offering is not in green, then it will not perform well at night:



The distances you are reading from Hikvision are BEST CASE. Real world is a lot smaller, especially at night. No current 2.8 or 3.6mm will IDENTIFY much beyond 10 feet especially at night.

Andy sells international versions of Dahua cameras. So his IPC-T5442T-ZE is the same as the DH-IPC-HFW5442T-SE except Andy's has a lot of different languages available.

And the T doesn't stand for tough LOL, it stands for turret. These cameras are either a bullet form or a turret form.

The Dahua OEMs that Andy sells works with anything Dahua, so the DMSS phone app, NVR, etc. Or it works with anything else Dahua makes like Lorex or Amcrest. Also works well with other VMS systems like Blue Iris and Synology.

The 5442 series cameras currently represent the best overall quality in terms of price, performance day and night, and reliability. They are considered by many to be the standard and most will say 4MP is more than sufficient. The 4K ColorVu and Full Color cameras are great, but they need light.

You are overthinking focus and light as it relates to a varifocal. A 5442-ZE varifocal at full zoom with infrared will do just fine in the real range that it would be used to IDENTIFY which is about 20 feet or so. If it didn't work and was out of focus nobody would use it.

But with that said, keep in mind one camera cannot be the be all/see all. A camera designed to IDENTIFY and be focused at 10 feet cannot also within the same field of view IDENTIFY and focus at 40 feet out. If you want 40 feet out that is one camera. If you want 10 feet out that is a different camera.

A varifocal is a set it and forget it. So you either set it up to IDENTIFY at 10 feet or IDENTIFY at 20 feet.

While these cameras are not infinity focus, some do pretty well, while others have a tight focus circle, so you have to take that into consideration. That is another reason why the 5442 is so popular.

See this thread on the importance of focal length over MP, along with commonly suggested cameras for the distance you want to IDENTIFY. It is full of examples further explaining and showing the IDENTIFY distances.

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

Regarding grey market - you are right that there are a lot of cheap ones out there. They are usually Chinese region cameras that have been hacked into English or another language. It is important to buy from a reputable dealer. Andy's cameras can be updated with firmware on the Dahua site.

Many units being sold are Chinese hacked units into English that will either brick or go into Chinese upon updating. Some vendors will be upfront and tell consumers that as part of their website, but many do not or the consumer forgets...here is one such example....

 

[Ri22o]

It sounds to me like you have been reading, which is good, and you also have a reasonable idea of realistic expectations, which is also good.

This is what I would do given your history:

1. Purchase a varifocal IPC-T5442T-ZE.
   1. This will be used to test in various locations to determine needed focal length for that location.
   2. It will allow you to get your feet wet with the interface and capabilities of this line of cameras.
   3. This cam will be more than adequate to be put into service once you are ready to install.
2. Purchase or acquire a length of ethernet cable and make an appropriate length cable that will allow you to reach the camera from your PC.
3. Build a 2x4-in-a-bucket test rig to temporarily move your test IPC-T5442T-ZE to various locations.
4. From your PC use the camera's web interface to view the camera and make adjustments.
5. Take notes.

^^This is the cheapest way to determine which cameras to order.

After you have gone through the above, I would take your notes about focal length, and desired field of view, and place an order for the necessary cameras. These can be fixed (2.8mm, 3.6mm, or 6mm) or varifocal depending on where your focal length ended up. Most are fans of turrets over bullets, but both have their place.

For video management and retention, I would look into Blue Iris. It is very inexpensive for what all it offers you in features.

 

[Perimeter]

Again, many thanks for this extensive reply.

It is best to chase sensor size. You want a camera on the proper MP/Sensor ratio. We have found if manufacturers adhere to these MP/sensor ratios, they tend to also have firmware that allows you to get clean captures at night and be able to adjust parameters like shutter and the camera adheres to it.

That was why I named the colorVus from hik above. They had the 4MP and a fitting 1/1.8" sensor. But apparently, people were not happy with the night vision.
(Edit: Out of curiosity if it is all about sensor size, why doesn't reolink simply change their firmware and compete with the others?)

The distances you are reading from Hikvision are BEST CASE. Real world is a lot smaller, especially at night. No current 2.8 or 3.6mm will IDENTIFY much beyond 10 feet especially at night.

I am aware that I will need luck to get an ID. But chances can be altered somewhat, that is why I am here.

Andy sells international versions of Dahua cameras. So his IPC-T5442T-ZE is the same as the DH-IPC-HFW5442T-SE except Andy's has a lot of different languages available. The Dahua OEMs that Andy sells works with anything Dahua, so the DMSS phone app, NVR, etc. Or it works with anything else Dahua makes like Lorex or Amcrest. Also works well with other VMS systems like Blue Iris and Synology.

Thanks. That is the information I need.

And the T doesn't stand for tough LOL, it stands for turret. These cameras are either a bullet form or a turret form.

Well, that would be too simple! I am not linking them, but dahua shows them both as as bullet cams. One being vandal proof and 4 LED while the other is less tough and has only 2 LED. Feel free to check DH-IPC-HFW5442T-SE. I wish you were right and all this would be simpler.

The 5442 series cameras currently represent the best overall quality in terms of price, performance day and night, and reliability. They are considered by many to be the standard and most will say 4MP is more than sufficient. The 4K ColorVu and Full Color cameras are great, but they need light.

So that decision is made...

You are overthinking focus and light as it relates to a varifocal. A 5442-ZE varifocal at full zoom with infrared will do just fine in the real range that it would be used to IDENTIFY which is about 20 feet or so. If it didn't work and was out of focus nobody would use it.

My worry is that the person gets too close. That he leaves the "depth of field" at the near end. But I will find out.

But with that said, keep in mind one camera cannot be the be all/see all. A camera designed to IDENTIFY and be focused at 10 feet cannot also within the same field of view IDENTIFY and focus at 40 feet out. If you want 40 feet out that is one camera. If you want 10 feet out that is a different camera.

If he is 40 ft out, he is my neighbor. At the moment I want one camera to learn, try things out and experiment. And to use it at a window at night in permanent recording mode. Once I have figured out what I want and need and what my chances are, I get a technician to do the wiring to those places or consult an expert to support me. Or leave it at that. But I like to see and handle this stuff myself before I invest more.

A varifocal is a set it and forget it. So you either set it up to IDENTIFY at 10 feet or IDENTIFY at 20 feet.

Realistically, I have to identify under 9 ft. atm. Or I recognize. Later, there might be cameras outside doing the job.

See this thread on the importance of focal length over MP, along with commonly suggested cameras for the distance you want to IDENTIFY. It is full of examples further explaining and showing the IDENTIFY distances.

Been there, done that. That is why I tried to register here.

It is important to buy from a reputable dealer. Andy's cameras can be updated with firmware on the Dahua site.

Sounds good, I'll try it. I guess I can use a plugin POE injector to power it? Or does it come with a small PSU? And while I am at it, does this PoE technology work with regular LAN cables or does one need special ones?

It sounds to me like you have been reading, which is good, and you also have a reasonable idea of realistic expectations, which is also good.

This is what I would do given your history:

1. Purchase a varifocal IPC-T5442T-ZE.
   1. This will be used to test in various locations to determine needed focal length for that location.
   2. It will allow you to get your feet wet with the interface and capabilities of this line of cameras.
   3. This cam will be more than adequate to be put into service once you are ready to install.

That is the general plan, yes. Get this one camera to work before having more around.

Purchase or acquire a length of ethernet cable and make an appropriate length cable that will allow you to reach the camera from your PC.

I have several 30ft patch cables. If that stuff works with PoE, I am set. If not...

Build a 2x4-in-a-bucket test rig to temporarily move your test IPC-T5442T-ZE to various locations.
From your PC use the camera's web interface to view the camera and make adjustments.
Take notes.
This is the cheapest way to determine which cameras to order.

Could I not also access the camera from my mobile once it is connected to the router?

After you have gone through the above, I would take your notes about focal length, and desired field of view, and place an order for the necessary cameras. These can be fixed (2.8mm, 3.6mm, or 6mm) or varifocal depending on where your focal length ended up. Most are fans of turrets over bullets, but both have their place.

Yes, but somewhere before that point, I need to plan for the storage and wiring. I need to settle the location where the lines merge. Actually, the furnace room would be ideal. At least it is dry in there.

For video management and retention, I would look into Blue Iris. It is very inexpensive for what all it offers you in features.

I am not really looking for a new hobby but I see the danger. I am not planning on checking all this constantly. Once it runs, I just hope for the best.
Many thanks for your reply too.

 

[wittaj]

I suspect that is the wrong picture or wrong letter for the 5442T-SE that is also showing End of Life (EOL) - the bullets come with 4 infrared LED and the turrets come with 2 infrared LED because they are smaller.

Regardless the specs are the same for the 5442 bullet. Maybe they mislabeled it and that is the reason for EOL. Because the T on the majority of their cameras if for Turret.

The 5442E is a smaller bullet.

Your comment: (Edit: Out of curiosity if it is all about sensor size, why doesn't reolink simply change their firmware and compete with the others?) answer is simple....

Reolink doesn't put cameras on the proper MP/sensor ratio and that is why their firmware does what it does - they are usually shoving 8MP onto a sensor designed for 720 or 2MP. So in that case it would need at least 4 times the amount of light to produce the same static image brightness as an 8MP on the proper 1/1.2" sensor.

Since it needs at least 4 times the amount of light, they need to adjust the firmware to make the image brighter (because it would be too dark otherwise) but that comes at the cost of clean capture with motion. They have to slow down the shutter and crank up the gain.

The Reolink Argo 3 you mention is 4MP on a 1/3" sensor - that is great for 720P but horrible for 4MP. So they need to crank up the gain and slow the shutter to provide a brighter image.

They are producing budget consumer grade cameras, so they use tiny and in some cases cheaper sensors. It is a shame the horrible night images they produce with the Sony lens.

Plenty of people here have a 5442 at their front door and do not complain about the focus up close. It may get a little blurry if they are within 2 feet, but from 4 feet to 12 feet they will be in focus.

The advantage to the varifocal is you can manually adjust the focus via the camera GUI if the autofocus didn't focus to the area you want. With a fixed lens, you would have to physically take the camera apart to adjust the focus (it is easy and many here have done that).

The camera does not come with a power supply, so you either use a POE switch, POE injector, or 12VDC power supply.

It will work on the same cables, but the strong recommendation is to have good pure copper wires. Many consumer ones are CCA. We have seen people have issues when using CCA ethernet cables. But some run just fine as well. For testing it should be ok.

 

[Ri22o]

Could I not also access the camera from my mobile once it is connected to the router?

Yes, but somewhere before that point, I need to plan for the storage and wiring. I need to settle the location where the lines merge. Actually, the furnace room would be ideal. At least it is dry in there.

I am not really looking for a new hobby but I see the danger. I am not planning on checking all this constantly. Once it runs, I just hope for the best.
Many thanks for your reply too.

You could potentially access the camera from your phone once it is connected to the router, but it will be exponentially easier to do all of the set up and familiarizing yourself with the camera via a PC.

That was in no way a timeline of exactly how to purchase items for the system, but if you are wanting one, this is what I would do:

1. Buy your test camera. Get familiar with it. Test it in locations to see how it operates. Assemble a list of potential camera candidates for your system.
2. Purchase a recording solution. Get familiar with it.
3. Purchase the rest of your equipment.
4. Install everything.

The only caveat to the above is that unless you had an SD card in the camera (which I do not run and am not familiar with) you would have no way to review your test footage without having a recorder of some sort. You would solely be relying on the live image fed from the camera.

Using a Blue Iris PC or an NVR is really no different in the end, check either as much or as little as you would like, but the PC gives you far more control over the small stuff. If you don't want that extra control, then don't use it, but you may find that you do want it.

 

[Perimeter]

Reolink doesn't put cameras on the proper MP/sensor ratio and that is why their firmware does what it does - they are usually shoving 8MP onto a sensor designed for 720 or 2MP. So in that case it would need at least 4 times the amount of light to produce the same static image brightness as an 8MP on the proper 1/1.2" sensor. ... The Reolink Argus 3 Pro you mention is 4MP on a 1/3" sensor - that is great for 720P but horrible for 4MP. So they need to crank up the gain and slow the shutter to provide a brighter image.

Yes, a pitty really. Especially since they got the detection part to work very nicely. I also picked up a cheap non-battery Reolink Lumus, which is 2MP on an 1/2.8" sensor. This should be fine by sensor standards. I have found the shutter setting but the image isn't exactly great. Maybe I expect too much. Maybe I need to tweak something else in the settings too? I have already lowered sharpness.

I am now a bit in a predicament: I could still return the battery operated Argus 3 and get a battery operated Argus 2e, which is using 2MP on an 1/2.8" sensor. If I do that, I give up the working person/car detection for just PIR. (I would not dare to activate the siren on just a PIR detection, I'd scare my neighbors cat to death and disturb everyone pointlessly.) I could also move the Argus 3 to a location where it benefits from my neighbors motion activated lights. But even that may not help the image quality.

Is there any better suggestion for a battery operated outdoor wifi camera? I really only care for "the night vision with motion" aspect.

The only caveat to the above is that unless you had an SD card in the camera (which I do not run and am not familiar with) you would have no way to review your test footage without having a recorder of some sort. You would solely be relying on the live image fed from the camera.

I am using an SD card right away, so picking a centralized recording method is not so high on my list. I am more concerned about how I rewire the house with patch cables to the outside. If I go via attic, I need to decide where I locate the POE injector and where I do the recording. The attic is not sealed. It will be dry in the summer and somewhat moist in the winter. The furnace room is right below the attic, sealed and dry. Easy access in case something needs to be checked. Always warm but not hot. But that room is not connected to anywhere else at the moment. I could connect it to router via DLAN, in case I want to access the footage. Still uncertain on that part.

 

[wittaj]

The problem is even a reolink on the proper sensor will still be poor at night.

Wifi battery operated camera really doesn't go together.

So I would only keep what you have or buy that other wifi if you only care about knowing what time something happened but not concerned about who or getting a clean capture.

Your best bet is a POE.

 

[Perimeter]

The problem is even a reolink on the proper sensor will still be poor at night.

If amazon delivers as promised, I will be able to check this myself tonight. I very much hope you are right!

Wifi battery operated camera really doesn't go together.

Why would that be? Aside from the night image, the functionality seems OK to me. Push messages get out. Footage is stored on microSD. The battery is recharged by the sun or manually. If they had a better image, I would not be here.

So I would only keep what you have or buy that other wifi if you only care about knowing what time something happened but not concerned about who or getting a clean capture.

I am not concerned about the time. My options with that argus3 are deterence (which the siren alarm of the camera might manage) or recognition (in case someone stops when the alarm sounds and looks for the camera).

Your best bet is a POE.

Yes, but I need the wiring first and I don't want to wire away from the house into the back yard. So I probably set up a battery cam near a passage point. But I'd prefer one that also gives a better image.

I have taken this issue to the old reolink (good & bad) thread, perhaps someone there owns an argus2e and knows. Where would I start a thread about getting a battery operated cam? Smart cams?

 

[wittaj]

Sadly I know you will see the same issue with that reolink lol. Here is our Reolink master thread and despite everyone's attempt to prove it can get a good night capture it simply cant:

Reolink: Deconstruction of a dangerous misleading youtube review "Finding the BEST 4K Security Camera NVR Package (Reolink vs Amcrest vs Swann)"

Executive Summary: DO NOT be a sheep. Ask what a reviewer can be missing, ask if a reviewer is using hype words to sell the cheapest product. Test your cameras and kits right away. Just do a bench test. Test real world conditions. Test moving suspects. Test at night, test at day. Use a test rig...

ipcamtalk.com

Regarding your question about my wifi and solar response you asked "Why would that be? Aside from the night image, the functionality seems OK to me. Push messages get out. Footage is stored on microSD. The battery is recharged by the sun or manually. If they had a better image, I would not be here." So you answered your own question LOL. The biggest issue with them is they will drop resolution real quick with motion. And night quality will be poor.

They are designed for solar and wifi over performance. And then once you want a NVR or BI you are screwed because most will not stream 24/7 and if they do they will slow your network down. Unlike Netflix, these cameras do not buffer so it will cause trouble.

No need to start a solar wifi thread as that question gets asked all the time here. and we had one in the last week or so. Here is one of the recent threads with links to other threads asking it:

Good solar wireless ip camera

hello, I’m looking for a decent wireless solar powered ip camera (if such a thing exists). Does anyone have some suggestions or experience with these. I have blue iris. thank you for any information Andy

ipcamtalk.com

And then look at this thread where many of the images are from wifi cams. They just don't cut it. I added one just this week to the last page or so that shows a nice HD image with no motion and then it drops resolution with motion trying to keep up and this is typical response of a wifi cam:

The Typical picture of a Perp on Nextdoor-type Apps with Consumer Grade Cameras like Ring, Nest, Arlo, Canary, Wyze, etc.

Love these posts on Nextdoor type apps LOL. This thread will be used for members to post the poor quality consumer grade type camera images that we see people post to the Nextdoor type apps. Can anyone make out this person that went thru their cars LOL.... And this thread is where members...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Perimeter]

They are designed for solar and wifi over performance. And then once you want a NVR or BI you are screwed because most will not stream 24/7 and if they do they will slow your network down. Unlike Netflix, these cameras do not buffer so it will cause trouble.

I kind of get the point. People with battery and wifi want to keep a look at things during the day, kids, pool, horses, packages, car in driveway... unfortunately, I am accutely aware of those operational limitations. But my needs are probably not those of the average customer. I don't need high streams, I don't need to watch stuff all the time. If it detects a warm object moving and makes a good short clip to microSD and sends me a push message, I would already be happy. The failure is in italics.

No need to start a solar wifi thread as that question gets asked all the time here. and we had one in the last week or so. Here is one of the recent threads with links to other threads asking it:

Thanks for the link, I'llcheck it out.

And then look at this thread where many of the images are from wifi cams. They just don't cut it. I added one just this week to the last page or so that shows a nice HD image with no motion and then it drops resolution with motion trying to keep up and this is typical response of a wifi cam:

Just checked it out. But that wouldn't happen to the clip on microSD, would it?

Edit: By the way, the 5442 arrived along with injector and a 256 GB microSD.

 

[wittaj]

Many people want/think wifi cams are the answer until something happens and they cannot IDENTIFY the perp, thus that thread I linked to you.

As you said, wifi cams work fine for someone that wants to simply keep track of where their pet is, etc., but if you want to use it for security, forget about it. But many are more like you than they think and want a good video clip when there is motion and that is where it fails.

As long as one of your criteria is you want a good short clip (especially at night) from a wifi and/or solar camera, then you need to abandon the consumer grade stuff and make your own from a quality POE camera or bite the bullet and go with wired POE or go with something like this from the prosumer line (but it will cost you):

Integrated Off-grid Security - Dahua International

Dahua Technology

www.dahuasecurity.com

Further many of the wifi cams are cloud based and do not allow for SD cards. Granted some of the consumer grade wifi cams do allow SD cards like some of the Reolinks, but if a wired reolink with an SD card inside cannot provide a good quality motion at night image, I do not know why you think a wifi version of a reolink camera would be able to do it better...it will record to the SD card the resolution it is able to send out via wifi, which is usually a lower resolution mess.

You said "But my needs are probably not those of the average customer. I don't need high streams, I don't need to watch stuff all the time. If it detects a warm object moving and makes a good short clip to microSD and sends me a push message, I would already be happy. The failure is in italics."

Maybe your definition of a good short clip is different than most of us. To most of us a good short clip is a video without blur/ghost/invisible person during motion and one that the quality of the video is not a pixelated mess. And for most of us, we have not seen that available out of a solar wifi camera.

 

[Perimeter]

Maybe your definition of a good short clip is different than most of us. To most of us a good short clip is a video without blur/ghost/invisible person during motion and one that the quality of the video is not a pixelated mess. And for most of us, we have not seen that available out of a solar wifi camera.

Neither have I. The whole thing works as far as wifi, SD, push, person detection goes. But it just doesn't deliver the last bit: a few seconds of usable footage. So ultimately, it fails for my purpose.
I will play with the 5442 now. I hope I get it to work without too much frustration.

 

[wittaj]

Yep and that is a failure to most people unless it is simply wanting to know where their pet is LOL. Once you add good quality video into the set of criteria, these types of cameras fail that condition.

 

[wittaj]

So are you plugging in the Reolink Lumus or are you using a solar panel?

If you have access to an outlet where you would be putting the camera, you would be much better off to use a powerline adapter to send the data over your existing electric cables compared to wifi.

This then will open you up to any camera that you can place there that will give you the quality you want.

 

[Perimeter]

So are you plugging in the Reolink Lumus or are you using a solar panel?

Lumus only works with plug.

If you have access to an outlet where you would be putting the camera, you would be much better off to use a powerline adapter to send the data over your existing electric cables compared to wifi.

This camera records to sdcard. It has no Lan connector. Either Wifi or SDcard or both.

This then will open you up to any camera that you can place there that will give you the quality you want.

That is what I am doing now. I am currently looking for the manual of the T5442T-ZE and an installation guide. There is a little note in the package that leads to a web site in chinese. If I scan the code with my phone, I get to something usefull but I can't read all that on the phone. I would want that page on PC, but copying the link doesn't work here. (iI-issue). I was looking for a download section here too.

 

[wittaj]

My comments about a powerline adapter and running data over your electric wasn't in regard to the reolink LOL - I was telling you that with how you can get access to a better camera like the 5442 without having to run a POE cable to it if you have power at that location.


OK so the better cameras are not plug-n-play scan a QR code LOL. That means it will take a little more effort to get access to the camera.

We are not their intended market (professional installers) and we are just lucky to be able to get our hands on better cameras. But with playing around they become easier to setup.

If you can't figure it out with our instructions or don't have the technical aptitude then you will have to go back to consumer grade cameras and their shortcoming as it relates to quality. So hopefully that is your incentive to stay with it if you hit a few struggles along the way. Any good camera will follow similar type steps to setting this camera up.

Here is an "installation manual" and it is best to look at it from a real computer not a phone LOL DahuaWiki

To power the 5442 you either need a POE switch or POE injector or a 12VDC power supply.

Once you get it powered up, here is how you gain access to it from a computer.

You can use the IPconfig tool to initialize the camera or do this (which is the preferred way):

The default IP address of the camera is 192.168.1.108, which may or may not be the IP address range of your system.

Unhook a computer or laptop from the internet and go into ethernet settings and using the IPv4 settings manually change the IP address to 192.168.1.100

Then power up your camera and wait a few minutes.

Then go to INTERNET EXPLORER (needs to be Explorer and not Edge or Chrome with IE tab) and type in 192.168.1.108 (default IP address of Dahua cameras) and you will then access the camera.

Tell it your country and give it a user and password.

Then go to the camera Network settings and change the camera IP address to the range of your system and hit save.

You will then lose the camera connection.

Then reverse the process to put your computer back on your network IP address range.

Next open up INTERNET EXPLORER and type in the new IP address that you just gave the camera to access it.

OR use the IPconfig Tool, but most of us prefer the above as it is one less program needed and one less chance for the cameras to phone home or for something to get screwed up.

 

[Perimeter]

I really appreciate your support, many thanks!

I inserted the 256 GB microSD. I have the camera hooked up via poe injector. On a laptop, I set the address range. Using internet explorer, I just got to the country and region setting. Can I change either once I set it?
I still have IE11 on the notebook but I think it is gone on my main machine. I am not sure if I can reload it. Any standard solution? I did read several times that all big browsers are supposed to work these days.

The camera now asks about P2P. Can I enable that later, once I have it set up? Can I change it again, if I change the IP address? They do gather a lot of data.
Can I attach the cam to my router by DNS if I set it accordingly? It looks like that at first from the DahuaWiki. I could then tell my router to keep this IP with this device.