Hello from Middle Tennessee

[CraiginTenn]

Here to learn the correct information on setting up a camera system for my house. I currently have a Reolink NVR and 2 Reolink PTZ cameras. I am super disappointed in the Reolink cameras. I have a lot of space to cover (4 acres) and want to find the correct system that is fairly reasonably priced. Ideally, I would like to have a few PTZ's with about 25x zoom and a few wide angle cameras to oversee everything. And have it set up so that when the wide angle detects motion, it will alert the PTZ to PTZ to the location of the motion, then autotrack from there. I do not even know if a setup like this exists. Seems the more I try to research, the more confused I get.

 

[wittaj]

Welcome!

Yeah many come here disappointed with the Reolinks. We have a whole thread dedicated to people posting their best pics at night and they are poor.

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

Here is a thread that will be of importance to you. It shows the cameras we generally recommend based on distance to IDENTIFY. In some cases a 2MP is a better choice.

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

And yes, you can set up a system to use fixed cams as "spotter" cams to direct a PTZ where to look and then start autotracking, but even then you would still want to use a few higher focal length fixed cams to pinch points on the property. Autotracking PTZs are great, but they can miss or maybe there are more than one perp on the property, so some fixed cams focused at key points will allow you to still get them.

Using Spotter Cameras to direct a PTZ where to look in an NVR or Blue Iris and setting a spotter cam as a priority in Blue Iris

We get this question from time to time, so I thought with the recent addition to BI, it made sense to have a thread we can point to. Previously in BI, if you had more than one spotter cam, you could not make one a priority, so if spotter cam #1 triggered the PTZ and it starts tracking and...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[CraiginTenn]

Thank you! I really wish I had done more research on Reolink prior to buying them. I have been stalking the forum for a few weeks now and have read the thread that recommends what cameras to use. I am thinking about trying the 49225 PTZ and use something like the 5442 Z4E as a spotter.

 

[wittaj]

Yeah, many feel your same pain. Fortunately many found this site within the return period and returned them.,

Unfortunately, the 49225 no longer has autotracking, so you would have to go to the 49425 or mini-PTZ to stay in that same price range.

But yeah that PTZ and the 5442-Z4E would be a great pinch point spotter camera.

 

[gwminor48]

Hello, welcome to the forum.

 

[Ri22o]

Here is a thread with video of my mini PTZ being called to a preset by my spotter camera using IVS rules.

When the PTZ is called to a preset, the closer you can have it to the desired FOV, the better (this gives it a head start when it detects someone and starts auto-tracking). This would mean you would likely need several spotter cameras when trying to cover a larger area so you can have multiple presets for your PTZ to be called to.

Video of how my spotter cam's IVS rules call my PTZ to auto-track.

With more people looking to get a PTZ and asking about it moving to a preset and auto-tracking I decided to put a video together. This shows how the PTZ goes from parked to a preset based on an IVS trigger from a spotter camera. From this preset the PTZ has its own IVS rules to tell it to...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[garycrist]

If you want to cover all 4 acres you might look at PTZ.
SD5A825GA-HNR
Welcome and good luck on your new journey.

 

[CraiginTenn]

Here is a thread with video of my mini PTZ being called to a preset by my spotter camera using IVS rules.

When the PTZ is called to a preset, the closer you can have it to the desired FOV, the better (this gives it a head start when it detects someone and starts auto-tracking). This would mean you would likely need several spotter cameras when trying to cover a larger area so you can have multiple presets for your PTZ to be called to.

Video of how my spotter cam's IVS rules call my PTZ to auto-track.

With more people looking to get a PTZ and asking about it moving to a preset and auto-tracking I decided to put a video together. This shows how the PTZ goes from parked to a preset based on an IVS trigger from a spotter camera. From this preset the PTZ has its own IVS rules to tell it to...

ipcamtalk.com

That is exactly what I want to do! Mine will just be quite a bit farther away.

 

[TonyR]

Welcome to IPCT!

 

[CraiginTenn]

Thank you all for the great help so far. I am looking at the 49425XBNR and the SD4A425DB-HNY for a PTZ. Can anyone tell me which would be better for fairly long distances? I can't find much at all about the SD4A425DB-HNY. From what I can tell, the cameras seem pretty comparable to each other, but I may be missing something.

 

[wittaj]

The 49425 will have the advantage between those two for long distance as it has better infrared.

I have both cams lol.

 

[CraiginTenn]

The 49225 will have the advantage for long distance as it has better infrared.

I have both cams lol.

I will get the 49225 if I can find one with auto-tracking capability.

 

[wittaj]

But between the 49425 and mini-ptz, the 49425 will have the advantage due to better infrared. I keyed the wrong number lol and will fix that post lol.

The 49225 is still being sold but does not have auto tracking and will not accept the firmware as it is a different chipset. So the only 49225 you will find with auto track will be used.

We have seen many purchase to sadly find that out.

 

[mat200]

Thank you! I really wish I had done more research on Reolink prior to buying them. I have been stalking the forum for a few weeks now and have read the thread that recommends what cameras to use. I am thinking about trying the 49225 PTZ and use something like the 5442 Z4E as a spotter.

Welcome @CraiginTenn

We all have to start somewhere ..

I started with Arlos, and other IP cameras .. Arlos were quick to setup, and that helped start me off .. and then after awhile I noted that I really needed a better setup ..

Eventually bit the bullet and went with a proper wired IP PoE setup ..

 

[VorlonFrog]

Welcome to the forum, and don't feel too bad about buying Reolinks. Other than Foscam indoor cameras, Reolink was the first outdoor camera I bought, and I quickly found out why that one was so low priced. It was low-quality and entirely unreliable. Passed it along to a co-worker and bought nothing but Dahua cameras for outdoors ever since. People here will NOT steer you wrong. My personal opinion is that any Dahua camera is WELL WORTH the price.

 

[Moonbeam68x]

Thank you! I really wish I had done more research on Reolink prior to buying them. I have been stalking the forum for a few weeks now and have read the thread that recommends what cameras to use. I am thinking about trying the 49225 PTZ and use something like the 5442 Z4E as a spotter.

I fell for the Reolink Cameras too. I called myself doing research but I failed miserably at it because I didn't see any bad reviews until after I bought the Reolink cameras.. I was disgusted.. They are going back today.

 

[JDreaming]

I fell for the Reolink Cameras too. I called myself doing research but I failed miserably at it because I didn't see any bad reviews until after I bought the Reolink cameras.. I was disgusted.. They are going back today.

I think most of us wasted quite a lot of money buying various brand of subpar cameras when we first started with home security while learning about them. People usually end up coming to ipcamtalk because we run into problems with cameras we bought and looking for answers online.

And then as we learn more about security cameras here from other knowledgeable members in the forum, we know we screw up in the past... and then buy more cameras.

 

[Moonbeam68x]

I think most of us wasted quite a lot of money buying various brand of subpar cameras when we first started with home security while learning about them. People usually end up coming to ipcamtalk because we run into problems with cameras we bought and looking for answers online.

And then as we learn more about security cameras here from other knowledgeable members in the forum, we know we screw up in the past... and then buy more cameras.

Yes! I have really learned alot from the members on this forum in the short time I've been here. Without their expertise I would still be in the dark , with Reolink Cameras hanging on my house trying to figure out how to get them to connect to Blue Iris.. I told my Husband the caneras are going back! JHe asked me why and I explained to him what I had learned and that it would be bad if he installed the Reolinks only to find out we had issues gutting them to connect which is the first problem & he said 'SEND THEM BACK!" He didn't care to him no more.. At 1st I thought he was going to give me hell for buying something and returning it..

 

[Smilingreen]

Here to learn the correct information on setting up a camera system for my house. I currently have a Reolink NVR and 2 Reolink PTZ cameras. I am super disappointed in the Reolink cameras. I have a lot of space to cover (4 acres) and want to find the correct system that is fairly reasonably priced. Ideally, I would like to have a few PTZ's with about 25x zoom and a few wide angle cameras to oversee everything. And have it set up so that when the wide angle detects motion, it will alert the PTZ to PTZ to the location of the motion, then autotrack from there. I do not even know if a setup like this exists. Seems the more I try to research, the more confused I get.

We hve all been there, done that. It is almost like an hazing experience to be allowed into the frat house! Another middle Tennessean here. There are at least 2 or 3 more of us that I know about.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Professional system never use those cheap brands, too weak on functions. esp you are at a farmland, low light those cheap can't do anything.
PTZ SD49425XB-HNR
if budget is good use SD5A425GA-HNR.