Helping my vet choose an indoor PTZ to monitor kennels--help?

[horseflesh]

I'm looking for ideas on a PTZ camera for indoor use. It's about 20 feet from the camera's ceiling location to a cluster of kennels on the wall of the clinic, and the desired use is to peek at each kennel to see how the patient is doing.

People will use the camera 24/7 so it probably needs built in IR for when the room is dimmed.

High resolution is not required. No one needs to read the dog tags, they just need a clear picture of the pet.

An IP camera which can work with an NVR would be idea. It may be OK if the camera works alone and doesn't record anything at all--I don't have all the details yet.

Lastly, the camera has got to be usable on both Windows and Mac.

Any ideas?

I am familiar with Hikvision stuff and I know I can solve the problem that way, but I can choose any manufacturer here since it's starting from scratch.

 

[mat200]

I'm looking for ideas on a PTZ camera for indoor use. It's about 20 feet from the camera's ceiling location to a cluster of kennels on the wall of the clinic, and the desired use is to peek at each kennel to see how the patient is doing.

People will use the camera 24/7 so it probably needs built in IR for when the room is dimmed.

High resolution is not required. No one needs to read the dog tags, they just need a clear picture of the pet.

An IP camera which can work with an NVR would be idea. It may be OK if the camera works alone and doesn't record anything at all--I don't have all the details yet.

Lastly, the camera has got to be usable on both Windows and Mac.

Any ideas?

I am familiar with Hikvision stuff and I know I can solve the problem that way, but I can choose any manufacturer here since it's starting from scratch.

HI @horseflesh

who is going to control the PTZ?

 

[horseflesh]

Any staff member who wants to look at the patients will need to have access, so that could be a dozen people. Separate logins would be great, one shared login would be fine. Exposing the password-protected camera to the internet directly would be fine so long as it's a reputable manufacturer without an issue like a hard-coded default password.

Obviously a solution which can be viewed on any device would be best, but desktop browser access is the minimum.

 

[fenderman]

Exposing the password-protected camera to the internet directly would be fine so long as it's a reputable manufacturer without an issue like a hard-coded default password.

So they dont care if their network is hacked? lots of hacks dont rely on hard coded passwords.

 

[horseflesh]

OK without opening a can of worms here, don't people put commercial cameras and NVRs on the internet all the time?

Does everyone abstract feeds through a 3rd party cloud service?

 

[fenderman]

OK without opening a can of worms here, don't people put commercial cameras and NVRs on the internet all the time?

Does everyone abstract feeds through a 3rd party cloud service?

Only fools do. Have you not read about the hacks?
you dont need any third party cloud service. You setup a free vpn.

 

[horseflesh]

Well in any case, I am not the IT guy so that isn't my problem.

Anyway for this application, I've learned that recording isn't necessary at all... They just need a means to log in to a decent camera via browser, and PTZ to look into cages that are about 14 feet away in dim lighting.

I doubt a $69 Linksys is going to do the job but I bet they don't need a $5k Sony, either. If anyone can recommend products somewhere in the middle I would appreciate it.

 

[tangent]

Well in any case, I am not the IT guy so that isn't my problem.

If you poke holes in their firewall / NAT to allow remote access it can become your problem...

You might be thinking who cares if somebody can see videos of some animals in kennels, but that isn't the main concern. Hacked cameras can be used to carry out DDoS attacks, could compromise other devices on the network or could be bricked and rendered useless.

 

[horseflesh]

"I'm not the IT guy," meaning, I am not going to be messing with their firewall. I'm just trying to help select a camera.

 

[mat200]

Hi @horseflesh

Looney2ns has a good review of a camera which I think you should consider for this application. Looks like a nice indoor PTZ one.
Review-Dahua DH-SD22204T-GN 2mp 4X Mini PTZ

 

[tangent]

Hi @horseflesh

Looney2ns has a good review of a camera which I think you should consider for this application. Looks like a nice indoor PTZ one.
Review-Dahua DH-SD22204T-GN 2mp 4X Mini PTZ

That should work. The state of plugin support makes it harder for the average person to view many security cameras these days.
Android and iOS apps will be easier for some people.

 

[horseflesh]

Thanks a bunch, I will check it out!

 

[tangent]

I know you said you don't need to record, but if you set up a PC running Blue Iris, you can make viewing easier without the need for plugins.

 

[horseflesh]

BI would be great but the staff are probably not interested in the care and feeding of a Windows workstation. It isn't that much work if you are a computer guy, but no one there really is. I will make sure they know it is an option, though.

 

[fenderman]

BI would be great but the staff are probably not interested in the care and feeding of a Windows workstation. It isn't that much work if you are a computer guy, but no one there really is. I will make sure they know it is an option, though.

a windows pc needs exactly the same amount of care as a standalone camera and nvr.

 

[tangent]

BI would be great but the staff are probably not interested in the care and feeding of a Windows workstation. It isn't that much work if you are a computer guy, but no one there really is. I will make sure they know it is an option, though.

It's a lot less work that trying to support multiple less than tech savvy users who need to view the camera(s) on various platforms.

You could always buy a Hanwha XNP-6040H and enjoy a PTZ that doesn't need any plugins, but it's a pretty spendy solution.
IP PTZ Camera XNP-6040H — Security Cameras & Surveillance Solutions

 

[horseflesh]

A camera like that is within budget if it's the right solution!

 

[Q™]

I'd get a 2MP Dauhua 45x Laser PTZ from Andy; you'll be able to see a pimple on a duck's ass with that mother.

 

[horseflesh]

I at least need that Dahua for myself, looks like a lot of fun!

 

[tangent]

A camera like that is within budget if it's the right solution!

It's probably not the right solution [the hanwha camera]. The dahua ptz plus a pc running blue iris would be cheaper and would work better.