Hikvision 2432 as a Nursery/Baby Cam

[swedishpimple]

I'm a complete noob to the security camera world, but I like the Hikvision 2432 based on all the positive reviews. However, I have a couple questions before buying. Below is a photo of my work-in-process nursery from outside of the door. The room is approximately 11' wide x 13' long. I assume I'm going to mount on the far wall. Based on this, where exactly should I mount and then what lens am I looking for 2.8, 4 or 6mm? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide this noob!

 

[Del Boy]

In the corner to the left of the tree.

2.8mm will mean you'll be able to see the entire room. 4mm will cover half the room. If you just want to focus on the crib then get 6mm. Most people would get 2.8mm because you're getting 3MP resolution and you don't need the detail from a 6mm lens here.

 

[swedishpimple]

In the corner to the left of the tree.

2.8mm will mean you'll be able to see the entire room. 4mm will cover half the room. If you just want to focus on the crib then get 6mm. Most people would get 2.8mm because you're getting 3MP resolution and you don't need the detail from a 6mm lens here.

Thanks Del Boy. That is where I was planning to place the cam, but then I started worrying about baby staring into IR. My other thought was to mount it on left side of room. It would be ~14' away from baby from an angle vs. 8' straight on.

I like the idea of seeing the whole room, but will I be able to see baby breathe with a 2.8mm from 8 or 14' away?

 

[flashrdu]

I have another brand IP camera that I use as a baby monitor. I believe the lens is 4.2mm and it has IR and my baby doesn't pay much attention too it. With that lens I need to have it pretty much right over the crib so I can view whats going on.

For me it's ideal to have an "aerial" view of the crib mattress rather than one that would have the crib railing obscuring the baby. As far as seeing them breath, that can be kind of a challenge even with a tighter view. Breathing is a very subtle movement and you'll need a faster frame rate and the lowest video compression/highest bitrate to notice it. I know it's sort of new parent paranoia, but I found myself digitally zooming in on the frame at times to make sure he was still breathing.

 

[fenderman]

Thanks Del Boy. That is where I was planning to place the cam, but then I started worrying about baby staring into IR. My other thought was to mount it on left side of room. It would be ~14' away from baby from an angle vs. 8' straight on.

I like the idea of seeing the whole room, but will I be able to see baby breathe with a 2.8mm from 8 or 14' away?

If you are going to disable the IR, consider the 2mp version or even 1mp version of this camera, they will perform better in low light.

 

[swedishpimple]

Thanks, fenderman. I am considering disabling the IR. I'll look into 1 or 2mp versions as well.

 

[whoslooking]

Don't rely on a camera to watch your baby breathing buy a crib movement monitor with audio, they are fantastic. for night vision look at the 1.3mp version 3410 it works much better in the dark, the IR also on both models is a lot less than a child sleep light too.

 

[swedishpimple]

Don't rely on a camera to watch your baby breathing buy a crib movement monitor with audio, they are fantastic. for night vision look at the 1.3mp version 3410 it works much better in the dark, the IR also on both models is a lot less than a child sleep light too.

This is a good point, thank you. We do have an angel monitor -- my wife is just being extra cautious.

 

[Del Boy]

The 1.3MP DS-2CD2412F-I is much better if you turn the IR off. You'll get less digital zoom but also less noise.

 

[OldStyle]

I'm actually using an older camera I had lying around to watch my 9 month old son. It's 720p, but has IR and audio. We've found the audio to be invaluable. I mounted it non-permanently to the curtain rod and it's worked really well actually. The angle is perfect for seeing straight into the crib, and the IR light does not bother him one bit as it's quite close to the ceiling obviously.

 

[badmop]

Why not do the camera with a wide angle lens in the corner like you planned, and then add another camera for an aerial view of the crib so you can get both. Just a thought, so there won't be any sacrificing and you're covered.
If they babies room is that nice, the rest of the house has to be niceee

 

[swedishpimple]

I'm actually using an older camera I had lying around to watch my 9 month old son. It's 720p, but has IR and audio. We've found the audio to be invaluable. I mounted it non-permanently to the curtain rod and it's worked really well actually. The angle is perfect for seeing straight into the crib, and the IR light does not bother him one bit as it's quite close to the ceiling obviously.

OldStyle, how far away is your camera from subject (baby)? I'd rather not permanently mount, but I'd be about 10' away -- sound may not work that well.

 

[swedishpimple]

Why not do the camera with a wide angle lens in the corner like you planned, and then add another camera for an aerial view of the crib so you can get both. Just a thought, so there won't be any sacrificing and you're covered.
If they babies room is that nice, the rest of the house has to be niceee

Two cams is an option, but I'd prefer to pick one that makes the most sense. We're using an Angel monitor for breathing, so just need to tell wife we don't need that with a camera.

 

[OldStyle]

OldStyle, how far away is your camera from subject (baby)? I'd rather not permanently mount, but I'd be about 10' away -- sound may not work that well.

I suppose whatever the distance is between his crib and then straight above it by the ceiling is the camera.

 

[Del Boy]

@swedishpimple, get the 3MP 2432 2.8mm. You won't regret it as you'll be able to i) move it at a later date or ii) Use the full room capabilities to keep an eye on your child when (s)he becomes a toddler.

 

[swedishpimple]

I'm leaning that way right now -- seems like the more popular cam (the 1.3 is harder to find) and more flexible down the road. I think mounting in the top corner to left of trees is going to be too far to hear the baby. I don't want to permanently mount near the crib; does anyone make a stand/tripod for a Hikvision cube?

 

[swedishpimple]

Thanks to everyone who participated in this thread. You gave me a lot to think about, but I plan to go with the 2.8mm 2432 as it seems the most versatile. Without concrete data, I'll either disable IR and use night light or place camera behind baby so he isn't staring at the sensor.


I'll continue to participate in this great forum as I set up the cam. I'm sure other questions will arise and hopefully I can become more knowledgeable where I can help other noobs!

 

[Del Boy]

Good news! Will be great to see the results

 

[Isriam]

i have a 2.8mm 2432 for both of my kids, and angelcare monitors for both of them. you cannot go wrong with this, but be ready for all the headaches with networking and port forwarding so you can always view from anywhere

 

[swedishpimple]

I ended up purchasing an unbranded 2432 2.8mm from CCTVONE via Amazon. Baby is still a couple weeks away (hopefully) so I have a bit of time to learn about networking/port forwarding. Before I do that, I'm trying to tweak settings for the best possible picture w/o stutter, which I'm experiencing out of the box. A few facts/questions:

• Plan on using wi-fi exclusively (don't have time/ability to wire for POE)
• Router is in a corner on first floor, cam located in middle of second floor
• Purchased a generic 12V/0.5A power plug; should I have purchased a POE injector wall plug -- would that help at all?
• Do I need to think about adding a repeater closer to cam?
• Which settings on the camera should I tweak to get rid of stutter? Under Video/Audio, I see Resolution, Video Quality, Frame Rate, etc.

Thanks again for any advice!