Home set up advice using Foscam

Can the HDW5231R-Z be mounted to a vertical wall? Anyone have a pic of an install like that in a junction box?

Its quite a small house and I don't want this to stick.out too much
 
Superdon said:
Can the HDW5231R-Z be mounted to a vertical wall? Anyone have a pic of an install like that in a junction box?

Its quite a small house and I don't want this to stick.out too much
Click to expand...
Yes and dahua makes matching heavy duty box for 13 dollars.
There is also a larger wall mount for 20 or so. You don't need a wall mount for wall mounting... image in the thread discussing the cams..
 
So, I have crunched the numbers and if I order....

1x IPC-HFW1320S-W
1x HDW5231R-Z
1x PFA137

It wont be too much more money then the 2 x Foscams when I account for the junction boxes etc.

I will stick with WiFi at the back and see how it goes. I am hoping I am right in saying the Wifi will be more stable on the Dahua than the Foscam? (Foscam has been fine, so hoping the Dahua will be fine and a vast overall improvement). At the front I will run ethernet, but I may have to try through powerlines to start with.

I'll buy the above bits from Andy.

So, how does that sound now? Anything else I should order from Andy now?

If I decide the Dahua kit isnt for me, is there a resale market for these in the UK?
 
Superdon said:
So, I have crunched the numbers and if I order....

1x IPC-HFW1320S-W
1x HDW5231R-Z
1x PFA137

It wont be too much more money then the 2 x Foscams when I account for the junction boxes etc.

I will stick with WiFi at the back and see how it goes. I am hoping I am right in saying the Wifi will be more stable on the Dahua than the Foscam? (Foscam has been fine, so hoping the Dahua will be fine and a vast overall improvement). At the front I will run ethernet, but I may have to try through powerlines to start with.

I'll buy the above bits from Andy.

So, how does that sound now? Anything else I should order from Andy now?

If I decide the Dahua kit isnt for me, is there a resale market for these in the UK?
Click to expand...

Hi Superdon,

Make certain you also get 2x power adapters to power the cameras since you are planning on using powerline. ( otherwise I would recommend a small PoE switch, as I like switches more than adapters. )

You may need PoE splitters:
If powering the Starlight Turret via PoE and using powerline - I believe you may need an active PoE splitter in addition to the AC power adapter if you plan to power the camera via PoE - there is a separate power barrel - so if the camera is close enough to the power source you can just use the AC power adapter line. ( I have been using PoE from the NVR so I have no personal experience and this is just from information which I recall reading, so you want to double check )

The PFA137 goes with the HDW5231R-Z - and I like the combination. Works well for me.

For the IPC-HFW1320s-w you can make your own junction box as from the link suggestion, and that should work well. If not you can also look for the PFA134 junction box for it.

WiFi reliability - a lot will depend on your WiFi routers and building also, as well as other WiFi signals. Try it out, and remember you can wire ethernet that particular model if you decide wifi isn't going as well as you'd like, and honestly - you can never have enough camera coverage! ( that's why I kept my bullet - using it on the side of the house after someone would already have passed through a zone covered by a starlight camera ;-)
 
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Thanks.

Are the power supplies that Andy supplies good quality do you know?

Do you have any pics of your HDW5231R-Z on the PFA137?

So overall you reckon this will be a much better bet than the two Foscams? Its only going to cost me a few more £££ and a bit more installation hassle.
 
Superdon said:
Thanks.

Are the power supplies that Andy supplies good quality do you know?

Do you have any pics of your HDW5231R-Z on the PFA137?

So overall you reckon this will be a much better bet than the two Foscams? Its only going to cost me a few more £££ and a bit more installation hassle.
Click to expand...

Hi Superdon,

I don't have pictures, however others here may. It's not too hard to imagine. The big plus is that it gives you enough room to securely locate the wiring connection.

I absolutely believe this package you are looking at is better than the foscams, especially the HDW5231R-Z. Worth the installation work.

Having had some bad AC adapters from DSL providers I like going for a better quality switch instead. I believe the AC power adapters which Andy is selling should be OK.
 
Order placed and paid for with Andy today.

Foscams packed up and already on the way back to Amazon :)
 
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cyberwolf_uk said:
I've purchased a lot, I mean a lot of cameras from Andy and only ever been hit with UK import duty twice... I can't remember the exact amount but under £15 once and under £10 another time. But not in the last 12 months.
Andy will always try and arrange delivery without duty ;)
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Cyber. Was that using DHL shipping? Placed my order now and having concerns of being hit with a big bill when they land!
 
@Superdon You will never regret buying a Dahua camera from Andy and Empire Technology. They are high-quality, extremely reliable, and proven performers. I can guarantee you that Foscam's outdoor bullet cameras were just a problem waiting to happen. A co-worker bought one two years ago, and it failed less than two weeks after being installed.
 
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I had started with foscam a few years ago and was hit or miss on how long they lasted before they died. I have 1 outdoor still running reliably out of four or five but the picture is all fuzzy hazy now. On the Indoor I have two that run but their light sensor broke and would never change to night vision.

Granted these are older models now but I don't have much faith in them as these spread over several models.
 
Superdon said:
Cyber. Was that using DHL shipping? Placed my order now and having concerns of being hit with a big bill when they land!
Click to expand...

All my orders from Andy have been shipped via DHL apart from two deliveries which were via UPS. Both charges were with DHL. But I've had 20+ without charge. I wouldn't worry as IF you do get hit, you'll not be hit much £10.??
 
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Thanks. If it's only a possible £10 that's ok. Just didn't want to get hot with £50+

The other option is the tax free way but that can take 10 days.
 
If you get hit with £50+ on your order somebody is taking the piss! I've had deliveries of 3 x more than you've ordered with no charge! Strange as my only charges was with 1 of camera orders but that was over a year ago... Guess Andy has found a magic way to ship them, wink wink.
 
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cyberwolf_uk said:
If you get hit with £50+ on your order somebody is taking the piss! I've had deliveries of 3 x more than you've ordered with no charge! Strange as my only charges was with 1 of camera orders but that was over a year ago... Guess Andy has found a magic way to ship them, wink wink.
Click to expand...

Cheers mate. Will still with DHL and hope for the best :)
 
Right, so cam's are here and had chance to install today. Put a bit more effort in than originally planned, so have both cams running via powerlines and all seems good. The HDW-5321R in particular is great.

Now, I need to play with the settings and try and find optimal config.

Also I need to know what to link the cam's to, which was my initial reason for coming here.

I have an old Synology NAS (DS110j) with a 1tb drive which I was going to sell on. Its a pretty old thing. Should I run surveillance station on it as a standalone? Will the low specs of it mean it won't run well?

I also have a newer QNAP NAS which is my main storage. Ideally I wouldn't want to stress this to much with camera stuff, but it's an option.

I also obviously have a mobile.phone that I am watching the cam's on tinycam at the moment. Seems like a nice app but I don't want my phone bogged down.

What I want.....

I have two cam's. The rear cam is unlikely to pick up much action at all. The front cam will be busier .

I would like a few days retention of footage, which I could increase to longer if we are away. I would also like instant alerts to my mobile (push and email) when any programmed movements are detected.

I don't want to spend more money on a dedicated PC or DVR. This little project is already over budget :) I am sure I can make use of what I have.

Can you help advise the best way to get myself set up?
 
Superdon said:
Oh and thanks chaps for pushing me away from the Foscams!!
Click to expand...

Hi Superdon,

Happy you got some good cameras!

One option is to install and use on camera micro-Sd card for storing videos.

I would also try the old NAS you have and see if you can use that.
 
mat200 said:
Hi Superdon,

Happy you got some good cameras!

One option is to install and use on camera micro-Sd card for storing videos.

I would also try the old NAS you have and see if you can use that.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Yes, thought about the SD cards but as I say, didn't really want to spend more money!

When I tried the Synology Nas with the Foscams briefly, it didn't seem to run very smoothly. I wasn't sure is that was because of the cameras or the older Nas.
 
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