In construction

[rLegit]

Hi folks,

In the middle of construction of a very extensive remodel (framing is expected to be wrapping up in the next few weeks and the entire house is gutted to the studs). I've been planning out network cabling inside the house, have tacked in a few LV gangs around the house, and am inspecting how I'll be doing my runs.

I'm also interested in figuring out how I'll be doing cable runs for my exterior cameras as well. Half the house will be vaulted, other half won't be, and there's plenty of areas around the house that are a little tricky (bump outs/bump ins) and may need extra cameras for those areas.

I'm very interested in having a setup that makes it easy to change/upgrade/replace the camera in the future so I've been doing a lot of reading on having weatherproof junction boxes setup with wiring inside. Was going as far as to consider terminating cable to a surface mount, and using a short patch cable between the camera and surface mount that runs back to the NVR/PoE switch (still tbd) but that doesn't seem common- most folks seem to crimp an RJ-45 at the location.

Been reading these particular threads:

Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)
Looking for some advice ‍
Lorex / Dahua OEM 6x 4K / 8MP security camera system w/ 8 port POE IP NVR 2TB HDD kit at Costco B&M YMMV for $799.99
Looking for some advice and direction!

And learning a lot. Biggest challenge for me is trying to test the mount locations without actual power yet (what a great time to have a wifi camera ) . Is there an app or something that may help simulate a typical camera's FoV? (80-90). I'd like to get up on ladders and take pictures/video from various parts of the house to see. (just discovered this: FOV Tables: Field-of-view of lenses by focal length - may be able to take my DSLR's 11-16mm ultrawide lens for this purpose but if there's other options totally open!)

 

[fenderman]

Yes...see the ipvm camera calculator...IPVM Camera Calculator V3

 

[mat200]

Hi folks,
... Is there an app or something that may help simulate a typical camera's FoV? (80-90). I'd like to get up on ladders and take pictures/video from various parts of the house to see. (just discovered this: FOV Tables: Field-of-view of lenses by focal length - may be able to take my DSLR's 11-16mm ultrawide lens for this purpose but if there's other options totally open!)

Welcome rLegit!

You're at a great stage for construction right now - one of my favorite parts of the build out.

Very happy to see you're able to leverage the notes and information here.

I was thinking about cutting out part of a corner of a cardboard box and making an appropriate FOV "blinders" to mount at the end of my camera ( which I was using to test locations ), I also used my arlos to test locations ( which i have since dumped ) - unfortunately that requires an internet connection.

 

[rLegit]

I did see the ipvm calculator and played with it, but probably don’t understand all of the numbers between cameras and perspectives. Also, with the house changed quite a bit, those perspectives seem more difficult to match as well as perspectives not captured (sides and alley).

 

[looney2ns]

I did see the ipvm calculator and played with it, but probably don’t understand all of the numbers between cameras and perspectives. Also, with the house changed quite a bit, those perspectives seem more difficult to match as well as perspectives not captured (sides and alley).

There is a tutorial on the page. Keep PPF>100
You want to know who did it, not just what happened.
Other option is to purchase an 5231rz cam, and mount it on a test pole made of 2x4, 5gal bucket, and rocks. Test day and night.
Keep in mind, cams mounted higher than 8ft will have a harder time getting a face ID.

 

[mat200]

I did see the ipvm calculator and played with it, but probably don’t understand all of the numbers between cameras and perspectives. Also, with the house changed quite a bit, those perspectives seem more difficult to match as well as perspectives not captured (sides and alley).

Hi rLegit,

Here's my calculations you can use also to help determine placement of cameras, you can use this to augment the IPVM page:

ID spec distance and associated area max covered calculations ( 100ppf+ ):

This is the theoretical max based on raw pixels from the horizontal resolution and the horizontal FOV. Calculations based on data provided in ads / spec sheets. Some vendors like to play games and list diagonal FOV instead of horizontal FOV as that number is bigger and not clarify that it is diagonal FOV.
Actual real world results will be decreased due to the quality of the camera ( glass vs plastic lens, compression quality, sw/firmware,... ), installation view, as well as environmental conditions ( low light, haze, fog, glare off snow, water rain,.. ).

Practical meaning: Place your cameras in such a manner that any suspect / subject you wish to potentially ID is within this ID spec distance, as well as in a placement which will give you a high likelihood of obtaining a good facial image ( mount camera 8 feet or less high ).

Dahua IPC-HDW4231EM-AS starlight fixed lens 1080p 1920x1080
w/2.8mm lens FOV H 110 degrees: 10 feet { area covered 95.94 sq feet covered }
w/3.6mm lens FOV H 87 degrees: 12.65 feet { 121.43 sq feet covered }
w/6mm lens FOV H 51 degrees: 21.58 feet { 207.16 sq feet covered }