Looking for feedback on potential new build

HomeAuto87

n3wb
Feb 17, 2019
28
6
Boston, MA
I'm closing on a house in a couple of weeks and am starting to plan my security system and surveillance setup. I spent most of this weekend reading everything I could on this site and have drafted the following potential setup.

I would appreciate any feedback. Thanks in advance!

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I believe you said you read a lot; it's a lot of info to absorb.

Right off I'd say your mounting height(s) of well over 8 feet (maybe like 15 feet) are not going to provide views that could help identify someone; they're probably going to show only the tops of heads.
 
I forgot to list the camera inputs I entered into the calculator:

Camera 1 - IPC-HFW5231E-Z12E
Distance: 47 ft
Width: 83 ft
PPF: 23
HFoV: 82 degrees
Height of Camera: 15ft

Camera 2 - IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
Distance: 59 ft
Width: 55 ft
PPF: 35
HFoV: 50 degrees
Height of Camera: 15ft

Camera 3 - IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
Distance: 55 ft
Width: 29 ft
PPF: 66
HFoV: 35 degrees
Height of Camera: 10ft (since it's looking at only the back porch)

Camera 4 - IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
Distance: 31 ft
Width: 53 ft
PPF: 36
HFoV: 80 degrees
Height of Camera: 20ft (since it's looking down to the door entry way)

Edit: I'm also looking at a Nest Doorbell camera at the front door.
 
I forgot to list the camera inputs I entered into the calculator:

Camera 1 - IPC-HFW5231E-Z12E
Height of Camera: 15ft

Camera 2 - IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
Height of Camera: 15ft

Camera 3 - IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
Height of Camera: 10ft (since it's looking at only the back porch)

Camera 4 - IPC-HDW5231R-ZE
Height of Camera: 20ft (since it's looking down to the door entry way)

Camera heights: Any way to come down to 8 feet max?
 
I'd move the front cameras down from the soffet and onto the overhang of the upstairs. That soffet is way too high to be effective in terms of identification, like Tony said. Mounting heights much over seven feet aren't worth doing.

I'd move one camera in the back to the other side of the house so that the fields of view overlap and watch each other. Again, move them down, they're way too high at fifteen feet. Consider another camera on the rear corner looking along the driveway out to the street. You're trying to cover too much area with too few cameras for them to be effective.

Skip the Nest, it's cloud based and a security hole as a result. If you really, really, really, want a doorbell camera given the inherent problems they all seem to have, look at the RCA 3MP model. It, at least, has an RTSP stream, cloud not needed, that you can access with BI or other VMS software. All of them, the RCA included, seem to require the naked eggplant dance, multiple firmware updates and different apps depending on exactly what you want them to do to keep them working marginally. Look in the doorbell thread here on IPCT to get an idea. I've been looking, and reading/heeding, what's been going on over there for months and have yet to find one I'd consider spending money for. Why a doorbell camera can't come standard with PoE and dry contacts for an existing chime is beyond me.

All that said, I know the WAF has to be factored in as well. So good luck with that! I also know that wiring a bi-level can be a real challenge which is another factor to consider.
 
The overhangs in the front are about 5 feet from the ground, it seems like it would be very easy to physically disable them if someone tried. What other options would there be to keep it at 15 feet, just buy a more expensive camera with a larger sensor?

Regarding the back of the house, the porch makes it a little difficult. I would prefer to have the camera pointing at the person coming up the stairs instead of in the opposite direction, where the deck would block visibility from the ground door/window. Maybe I should move Camera 3 to be where the flood lights are, just out of reach from the deck, and maybe move Camera 4 to be mounted sideways on the deck overlooking the door/windows?

I considered getting an RTSP doorbell camera, but decided I'm ok to segment my surveillance as a form of inherit redundancy. It will be on it's own VLAN isolated from the rest of the network.

What is WAF in this case?
 
If they get close enough to disable a camera you've already got a nice, full face, closeup of them, unless they're wearing a mask.

From your drawing, you won't get them coming up the stairs until they're at the top with both cameras on the opposite corner. That's why I mentioned a second camera looking to the front along the driveway. That will cover the stairs better and give better coverage to the driveway.

Well, if you like cloud base stuff, go for it but I suspect you'll be a little disappointed. None of them, Ring, Nest, or the other wannabees seem to be able to get it right. The closest I've found is the GBF 960 series and even that has problems with the web based app but, at least, it's PoE, ONVIF and RTSP. It's also a lot bigger than any of the others and, since it can be run PoE, doesn't rely on a crappy WiFi chip that puts a a signal that is dead ten feet away, if you're lucky enough to get ten feet out of it.

WAF=Wife Acceptance Factor which can be a deal breaker.
 
Good points all around, will have to take a closer look at mounting options under the overhang.

WAF... lmao... that was actually part of my reasoning for going for the Nest since the app looks to be very easy to use. If it doesn't work I can always return it and try another.
 
And another, and another....
 
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Well they can't all be that terrible, otherwise these guys would go out of business trying to sell them, right?

Hi @HomeAuto87

If you want a quality setup, go IP PoE and mount the cameras low enough to get good facial id images.

I would recommend 2x more cameras.

Nest and other cloud cameras have a number of problems and issues which may result in them being useful for evidence.
 
Nest cameras are a bad idea.

You need cameras at the front and back doors, mounted at 5 to 6 feet up.
 
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Keep in mind that most of the reviews are from noobs with no experience with quality equipment and get posted the day they get the thing installed.
 
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I appreciate the feedback, I'll need to see what the wiring situation looks like once I get keys to the place.

I'd still like some feedback on the best way to cover the back basement door, would mounting a camera underneath the balcony be a terrible idea?
 
Keep in mind that most of the reviews are from noobs with no experience with quality equipment and get posted the day they get the thing installed.
...and have VERY fast up/down Internet speeds for those up/downs to/from the cloud; like >100 meg down and 25 up.
 
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Adding another camera underneath, or at a height where it can see underneath, would be a good idea. Best would be on the right of the door to cover the door as well as anything under your deck. Again the WAF gets in the way. (I love spending other peoples money :lol:)
 
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Would the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE camera work if I were to place it directly next to the door? It seems like it would be very limited in the width if I mounted it vertically against the house.