Lorex 1/1.8" 4-cam pack. Will this work with BI ?

Warptrooper

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1/1.8" sensors. Dahua rebrand of I don't know which model.

There is 20% off right now. $651.77 CAD including taxes for all 4.

Includes 4x 100Ft ethernet too.

Honestly this would have cost me a lot less then buying 4x 1/1.8 cams from Andy.

I already ordered a 5442 with box and a single one cost me $227 CAD.

Not to even mention the $130 of cabling / connectors etc.

Would it make sense to buy these Lorex cams so I don't have to worry about buying individual expensive Dahuas to finish my system ?
 

fenderman

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1/1.8" sensors. Dahua rebrand of I don't know which model.

There is 20% off right now. $651.77 CAD including taxes for all 4.

Includes 4x 100Ft ethernet too.

Honestly this would have cost me a lot less then buying 4x 1/1.8 cams from Andy.

I already ordered a 5442 with box and a single one cost me $227 CAD.

Not to even mention the $130 of cabling / connectors etc.

Would it make sense to buy these Lorex cams so I don't have to worry about buying individual expensive Dahuas to finish my system ?
You are confused. These cameras are completely different. 1/1.8 sensor works differently at 8mp than at 4mp. These are dahua 1831 cameras, no sd card no audio.
In no world does 400f of cable cost 130 dollars.
Yes, I think you should by these cameras, because you are the type of person will never be happy otherwise and post about it in 3 different threads until someone validates a decision you have already made. Once you have them installed you will see the difference.
 

wittaj

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You certainly win the prize for the most new threads basically asking the same thing LOL.:p

These cameras will work with BI, but with all the other threads you have created, we have given you great advice on cameras. But if you chase price, you will be disappointed.

I have learned that lens size means everything and I think more important than MP. Like many that have come to this site (including me), I have bought off the shelf systems with a 2.8mm lens and while it gives a nice picture, when it matters like identifying a thief or other activity, the image isn't going to cut it. I have upgraded to better based on what I have learned on this site.

The key is if you think you could identify someone on the street from your house or even your driveway, as you can see from this chart, it probably will not happen unless you really know the person. A total stranger will be a pixilated mess if you try to zoom in any to identify them.

1582750554309.png


Many start with the Lorex System from Costco. Decent product and is re-branded Dahua. Then when you are broken into again and the footage is useless and decide to upgrade to better Dahua cams, it will work with this system.

For many people, all is good with it. For others, it is an expensive starter set into an expensive hobby LOL.

I too started with store bought kits. And after every incident needing to review footage, that is when you find the deficiencies in your system. I am now a mixture of cameras, each selected for a purpose and their respective strength, and running Blue Iris on a dedicated PC.

My neighbor 4 houses down bought into the 8MP hype and bought a Lorex system from Costco last year and my 2MP cams produce a much better image/video. His next door neighbor had his car broken into at night and his video provided zero useful information. The perp was 15-20 feet away from a 2.8mm lens with decent floodlights. Meanwhile, my 2MP starlights provided all the info needed. My neighbor has since replaced several of the 8MP cams with 2MP starlight cameras from @EMPIRETECANDY and said he will continue to do so and wishes he didn't chase the 8MP hype. He is still scratching his head wondering how my 2MP cams outperform his 8MP cams...
 

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You are confused. These cameras are completely different. 1/1.8 sensor works differently at 8mp than at 4mp. These are dahua 1831 cameras, no sd card no audio.
In no world does 400f of cable cost 130 dollars.
Yes, I think you should by these cameras, because you are the type of person will never be happy otherwise and post about it in 3 different threads until someone validates a decision you have already made. Once you have them installed you will see the difference.
Lmao! Not looking for validation man but thanks for letting me know they are 1831 with limitations. I won't get them.
 

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@wittaj

Oh I am NOT chasing Megapixel train! Don't worry lol I realized 4MP with good color night vision is all I need. I already have a 3.6mm 5442 on the way from Andy. That will be mounted like 6 feet high for "moneyshot" aka ID for anyone walking up driveway.

Was really just looking for few more to cover other approaches like front door, side door, maybe backyard, front street etc. Just to supplement the lower mounted 5442 as rest will be mounted higher up.

Figured these have 1/1.8" sensors so MAYBE a good deal at the price for a pack of 4 and I could get em locally.

Didn't realize they were 1831 thanks to fender for pointing that out so I'll pass on em.
 

fenderman

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@wittaj

Oh I am NOT chasing Megapixel train! Don't worry lol I realized 4MP with good color night vision is all I need. I already have a 3.6mm 5442 on the way from Andy. That will be mounted like 6 feet high for "moneyshot" aka ID for anyone walking up driveway.

Was really just looking for few more to cover other approaches like front door, side door, maybe backyard, front street etc. Just to supplement the lower mounted 5442 as rest will be mounted higher up.

Figured these have 1/1.8" sensors so MAYBE a good deal at the price for a pack of 4 and I could get em locally.

Didn't realize they were 1831 thanks to fender for pointing that out so I'll pass on em.
The 1831 are good cameras. It depends on your needs.
 

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The 1831 has those same limitations.
Yeah what I meant, wording. Wait about the SD card... If using BI to record to harddrives, what is the point of SD card? Backup recording incase NVR/BI dies or compromised. Something else ?
 

wittaj

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As long as you have some money shot cameras, then yeah, I still run several 2.8mm for nice overviews. I can tell it is my neighbors just by their walk, etc. A total stranger absolutely not. But I could recognize if it is someone I know.

SD cards in cams are another source of backup. If the perp steals the computer or NVR, hopefully they also do not have time to steal the cams!
 

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As long as you have some money shot cameras, then yeah, I still run several 2.8mm for nice overviews. I can tell it is my neighbors just by their walk, etc. A total stranger absolutely not. But I could recognize if it is someone I know.

SD cards in cams are another source of backup. If the perp steals the computer or NVR, hopefully they also do not have time to steal the cams!
Luckily my NVR I mean BI machine will be inside a room with a fire rated door and electronic keypad lock xD
 

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Yes, and your system or network will never go down....
I actually just installed brand new batteries on a spare 1500VA UPS. It is now a dedicated UPS for IB PC and PoE switch.
Now if for some reason IB crashes or something, then yeah....

Could these cams / IB be configured so SD card is only recorded to if it fails to record to IB ? I assume SD card fills up very fast compared to harddrives so maybe it could be set to only run as a failover?
 

wittaj

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When you are running maintenance or repair on the BI database or upgrading versions, etc. it isn't recording, so another reason for the SD cards...and NVRs are a royal pain LOL.

When I ran NVRs it always missed the event someone wanted to get because it was too far away from the camera to even register as movement.
 

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When you are running maintenance or repair on the BI database or upgrading versions, etc. it isn't recording, so another reason for the SD cards...and NVRs are a royal pain LOL.

When I ran NVRs it always missed the event someone wanted to get because it was too far away from the camera to even register as movement.
Yeah I've dealt with some crappy NVRs at work. One of the reasons I decided to build BI machine because I am good with computers in general but NVRs were a royal pain as you put it.
 

wittaj

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That functionality does not exist to only record on the SD card if BI is down. Depending on how much motion, you could get days or a month or more on the SD card depending on size. Cameras out front are getting about two weeks or so, the ones in the back are months.
 

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That functionality does not exist to only record on the SD card if BI is down. Depending on how much motion, you could get days or a month or more on the SD card depending on size. Cameras out front are getting about two weeks or so, the ones in the back are months.
That's unfortunate. Could you set BI to record continuous on hard drives but have SD card only record on motion ?

Also doing quick math for fun, at 8 Mbps bitrate and continuous recording means..... 1 full day 24h only takes up about 86.4GB. I have a 128GB high endurance SD in my wyze cam right now.

The bitrate on wyze cam is so shit (just like the cam), I get 12 days of continuous recording on 128GB card lol
 

wittaj

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Absolutely you can set the cam to only record on motion and let BI do the heavy work. That would be the preferred method anyway.
 

fenderman

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I actually just installed brand new batteries on a spare 1500VA UPS. It is now a dedicated UPS for IB PC and PoE switch.
Now if for some reason IB crashes or something, then yeah....

Could these cams / IB be configured so SD card is only recorded to if it fails to record to IB ? I assume SD card fills up very fast compared to harddrives so maybe it could be set to only run as a failover?
So a UPS protects against all hardware and software failures?
No, the sd card recording is set in the camera and not related to BI. It obviously overwrites itself when its full. You dont need long term storage on the sd card, that is why its a backup.
 

mat200

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1/1.8" sensors. Dahua rebrand of I don't know which model.

There is 20% off right now. $651.77 CAD including taxes for all 4.

Includes 4x 100Ft ethernet too.

Honestly this would have cost me a lot less then buying 4x 1/1.8 cams from Andy.

I already ordered a 5442 with box and a single one cost me $227 CAD.

Not to even mention the $130 of cabling / connectors etc.

Would it make sense to buy these Lorex cams so I don't have to worry about buying individual expensive Dahuas to finish my system ?
FYI -

1) Lorex prices in the USA fluctuates quite a bit, and typically the best deals are from kits - not individual or packages of cameras. In the USA the time to get deals on kits is typically around BF-cyberweek
2) Often the Lorex Dahua OEM cameras while you can map them to a similar looking Dahua OEM model may not have the IVS or more advanced features, and thus may have lesser hardware. ( we have numerous reports of challenging flashing Dahua OEM firmware to Lorex cameras.. )
3) Most of the cameras included in the kits have wider FOVs ( as noted by others )
4) Many of the newer Lorex Dahua OEM models have available rtsp streams you can use with Blue Iris.

Remember the 4MP 1/1.8" sensor cameras are significantly better performing in low light that the 8MP 1/1.8" sensor cameras. ( Dahua labels many of their 4MP 1/1.8" as "starlight+" models vs not a starlight model.. )
 
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