Ne3b here.... Looking around to set up something for my home and found this forum

[NotInStock]

So while looking for some cameras for my home I made the mistake of buying a Reolink (let the boos begin from what I have seen on this forum). Of course that was their DUO system to notice the 2 cameras are just a little off on their stitching together. Also one was a hair off on contrast from the other. And of course the quality of the picture is not what I expect from $200USD (Reolink DUO 3 Pro). Well at least I never went to the trouble of mounting it and I am within the 30 day send back period.

Now I need some suggestions on Cameras. I figure I need 2 for the front of my house and maybe now or later adding some more. I already own a QNAP NAS so I have the embedded QVR Pro which actually seems pretty nice. I think maybe a turret style would be good one on each corner of the front of my house. The key is what would anyone suggest? I do not mind spending for quality.

I would also love something that can identify and alert and maybe even down the road work with facial recognition.

 

[NotInStock]

Oh and another item it would be nice to get something that meets NDAA standards and if possible not Chinesium.

 

[wittaj]

Welcome.

Return the Reolinks.

See this thread for the commonly recommended cameras (along with Amazon links) based on distance to IDENTIFY that represent the overall best value in terms of price and performance day and night.

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection

At the urging of several folks here, I created a thread to show the importance of focal length and how focal length can be more important than megapixels (MP). I mentioned some of this in the post regarding The Hookup’s latest video demonstrating different cameras, including one sold from a...

ipcamtalk.com

Keep in mind that unless you are a government, NDAA is useless to the homeowner. Too many companies have jumped on the NDAA bandwagon and sell subpar performing cameras at a premium price.

We have had many NOOB coming here thinking they need to get NDAA complaint stuff because some article scared them and in most instances once they learned what NDAA really meant and who it applied to and how poor the cameras perform, they then went and got Dahua or Hikvsion OEM as they represented the best overall value in terms of cost and performance.

The real issue that NDAA doesn't address is EVERY camera can be hacked, even NDAA. Don't let your cameras touch the internet and you won't have a problem.

Even high end NDAA compliant Axis got hacked last year.

Block the cams from the internet and go with the best bang for the buck and that will be Dahua and Hik and not 5 times the cost axis lol.

Did Axis got Hacked?

NDAA compliant Verkada was hacked and 150,000 cameras in private companies, along with prisons and public school systems were part of it, which would be government funded..

 

[mat200]

Oh and another item it would be nice to get something that meets NDAA standards and if possible not Chinesium.

Welcome @NotInStock

Yes would be nice .. however once you start to dig into the details and look at your budget .. well let's just say would be nice doesn't fit well into at least my budget.

Most of us end up with dahua oem or hikvision oem cameras .. or a mix .. that meet onvif rtsp specs well enough and then we isolate them from our main LAN .. same applies with IOT stuff for those of us who care about info sec ..

Yeah it's a little extra work .. but worth it once you do it

 

[NotInStock]

Yeah... Makes sense... I already at my firewall block China and several other countries. Creating another VLAN and giving that network zero access to internet is easy for me and I would just need to give it access to the QNAP for QVR Pro that is on a segment that has access and is accessible to other items in my network. I could even with the QNAP set up additional IP Addresses giving it a leg in the Camera VLAN.

Yeah looking at Axis or Hanwha show same specs at typically 2-4 times the price. I can afford a couple hundred a camera but when it gets to a grand or more per camera that a bit out of my budget.

Doesn't help with I do prefer stuff that is made somewhere other than China but also I do not care to get fleeced on price. Well time to read through the N00b link posted. Definitely want something that I can identify someone out to the sidewalk and would really like something that can read license plates passing by on the street. My street is only about 25 feet from the front of my house and is just a standard residential street.

 

[wittaj]

Yeah, if you are paying 4-5 times the price for an inferior product, is it worth it?

Keep in mind that like other companies, Axis has a cheap line with inferior products and a better line. A $200 camera from Andy may cost over $1k from Axis for similar sensor size and performance.

Please review the thread I linked showing the focal lengths needed to IDENTIFY. Focal length and ideal MP/sensor ratio are key for night performance.

You would have to set the camera up specifically to read plates. You need the proper camera with OPTICAL zoom for the distance you are covering and the angle to get plates.

Keep in mind that this is a camera dedicated to plates and not an overview camera also. It is as much an art as it is a science. You will need two cameras. For LPR we need to OPTICALLY zoom in tight to make the plate as large as possible. For most of us, all you see is the not much more than a vehicle in the entire frame. Now maybe in the right location during the day it might be able to see some other things, but not at night.

At night, we have to run a very fast shutter speed (1/2,000) and in B/W with IR and the image will be black. All you will see are head/tail lights and the plate. Some people can get away with color if they have enough street lights, but most of us cannot. Here is a representative sample of plates I get at night of vehicles traveling about 45MPH at 175 feet from my 2MP 5241-Z12E camera (that is all that is needed for plates):

You say you are 25 feet to the street, but that is probably perpendicular to a car and the plates can't be seen. Once you angle the camera to be able to get plates, you may be at 125 feet away.


See the LPR subforum for more details.