Need camera advice for home and business

dubb

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I read the cliff notes and wiki but there are too many cameras.

I need PoE cameras only.

I want to install my first camera at my house to only cover the driveway atm. My driveway is about 20 ft long. This camera is only to watch my cars that are parked on the driveway and the street. I am guessing a varifocal turret is recommended?

For the business, it is currently run with old analog wires but dahua has the converter for $15 so cameras compatible with the converter would be nice. However, I will be running cat5e wire to spots anyways.

Right now, I plan to order at least 5 cameras. 1 for the home and 4-6 for the business.

However, the cliff notes recommened cameras are a year old. Are those cameras still recommened?
For the business, my parking has lights on during the night so for 2 of them, light will not be an issue. However, 2 of them do not have any light. I will be running new cat5 wire for these so I dont need the converter.

I also need one for my office that will record audio. And lastly, I need another camera to cover the entrance only. This camera will be placed 15 ft high about 15 ft away so I will need this camera to zoom in to the entrance only to ID faces.

The only camera that I decided on for the parking lot with light is the 2 in 1 dome camera. I might order 2 of these.

For my driveway, I think the varifocal turret with the glass ZE model would be good. I might buy another for my office.

Now I just need a recommendation for the front entrance.
 
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awsum140

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Don't mount the front entrance camera 15 feet high and 15 feet away. The angle produced, ~45 degrees, will not give anything close to good identification of those entering. That camera, in particular, needs to be no higher than eight feet. At a distance of 15 feet, and a height of eight feet, a 3.8mm fixed lens will work like the HDW4231EM-ASE. The 4231EM-ASE also has a built-in mic so you'd have audio as well as excellent night vision.
 

dubb

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Don't mount the front entrance camera 15 feet high and 15 feet away. The angle produced, ~45 degrees, will not give anything close to good identification of those entering. That camera, in particular, needs to be no higher than eight feet. At a distance of 15 feet, and a height of eight feet, a 3.8mm fixed lens will work like the HDW4231EM-ASE. The 4231EM-ASE also has a built-in mic so you'd have audio as well as excellent night vision.
These cameras that i listed were for the parking lot. I needed a recommendation for the entrance.
 

awsum140

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That is for the entrance. That's why I mentioned not to mount it at 15 feet. Have a look at the Cliff Notes in the Wiki, in the blue bar at the top of the page. There is also a mini dome, low light, available IF you're willing to use a dome outdoors with the knowledge that the dome may fog due to weathering and UV exposure.
 

dubb

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That is for the entrance. That's why I mentioned not to mount it at 15 feet. Have a look at the Cliff Notes in the Wiki, in the blue bar at the top of the page. There is also a mini dome, low light, available IF you're willing to use a dome outdoors with the knowledge that the dome may fog due to weathering and UV exposure.
I have decided on every camera except the entrance. What is the difference between the one that you recommended and the varifocal glass one? IPC-HDW5231R-ZE

I was thinking to buy the 8MP version for the entrance since its main focus is to identify customers during operating hours which will have plenty light.
 
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awsum140

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The mini dome is much smaller and less obvious. I have to ask, dis you read the Cliff Notes on a real computer and not a smartphone? If not, read them, it describes both the R-ZE and the mini dome quite well.
 

dubb

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The mini dome is much smaller and less obvious. I have to ask, dis you read the Cliff Notes on a real computer and not a smartphone? If not, read them, it describes both the R-ZE and the mini dome quite well.
I did read it on my iPad at first. Now I went on my PC but I do not see the page where it describes R-ZE and the mini dome. It seems to be the same thing that I saw on my iPad
 

awsum140

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Only if you can get a full frontal shot. It's also a dome style camera which makes it susceptible to fogging of the dome due to ultraviolet and weather. You need to see the face, full on, not from the side to make a "positive" identification. I suggest you buy one camera and mount it on a 2x4 in a bucket of stones so it can be moved around. Place it where you think you want to put the camera, then walk around like you're approaching the door. Wear a cap, wear a hoodie, walk with your head down, then watch the resulting video before actually mounting a camera permanently. Remember, this isn't Hollywood, it's the real world with real cameras and real people. No time spent lining up the shot for effect on the screen.
 

dubb

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Only if you can get a full frontal shot. It's also a dome style camera which makes it susceptible to fogging of the dome due to ultraviolet and weather. You need to see the face, full on, not from the side to make a "positive" identification. I suggest you buy one camera and mount it on a 2x4 in a bucket of stones so it can be moved around. Place it where you think you want to put the camera, then walk around like you're approaching the door. Wear a cap, wear a hoodie, walk with your head down, then watch the resulting video before actually mounting a camera permanently. Remember, this isn't Hollywood, it's the real world with real cameras and real people. No time spent lining up the shot for effect on the screen.
the camera will be indoors so will I experience fogging?

So I can either buy the mini dome with a fixed lens (6mm) or I can buy the R-ZE and zoom in to get the distance required for identification (25ft)?
Another option is the IPC-HDW4231EM-ASE like you recommended with the 6mm

From reading the cliff notes and forums, I might benefit from the R-ZE since it is more flexible with the zoom in and I can re-purpose it in the future
 
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awsum140

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If it's going to be inside I'm guessing you're looking through glass which is yet another can of worms, especially at low light levels or at night (reflected IR). Like I said, get a camera, make a temporary setup and test it out. That's the best way to know for sure. The IPC-HDW2231R-ZS is another option if you don't need audio but want a varifocal for less money. Designing the system is up to you and what works for you. No one can do it from a keyboard.
 

dubb

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If it's going to be inside I'm guessing you're looking through glass which is yet another can of worms, especially at low light levels or at night (reflected IR). Like I said, get a camera, make a temporary setup and test it out. That's the best way to know for sure. The IPC-HDW2231R-ZS is another option if you don't need audio but want a varifocal for less money. Designing the system is up to you and what works for you. No one can do it from a keyboard.
No glass. Once the customers walk in, there is nothing in the way between the camera and them

And yeah, once I order and install these cameras, I will hopefully have more experience to rely on myself in the future.
 
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awsum140

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A little late at that point, they're already inside, but fine that there's no glass in the way. Still, get a camera, rig a test setup and TEST. It's the only way to know for sure.
 

dubb

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Pictures of the area in question would help.
Take @awsum140 s, advice, purchase a cam and test, as you should with any planned cam location.
I will upload some pictures later today.
A little late at that point, they're already inside, but fine that there's no glass in the way. Still, get a camera, rig a test setup and TEST. It's the only way to know for sure.
Sorry, I assumed that a clear line of sight was implied.
 

dubb

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Pictures of the area in question would help.
Take @awsum140 s, advice, purchase a cam and test, as you should with any planned cam location.

Here is the area that I want to cover and the other picture is where I was thinking to put the camera. It is 7 ft high and is 25 feet away from the entrance.
 

c hris527

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I have 2mp cams at that height and distance, I have no issues with seeing faces but I do have issues with the sun shining in through the door and causing glare. I had to adjust the back lighting settings and it was good during the day but kind of crappy in the dark. Might not want to put it straight on if you get sun through those door windows. @awsum140 gave you awesome :winktongue:advice about buying the cam and testing positions.
 

dubb

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I have 2mp cams at that height and distance, I have no issues with seeing faces but I do have issues with the sun shining in through the door and causing glare. I had to adjust the back lighting settings and it was good during the day but kind of crappy in the dark. Might not want to put it straight on if you get sun through those door windows. @awsum140 gave you awesome :winktongue:advice about buying the cam and testing positions.
I do get sun from the doors so I might get a glare too. However, I read on here somewhere that you can do scripts to automatically change profiles during the time of day so that might be a possibility

Edit here it is made by bp
bp2008/DahuaSunriseSunset
 
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c hris527

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Correct on the scripts, My point was during the day going from cloudy to sunny can cause some issues if you are getting direct sun through that door. Again you will have to play around.
 
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