Need help with cam selection, layout and system build

[MTL4]

I've attached the property layout and proposed locations for cameras but I need help with selection of specific cameras that would work best in my situation. You can see the rear is heavily wooded and it's rough going to approach from there (still possible via snowmobile). The blue dots represent cameras that would be mounted under the eave while the orange ones represent doorbell cams. I drew the cams with roughly 90 degree field of vision (not sure if that is typical or not). I would like to be able to have both day and night vision since we also get alot of big wildlife around (I often see some pretty large prints in the snow) and I'd like to know if big animals are coming by regularly. We don't get alot of package thieves but we do have folks that like to B&E on garages and sheds so I need to make sure those areas are covered. Anyway, I'd love to also know if I have too many (few) cams or perhaps there's better places to locate them. I use all hardwired cat5 cable (will run cat6 to the garage soon) and ubiquiti routers so the system has very good transfer speeds overall. The system will be hooked to a server running Blue Iris but happy to hear suggestions on that as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[sebastiantombs]

Looking at your layout, you're trying to cover too much with too few cameras. If you want to know who did it, IE positive ID, you're going to need a few more at minimum. Look in the WiKi, in the blue bar at the top of the page, and study the Cliff Notes in there on a real computer. You should also look at the IPVM camera calculator which will give you an idea of the results you'll get with any given camera, location and lens size. Best practice is two cameras for each side looking back at each other. Low light cameras will help, a lot, but right now due to the COVID-19 stuff as well as the regular Chinese New Year shutdown, it may be hard getting them in a rush. The 5442 series from Dahua,or the Hikvision equivalent, is the current best choice.

 

[mat200]

I've attached the property layout and proposed locations for cameras but I need help with selection of specific cameras that would work best in my situation. You can see the rear is heavily wooded and it's rough going to approach from there (still possible via snowmobile). The blue dots represent cameras that would be mounted under the eave while the orange ones represent doorbell cams. I drew the cams with roughly 90 degree field of vision (not sure if that is typical or not). I would like to be able to have both day and night vision since we also get alot of big wildlife around (I often see some pretty large prints in the snow) and I'd like to know if big animals are coming by regularly. We don't get alot of package thieves but we do have folks that like to B&E on garages and sheds so I need to make sure those areas are covered. Anyway, I'd love to also know if I have too many (few) cams or perhaps there's better places to locate them. I use all hardwired cat5 cable (will run cat6 to the garage soon) and ubiquiti routers so the system has very good transfer speeds overall. The system will be hooked to a server running Blue Iris but happy to hear suggestions on that as well.

Thanks in advance!

Hi @MTL4

Remember to check out the DORI section in the cliff notes ( along with the IPVM calculator which sebastiantombs recommends ).

ID distances are typically significantly shorter than most people realize.

 

[sebastiantombs]

One more comment, I'm thinking slow today.

A camera system isn't security. It;s surveillance! If you want a security system get a Simpli Safe, Ring or do your own hardwired system. There's tons of resources for alarm components on the web.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Read, study, Plan, before spending money.
Go slow, learn as you go.

Run two Ethernet cables to each location,
Use two to three cameras for the front door.
Two cameras on the garage, no higher than the top of the door, right and left side.
Mounting cameras on the eves, will show what happened but not who did it.
--------------------------------------------------------------
My standard welcome to the forum message.

Please read the IP Cam Talk Cliff Notes and other items in the IP Cam Talk Wiki. (read on a real computer, not a phone). The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Read How to Secure Your Network (Don't Get Hacked!) in the wiki also.

Quick start
1) If you do not have a wired monitored alarm system, get that first
2) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras if you need good low light cameras.
3) use a VPN to access home network (openVPN)
4) Do not use wifi cameras.
5) Do not use cloud storage
6) Do Not use uPNP, P2P, QR, do not open ports,
7) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
8) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
9) Do not use reolink, ring, nest, Arlo cameras (they are junk), no cloud cameras
10) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
11) Use only solid copper, AWG 23 or 24 ethernet wire. , no CCA (Copper Clad Aluminum)
12) use a test mount to verify the camera mount location. My test rig: rev.2
13) (Looney2ns)If you want to be able to ID faces, don't mount cams higher than 7ft. You want to know who did it, not just what happened.
14) Use a router that has openVPN built in (Most ASUS, Some NetGear....)
15) camera placement use the calculator... IPVM Camera Calculator V3
16) POE list PoE Switch Suggestion List
17) Camera Sensor size, bigger is general better Sensor Size Chart


Cameras to look at
IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED . Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+) - 4MP starlight
.................... Dahua IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED review
IPC-T5442TM-AS ..... Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+
IPC-B5442E-ZE ...... Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+
IPC-T2347G-LU ...... Review of the Hikvision OEM model IPC-T2347G-LU 'ColorVu' IP CCTV camera. (DS-2CD2347G1-LU)
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS .... Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW2231T-ZS-S2 . Review-OEM IPC-T2231T-ZS 2mp Varifocal Starlight Camera
IPC-HDW5231R-ZE .... Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE ... IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I ... Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
IPC-T5241H-AS-PV ... Review-OEM IPC-T5241H-AS-PV 2mp AI active deterrence cam
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
N22AL12 ............ New Dahua N22AL12 Budget Cam w/Starlight -- low cost entry

Other dahua 4MP starlight Dahua 4MP Starlight Lineup

My preferred indoor cameras
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW
IPC-K35A Review-Dahua IPC-K35A 3mp Cube Camera

If interested in Blue Iris and other setup items see the following post

Newbie Starter Guide to IP Cam System – VPN setup – Computer Hardware – Blue Iris – Dahua Cameras

This is an intermediate / newbie guide for people just starting out looking for a surveillance setup. I know this setup might not be for everyone and there are many options. You can find a lot of this information in the Wiki: IP Cam Talk Wiki | IP Cam Talk A great place to start in the Wiki...

ipcamtalk.com

Read,study,plan before spending money ..... plan plan plan
Test do not guess

 

[MTL4]

Ok looks like I have some work to do on the layout (thanks again everyone for the input). My thought was originally to cover as much area as possible but it sounds like I really need to just cover the entrance points alot more carefully. We live out in the country so the best security is usually dogs and armed neighbors (we have plenty of both) so not too worried there. So assuming I'm just looking for basic surveilance to start and then potentially beef it up over time, I'm thinking of getting a few of the IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED cameras and try them in different locations temporarily to make sure I can get the coverage I'm looking for. I wish the lenses were adjustable but it sounds like I'll have to be a bit more careful about choosing the right focal length for the locations I want to do first (primarily the doors).

Does this sound like a good plan or should I be approaching this a different way?

 

[sebastiantombs]

I'd suggest starting your testing using a 2231R or T-ZS. It's a relatively inexpensive 2MP, Starlight, varifocal and will give you a very good idea regarding lens requirements. Fill a 5 gallon sheetrock bucket with stones or gravel and use an 8 foot 2x4 in it to mount the camera. Place it where you think you want to mount each camera. It can be directly accessed through its' web interface and can record as well, assuming you have some hard dive space available (we're potentially talking 100s of gigs). There's a converter in the WiKi that will give you good approximations of the zoom level versus a fixed lens.

 

[MTL4]

Ok perfect, I'll give that a try and report back once I start to get a better idea of how I want to set this all up.

 

[mat200]

Ok looks like I have some work to do on the layout (thanks again everyone for the input). My thought was originally to cover as much area as possible but it sounds like I really need to just cover the entrance points alot more carefully. We live out in the country so the best security is usually dogs and armed neighbors (we have plenty of both) so not too worried there. ...

Hi @MTL4

As noted, start playing with one good camera to get an idea of what is possible.

As you have a nice area in the country I would eventually consider also augmenting a setup with a PTZ camera if you have a extra funds for that...

 

[MTL4]

Hi @MTL4

As noted, start playing with one good camera to get an idea of what is possible.

As you have a nice area in the country I would eventually consider also augmenting a setup with a PTZ camera if you have a extra funds for that...

Any suggestions on a good PTZ camera as well?

 

[SouthernYankee]

A PTZ will be pointing in the wrong direction when the action occurs. Use multiple fixed cameras.