New Construction Home Camera placement.

jebus05

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Morning Everyone,

So I am a complete newbie when it comes to home Security systems.
This is also my first new home and I have been given permission to run my own CAT 6 cabling throughout.

I plan on running a 8 Camera System for now exterior / Garage only at the moment.
I have linked some pictures of my home and where I am planning on placing cameras and advice or recommendations or if you think I should move my locations please feel free to comment or give advice.
I was also planning to put a camera by the front door on the exterior I just don't know where.


Thanks,
Jeb
 

SouthernYankee

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:welcome:
Your cameras are to High. You will be able to see what happend but not who did it.
I would place two cameras one on each side of the garage door, No higher than the top of the garage door, This is for door checkers at night for cars parked in the drive.
A camera at the door bell pointing out. 4-5 feet up
a camera behind the wood beam near the front door pointing at the door and the package drop area.
Drop way more Ethernet cables than you thing you will need. Two cables to each location. Pick a closet for the Ethernet switch location, make sure there is electric in the closet.
Also one Ethernet connector in all rooms of the house.
If that is a picture of your house, you need to get this done today, before they put brick on.
Walk the job site and take pictures every day. (from experience)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
IPC-T3241-ZAS ...... Review-OEM IPC-T3241-ZAS 2mp AI Lite series Varifocal -- 2mp AI Lite series Varifocal
IPC-HFW2831T-ZS ... Review-Dahua IPC-HFW2831T-ZS 8MP WDR IR Bullet Network Camera -- 8MP Bullet 1/1.8” sensor variable focus.
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
N22AL12 ............ New Dahua N22AL12 Budget Cam w/Starlight -- low cost entry
IPC-T2347G-LU....... Review-Loryta OEM 4MP IPC-T2347G-LU ColorVu Fixed Turret Network 4mm lens & Junction Box -- 4MP ColorVu
.................... Review of the Hikvision OEM model IPC-T2347G-LU 'ColorVu' IP CCTV camera.

Other dahua 4MP starlight Dahua 4MP Starlight Lineup

My preferred indoor cameras
DS-2CD2442FWD-IW
IPC-K35A
If interested in Blue Iris and other setup items see the following post

Before asking a question search the forum first...
The best way to search the forum is to use Google
In the google search window enter.. site:ipcamtalk.com ?????? ..where ?????? is the items/terms you are interested in.
Example site:ipcamtalk.com PALE MOON BROWSER

Read,study,plan before spending money ..... plan plan plan
Test do not guess
 
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Read the Cliff Notes. It gives great info on camera placement.

Generally, cameras place under the soffit will be too high to get any useful face ID. It will give you a good 'what happened' but not a 'who did it' view. Basically gives a good view of the top of their head/bald spot.

To cover your driveway, it is recommended to use two cameras, one on each side of your garage door in a crossing pattern. No higher than seven feet. I would place them on either side of the door pointing across the drive way.

Realize that you have not even decided on which cameras to get. It is recommended that you buy one varifocal camera and use a test rig (see Cliff Notes) to set camera selection, lens type, and placement.

Edit: I was typing when @SouthernYankee made his post. Did not see it until I hit post.
 

jebus05

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Thanks for the info guys, my builder screwed me on this I was supposed to have next weekend to do all of this however I have just this evening to run the Cat 6 cabling. I will take your advice and have a junction box at face height near the front door and garage doors.
Thanks,
 

mattp

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The "don't place the cameras up so high" comments are almost completely correct.
However, if you can't, or don't want to put them down at eye level, there are options. You can buy a varifocal camera and zoom it in to a distance away from the mounting point. This will allow you to capture faces at a distance, but you'll only capture the top of their head as they get to the camera. So, you have to overlap something like this:
1662670287403.png
If @wittaj is around, he can probably explain it a little better.

There is also a good argument to use a wide angle to catch what's going on and a zoomed in camera for identification.

Also, I started like you and thought 8 would be plenty...I'll probably end up with about double that when I'm finished. If you aren't committed to adding that many, can I at least convince you to run double the ethernet? Then when you inevitably realize you need additional cameras (and you will) you'll already be set up).
 

Sybertiger

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Since you are short on time....

(1) make sure to run Cat6 to the same location as the doorbell
(2) near the front door about 56" - 60" off the front porch run a Cat6 for a "real" cam not just a doorbell cam
(3) on the eves of the 2nd floor run Cat6 to at least 2 of those four pink circles. Whichever makes sense. Then eventually, you can mount a PTZ and allow the other cams be spotters for the PTZ
(4) your wire locations are fine...see above where you can use them as spotters for the PTZ. While 9 feet up isn't ideal its only one foot above where many folks mount the cams. Again, allow the PTZ to zoom in.
(5) on the eves of the 1st floor run Cat6 to the right side corner just in case you want two more cams there.
(6) make sure that where the camera will mount you have something solid for the cams like a 2x4 just in case you are going with aluminum or vinyl soffit <<< IMPORTANT!
(7) keep in mind, cams are not a replacement for a security system. I see it as more of a deterrence for some criminals. I would not "uglify" my house for the sake of thinking this is a guarantee to be a crime solver for you. Many crooks cover their face so a face capture capability is nice but don't count on it.

1662671258079.png
 
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mattp

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Since you are short on time....

(1) make sure to run Cat6 to the same location as the doorbell
(2) near the front door about 56" - 60" off the front porch run a Cat6 for a "real" cam not just a doorbell cam
(3) on the eves of the 2nd floor run Cat6 to at least 2 of those four pink circles. Whichever makes sense. Then eventually, you can mount a PTZ and allow the other cams be spotters for the PTZ
(4) your wire locations are fine...see above where you can use them as spotters for the PTZ. While 9 feet up isn't ideal its only one foot above where many folks mount the cams. Again, allow the PTZ to zoom in.
(5) on the eves of the 1st floor run Cat6 to the right side corner just in case you want two more cams there.
(6) make sure that where the camera will mount you have something solid for the cams like a 2x4 just in case you are going with aluminum or vinyl soffit <<< IMPORTANT!

View attachment 139323
Good point about the PTZ. It looks like @EMPIRETECANDY has finally run out of the 49225 cameras. If he has any left you may want to get one or two for the locations @Sybertiger has pointed out. You won't be disappointed. A camera that tracks people definitely gets their attention. Any criminal with any sense that sees a camera tracking them, will move on to another house.
 

mat200

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Morning Everyone,

So I am a complete newbie when it comes to home Security systems.
This is also my first new home and I have been given permission to run my own CAT 6 cabling throughout.

I plan on running a 8 Camera System for now exterior / Garage only at the moment.
I have linked some pictures of my home and where I am planning on placing cameras and advice or recommendations or if you think I should move my locations please feel free to comment or give advice.
I was also planning to put a camera by the front door on the exterior I just don't know where.


Thanks,
Jeb
Hi @jebus05

Good to have you onboard .. nice home, looks good.


I would run MORE cat6 than you expect ..


Once idea, so that you do not break the air-lock wrap is to bring the cat6 to the soffits, and then drop the line down in front of the wrap and under the siding .. or even running a small conduit on top of the siding to a junction box for the cameras.

What sort of siding will your home have?



1662672097253.png
 

Sybertiger

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Hi @jebus05
I would run MORE cat6 than you expect ..
I'd have at least a 1,000 foot roll of Cat6 and make sure you use it all. Hopefully, you know exactly where you want to keep your NVR or better yet Blue Iris computer and you run all the cable there by going through the walls, floor joists, attic. Just make sure they are tucked out of the way to avoid drywall nails and on the sides of studs/joists to not block rolled insulation and don't run it next to powerline (stay at least 1 foot away if not more). Make sure where your equipment will be located has both power and Cat6 running to where your router is to be located (run two lines).
 

mat200

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HI @jebus05

Over cable .. I've shared my ideas in the modified picture ..

I would use the N+1+ run rule of thumb for cabling .. even if you just use a couple extra for cameras or other items, you will be happy to have over cabled one very thing is done..
( N+1+ = for each location, you thought to run N cat5e/6 cables run one or more extra .. )


1662673233301.png


securitycameras-hoiusewrap.png
 
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