New home nearly finished, time to pick the cameras - need help.

Thank you @Teken.

I noticed there are a lot of Dahua cameras up the top in the suggestions vs. only a couple of Hikvision, are they generally better?
 
Thank you @Teken.

I noticed there are a lot of Dahua cameras up the top in the suggestions vs. only a couple of Hikvision, are they generally better?

Comes down to personal choice and what features, looks, price that matter to you. I prefer Hikvision cameras because they offer field proven continuous edge recording to be rock solid vs Dahua’s lack lustre performance.

Dahua’s firmware releases for various hardware in the last few years has been less than stellar.

Regardless, Dahua offers some of the best in class video hardware in the open market at reasonable prices.

Select the ones that will meet your needs and how they integrate with your home.
 
@Teken Thank you, the only thing I noticed is that it dos not have a Variable focus - I was told I should look for this. Is that going to be a problem?
 
@Teken Thank you, the only thing I noticed is that it dos not have a Variable focus - I was told I should look for this. Is that going to be a problem?

That really comes down to the location and use case for each camera. With a vari-focal lens camera you have the ability to zoom into the final spot which obviously gives you more flexibility in case you made a mistake on lens selection.

As noted early on in the ideal world each camera would be selected based on the viewing needs for the task at hand.

  • Over View 2.8 (Wide Lens)
  • 4-12 for (Narrow Defined Focus)
  • PTZ: To offer you the ability to track, pan, tilt, zoom, on area / targets.

I suggest you purchase a single vari-focal / PTZ camera and mount it to a test rig. Move it around the property and understand what you can see.

Based on that real world test you’ll quickly learn what camera (focal length) works for you.

Than you can begin the slow process of investing in those cameras that meet each zones requirements.
 
Can someone tell me what the main difference between these two cameras are?
Here are a couple of reviews :

 
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@remsta
the reason there are more Dahua cameras then Hikvision camera reviews, is that a Dahua vendor provides cameras for unbiased reviews. There are no Hikvision vendors that provide cameras for review. The Dahua vendor also provides excellent worldwide service. There is no hikvision service unless you purchase the camera from a certified vendor in your own country at a higher price.
 
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Unfortunately, we cannot move the camera placement. I looked through some of the provided links for camera information but it seems that a lot of the information is from 2018 and before, so I am wondering what the latest suggestions are on the types of cameras we should be looking at?

Below are images of where the cameras will be placed.

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@EMPIRETECANDY What are your thoughts on the best cameras for these placements? I have been looking at the Hikvision - specifically this G2 version. But there are 7 points around the house and I am not sure if just getting 7 of these is the best, I would probably just get 2.8mm everywhere for maximum view. It would be great to have some PTZ cameras at the front but its does not seem like anyone buys these.

Do you have any suggestions? What is the difference between the above and the Dahua T5442 as they seem very similar.

However, none of these cameras have Vari-focal lenses, will that be a problem?

Finally, this will all be running off a Dell Optiplex 7040 with BlueIris, which I have gone out and bought based on feedback from this forum.
 
Unfortunately, we cannot move the camera placement. I looked through some of the provided links for camera information but it seems that a lot of the information is from 2018 and before, so I am wondering what the latest suggestions are on the types of cameras we should be looking at?

Below are images of where the cameras will be placed.

View attachment 82232

View attachment 82233

View attachment 82234

Hi @wopi82, I saw your review of IP cameras a few years ago - do you have any Dahua suggestions that might work well for our new house?
 
No one can tell you exactly which cam to buy for your installation. None of us here have actually seen your place. All we can do is give feedback based on what you state. It has been stated several times in different threads to you that you need to read the Cliff Notes. If you did that, you would understand that mounting 2.8mm cams at those heights will not get you any usable facial shots.

The best way to decide which cams to buy, is to buy just one good varifocal cam and test out your positions with it. Both day and night. Do not run the wires or do installs without testing the location. Once you understand how cams perform in day and night, then you should be able to make informed decisions.

You can't expect anyone here to tell you exactly which cams to put where. If that is what you want, then you need to hire a security cam company to come and do your install for you.