New member looking for advice

[techhobbyist]

Hello,
Thank you for all the members who contribute to this site. It has certainly given me a lot of education.

Before I discovered this site, i already purchased two Amcrest 4MP cameras, one works fine for the location and the other one I would like to replace with a varifocal Dahua Starlight. We live on a fairly large property with a long gravel driveway (see the included photo). The Amcrest that I would like to replace is mounted on a tree looking down the driveway.
- I would like to capture cars, people, etc. coming up this driveway and then trigger a chime in the house.
- I would also like this camera to be have good enough night time resolution to get a readable capture of license plates.
- I do not need a built-in audio.
- There is no other light around this spot.
- Is a bullet or turret better for mounting on the tree?
- I would like to get similar angle as the photo (FOV 83deg)
- The spot on the driveway where I want to capture license plate to the camera is around 50ft.

Which camera would you recommend for this?

Also, I am in the process of getting Dahua NVR, will I be able to trigger a door chime with it? If so what would you recommend?



Thanks in a

 

[mat200]

Hello,
Thank you for all the members who contribute to this site. It has certainly given me a lot of education.

..

Welcome Techhobbyist,

1) I would look at an alarm system of some sort with regards to "I would like to capture cars, people, etc. coming up this driveway and then trigger a chime in the house."

Some cameras do have alarm inputs, so that could be tied to a camera.

2) I would also like this camera to be have good enough night time resolution to get a readable capture of license plates.
This would probably need to be a separate dedicated camera for LPR purposes in low light. Please see the LPR section, it is a bit of an art form to configure.

3) The spot on the driveway where I want to capture license plate to the camera is around 50ft.
You will need a good "zoom" for that..

4) Which camera would you recommend for this?
Probably need multiple cameras - if you need low light then look at the Dahua OEM 2mp starlight models.
( see the notes for model numbers to get started on comparing your options )

 

[techhobbyist]

Thanks, @mat200.
I think I will use the NVR Alarm function to trigger a chime. I will have to play with this.

I did check out the LPR section. While I am not looking for ANPR, (manual reading from capture is fine), I did get some reviews of some cameras used for this purpose. I am thinking of getting either IPC-HFW5231E-Z5 or IPC-HFW5231E-Z12. They are more expensive than I would like to spend right now. But for my particular application there are not too many options.

 

[Fastb]

I think I will use the NVR Alarm function to trigger a chime. I will have to play with this.

You can connect an external sensor to the camera's Alarm Input conductor.
I'm happy with a Bosch Tritech sensor. (PIR plus Radar). It's far, far superior to depending on MD or IVS. It won't false trigger on moths, bug, moving shadows, car headlights, etc.
If you really want dependability, research "driveway alarms". There's lots out there. Some wireless.
I also use a laser line across my driveway. Very dependable. That one is wired to the NVR alarm in input.

The NVR has alarm out ports as well. This could be used to ring a chime.
I have dogs. They eventually learned the chime meant someone's coming. Dog reaction was identical to someone ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door. So I switched to a strobe light for a while. The WAF doomed that experiment.

If you want to know when someone comes up the driveway, consider using gDMSS on your phone. You'll get a push notification within a few seconds of the alarm event. Then you can playback footage of the event. Nice when you're not at home, or outside earshot of your chime.

Goood luck!
Fastb

 

[techhobbyist]

I'm happy with a Bosch Tritech sensor. (PIR plus Radar).

Thanks for your suggestions. I think this might be great addition to the security system. These seem to be more for indoor applications, do know if it will work outdoor. Also, I researched driveway alarms and found that most of PIR ones are powered by batteries. Do you know of any transmitters that can take 24vdc?

 

[Fastb]

I use these sensors:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WV19DM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01
This laser line has long range (90'), is waterproof, no batteries, but power is required at each end, 10~30VAC/VDC, and I can vouch for it as dependable. It's an impressive device.

http://www.amazon.com/E3JK-R4M2-12-24V-Retroreflective-Photoelectric-Reflector/dp/B0057UMESY?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00
It is shorter range.
it's waterproof, no batteries, power is required at one end. 12 to 24VDC. It uses a simple reflector for far end.
Shorter range than the laser line device, but range can be boosted by using a larger reflector at the far end.
I found that rain on the reflector reduces the amount of light reflected, so a rain shield might be needed.

OD850 Series Outdoor TriTech Detectors
"Bosch: OD850
The OD850 from Bosch is a TriTech outdoor detector which uses passive infrared and 10.588GHz microwave technology. It has a range of 15 x 15 metres."
it's waterproof (though only IP54), no batteries, 10 to 15VDC. I have it set up so it only triggers when BOTH PIR and Radar comfirms a body is present and moving. Much better performance than PIR alone.

I researched driveway alarms and found that most of PIR ones are powered by batteries.

If battery powered, then you probably don"t get relay contacts to connect to the NVR to trigger an event. Lots of driveway sensors send a signal to a little console device that chimes, to announce the "guest". Without the NVR in the picture, you miss the ability to get an email or push notification to your phone.

Have fun!

Fastb