Welcome!
To answer your questions.
Andy's (
@EMPIRETECANDY) cameras are Dahua equipment sold under the names Loryta and Empiretech. He also supplies them to the ipcamtalk store.
Some of my cameras I have bought from Andy from his Amazon store come as Dahua cams in Dahua boxes with Dahua logos, and some are not logo'd - I think it depends on how many cameras Andy buys if he gets them with the Dahua Logo or not. But regardless, they are Dahua units. If you get a unit that has Dahua on it, then the camera GUI will say Dahua; otherwise it will simply say IP Camera but looks identical except without the logo. Some of his cameras may come with EmpireTech stamped on them as well.
As long you you buy from the vendor EmpireTech or Loryta on Amazon or his website or via DM, they are Andy cams and Dahua OEM.
His cameras and NVRs are international models and many of them are not available through Dahua USA authorized dealers, but his cameras and NVRs are usually better than what you can find from a USA authorized dealer.
You can update the firmware on Andy's cameras and NVRs from the Dahua website, thus proving they are real Dahua. But you will find that the firmware we get from him is actually
better and more recent than what is on the Dahua website because many members here provide feedback to Andy and then Dahua makes modifications to the firmware and sends back to him and then he sends out to his customers. These have been great improvements that Dahua doesn't even update their firmware and add to their website. So many of us are running a newer firmware than those that purchase Dahua cameras through professional installers. Smart IR on the 5442 series is one such improvement. Autotracking on the 49225 and 49425 PTZ is another. We got the next version of AI SMD 3.0 prior to anyone else as well.
Look at the threads here where members are actually testing firmware and improving it for Dahua - find a Dahua dealer with that type of relationship that Andy has with Dahua - I don't think you will find it. Look at the Dahua 4k camera on the 1/1.2" sensor as an example -
Dahua provides cameras to Andy to sell before Dahua even made it available and look at all the improvements being made to the firmware from input from customers right here on this site. And the kicker is, we are not Dahua's target market - it is the professional installers...
You do have to be careful with some rebranded cameras purchased from other vendors as they are either fake Dahua cameras or are cameras that are for the Chinese region but have been hacked into English but then are not able to be updated or they will brick. Buying from a reputable source is key to make sure that doesn't happen.
It says you are in the USA, so if you go to an authorized USA Dealer, you will find that you will be spending anywhere from
double to five times the amount for a Dahua camera than you can buy from Andy. And as I mentioned, most of the options are not as good as the international selections.
Many USA dealers try to push 5MP cameras and there is no 5MP camera on the ideal MP/sensor ratio. You want a camera in the green:
View attachment 185075
Many members here have found this site after being burned by purchasing authorized Dahua USA cameras and replaced many, and sometimes all, of their cameras with cameras from Andy.
DSSPro will work, but it will be a waste of your time and effort. Use the DMSS app for your mobile devices and SmartPSS for your computer.
Don't get caught up in the marketing jargon of SMD, SMD+, Wizmind, etc.
Basically WizMind and WizSense are simply marketing terms for the capabilities covered under each.
WizSense is geared towards the smaller installations (and usually cheaper cameras) and WizMind is geared towards businesses (usually more expensive cameras) - so things like people counting, loitering, etc. are important to them (although some of the 5442 series has those as well).
So you just look for the features you want and purchase the correct camera for what you are trying to accomplish.
Regarding SMD, you will find that most here do not even use SMD. The IVS rules are much more accurate. Getting a camera that has AI is much more important.
It has come to my attention that certain Dahua cameras come with built in AI that distinguishes between human & cars. I was unaware of this. Well, always saw the AI word used in the reviews but never really thought about it because I thought it was a Dahua NVR integration only. I am currently...
ipcamtalk.com
You would only want to buy the lite version cameras if you do not need AI capabilities. For most of us, spending a few more dollars and getting the ability to trigger on human or vehicles instead of shadows is enough reason to buy a camera with AI.
These types of systems, even the NVR, are not plug-n-play.
It is the consumer grade Ring and Arlos and Reolink and Blink and SimpliSafe and whatever you can buy at a big box store (or the peddlers going door-to-door) that sells just that - simplicity plug-n-play devices with very little ability to tweak settings. But that simplicity comes at the expense of usable video with motion, especially at night, as well as losing the ability to dial in trigger configurations. My neighbor got a Ring system and had me help them get it going. Like literally scan the code and draw an area and it was done. But they get false triggers all the time (and worse missing triggers) and there is no customization available to tweak it.
Even a great system like Dahua, if you use it on the default/auto settings will result in poor performance. You will have to log into each camera and tweak the settings (shutter speed, brightness, contrast, gamma, etc.) to your field of view in order to get optimal performance.
Do not be amazed and accept the great static image the camera will provide on auto/default settings. At night, it will result in motion blur.
Same with the NVR, you will have to get in and make adjustments to get the system to perform like you want.
I totally get your hesitancy about wanting to jump right into
Blue Iris, but wanted to make you aware that the NVR is not plug-n-play either. Having come from the NVRs to BI, I feel like BI is easier to setup and has way more options and flexibility. The only advantage towards "plug-n-play" that an NVR has over BI is that you simply plug the camera into the POE port on the back of the NVR and the NVR finds the camera and the video starts playing (plug-n-play LOL). In BI you have to manually enter the IP address and username and password of the camera in order for BI to see it. Some have had success with simply hitting the find/inspect button on BI, but the best practice is to manually input it. But typing in those 3 things are not deal killers.
Keep in mind the two cameras you have "selected" cannot see infrared, so if you do not have enough light or are not willing to use the built-in white light of the camera, then the camera is useless at night. The cameras you selected are great overview cameras and identify at 15 feet out if the cameras are installed no higher than 8 feet.
You will be shocked how much light is needed on these little sensors. And then it gets back to what I said about not running the cameras on default/auto settings. In order to get freeze frame capabilities, you need a shutter of at least 1/60s or faster. The faster the shutter the more light that is needed.
Most here recommend buying cameras with infrared capabilities in the event you don't have enough visible light.
Along with not chasing MP that you have identified in your research, you have to select the right camera for the distance you want to IDENTIFY. A great wide angle 2.8mm lens camera like the 4K/T or the 180 you "selected" is the wrong camera to IDENTIFY a perp at 40 feet away.
See this thread for the commonly recommended cameras (along with Amazon links) based on distance to IDENTIFY that represent the overall best value in terms of price and performance day and night.
The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection
