Newbie Feeling Overwhelmed by Options

[ndstate]

Hello,

I am fairly new to ip cams and feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the options. I am looking for an outdoor setup that will allow me to monitor most of my property. The dog typically notifies us if someone comes on our property, but their are a lot of spots in the yard that I cannot see from inside.

I am interested in POE options that can handle huge temperature variations (I am in the Upper Midwest). I am not sure if I care about PTZ or not. Perhaps I could get good enough coverage with a bullet or something? I think I don't want anything overly huge, maybe something a bit more subtle (as long as it doesn’t decrease image quality / features). I am looking to cover the following areas, though I will likely roll this out in stages as I get around to finishing wiring the Cat6.

Spot:

#1: Perhaps two cameras right here. One on the front side pointing towards the street and #2. The other camera would be on the West Side pointing towards#7

#2: This camera would cover the door and the walkway leading up to it

#3: Maybe pointing straight out or slightly towards #4.

#4: I may need two cameras right here... though my focus is thinking about pointing this camera "backwards" towards #5... unless I put up a fence near #4 which is what I am thinking.

#5: Would cover the door and the area back towards #6.

#6 & #7: They would each cover half of the back.



Thoughts? Thank you so much!

 

[LeeH]

I started with an import Hikvision 2032 4mm and played around with that. (and a couple of awful Foscams but dont go there)

Once you have 1 up and running play with all the motion detection etc before you spend the bulk of your money.

POE is the way to go so make up a real long lead and move it around your propety untill you get a good idea what size lense you need in each area.

If you can afford it buy US cams for hassle free returns, or take the risk with the Chinese cams from Ali Express.

I use Hiks for security as Im trust them to work 24/7 without issues, but I have some less know brands coming just to play with.

 

[JFire]

Being a newbie myself and having had my first 2 cameras for a week I'd deffinately suggest doing what Lee says. I'd actualy buy 1 varifocal cam and that way you can find out exactly what you want where you want it. Don't discount the mini ptz. Especially the domes if size and obviousness is an issue. I'm going to use 2 mini ptz on corner mounts to eliminate 4 fixed cameras I was planning on. I'll use 2.8mm fixed cameras as a kind of overwatch then have the ptz to investigate any motion alerts etc.

Sent from my SM-N920T using Tapatalk

 

[ndstate]

Thank you for the responses. Ill check out the Hikvision. Is there any good information on the "vision range" of these cameras? I am trying to determine how many cameras I need to cover all of the property. Thank you.

 

[JFire]

Thank you for the responses. Ill check out the Hikvision. Is there any good information on the "vision range" of these cameras? I am trying to determine how many cameras I need to cover all of the property. Thank you.

Their are various pictures out there that will show you the same image with the different lenses. They didn't really help me but now that I have my camera I can look at my planned spot and determine what I want there.

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[Abbell]

I have 3 varifocal 4MP cameras coming in from China... so weeks still to go yet. I will post a review once I do though. If I like them I may try some of the 5mp cameras from the company.