Newbie help needed.. Updated with Pics

immageek

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Hello all. Long time lurker, first time thread posting here. So I've read a lot of threads and read many wikis and FAQ and newbie primers and so on, but I'm at the state of total confusion now. Really the confusion is about what cameras to get. I definately want a couple(turret style?) with great low light capability, I see the 2MP Starlights are great and the newer 4K ones have an issue at night with the IR drowning everything out, is that still the case? I was thinking of one with auto LEDs for in the backyard but I'm not sure if such a thing exists or any good. Also looking at the 4MP mini dome for front door purposes, can't door a doorbell as the frame is only a inch wide and have a full brick blocking it to the right. I'm open to other cameras, but just kind getting burned out with all the options out there.. sheesh!

---------------------------------------------------New Update Below------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so after all the replies and researching some more, I think this is the way I'm going to go with 3 of the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE for the 3 spots on my house I want them. One on the front corner overlooking the front yard/street, one on the underside of my porch overhang which will see the front door and the porch and a third in the back corner of the house overlooking the garage and back door. I'll post some post to the the areas being monitored. One pic will show what the current Arlo(i know i know) system sees at night on the front porch and I'm wondering if the motion sense porch light will be a problem for a real cam like the 5231.

I'm also kicking around the idea of one of the 2MP mini PTZ cams there instead of the 5231, but not sure if that's really the way to go. So in the pic of the porch you can see where the Arlo is now and pretty much thinking of putting the 5231(or if there's a better suggestion) basically right above it on th euderside of the overhang and not on the brick. Would the porch light screw it up as bad as the Arlo is? I have a pic of that attached as well. Also keep in mind, the front door faces the west so sunsets might effect things at times?

Now for the backyard, attached is pic showing what the Arlo currently looks at, the new on is basically going to do the same thing but since it'll be a VF, it'll be zoomed in. BUT, i since have seen the IPC-HDBW4231F-E2-M, dual 2MP cam and that has me thinking how i could aim cam 1 to the location the Arlo see and cam 2 would be looking down my backyard. This would be the 3.6mm lens version. Any thoughts on that one? And this side of the house faces the east, so I get the sun coming up.

As always, I'm open to suggestions and thoughts. I also plan on buying the 130 boxes for the 5231s and whatever would be appropriate for any suggestions.
 

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SouthernYankee

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Almost all cameras for IR for night operations. I have not seen any that have white LEDs.

I use multiple cameras on the front door. In my opinion the door bell cameras are a waste of money.

If a single story house you can drop the POE ethernet cable between the insulation board and brick. Drill a hole in the mortar, not the brick.

More megapixels are not necessarily better. The 4K cameras are not ready for night action unless you have a lot of white light.

Cameras to look at
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW5231-ZE Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+

----------------------------------------------------------
if you are interested in Dahua cameras, a forum member sells dahua and ships world wide. You can read some of the members recommendations on his service. He also provides cameras to other forum member for evaluation and reviews.
you can email him for a quote, or purchase from his Aliexpress store or his Amazon store.

Andy
@EMPIRETECANDY
kingsecurity2014@163.com
Empire Technology Co., Ltd - Small Orders Online Store, Hot Selling and more on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
Amazon.com: Empire Tech
Kingsecurity2018 @ Amazon.com:
 
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immageek

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Almost all cameras for IR for night operations. I have not seen any that have white LEDs.

I use multiple cameras on the front door. In my opinion the door bell cameras are a waste of money.

If a single story house you can drop the POE ethernet cable between the insulation board and brick. Drill a hole in the mortar, not the brick.

More megapixels are not necessarily better. The 4K cameras are not ready for night action unless you have a lot of white light.

Cameras to look at
IPC-HDW2231R-ZS Review-Dahua IPC-HDW2231RP-ZS Starlight Camera-Varifocal
IPC-HDW5231-ZE Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE
IPC-HFW4239T-ASE IPC-HFW4239T-ASE
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)
IPCT-HDW5431RE-I Review - IP Cam Talk 4 MP IR Fixed Turret Network Camera
DS-2CD2325FWD-I
IPC-T5442TM-AS Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ - 4MP starlight+

----------------------------------------------------------
if you are interested in Dahua cameras, a forum member sells dahua and ships world wide. You can read some of the members recommendations on his service. He also provides cameras to other forum member for evaluation and reviews.
you can email him for a quote, or purchase from his Aliexpress store or his Amazon store.

Andy
@EMPIRETECANDY
kingsecurity2014@163.com
Empire Technology Co., Ltd - Small Orders Online Store, Hot Selling and more on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
Amazon.com: Empire Tech
Kingsecurity2018 @ Amazon.com:

Thanks for the reply. The 5442 line is the one I was mentioning. Another member pointed me to a VF version. I think those are what I'm going to go with. Thanks for the extra info to read up on.
 
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aristobrat

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Also looking at the 4MP mini dome for front door purposes, can't door a doorbell as the frame is only a inch wide and have a full brick blocking it to the right.
4MP at the door might be overkill. You “only” need 100 PPF to ID someone you don’t know and at 1-5ft, even a wide angle (2.8mm) 2MP can do that.

If you haven’t already seen this thread, it uses a mini-dome model that’s popular for doors/porches:
Front door ID camera IPC-HDBW4231F?

Regarding the new 4MP Starlight+ models not having the SmartIR feature (which helps reduce washing out faces as people get closer to the camera), these models are only a few months old. The 2MP Starlights started coming out in 2016 and many took several firmware versions before they settled down. That took time. I’d imagine it’ll be the same for the new 4MP Starlight+.
 

Philip Gonzales

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Hello all. Long time lurker, first time thread posting here. So I've read a lot of threads and read many wikis and FAQ and newbie primers and so on, but I'm at the state of total confusion now. Really the confusion is about what cameras to get. I definately want a couple(turret style?) with great low light capability, I see the 2MP Starlights are great and the newer 4K ones have an issue at night with the IR drowning everything out, is that still the case? I was thinking of one with auto LEDs for in the backyard but I'm not sure if such a thing exists or any good. Also looking at the 4MP mini dome for front door purposes, can't door a doorbell as the frame is only a inch wide and have a full brick blocking it to the right. I'm open to other cameras, but just kind getting burned out with all the options out there.. sheesh!
Basically the 2MP starlights are tried and true. Can't go wrong with them, the model below has been the recommended one to get for at least the past couple of years. Even longer if you count its predecessor, the IPC-HDW5231-Z (non E).

IPC-HDW5231-ZE Review-Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE

The new ones you speak of are not 4K, they are 4MP. I believe 4K is 8MP. Anyway with these, they are pretty spanking new and as you have likely read have an issue with SmartIR right now. I would wait until that issue is ironed out as that is going to be a big deal if they can't get the SmartIR working correctly.

The camera below is the first starlight that I have seen with an LED. There may be others but I am not in the know. If you like what you see on the review, then get it. You may want to ask in that thread if there are any features you are specifically wanting for that cam as most ppl will be unfamiliar with it at this point.

IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)

As for the front door any 2MP starlight will be good. Don't use a dome if you get direct sunlight as you will likely have glare issues. I personally use a 5231 for my front door. Again the new 4MP Starlight+ cams will likely be slightly better than the current 2MP starlight once they iron out the details.

IPC-HDBW4231F Front door ID camera IPC-HDBW4231F?

Another option is

IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Full Color, Starlight+)

Don't overthink it, historically the 2MP starlight have kicked virtually all other cameras asses out there. We have a saying on here, don't chase Mega Pixels, as more megapixels per the same sensor size equal less night time performance. That has always reigned true except now there are the new 4MP from Dahua with a bigger/better sensor. So either get the 2MP Starlights or wait until the 4MP starlights are proven.
 

immageek

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4MP at the door might be overkill. You “only” need 100 PPF to ID someone you don’t know and at 1-5ft, even a wide angle (2.8mm) 2MP can do that.

If you haven’t already seen this thread, it uses a mini-dome model that’s popular for doors/porches:
Front door ID camera IPC-HDBW4231F?

Regarding the new 4MP Starlight+ models not having the SmartIR feature (which helps reduce washing out faces as people get closer to the camera), these models are only a few months old. The 2MP Starlights started coming out in 2016 and many took several firmware versions before they settled down. That took time. I’d imagine it’ll be the same for the new 4MP Starlight+.
Thanks for the reply and suggestions. I am considering one of the mini domes, but more for my back door. My front door and porch are set differently than most. Instead of the porch and sidewalk going straight out the front door mine takes a 90 left turn to the driveway so I was figuring a turret on the overhang to shoot down the sidewalk.

I’m not dead set of the 4MP cams as the washout concerns me the most and since it currently isn’t fixed I may just go with the tried and true 2MP versions. I do have a spot or two that I would love a true 4K camera are just for the up quality daylight shots but we’ll see.

I was thinking about the 5442 with LEDs but I would want them triggered with motion. The whole one or off is a pain, IMO.


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Philip Gonzales

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Thanks for the reply and suggestions. I am considering one of the mini domes, but more for my back door. My front door and porch are set differently than most. Instead of the porch and sidewalk going straight out the front door mine takes a 90 left turn to the driveway so I was figuring a turret on the overhang to shoot down the sidewalk.

I’m not dead set of the 4MP cams as the washout concerns me the most and since it currently isn’t fixed I may just go with the tried and true 2MP versions. I do have a spot or two that I would love a true 4K camera are just for the up quality daylight shots but we’ll see.

I was thinking about the 5442 with LEDs but I would want them triggered with motion. The whole one or off is a pain, IMO.


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I think someone mentioned in the review post (Fenderman I think?) that you can trigger the LED in blue Iris using an HTTP call but the image will likely take several seconds to normalize. May not be a good idea, but I am unsure.

You can always get something like this. It lights up on motion. I would say either on or off would likely be your best bet for the best pic.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077XWNWDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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