Outdoor motion detection - better camera or other ideas?

[tech191]

I have 2 Reolink 420s covering a screen enclosed pool behind my house. They are recording continuously on a Synology DiskStation and everything is working fine except for motion detection.

I need to capture the vertical screen area (doors and the rest) and 2-3 feet around the pool (if I lose track of my 3 year old for a minute and she goes to the edge of the pool). Using the motion detection settings from the cameras or from the Synology Surveillance System, I am getting tons of false positives caused shade/sunlight. I've played for days with the sensitivity/threshold settings and it's either false positives or no motion detection at all. I understand that image based motion detection is not great in general. But are there any cameras that I could get that do this fairly well in an outdoor/sunny (FL) setting? So I am just looking for much more reliable motion detection so I don't need to start installing IR motion sensors and pool surface motion detection. I have 2 days left to return the cameras so I'm really hoping to make a decision. I've been searching online for cameras ranked by motion detection and it doesn't seem to be something that people rank their reviews by.

 

[fenderman]

I have 2 Reolink 420s covering a screen enclosed pool behind my house. They are recording continuously on a Synology DiskStation and everything is working fine except for motion detection.

I need to capture the vertical screen area (doors and the rest) and 2-3 feet around the pool (if I lose track of my 3 year old for a minute and she goes to the edge of the pool). Using the motion detection settings from the cameras or from the Synology Surveillance System, I am getting tons of false positives caused shade/sunlight. I've played for days with the sensitivity/threshold settings and it's either false positives or no motion detection at all. I understand that image based motion detection is not great in general. But are there any cameras that I could get that do this fairly well in an outdoor/sunny (FL) setting? So I am just looking for much more reliable motion detection so I don't need to start installing IR motion sensors and pool surface motion detection. I have 2 days left to return the cameras so I'm really hoping to make a decision. I've been searching online for cameras ranked by motion detection and it doesn't seem to be something that people rank their reviews by.

No camera or ai can replace a pool alarm or other type of ultra reliable motion detector that emits a local alarm. You dont want your kid dead because your cameras motion detector failed to notify you.
The reolinks should be returned regardless, because they are reolinks.

 

[tech191]

Yes, I know how poorly this brand is regarded here and in general. I received them free of cost and put them up until I figured out what else to get. They are decent for my purpose (considering what I paid for them). But I was hoping to get some help on the motion detection side of things if I'm going to spend a good bit of money. I'm also looking into standalone motion sensors. But I was hoping to compliment whatever I'll be getting with better cameras. Also, as an aside, my kid is a pretty strong swimmer and can get herself out of the pool should she fall in...but that doesn't mean lack of vigilance on my part. So any suggestions on the camera front?

 

[tech191]

From reading many topics and the cliffnotes, it seems like despite its age, the IPC-HDW5231R-ZE seems to still be highly recommended. Is this still the case? Would motion detection be significantly better? I keep reading and the more I read the more confused I get. I'm not looking for the best image quality, but decent quality, and good motion detection.

 

[looney2ns]

The 5231 is a solid choice, and this one is worth considering as well.
Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-S Starlight+ | IP Cam Talk
It's AI actually works fairly well. But you will need a much better solution than the Diskstation, no matter what camera you choose.
Blue Iris running on a dedicated pc is the best bet.
I agree with @fenderman you need a real pool alarm, cameras or not, it could be a neighbors kid that falls in. Kids get into mischief if you've not heard.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Video is for surveillance or observation and not for use as an alarm system. Get a decent motion detector like fenderman says and, while those Reolink (realstink) cameras may seem attractive due to their price, dump them too. If you don't need sound, look at the 2231 series of turret cameras from Dahua as well and there is one, in that series, that also includes sound.

 

[Fastb]

I like the combo PIR + Radar unit.
It can be set to require a warm body (PIR) and movement (radar detected).
This can be connected to the "Alarm In" on the camera, which many cams support.

 

[tech191]

I like the combo PIR + Radar unit.

Is there a specific unit or manufacturer that comes to mind? I'll keep looking but so far I'm coming up empty handed

 

[sebastiantombs]

Just a quick one from an online alarm supply - Honeywell 5800PIR-OD Outdoor Motion Detector

 

[Fastb]

I use this one. Vary satisfied.

Bosch OD850-F1 Outdoor TriTech Detector (10.525 GHz)

Motion Analyzer II PIR signal processing Linear travel distance (LTD) microwave signal processing Two sensitivity levels Timed relay output adjustable from two sec to 10 min AND/OR mode

www.surveillance-video.com

 

[MadPup]

I have a IPC-HDW5231R-ZE (Disclaimer: I am a complete noob). I have given up on motion detection because it is not discriminating enough and have changed to using IVS (Intrusion option) which is an order of magnitude more accurate for triggers. Just reviewing today's footage I see 1 of about 30 clips that is a false positive. I assume tripwire might work well for you too. I'd suggest trying this and have your youngster help your configure/validate your settings.

BTW this is an awesome use of a security camera that I hadn't envisaged (being an empty nester, with no pool anyway). Kudos to you! There are 1000 ways to spend money on keeping your kids safe, including filling your pool with concrete, but let's get real, eh?

 

[tech191]

But you will need a much better solution than the Diskstation, no matter what camera you choose.

@looney2ns, thank you for the help! Is there no chance that the Synology 918+ can run 5231s or 5442s? I already have already bought the extra licenses and I'm for a number of reasons, it was my plan to run the cams on it, for a while at least. Can you please help me understand why these cameras need so much processing power compared to the cheaper ones??

 

[sebastiantombs]

Just for starters, the Dahua cameras actually supply the amount of video that the resolution requires. The Reostink cameras, set at 25FPS, usually send less than 10FPS at an iframe rate of .5 at best while Dahua sends 25FPS at 25 iframes. More data equals more processing power required. Then, add in the processing power needed to analyze all that additional data for movement. Some people seem satisfied with Synology, but if you want real, controllable, motion detection Blue Iris, or similar, is the only way to go. Just my opinion.

 

[streamnvr]

Why not just use sensor(s) to detect line-of-sight obstructions like your garage door opener

 

[essjay]

@looney2ns, thank you for the help! Is there no chance that the Synology 918+ can run 5231s or 5442s? I already have already bought the extra licenses and I'm for a number of reasons, it was my plan to run the cams on it, for a while at least. Can you please help me understand why these cameras need so much processing power compared to the cheaper ones??

It's not that the Synology can't record the footage, it's what additional features something like BlueIris will give you such as zones. In BI you can set up zones within a camera so that if an object (your daughter) goes from one zone to another, the motion sensor will activate. That's only the tip of the iceberg. Which do you want recording/monitoring; a "just good enough" software addition to the Synology platform targeted to make more sales or a dedicated and trusted piece of software aimed at CCTV (and potentially used by professionals) (BI)? I've often thought of getting a Synology to replace my Windows media server but when it comes to home security/CCTV, I went with (one of) the best tool for the job...

As others have mentioned above, don't count on CCTV to protect your 3 year old from the pool - even the best swimmers drown (I was a pool/beach lifeguard in my 20's). Unless it's proactively monitored, CCTV is only useful after the fact. The time taken for a motion to trigger and you to be alerted using CCTV could be 3-5 seconds and that's assuming you have a phone in your hard and can consume the alert immediately. It's a recipe for disaster.

 

[essjay]

The 5231 is a solid choice, and this one is worth considering as well.
Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-S Starlight+ | IP Cam Talk
It's AI actually works fairly well. But you will need a much better solution than the Diskstation, no matter what camera you choose.
Blue Iris running on a dedicated pc is the best bet.
I agree with @fenderman you need a real pool alarm, cameras or not, it could be a neighbors kid that falls in. Kids get into mischief if you've not heard.

This. I'm completely blown away by the T5442TM-AS over my 5231's. To the extent that I'm replacing some of them.

A PC for BlueIris is not expensive. I bought a HP ProDesk 600 G2 (i5-6500, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for under $200. BlueIris license is about $60. WD Purple 8TB is $220. Is it worth under $500 to do this properly?

Got a dog? My dog drowned in a pool.....