Outdoor PTZ recommendation

[buyman]

Hi guys,

I have been reading the forum for a while now and I am very impressed by the great information, though it can be somewhat overwhelming.

I am looking for a PTZ camera to be used for monitoring farmland here in Florida. We need PTZ, as we need to shift our focus to different areas at different times.

The camera will be out in the field completely exposed to the elements.

I was thinking of one of the following three models:
SD6CE230U-HNI, SD59225U-HNI or SD49225T-HN.

The most important thing for us is that the camera be very reliable in terms of handling the weather, as well as from a firmware point of view, since it will not be convenient to get out to the field to fiddle with it. We will not need any of the AI features. Obviously, we would like the cheapest model that would satisfy our needs.

In particular, I have the following questions:
1. The SD6CE230U-HNI is rated IP67, while the other two IP66. I know what these specs mean, and on paper IP66 should be good enough, but I don't know if that is true in the real world, and would love feedback on that.

2. The SD59225U-HNI is from the pro series, and the SD49225T-HN is from the lite series and much cheaper, but otherwise with almost identical specs. Except for less AI capabilities of the lite series, and the other minor spec differences, is there any major difference between the two? In particular, the SD49225T-HN is much lighter, suggesting a less robust construction, but I may be wrong. Any feedback on the important differences between the two cameras would be great.

3. I have tried to follow the thread of the SD59225U-HNI but it is impossible being over 100 pages long. I could not figure out if this camera is reliable enough (firmware wise) to simply install and forget. Clarifying this point would be great.

Thanks in advance!

 

[pinko]

Sounds like an interesting project.
All those models should be pretty much trouble free. If install properly water ingress should not be an issue. The firmware updates can be done via web browser interface on your PC.
The only maintenance I do on the PTZ's is to clean the lense area. Most of the time I use and extension broom handle with soft cloth attached.
Sounds like your probably should pick up a SD49225T-HN....

Are you monitoring stock/ crops/ nature or something else?
How are you planning on powering the PTZ?
What sort of range do you need?
How much range do you need @ night and do you need great or just ok night images.
Answer some of these questions and one of us will point you in the right direction.

 

[buyman]

@pinko great questions

1. Just monitoring general activity in the area. I.e., if workers are around or not, etc. No major zoom capabilities are strictly needed, but we want to keep the option open.
2. Powering is an interesting issue we are working on. Most probably batteries, either solar powered, or that we will be replaced with charged packs every few days. I believe this would be the biggest challenge. Data will be sent most probably on a cellular network. We will tackle exactly how to do that later. I am an electronics engineer, and also did some programming, so I am not afraid of this aspect (but will probably still ask for advice when the time comes ).
3. Night monitoring is not needed.

 

[pinko]

Looks like the SD49225T-HN is firmly on your radar then.
You might be better off with a pair of ubiquity NS-5AC's or NSM5's for transmission. The NSM5's are pretty cheap (older model), but will work perfectly all the time.
Others might be able to help with powering options.

 

[pinko]

If you want to take my Dahua SD59225U-HNI for a test drive. Just contact by PM.
I'm in +10 GMT timezone. So if you want day time test drive you will have to work out a suitable time.

 

[buyman]

If you want to take my Dahua SD59225U-HNI for a test drive. Just contact by PM.
I'm in +10 GMT timezone. So if you want day time test drive you will have to work out a suitable time.

Thanks for the generous offer! However, I think that it is not necessary at this stage to bother you with that.

 

[buyman]

Can anybody shed some more light on the second question in my original post (the one concerning SD59225U-HNI compared to SD49225T-HN)?

 

[jmcu]

If I were to pick the cams you listed SD6CE230U-HNI, SD59225U-HNI or SD49225T-HN, they would be in that order.

I think the build quality of the 6ce is much better than the black face PTZ's. All these cams would be great choices but I would prefer a IP 67 / IK 10.
I know you said night monitoring is not needed but this cam will also have better IR.

The 59225 would be fine as well and a great cam but I wouldn't pick the 49225 for what you would save.
What I have found is with Dahua PTZ cameras, when the specs are "close" - the cameras can be very different.

 

[pinko]

SD59225U-HNI vs SD49225T-HN

SD59225U-HNI is a better spec. You get AI features like Heatmap, Autotracking, longer IR Distance, Image stabilization. I've highlighted differences below.

 

[CastleSurveillance]

ou listed SD6CE230U-HNI, SD59225U-HNI or SD49225T-HN, they would be in that order.

I just went through looking for a PTZ for my home and chose SD59225U-HNI per Andy's recommendation. This is because it will do best in dark conditions.

I think in general - the 59225 is the best bang for your buck on market.

 

[adamg]

For a deployment that is only viewing daytime footage, and only via a metered data connection, I would suggest considering only powering the camera on a schedule. You could use some form of remote IO relay or configured timer relay to limit the camera's power to only certain times. Perhaps you could have it power up once every 30 minutes, give it a few minutes to boot, do a 'Preset Tour' that gives you an image of the entire 360 field of view, then power off. The main trick there would be to have the remote connection to a video storage / management server that connects while the camera is up, records the footage, and is able to reconnect the next time the camera appears on the network. The camera config would be pretty easy, just set presets that give appropriate zoom level field of views to survey the entire 360, create a tour through those presets, and set the idle action to be that tour.

 

[tibimakai]

Maybe this is better?!
SD49225XA-HNR