Please Help with Front Porch Area

[ipcamsupernoob]

Hi. Thanks for your help with my driveway area. I posted a thread yesterday and got very helpful replies.

Here’s an overview of my front:

From yesterday’s post, you helped me plan my driveway cameras:

1 & 2: IPC-HDW5231R-ZE on the soffit (10 ft high) - To target for those at the beginning of my driveway.

3: IPC-HDBW4231F-AS mini dome or IPC-HDW4231EM-ASE - To catch a good angle on those w/in 10 feet of the garage door and those approaching my front steps.

I need help with my front porch area. Here’s some close up pictures of the area:

The only thing I’ve figured out in the front porch area is to install a IPC-HDW4231EM-ASE in area #4 beside my Ring Doorbell.

I would appreciate suggestions on where else to position cameras.

I put numbers in areas where I think you might suggest a camera for ease. Thanks a million.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mat200]

Spot #4 is looking good.

 

[bababouy]

Spot 5 would cover the windows and most of the door way. You may need two here, one facing in towards the door and one facing out from the door.

 

[ipcamsupernoob]

Spot 5 would cover the windows and most of the door way. You may need two here, one facing in towards the door and one facing out from the door.

Hi. So you think a mini dome in spot 4 and a turret in spot 5?

 

[bababouy]

The camera type really depends on your person preference and how the housing affects the aesthetics of the house. If you are going for form of function, then you would get the least obtrusive looking camera like a mike dome or wedge. The chip set can be the same in each one of these housings. You are going to have to look at the camera's specs before you purchase anything. In my opinion, and a popular one around here, domes are tough because the globe gets dusty and dirty and need to be cleaned frequently, but are not easy to move, like a bullet. If you are going to mount a camera low, a mini dome or wedge would be ideal. A turret with a 2.8mm lens would be ideal in position 5 because you are not looking for depth in the capture.

 

[mat200]

Hi @ipcamsupernoob

FYI -

I use the Dahua OEM 2MP starlight mini-dome wedge camera at eye level right next to the front door, 2.8mm ( picked it up from Andy ).

It is the only dome camera I have, as dome can be problematic.

I counter the common issues by
1) Using a starlight camera in a location which has enough lighting 24/7 to remain in color mode all the time - so IR lights never turn on. Thus no issues with internal IR light reflection.
2) The location is shaded for most of the day - thus minimum direct UV exposure and heat. Which over the long term will decay the dome and foam/rubber around the lens.

The 2 lens version recently came out, and it is worth considering as my current placement is designed to catch faces of people and not watch packages at the foot of the door.
( hard to angle it for both in my location )

 

[ipcamsupernoob]

Hi @mat200 and @bababouy! Thanks for your help. So I'm thinking:

Position 4:IPC-HDBW4231F-AS mini dome at face level for identification of guests
Position 5: IPC-HDW5231R-ZE aimed towards the front door

 

[bababouy]

I'm not real familiar with Andy's model numbers, but if that's a dome and a turret, you are in good shape.

 

[BobSmooth]

What’s your budget super noob? If you don’t mind me asking. I’m looking into throwing up some photos and asking for help as well but I’m on a tight budget. Just looking into how much I may need before I post here like you did.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Bob... Start small and grow. I add a new camera about every two months. I first got a blue iris PC. Then added a single front door and rear door camera. I now have 9 cameras, both inside and out. I use dahua 2mp starlight turret cameras outside. And hikvision cube cameras inside. I have tried other brand cameras to save money, but junked them. Buy quality. Go slow and learn.