Recommendation for suitable cams from Dahua oder Empiretech for our property (floor plan included)

[Santiago79]

A few days ago some burglars came to our house. Fortunately our alarm system detected well und they went away without stealing something. Now we would like to have some cameras around our property. First I thought Unifi (I have Poe switch und Cloud Key from Unifi) would be a good brand for me but they offer not so many models and are very expensive.
After a lot of reading I think Dahua or Empiretech would be a great deal for me but I'm not sure which brand and which models.
I would like to have three cams with Poe und two way talking (green arrows) an one with Wifi (blue arrow). I choosed the position of the cams because of the possibility to reach them with network cables.
All cams should be connected to a non Poe NVR. The NVR records 24/7 of the Poe cams, the Wifi cam should only record with motion detect.


Can you help me?

Maybe @EMPIRETECANDY is also reading here

 

[looney2ns]

Be sure to study this: Cliff Notes

Best all around camera at this time: HERE

 

[Santiago79]

Thanks for your reply. I have studied the cliff notes
Why did you recommend the IPC-T54IR-ZE-S3?
What about the IPC-Color4K-T 8MP? This one has a larger sensor (1/1.2" to 1/1.8") and LED illumination. Is there something against this model?
I have mentioned, that I would I would like to have two way talking. The only suitable turret cam I found is a Dahua. The IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV has this feature but the sensor seems to be a little bit small (1/2.8"). What do you think about the red an blue LEDs on the Dahua. Does it makes sense or is it just a useless gimmick?

 

[wittaj]

Thanks for your reply. I have studied the cliff notes
Why did you recommend the IPC-T54IR-ZE-S3?
What about the IPC-Color4K-T 8MP? This one has a larger sensor (1/1.2" to 1/1.8") and LED illumination. Is there something against this model?
I have mentioned, that I would I would like to have two way talking. The only suitable turret cam I found is a Dahua. The IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV has this feature but the sensor seems to be a little bit small (1/2.8"). What do you think about the red an blue LEDs on the Dahua. Does it makes sense or is it just a useless gimmick?

The 4K-T camera makes a great OVERVIEW camera, but it has a very narrow focus depth of 15-18 feet, so anything shorter or longer than that distance will be soft/blurry.

So the ZE is still the king of the hill and the most versatile. The S3 chipset works very well in low light. And you can adjust the focus to fit your field of view.


You will find that the two-way audio is walkie talkie like and most here do not use it. You press the mic button and talk and then let go so you can hear the next person. And there is a several second lag. Most of us with two-way audio never use it outside of the initial play period with it. Or to send an audio alarm.

One of those things that in theory sounds good, but reality it just doesn't cut it for a conversation. Works good to yell "get off my lawn" but to have a conversation, forget it.




The 3849 is a horrible camera that should have never been sold.

This is active deterrence camera on an 8MP on a 1/2.8" sensor, so it is on a horrible MP/sensor ratio. You cannot have enough light at night for it to perform well. That sensor is designed for 2MP so a 2MP camera will kick its butt all night long.

Even worse, since this 8MP is on the same sensor and CPU as a 2MP non TIOC camera and there are many threads here showing how under-performing that 3849 is. They had to limit bitrate and other parameters on the 3849 to try to make it functional, and it just doesn't cut it.

In my opinion the 3849 should not be sold with that current MP/sensor and CPU combination, but alas everybody wants 4k and chases MP over sensor and this camera is the epitome of that thinking.

Further, the red/blue flashing lights are more gimmicky and are certainly not a deterrent. With any ambient light you won't see the red/blue flashing unless you are looking right at the camera.

If you want active deterrence, your best bet is to go with the 2MP IPC-T5241H-AS-PV that will blink the white light. This is on the ideal MP/sensor ratio and will perform comparably to any similar 2MP fixed lens camera by Dahua. I have two of them. I have some of the other active deterrence cams as well, and would opt for the 2MP in every instance except for indoor, one could go with the IPC-HDW3449HP-AS-PV that has the red/blue lights that will bounce off the walls and be much more impressive than outside.

Lot's of threads here where people showed how bad the 3849 camera is in performing:

IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV issues

IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV loses connection/reboots during the day

Replaced HDW5442TMP-ASE by HFW3849T1P

Dahua 8mp (TIOC): Full Colour, Active Deterrence & AI

IPC-HDW3849H-AS-PV Video Quality

 

[Santiago79]

Thanks a lot. Very helpful!!
What about my idea to have a 180° cam on neighbours garage wall in the south? The IPC-Color4K-T180 seems to be a good cam. With 180° I am able to a have a view over my whole garden and the windows in the ground floor (south and west). But maybe a 100° (for example) would be enough because its not that interesting what's in the back of the garden. More important is to know if someone is at my windows.... What do you think about that? 180°, 100° oder second cam for south and west?

 

[wittaj]

The 180 is truly an OVERVIEW camera. Maybe at 15 feet it could be used for IDENTIFY, so if your primary purpose is to be able to see your whole side and what is going on, it is a good choice. But to try to IDENTIFY someone 40 feet away won't happen.

 

[Ri22o]

More important is to know if someone is at my windows....

Do you want to know if SOMEONE is at your windows?
Or do you want to know WHO is at your windows?

 

[Santiago79]

Of course who would be nice but someone will suffice. It depends on the costs

 

[Ri22o]

Of course who would be nice but someone will suffice. It depends on the costs

Camera cost is about the same, if not cheaper for the non-180 fixed/varifocal T54IR cams, but ultimately you end up with more cameras because each one has a specific job and a specific FOV.


I started with a Lorex system. I bought and installed a Lorex analog MPX system. They were 2MP cameras in 2.8mm focal lengths. I then won a Lorex giveaway and was sent a 2K IP camera system with 2 turrets and 4 bullets and ran the two systems in parallel.

I managed to get a usable capture of a neighborhood vandal, but it wasn't all that great. It mainly confirmed the suspect, but wasn't good enough to search someone down.

What ultimately pushed me to using Blue Iris and Loryta/Empiretech cameras was when my house was struck by lightning; it took out my Lorex systems and I needed to start over. From the little dabbling I did with the NVR my BI experience has been night and day. Cameras multiply like rabbits; once you can see part of your property you will want to see all of your property. This is especially true when something happens and you realize there is a hole in your coverage.

A properly spec'd Loryta/Empiretech camera and system may increase your budget a little, but the goal is to have usable footage. I look at my camera system as an investment; let's say the whole thing has cost me $5000. That is a lot of money, but I now have a higher chance of catching the vandals, thieves, stranger dangerers, etc that come around my house and, because of this, have a greater chance of recovering my loss. If I had not made the investment I would likely be out my loss PLUS adding on the cost of the system for the next time it might happen. I have had a couple friends get interested in putting in a system, but it never goes anywhere once I tell them it's more than just slapping up a couple cameras from Costco. This is very similar to your situation as you are being reactive and not proactive. What would happen if they had managed to get in and take things? You now have the cost of the system on top of the loss.

I have come a long way in a short amount of time and have been fortunate enough to be able to retain the footage to document my learning journey. Check out my thread below. The first group of captures are from my Lorex systems. You can see the difference between a basic system of just wanting to see around your house vs a purposefully installed system of wanting to ID.

Buy once, cry once, and get experience and knowledge along the way.

"I want 2.8mm cameras everywhere to see everything..." - This is why you need specific FOVs with purposeful focal lengths.

I have gained a lot of knowledge since I signed up and wanted to share my experience and examples of improvements and changes for others who are coming from a "I want 2.8mm cameras everywhere to see everything" system mentality. My ongoing "build/looking for advice" thread can be found here...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[flynreelow]

@Santiago79

truly take this info to heart.

these guys have years of experience in this field.