Recommendations for outdoor IP camera.

[gravy664]

Hi! Could I have a hand choosing a new camera?

I'm a little overwhelmed by choice: brands and rebrands and firmwares, oh my! It's to fit above a doorway to monitor activity on the long straight path leading to that door, and not in a high-security area. My budget ceiling is $200/£150, but I'm hoping to pay $150/£120 or less.

Here are my criteria. I've done some research, but I'd like to get some experienced opinions.


MUST

• At least 4MP.
• Low-profile. Needs to be mounted inconspicuously above a doorway. I can build into the soffits, but smaller the better. Dome-style would be best
• Good night vision, and proper night/day switching. Colour NV not necessary.
• API for me to fiddle with; will be interfacing directly with curl and RTSP instead of an built-in viewer or third-party viewer.
  • Motion detection event that I can catch from other applications.
  • Privacy masks.
  • Manual day/night switch (if necessary).
• Weatherproof. Will be sheltered, but outdoors. IP55/IP56 or better.
• Ethernet preferable to WiFi, but not PoE since my current switch is not PoE capable.
• RTSP.
• Web interface, as opposed to app-only control.

SHOULD

• ONVIF. I guess? As long as it has an API and RTSP
• Small FOV, or at least, not huge FOV.

WOULD BE NICE

• Mount sideways or rotate camera for tall-but-narrow image?

NO NEED

• PTZ.
• Audio in/out.
• Local storage.
• Vandal-proof.
• Visible lights.
• Face recognition, or any other 'AI' gubbish.

MUST NOT

• PoE. Possibly negotiable; I'd buy a new switch if the camera was otherwise perfect.

Are these too strict?


So far, I've found :

• Tapo has both the C320WS and the TC65, but they appear to be app control only, with no API.
• Axis M-series are beyond my budget.
• Reolink cameras appear not to have RTSP or API? Which Cameras/NVRs/Home Hub Can be Accessed via Web Browsers
• Amcrest/Dahua has... quirks : hangs, broken video files, missing motion events. Also, only 3 options for non-PoE.

Any other brands I should look at?

Thanks!

 

[looney2ns]

Buy one of these, and get your feet wet.
Best all around camera at this point is THIS

Stay away from Reolink junk, with the exception of their Door Bell cam.

Unless you want to be installing power for each camera, a POE switch is a must.
Stick with known good brands such as Netgear Pro Safe line or Tplink switches.

Spend some time reading here, you don't know what you don't know yet.

Dome cameras are problematic out doors due to stuff getting stuck to the dome.

 

[gravy664]

Buy one of these, and get your feet wet.
Best all around camera at this point is THIS

Ah, thank you. That camera ticks a lot of boxes, and it uses Dahua firmware which I'm familiar with, and I can work around some of the issues. I'd still be paying for a lot of tech I'll never use, and there's the issue of trans-atlantic repairs, but it's definitely on the list.

Unless you want to be installing power for each camera, a POE switch is a must.
Stick with known good brands such as Netgear Pro Safe line or Tplink switches.

It'll be a new build, and the sparky's not been in yet, so I can run power wherever I need. Besides, back in my day power ran along power cables, and signal ran along signal cables, and never the twain shall meet. Yeah, fine, USB, whatever.

Dome cameras are problematic out doors due to stuff getting stuck to the dome.

Not a problem. I'll be passing it twice daily, and my hideous human limbs can reach it for cleaning.

 

[Ri22o]

There are also other problems that can arise from domes.

Fading/hazing/clouding of the dome. (Replacement domes are typically not available.)
IR reflection.
Water spots.

 

[gravy664]

There are also other problems that can arise from domes.

Ah. I guess I'll be looking for a turret or bullet then.

 

[wittaj]

There are also other problems that can arise from domes.

Fading/hazing/clouding of the dome. (Replacement domes are typically not available.)
IR reflection.
Water spots.

You mean like this LOL:

The big issue is that the domes will hold onto water droplets much longer than other cameras and thus any dirt on it can then become problematic. And during a rain event with IR, the camera is basically blind...but even without rain, the reflections of lights even outside the field of view can throw weird reflections into the dome.

The domes attract lots of dust. Then rain. Then dirty rain spots. Glare from all angles of the sun. Then over time the sun will "fog" the dome like a car headlight.

We have more people coming here posting a problem picture at night thinking there is a problem with their dome camera when in reality it is the IR bounce from some object that the dome is then capturing and magnifying.

 

[looney2ns]

Nothing like asking for advice, then wanting to dispute said advice.

 

[gravy664]

Nothing like asking for advice, then wanting to dispute said advice.

Dispute? You suggested a dome, and then two people mention problems with domes. Am I... not supposed to collate multiple opinions?

For what it's worth, a dome is still in the running since the location is sheltered from direct sun and rain, and it will be far easier to build into the soffits. Now I have to decide whether I can live with the IR artefacts.

 

[CCTVCam]

I think its the fact you said you'll add it to the list.

BTW he didn't suggest a dome. He suggested a Turret. Similar to a dome in form but with flat glass lenses.

Ultimately, there is no list. That is single handidly the best camera for reasonable money out there. Most consumer cameras are junk at night. They cannot sustain the necessary shutter speeds / low gain to get a decent nightime picture. If you want to list others fine, your choice. But be aware you'll be most likely compromising your picture especially at night. The only other consideration is a 4kt but that's more expensive, and needs some light to operate. It also has it's own set of challenges which is why the the model Looney linked to is the go to choice for users on here. Find a better one, and we'd all like to know about it as collectively people on here have tested many tens if not hundreds of cameras.

Buy cheap, get cheap. As for paying for unecessary features, those come for free. Your paying for the camera quality. I use virtually no features on my cameras other than basic adjustments and time schedule. Everything else is done in BI (or it would be an NVR if you take that route, in which case you need to spec the NVR correctly so it meets your needs).

 

[gravy664]

I think its the fact you said you'll add it to the list.

I was hoping I'd have more than one practicable option!

BTW he didn't suggest a dome. He suggested a Turret. Similar to a dome in form but with flat glass lenses.

Ah, you're right. I mixed it up with another EmpireTech I was looking at. Apologies, looney2ns.

Ultimately, there is no list. That is single handidly the best camera for reasonable money out there. Most consumer cameras are junk at night. They cannot sustain the necessary shutter speeds / low gain to get a decent nightime picture. If you want to list others fine, your choice. But be aware you'll be most likely compromising your picture especially at night. The only other consideration is a 4kt but that's more expensive, and needs some light to operate. It also has it's own set of challenges which is why the the model Looney linked to is the go to choice for users on here. Find a better one, and we'd all like to know about it as collectively people on here have tested many tens if not hundreds of cameras.

Buy cheap, get cheap. As for paying for unecessary features, those come for free. Your paying for the camera quality. I use virtually no features on my cameras other than basic adjustments and time schedule. Everything else is done in BI (or it would be an NVR if you take that route, in which case you need to spec the NVR correctly so it meets your needs).

There is no BI or NVR; everything is piped into custom home automation software, hence why I needed an API and RTSP.

As for buying cheap, I'm currently running a couple of Amcrest IP4Ms which are fine for my purposes except for the firmware, which is why I was hoping I had another option.

If the IPC-T54IR-ZE-S3 is the only reasonable choice, then that's the one I'll go for. Thank you all for your time.

 

[CCTVCam]

Wouldn't say it's the only reasonable choice, but if you're asking for the best camera for the money at a reasonable price, then that's it. Practically anything else will compromise the picture unless you go for spending considerably more money. As for RTSP, home automation, beyond my knowledge. Check the specs.

 

[Rob2020]

"and there's the issue of trans-atlantic repairs"

I have mix of six Dahua/EmpireTech cams, several have been recording 24/7/365 for four years with zero issues. Roughly 35,000 hours of non-stop use.

 

[gravy664]

I have mix of six Dahua/EmpireTech cams, several have been recording 24/7/365 for four years with zero issues. Roughly 35,000 hours of non-stop use.

'Worst case scenario' is my - somewhat unwieldy - middle name. Family tradition. Don't ask.

 

[gravy664]

Wouldn't say it's the only reasonable choice, but if you're asking for the best camera for the money at a reasonable price, then that's it. Practically anything else will compromise the picture unless you go for spending considerably more money.

I'm convinced! It's just that my inner Scrooge is wincing at paying $250 (including Amazon's international shipping + fees + customs) for my purposes.

 

[wittaj]

I'm convinced! It's just that my inner Scrooge is wincing at paying $250 (including Amazon's international shipping + fees + customs) for my purposes.

Make sure you DM @EMPIRETECANDY for available purchasing options. Many members here from the UK have bought from him.

 

[gravy664]

Make sure you DM @EMPIRETECANDY for available purchasing options. Many members here from the UK have bought from him.

Ah. I tried to order on EmpireTech's website (having read the FAQ that says they ship to anywhere), but I could only select USA or Canada. I might just stick with Amazon anyway since they've made the process frictionless (dealing with UK customs after the fact is a pain), which I guess I'd be OK paying for.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

UK Customs is easy to deal with. No worry, buy on amazon also ok, have the sales this week. And may win some cams