Residential Entry Cam Recommendation

[wicked_chicken]

Hello,

I want to mount a camera at my front door to provide more reliable identification and monitoring of my porch. From front door to porch end is 18 ft. Camera height will be between 7 and 10 feet. I'd prefer 4k or better. Here are pics for reference.


Install will be hardwire/poe.

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated.

 

[TonyR]

How about a picture of the front door and/or mounting area.
Never mind, I failed to click on the image to see the door.
Will one or both ceiling lights be on all night?

 

[wicked_chicken]

How about a picture of the front door and/or mounting area.
Never mind, I failed to click on the image to see the door.
Will one or both ceiling lights be on all night?

Usually, yes, but we'd prefer something IR in case we forget.

 

[wicked_chicken]

The N53AL52 seems like a potential solution.

 

[wittaj]

The camera you picked is not on an ideal MP/Sensor ratio.

It is simple LOL do not chase MP - do not buy a 4MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/1.8" sensor. Do not buy a 2MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/2.8" sensor. Do not buy a 4K (8MP) camera on anything smaller than a 1/1.2" sensor. Unfortunately, most 4k cams are on the same sensor as a 2MP and thus the 2MP will kick its butt all night long as the 4k will need 4 times the light than the 2MP... 4k will do very poor at night unless you have stadium quality lighting (well a lot of lighting LOL). Starlight, ColorVu, Full Color, etc. are simply marketing terms, so don't be sold on those names.

My neighbor was bragging to me how he only needed his four 2.8mm fixed lens 4k cams to see his entire property and the street and his whole backyard. His car was sitting in the driveway practically touching the garage door and his video quality was useless to ID the perp not even 10 feet away. Meanwhile my 2MP varifocal optically zoomed in to the public sidewalk provided the money shot to the police to get my neighbors all their stuff back. Nobody else had video that could provide anything useful, other than what time this motion blur ghost was at their car.

You need to get the correct camera for the area trying to be covered. A wide angle 2.8mm to IDENTIFY someone 40 feet away is the wrong camera regardless of how good the camera is. A 2.8mm camera to IDENTIFY someone within 10 feet is a good choice OR it is an overview camera to see something happened but not be able to identify who.

One camera cannot be the be all, see all. Each one is selected for covering a specific area. Most of us here have different brands and types, from fixed cams, to varifocals, to PTZs, each one selected for it's primary purpose and to utilize the strength of that particular camera.

So you will need to identify the distance the camera would be from the activities you want to IDENTIFY on and purchase the correct camera for that distance as an optical zoom. Maybe it is a 2MP camera...

Since you want a camera that has IR in the event you forget to turn the lights on, the 5442 series is the one you want.

I assume they would be walking towards the camera? If so, a 2.8mm lens is probably ok.

Amazon.com

 

[wicked_chicken]

Like mentioned in my original post, I want to identify within 18 feet. Thank you.

 

[Duh987]

That sort of bottle next most cameras will likely do.

I have a few amcrests and reolinks. It would think it would be more one what you want it to look like. If you want it to stick out as a camera or be a little more discrete.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Rule #1 - Cameras multiply like rabbits.
Rule #2 - Cameras are more addictive than drugs.
Rule #3 - You never have enough cameras.

Quick guide -

The smaller the lux number the better the low light performance. 0.002 is better than 0.02
The smaller the "F" of the lens the better the low light performance. F1.4 is better than F1.8
The larger the sensor the better the low light performance. 1/1.8" is better (bigger) than 1/2.7"
The higher the megapixels for the same size sensor the worse the low light performance. A 4MP camera with a 1/1.8" sensor will perform better than a 8MP camera with that same 1/1.8" sensor.

720P - 1/3" = .333"
2MP - 1/2.8" = .357" (think a .38 caliber bullet)
4MP - 1/1.8" = .555" (bigger than a .50 caliber bullet or ball)
8MP - 1/1.2" = .833" (bigger than a 20mm chain gun round)

 

[looney2ns]

Usually, yes, but we'd prefer something IR in case we forget.

One of these can cure the forget part Light switch. You can set the switch to turn on and off at sunrise/sunset.

One of these mounted at 7ft would work well.
Buy it in a varifocal version so you can accurately adjust for the FOV that you want.
Paint it to match the stucco.
Review-OEM Loryta IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal 4mp camera (Dahua) | IP Cam Talk

 

[mat200]

The N53AL52 seems like a potential solution.

Like mentioned in my original post, I want to identify within 18 feet. Thank you.

Hi @wicked_chicken

By the front door many of us want to also get the package drop area and thus I suspect you may need 2 cameras ( or a camera with a dual lens ) if you want to do that.

FYI - Camera in question:
N53AL52
Body: Dome

Features
1/2.7 in. 5 MP Progressive-scan CMOS Sensor
Triple-stream Encoding
Smart H.265+ and Smart H.264+ Dual Codec
5 MP (2592 x 1944) at 20 fps, 2.8 mm Fixed Lens
Starlight Technology for Low-light Applications
Analytics+ Function – Perimeter Protection
Smart Motion Detection for Improved Alarm Accuracy
True Wide Dynamic Range (120 dB) and Day/Night IR Cut Filter
Maximum IR LED Distance 50 m (164.04 ft)
ArcticPro Series Camera - Operational down to –40° C (–40° F)
IP67 Ingress Protection and IK10 Vandal Resistance

 

[sebastiantombs]

Have a look at this one, but it does need some extra light at night especially if your want color at night-

Review-Dahua/EmpireTech Dual lens IPC-HDBW5441F-AS-E2 (The Boobie Cam Upgrade)

EmpireTech Dual lens IPC-HDBW5441F-AS-E2 courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Purchase direct by Email: Andy's Email...

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