Review-Dahua/EmpireTech new doorbell cam Db6l 5mp

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Does this have POE? I am doing a new house build right now and really have only been planning on running ethernet cable, not 2 wire doorbell wire. I've been looking at the VTO2111D-P-S2 but this looks smaller/sleeker.
 

GaryOkie

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Does this Dahua doorbell accept Dahua HTTP CGI commands over port 80 and expose events? Apparently the Dahua subsidiary Lorex 2K doorbell doesn't.
 

GaryOkie

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I was hoping that would not be the case, but thanks for confirming. ONVIF support in Home Assistant can not detect button press event and motion detection is quite limited.
 

user8963

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yeah.. 2301 has poe.. found it also a few days ago. also discussed in another thread here.

All old VTO can be used as standalone, no need for display. You can register the app directly.

Only problem is, that you cannot add a chime to it. Dahua dont want to link the relay in the firmware to the button press.. always the chinese favour of a half perfect device. They are obsessed with it for some reason.
 
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green1

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yeah.. 2301 has poe.. found it also a few days ago. also discussed in another thread here.

All old VTO can be used as standalone, no need for display. You can register the app directly.

Only problem is, that you cannot add a chime to it. Dahua dont want to link the relay in the firmware to the button press.. always the chinese favour of a half perfect device. They are obsessed with it for some reason.
Too bad the vto models are lower resolution than the doorbell version. As you said, no perfect product.
I will say, if this is anything like the amcrest version, you might as well figure it as not having a chime relay either. Seems if you hook it up to a chime, there's a high probability of frying it.

Even if I go with this camera, I'll have to build a relay to trigger the chime, because I already lost two ad410 doorbells by hooking them up to my existing chime, I won't do that again. So might as well use VTO, at least you get Ethernet for stability. Of course you also have a bulkier device on your doorframe, and lower resolution, so there's no winning.

I just desperately need to get rid of those awful Skybell HDs I have now!
 

GaryOkie

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I will say, if this is anything like the amcrest version, you might as well figure it as not having a chime relay either. Seems if you hook it up to a chime, there's a high probability of frying it.
I just desperately need to get rid of those awful Skybell HDs I have now!
The Amcrest models do come with a chime kit and it is essential for connecting to an existing chime. That is how mine is hooked up and it works perfectly - using the existing 52year old 24vac transformer, wiring and mechanical ding-donger. Surely all these other Dahua variants also come with a chime kit. If you are saying that your package did not include the chime kit and you connected the doorbell without it - well, maybe that's why both had failed.

Yeah, I had Skybell HD originally too, and am definitely glad to get rid of it.
 

green1

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The Amcrest models do come with a chime kit and it is essential for connecting to an existing chime. That is how mine is hooked up and it works perfectly - using the existing 52year old 24vac transformer, wiring and mechanical ding-donger. Surely all these other Dahua variants also come with a chime kit. If you are saying that your package did not include the chime kit and you connected the doorbell without it - well, maybe that's why both had failed.

Yeah, I had Skybell HD originally too, and am definitely glad to get rid of it.
Mine came with the chime kit, I used the chime kit, the first doorbell died after a week, the second lasted 5 minutes. I spent literal weeks going back and forth with amcrest who confirmed I had everything wired, and configured correctly.

A simple Google search shows MANY similar issues from other people on the same model, but never do you see those issues on other manufacturer's doorbells (i.e. ring, Skybell, etc). I'm glad yours has not failed yet, however the sheer number who have is why I would never even consider hooking one of these up to a chime, it's just begging for trouble.
 

user8963

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Too bad the vto models are lower resolution than the doorbell version. As you said, no perfect product.
I will say, if this is anything like the amcrest version, you might as well figure it as not having a chime relay either. Seems if you hook it up to a chime, there's a high probability of frying it.

Even if I go with this camera, I'll have to build a relay to trigger the chime, because I already lost two ad410 doorbells by hooking them up to my existing chime, I won't do that again. So might as well use VTO, at least you get Ethernet for stability. Of course you also have a bulkier device on your doorframe, and lower resolution, so there's no winning.

I just desperately need to get rid of those awful Skybell HDs I have now!
Can you give any explanation why a higher resolution is better???

2MP 1/2.8" sensor max. bitrate 8192kbps 25/30fps
16:9
H: 110°; V: 62°; D: 133°

5MP 1/2.9" sensor max bitrate (?) 15fps
4:3
H: 124°; V: 92°; D: 164°


At the end of the day your 5MP doorbell will look like interpolated 2MP and a lot of wasted space on your harddrive.
What a great deal.
 

green1

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For security applications fps is a waste. I also hadn't seen those disappointing field of view angles. Nor had I noticed that the lower resolution is also at a worse aspect ratio.
If you can't see how more resolution allows you to identify more people though....

Yikes, this certainly isn't making those door stations look any more appealing! Wish they'd put a better camera in them.
 

user8963

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For security applications fps is a waste. I also hadn't seen those disappointing field of view angles. Nor had I noticed that the lower resolution is also at a worse aspect ratio.
If you can't see how more resolution allows you to identify more people though....

Yikes, this certainly isn't making those door stations look any more appealing! Wish they'd put a better camera in them.
I think you dont understand these doorbells. why do you need a better camera inside? its a doorbell, not a surveillance camera.

1. if they would put a better camera inside, the housing would be huge
2. if they would add a better processor/sensor, the price would be higher
3. the fish-eye lens cause distortion, so you wouldnt be able to identify someone over 2m anyway
4. because its 4:3 aspect ratio they may have already cropped the real image and removed some of the distortion with software, which may worse the image already or maybe its a 4:3 sensor, there are no specs whats inside...
5. looney didnt say anything about max bitrate settings, most cheap doorbells have 4096 or 6144 as maximum, with 5mp this is terrible and most not be a huge improvement over 2mp with 8192
6. with the sensor size and the higher pixels the night vision is not the best
7. even if you have lower fps , 5MP eats more space than 2MP, even if you run it on VBR

so i ask again.
why do need a high resolution camera inside doorbell ?
 
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green1

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I think you dont understand these doorbells. why do you need a better camera inside? its a doorbell, not a surveillance camera.

1. if they would put a better camera inside, the housing would be huge
2. if they would add a better processor/sensor, the price would be higher
3. the fish-eye lens cause distortion, so you wouldnt be able to identify someone over 2m anyway
4. because its 4:3 aspect ratio they may have already cropped the real image and removed some of the distortion with software, which may worse the image already or maybe its a 4:3 sensor, there are no specs whats inside...
5. looney didnt say anything about max bitrate settings, most cheap doorbells have 4096 or 6144 as maximum, with 5mp this is terrible and most not be a huge improvement over 2mp with 8192
6. with the sensor size and the higher pixels the night vision is not the best
7. even if you have lower fps , 5MP eats more space than 2MP, even if you run it on VBR

so i ask again.
why do need a high resolution camera inside doorbell ?
For exactly the same reasons I stated the first time, with higher resolution you can identify more people at further distances. Given your argument, you might as well save bandwidth by having a two pixel by two pixel sensor. You won't be able to see anything, but apparently that's not important.
There's no reason a good doorbell camera cannot double as a security camera for that area. Not all of us want our houses to look like some drug den with thousands of cameras everywhere. In the week that my ad410 work properly, I found the camera to be very good at being able to identify people anywhere on my property. The higher megapixel count was the reason for that, the lower megapixel count of the skybell in comparison was unable to identify people at those distances. The fisheye lens is actually crucial in a doorbell camera, because it's the only way of getting enough field to view in that small area. So for the door stations to be missing those, causes problems in that I'm unlikely to be able to see people's faces. This is only made worse by the wide short aspect ratio, that makes it more likely that heads be cut off.

Basically, they put a better camera sensor in the smaller doorbell, than in the huge bulky VTO, your size comparison is the reverse of reality.keep in mind, that smartphone cameras these days are 10 megapixel, and although the optics will never beat a DSLR, a generate amazing pictures. And smartphones are no bigger than an acceptable doorbell.
 

CCTVCam

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I think you dont understand these doorbells. why do you need a better camera inside? its a doorbell, not a surveillance camera.
I disagree - it's a door fitted surveillance camera. If you wanted a doorbell, you'd buy just a doorbell. You wouldn't spend another $200 when a $10 doorbell would do.

The point of a doorbell camera is to catch interactions at the door that your other cameras looking out can't see because they're looking out not back at the door. Yes you could place a camera looking along the side of the door, but I think many prefer a doorbell camera because it's more discreet and captures the face on rather than side on profile. It also can't be interfered with without walking up 1st in it's field of view.

I also disagree it would have to be massive. There are many dashcameras out there that offer better picture quality than the current crop of doorbell cameras and yet are small in size. You have to think that maybe their designers are just ahead in the minaturisation design game.

I think one of the other manufacturers may have been onto something with the dual view camera. One of the issues with doorbells in my opinion is the lens are fisheye so you get too much distortion, reflection and too little resolution. A narrower main lens with the addition of a 2nd narrow view lower quality camera specifically to watch the doorstep for parcels seems like a good idea.
 

wittaj

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Even with a higher MP, at night much beyond 2m would be difficult to IDENTIFY strangers because the focal length is going to be small. I find it hard to believe you can IDENTIFY complete strangers on your property from your doorbell camera unless your front yard is a meter deep LOL. Little do we realize how much WE can identify a known person just by hair style, clothing, walking pace, gait, etc., but a total stranger, forget about it.

Dash cameras also are not out in the elements 24/7 like a doorbell...
 

CCTVCam

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I agree it's no substitute for other cameras. However, the point of a doorbell camera is to get a close up of the face at the door and also record anything untoward that happens. Your over view camera isn't going to catch that if pointing away from the home.
 
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