Surly Guy Checking Back In... New Cams, New Questions

[MrSurly]

HEY, Y'ALL! Yes, It has been a while. I am still running the BI system that y'all helped me get running several years ago, mailbox cams, bird feeder cams etc.

Proud to say that the system that you guys helped me get setup all those years ago is still running, still dead-reliable save for a bad switch at one time. It's still running the mailbox and the bird feeder as well as a bunch of other Dahaus (all from Andy) around the house and shop.
Unfortunately, I've never devoted the time and effort to utilize things like AI, motion alerts/push etc. I really DO need to sort these things out someday.
Anyway, I recently got some more cams from Andy (two color4K-t180s;5442TZE;549M ALED) and the latest-greatest (of my stuff) from Andy's Amazon page, a PTZ5A4M-25 that I stuck up on the TV antenna mast.

As always, I have a ton of questions... but I'll start slow.

1. in Daqhua's Configtool, the "type" for the PTZ5A4M shows to be "SD" while all the other cams show as IPC. While it likely is of no import... is this a setting I need to 'fix'?
2. Is there a way to calibrate or correct the compass orientation of the coordinate display found here: settings/camera/encode/overlay/OSD info/PTZ coordinate?
The setting displays degrees of rotation on the image, which I like, but the coordinates are 'flipped'... meaning 270 is West and 90 is East... so far, great! But, it displays 180 to the North and of course, 360 or zero facing South.
Is there a way to correct this?
3. I'm going to need you guys to take through the process to set up AI and auto-tracking on this PTZ later, but for right now,tell me how to implement Pattern viewing?.

I now am running nineteen Dahua cams; a few are not yet permanently mounted in their intended places but fifteen are. The PC is running fine ; I upgraded the CPU to an i7-9700, 32GRAM and 18TB of Purple. Another 10TB purple awaits being added.
I'll add some pics in a bit.

 

[fergenheimer]

Far from the expert but SD is speed dome. There is no need to change it or any way afaik.
I think that the front of the dome is set at 0 degrees so 90 would be to the right, 270 to the left. It is not compass point unless the front is pointed to north.
I haven't set up a pattern yet.

 

[Mike A.]

Pattern is kind of strange and didn't seem all that useful to me. Better/easier to set up presets and use the tour if you want something like that I think. Be aware that the cameras are limited to a certain number of cycles and you can hit the limit if you have them moving frequently.

But if you want to try the pattern thing, it basically operates kind of like a screen or mouse recorder:

• Go to Pattern.
• Hit Add Pattern. You can name it if you want by typing over the Name.
• Under Setting, hit the arrow to start recording
• Move the cam as you want.
• Hit the || pause under Setting to stop recording.
• Hit Run to repeat the pattern that you recorded.

 

[MrSurly]

Far from the expert but SD is speed dome. There is no need to change it or any way afaik.
I think that the front of the dome is set at 0 degrees so 90 would be to the right, 270 to the left. It is not compass point unless the front is pointed to north.
I haven't set up a pattern yet.

Thanks for this; Speed Dome makes sense(!)

The compass/ degree thing really has me confused. The cam is mounted using its included bracket and of course the Speed Dome body can't be rotated within the mount... so I assume the side toward the bracket would naturally be the "back", right?
Using that as reference, the back of the cam is due South.
The weirdest bit is that the degrees count down when rotating clockwise.
I am sort of assuming that there's a switch somewhere to "flip the dial".
Once that is done, my world will make more sense! I do have the option to rotate the whole bracket around the mast to fix the heading, if I can first get the dial flipped.

 

[MrSurly]

Pattern is kind of strange and didn't seem all that useful to me. Better/easier to set up presets and use the tour if you want something like that I think. Be aware that the cameras are limited to a certain number of cycles and you can hit the limit if you have them moving frequently.

But if you want to try the pattern thing, it basically operates kind of like a screen or mouse recorder:

• Go to Pattern.
• Hit Add Pattern. You can name it if you want by typing over the Name.
• Under Setting, hit the arrow to start recording
• Move the cam as you want.
• Hit the || pause under Setting to stop recording.
• Hit Run to repeat the pattern that you recorded.

Thanks! Somehow I didn't realize that it was "recording" my moves of the camera. i'll give that another try.
What I need to implement is auto tracking and especially triggering by other cams.
I saw a minor event Friday night where auto tracking would have been useful, just to know more about what was going on.
I'm now concerned by the finite cycle issue....

 

[MrSurly]

Pattern is kind of strange and didn't seem all that useful to me. Better/easier to set up presets and use the tour if you want something like that I think. Be aware that the cameras are limited to a certain number of cycles and you can hit the limit if you have them moving frequently.

But if you want to try the pattern thing, it basically operates kind of like a screen or mouse recorder:

• Go to Pattern.
• Hit Add Pattern. You can name it if you want by typing over the Name.
• Under Setting, hit the arrow to start recording
• Move the cam as you want.
• Hit the || pause under Setting to stop recording.
• Hit Run to repeat the pattern that you recorded.

Thanks! Somehow I didn't realize that it was "recording" my moves of the camera. i'll give that another try.
What I need to implement is auto tracking and especially triggering by other cams.
I saw a minor event Friday night where auto tracking would have been useful, just to know more about what was going on.
I'm now concerned by the finite cycle issue (hah!)

Really like this camera a lot, amazed by how fast it can move. I do wish it had greater focal range but you can't have everything, right?

 

[Heavyopp]

I do wish it had greater focal range but you can't have everything, right?

please explain? I’m thinking if ordering one of these cams as well. What are the shortcomings in the focal range?

How high off the ground is that thing mounted? Can you get anything useful from that position or just an overview?

 

[looney2ns]

The Importance of Focal Length over MP in camera selection | IP Cam Talk

Mounting a camera higher than 7-8ft will get you mainly tops of heads, or it becomes an overview cam.

 

[Heavyopp]

I’ve read that thread many times, lots to absorb there.

The specs of this ptz say detect at over a mile, identify around 550 feet with a minimum focus distance of less than a meter

Isn’t this a huge focal range? Am I misunderstanding it?

I get that it’s mounted way high, maybe at 500 feet away the angle may be right for a face shot which in good light this camera says it can do.