Tired of Getting Broken Into

[cedarhouse90]

We recently moved into our new home where I wired for 8 cameras on the exterior. After having my truck windows smashed earlier this week and quite a bit of stuff stolen from break ins at other properties I own, I'm feeling inspired to finally place an order. Given that it'll be my first non NVR setup, I've done way too much reading on what to buy where I'm now lost in my mind. I know there are a million options out there and can always upgrade later so simplicity is important to me right now.

I could use your help on the following camera model and PoE+ switch questions. Feel free to recommend any other alternatives. I'm looking to place my order this evening.

Cameras - will these models get the job done for now and be a decent all around camera. Photos are attached of some of the areas.

• Back yard is dark unless lights are on. 2 cameras in rear. Planning on: IPC-T2431T-AS 2.8 mm
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081Q38RPY/ref=ox_sc_act_title_4?smid=A329YQ83EBQGJF&psc=1
• Side of house near AC units is pretty dark but may pickup some light from street. 1 camera. Planning on: IPC-T2431T-AS 3.6 mm
• Driveway/front of house. Covered by big streetlight and exterior lights that are on all night. 3 cameras. Planning on: IP5M-T1179EW-28MM (the Amcrest cams via Amazon) Amazon.com: Amcrest 5MP UltraHD Outdoor Security IP Turret PoE Camera with Mic/Audio, 5-Megapixel, 98ft NightVision, 2.8mm Lens, IP67 Weatherproof, MicroSD Recording (256GB), White (IP5M-T1179EW-28MM): Electronics
• Front door. Some light. Planning on: IPC-T2431T-AS 3.6 mm
• Mailbox has a camera wired but I'll deal with this later.

PoE+ Switch I am planning on. If you think there is a better model in the same price range, please let me know.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F8Z2RQL/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A2PM09KSZ036SU&psc=1

Thanks in advance!

 

[sebastiantombs]

I'd suggest you have a look at the Cliff Notes in the Wiki, in the blue bar, at the top of the page. The 2.8mm cameras in your back yard will not provide enough detail to identify anyone unless they are close to the cameras. The same is true of that Amcrest which is further restricted by being a 5MP camera with a sensor that performs well at 2MP. At 5MP each pixel will receive well under half the light that a 2MP will receive which makes it not very good in the dark or low light situations. There's a link in the Cliff Notes to the IPVM camera calculator which will let you simulate views from each camera location, and specify camera type/lens, to get an idea of what you might actually be able to see in their video streams. A 2.8mm, located properly at the front door can be a good choice though.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Cameras are for surveillance, for security use an alarm system.

You will need two cameras for the driveway/garage, one on each side of the garage door no higher that the top of the door. Use a 3.6 or 6.0 mm lens.

2) Use Dahua starlight cameras or Hikvision darkfighter cameras if you need good low light cameras.
7) More megapixel is not necessarily better.
8) Avoid chinese hacked cameras (most ebay, amazon, aliexpress cameras(not all, but most))
9) Do not use reolink, ring, nest, Arlo cameras (they are junk), no cloud cameras
10) If possible use a turret camera , bullet collect spiders, dome collect dirt and reflect light (IR)
13) (Looney2ns)If you want to be able to ID faces, don't mount cams higher than 7ft. You want to know who did it, not just what happened.
17) Camera Sensor size, bigger is general better Sensor Size Chart
18) Camera lens size, a bigger number give more range but less field of view. Which Security Camera Lens Size Should I Buy?

 

[looney2ns]

I would recommend taking a hard look at this new cam.

Dahua IPC-HDW5442T-ZE 4MP Varifocal Turret - Night Perfomance testing

All @EMPIRETECANDY kindly provided 1 of these units for testing and I specifically wanted to focus on 1 area, night captures and IR as I know a number of people have been interested in understanding how this compares to the fixed lens variants in this respect and have been wanting a 4MP vari to...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[wtimothyholman]

We recently moved into our new home where I wired for 8 cameras on the exterior. After having my truck windows smashed earlier this week and quite a bit of stuff stolen from break ins at other properties I own, I'm feeling inspired to finally place an order. Given that it'll be my first non NVR setup, I've done way too much reading on what to buy where I'm now lost in my mind. I know there are a million options out there and can always upgrade later so simplicity is important to me right now.

If you're serious about preventing people from smashing your truck windows, you'll need at least one good PTZ camera zoomed in on the truck, so that you can provide the police (or social media) with good high-resolution images the next time someone tries to break in. As @sebastiantombs pointed out, 2.8 mm and 3.6 mm cameras are inadequate for providing enough detail to ID the thieves.

I've posted images on Nextdoor of door checkers where you could see the tattoos on their arms, and the brand of sneakers they were wearing. Having that kind of high-resolution recording capability is worth every penny.

Also, if you're going to buy Amcrest cameras, consider the IP8M-2597E with a 6 mm focal length. It has a 1/1.8" sensor with excellent nighttime performance, and the field of view with a 6 mm model should be more than adequate with fewer "wasted pixels" compared to 2.8 mm or 3.6 mm models.

 

[TheGooginator]

If you're serious about preventing people from smashing your truck windows, you'll need at least one good PTZ camera zoomed in on the truck, so that you can provide the police (or social media) with good high-resolution images the next time someone tries to break in. As @sebastiantombs pointed out, 2.8 mm and 3.6 mm cameras are inadequate for providing enough detail to ID the thieves.

I've posted images on Nextdoor of door checkers where you could see the tattoos on their arms, and the brand of sneakers they were wearing. Having that kind of high-resolution recording capability is worth every penny.

Also, if you're going to buy Amcrest cameras, consider the IP8M-2597E with a 6 mm focal length. It has a 1/1.8" sensor with excellent nighttime performance, and the field of view with a 6 mm model should be more than adequate with fewer "wasted pixels" compared to 2.8 mm or 3.6 mm models.

I agree 100% and as I build out my LPR camera setup for suspects driving my cul de sac in early morning looking for packages I will be posting the license plates on Nextdoor as well to help others become aware of these shady characters. Having cameras specialized for a specific task will give you the best results you just might need more cameras to do everything you want accurately.

 

[reflection]

If you want the Amcrest T1179EW, they are $10 off right now on Amazon with the code: WUXJKDET

I have four of them and just ordered a fifth 5min ago so I know the code still works. I have a couple HDW5442TM's and the T1179EW's performance is quite surprising for $50.

 

[cedarhouse90]

I appreciate all of the feedback and will keep you all posted on the journey. It's definitely going to be a learning adventure and something I continuously refine over time as really get my feet under me. Thanks again!