Likewise, I've got 5442 cameras along with Dahua PTZ and -Z12E cameras in my setup, with 16 TB of video storage and an LPR camera setup. But I also have a few Wyze Cams. Cheap, reliable cameras have their place, particularly for people who can't or won't commit to the time or money for a high-end installation.
It's a little more money, but go with the 3241T-ZAS. Think of person recognition as something you can have, but not use...But, later you may find yourself wanting that functionality and it's just not available on the 2231-ZS...Ask me how I know...If you go to a 2MP camera one of these will work depending on whether you want basic AI and audio capability or not. The 2231 is in the $120USD range and the 3241 is in the $135USD range. Still not $50 bucks but they do work at night and will produce video with enough quality to identify when adjusted to the scene properly.
2231 Reviews
Review-OEM IPC-T2231T-ZS Ver 2, 2mp Varifocal Starlight Camera
Updated 12/11/19. Edited for clarity. Dahua OEM IPC-T2231T-ZS from EMPIRETECANDY 2MP WDR Turret Varifocal Network Camera 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...ipcamtalk.com
3241T-ZAS Review
Review-OEM IPC-T3241-ZAS 2mp AI Lite series Varifocal
IPC-T3241-ZAS from EMPIRETECANDY 2MP WDR Turret Varifocal AI Network Camera Review unit courtesy of Andy (@EMPIRETECANDY) in exchange for a fair and honest review. Purchase in the IPCT Store Andy's ipcamtalk vendor forum: link Andy's AliExpress store: link Andy's Amazon store: link Price...
Andy Wang kingsecurity2014@163.com
Understand you're in an enthusiast forum for cameras. Any place for enthusiasts on the internet is going to skew towards "getting the best" and "everything else is shit" even though plenty of people are happy with the shit.
While I have 5442s, I also have some Blink cameras I got for $13 each on sale. Completely wireless, they only record when they detect motion (and even then the motion detection is somewhat limited to horizontal movement) But still, it was $13 and I can cover all my windows in 5 minutes of work because it doesn't use wires. The quality kinda sucks but it serves as a good enough motion alert.
The deal seems to pop back up every few weeks. Usually limit 3 each time. You also need a blink sync module which I got used off ebay for $20.
Link to previous deal: I would set up a deal alert on slickdeals if you're interested (you'll get a notification next time someone posts about the deal
Back Again! Blink XT2 Outdoor/Indoor Security Camera (Used) - $12.99 - Free shipping for Prime members - $12.99
XT2 Cameras do not require a storage plan. 2 camera kits only available in used/acceptable at $39.99 and include sync module gen1. Yes these are used but you'll have a hard time telling. Out ofslickdeals.net
The problem with Blink, Ring, or any other motion-detecting battery-powered camera is that it will inevitably miss important information. Motion detection is not particularly reliable with WiFi cameras.
Nah, no need...This looks fine, right @wittaj:
Whatever cameras and system you decide to try, first investigate whether you will be able to view your cameras from within your home without internet service. Most inexpensive systems that use WiFi route the video signal through their server. If your internet goes down, no picture. Maybe you only want to retrieve video from a memory card after something happens, and that is not a concern of yours. I ended up on this forum after someone attempted to break in to my workshop while I was in it. My WiFi cameras showed that a breakin was their intent, but did not have enough info to identify them. What was worse for me was that I could not always bring up a signal that evening when I thought I heard something outside. Thanks to what I learned here, I have a system that always shows me all my cameras, regardless of whether we have internet service or not.
Several years ago I used Alfred and two iPhones. I had one at my front door and one at my RV in storage. They worked great until someone actually did something at my RV and the resulting video was useless. All the while I thought this was working great. Every time I looked at the cam it seemed just perfect, but there was no movement.
On the other hand, if the perp is wearing a face mask and hoodie (very often the case), then having a high-quality camera doesn't help at all. I've gotten some great high-quality images of perps wearing masks, which were useless to the police.
Child's play. My Scorpion AI software can track license plates through images recorded from satellites after being reflected off puddles of water.My CSI AI program can reconstruct a masked face to reveal the real identify of the perp
To be sure, any high-resolution image is better than a low-resolution image, even if the perps wore masks. But in most cases I've assisted with, the police were much more interested in the license plate and description of the vehicle that my cameras were able to provide.
