What camera based on my pictures

dohat leku

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Home pics here - Camera


Can someone review these pics and recommend what 2MP/4MP (PTZ?) camera would suit best? All the pictures are taken from where the camera would be mounted but the pics are high-res taken with a new iphone. As you can see. Unfortunately, the mounting position is 12ft from the ground and cannot be changed as I already paid someone a year ago to pull the cables and didn't know they should be mounted a max of 8ft for accurate identification. My main goal is get alerts through Sentry when someone approaches the entry door. A good secondary function is license plate recognition but I've read that you need to dedicate a camera for just that purpose. I guess HDBW4231F-E2 with dual lens could do that but the thread on that points to many bugs with that camera. As you can see, I have some ambient light at night from a nearby light pole and lack of trees allows moon light to come through as well so wondering if color night vision would suit better here. On the same side of the house but the other corner, I plan to mount a second camera but this camera would be better suited to reading license plates since the space between cars is maximum (as the pics show, the parked cars block the view of moving cars) and in 'night view moving car.jpg', you can see a moving car's lights between the white and black light.

Distance between camera and front of steps which is optimum place to ID face - 26ft
Distance between camera and passing car - 56ft

Running any cables in this very old house is quite expensive so if there are decent non-buggy IP cameras with dual lenses, that's the route I'll like to take - one lens for facial and another for license plate. IPVM tool isn't working for me as no matter what I do, it keeps pointing to the street and house across and doesn't show my front yard

thanks
 

mat200

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Home pics here - Camera


Can someone review these pics and recommend what 2MP/4MP (PTZ?) camera would suit best? All the pictures are taken from where the camera would be mounted but the pics are high-res taken with a new iphone. As you can see. Unfortunately, the mounting position is 12ft from the ground and cannot be changed as I already paid someone a year ago to pull the cables and didn't know they should be mounted a max of 8ft for accurate identification. My main goal is get alerts through Sentry when someone approaches the entry door. A good secondary function is license plate recognition but I've read that you need to dedicate a camera for just that purpose. I guess HDBW4231F-E2 with dual lens could do that but the thread on that points to many bugs with that camera. As you can see, I have some ambient light at night from a nearby light pole and lack of trees allows moon light to come through as well so wondering if color night vision would suit better here. On the same side of the house but the other corner, I plan to mount a second camera but this camera would be better suited to reading license plates since the space between cars is maximum (as the pics show, the parked cars block the view of moving cars) and in 'night view moving car.jpg', you can see a moving car's lights between the white and black light.

Distance between camera and front of steps which is optimum place to ID face - 26ft
Distance between camera and passing car - 56ft

Running any cables in this very old house is quite expensive so if there are decent non-buggy IP cameras with dual lenses, that's the route I'll like to take - one lens for facial and another for license plate. IPVM tool isn't working for me as no matter what I do, it keeps pointing to the street and house across and doesn't show my front yard

thanks
Hi @dohat leku

Are those photos from where the camera will actually be mounted?

I ask because the pictures appear to be taken lower than 12 feet high.

upload_2019-9-10_9-5-46.png
 
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dohat leku

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They are taken from my maximum hand reach which is 8ft. If it helps, I'll grab a ladder right now and take revised pics
 

mat200

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They are taken from my maximum hand reach which is 8ft. If it helps, I'll grab a ladder right now and take revised pics
Hi @dohat leku

Yes, you need to take the pictures from the location you plan to place the camera.

Do you have a normal point and click digital camera that you can zoom in and out with?

Try to take the picture also with a friend wearing a hoodie and cap acting as a suspect.
 

dohat leku

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Done and on same link. These are 12MP (4032x3024) pictures. I don't have a point & shoot or friend nearby today but did take a passerby picture who was 38ft away distance from camera
 

dohat leku

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if you tell me this isn't workable and will be a bad install, I'll spend the 200 or 250 bucks to rectify the 4 cameras coming out of the house and reduce height to 8 feet
 

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mat200

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HI @dohat leku

So at 12 feet high, as you have some good front yard space - looks like you can get a decent angle for someone by the street. As they get closer to the house, you'll have a challenge getting a good facial ID shot unless they look at the camera. I would consider a nice varifocal camera so you can zoom it into the area you want to watch.

I suspect you will want more than 4 cameras to accomplish your goals... thus, before you start re-cabling, I suggest picking up a nice varifocal Dahua OEM starlight and playing around with it. Either of the models looney2ns mentions would be good choices for a first camera to play with and allow yourself to better understand what is possible.

Look for the test rigs examples to give you an idea of what is useful to use when testing out positions.
 

dohat leku

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Arjun

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If you want the least protrusion from the wall consider a PFA137 or PFA130-E mount. I recommend the PFA130-E mount that way in case you plan to swap between different camera models you have some versatility there.

The HDBW4231F-E2 camera will give you a limited use. As its only a fixed dual lens and is only available up to 6mm.

You may want to consider a varifocal bullet or turret (depends on your personal preference). I have several fixed lens 3.6mm 2mp Dahua Starlight cameras for sale in case you're interested.

WTS - Six (6) Bullet Cameras For Sale (Includes 4x 2mp Starlight and 2x 3mp Cameras)



Does it come with everythign needed to mount to sidewall? I do see some folks are using PFB203W but is that for the sidewall? I prefer the least protrusion from the wall so hoping the camera back plate is included and that can be screwed in directly into the sidewall
https://www.amazon.com/EmpireTech-IPC-HDW5231R-ZE-Starlight-Eyeball-Network/dp/B07B7K1P28/ref=sr_1_1?m=A329YQ83EBQGJF&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1568158254&redirect=true&s=merchant-items&sr=1-1
 
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dohat leku

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Thanks but again and sorry I’m new to this. I’m just putting it on a sidewalk - do I really need these optional brackets or can I just put some anchor screws into my stucco sidewall and mount the camera on those?
 

Arjun

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You should be able to directly screw the base into your stucco sidewall to mount these cameras (using anchor screws of course; the screws are provided with the camera(s)); however you will need to make a larger hole on the side wall in order to route the cable. By using one of the aforementioned junction boxes, you can drill a much smaller hole (usually 3/8" in diameter to minimize damage) to feed the Ethernet cable and tuck the cables from the rear end of the camera and Ethernet cable inside the junction box.

Thanks but again and sorry I’m new to this. I’m just putting it on a sidewalk - do I really need these optional brackets or can I just put some anchor screws into my stucco sidewall and mount the camera on those?
 

dohat leku

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The handyman already created the hole a year ago and there is 1ft cable sticking out that I hope I can just ziptie. He did a good job of closing the hole. Which option do you think will work best for me?
 

Arjun

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Honestly, I prefer and still recommend the junction boxes; it maintains a minimal and clean look; adds a 1.5" inch protrusion, but offers the ability to store an extra length of Ethernet cable should you ever have the need to repair, extend, or expand your network.
The handyman already created the hole a year ago and there is 1ft cable sticking out that I hope I can just ziptie. He did a good job of closing the hole. Which option do you think will work best for me?
 

dohat leku

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Will take your advice and buy it. My cables are at a height of 23ft, do you think I could use the extra length of the cable and maybe mount at 11ft? The cable will be exposed to the elements and won’t look great but anything else I should be concerned about or this is just bad practice?
 

Arjun

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Its bad practice to run exposed wires as UV radiation, animals, etc can easily result in the wires to deteriorate over time; that's why I recommend tucking the wires inside the junction box; you don't definitely don't want to spend the time rerunning wires again :D. At minimum, the cameras should be mounted around 8ft for appropriate identification/ID purposes. Whereas 10ft is a good height for an overview camera.

Will take your advice and buy it. My cables are at a height of 23ft, do you think I could use the extra length of the cable and maybe mount at 11ft? The cable will be exposed to the elements and won’t look great but anything else I should be concerned about or this is just bad practice?
 

dohat leku

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Sorry for the many questions but I just noticed one of the cable has 3 feet sticking out and wondering if I will be able to fold in 3 feet inside the bracket
 

Arjun

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Ah, the more questions the merrier :):welcome:

You have two options for the 3 feet of wire/cable sticking out. You can try to push it back inside the stucco wall or pull it from inside the building or if you have plenty of cable to work with, you can cut off half of that length, and tuck the remaining cable inside the junction box.

Sorry for the many questions but I just noticed one of the cable has 3 feet sticking out and wondering if I will be able to fold in 3 feet inside the bracket
 

mat200

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FYI - for what it is worth, I have found that the following junction boxes + camera or the wall mount + camera stick out about the same. Personally I do like the look of the wall mount better.

PFA137 or PFA130-E junction boxes or PFB203W wall mount
 
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