Where is the cheapest place to order dahua cameras internationally?

drakejest

Young grasshopper
Joined
Sep 9, 2022
Messages
60
Reaction score
9
Location
Asia
Hello im planning to buy some PTZ and fixed IP cameras for our company, we want to skip the middle man of commissioning contractors to install one for us. The only problem that remains where is the best place to buy the cameras. Aliexpress might be an option, but i noticed that they dont have all the cameras that is listed in dahua's website.
 

wittaj

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
24,428
Reaction score
47,550
Location
USA
The best bet is with forum member @EMPIRETECANDY who has an Amazon store and AliExpress store.

And in case you are concerned about purchasing from him, Andy's cameras are Dahua and Hikvision OEM equipment sold under the names Loryta and Empiretech.

Some of my cameras I have bought from Andy from his Amazon and AliExpress store come as Dahua cams in Dahua boxes with Dahua logos, and some are not logo'd - I think it depends on how many cameras Andy buys if he gets them with the Dahua Logo or not. But regardless, they are Dahua units. If you get a unit that has Dahua on it, then the camera GUI will say Dahua; otherwise it will simply say IP Camera but looks identical except without the logo. Some of his cameras may come with EmpireTech stamped on them as well.

As long you you buy from the vendor EmpireTech or Loryta on Amazon (or AliExpress), they are Andy cams and Dahua or Hikvision OEM.

His cameras and NVRs are international models and many of them are not available through Dahua and Hikvision USA authorized dealers, but his cameras and NVRs are usually better than what you can find from an authorized dealer. You select the country at camera initialization.

You can update the firmware on Andy's cameras and NVRs from the Dahua and Hikvision website, thus proving they are real Dahua and Hikvision. But you will find that the firmware we get from him is actually better and more recent than what is on the Dahua website because many members here provide feedback to Andy and then Dahua makes modifications to the firmware and sends back to him and then he sends out to his customers. These have been great improvements that Dahua doesn't even update their firmware and add to their website. So many of us are running a newer firmware than those that purchase Dahua cameras through professional installers. Smart IR on the 5442 series is one such improvement. Autotracking on the 49225 and 49425 PTZ is another. We got the next version of AI SMD 3.0 prior to anyone else as well.

Look at the threads here where members are actually testing firmware and improving it for Dahua - find a Dahua dealer with that type of relationship that Andy has with Dahua - I don't think you will find it. Look at the Dahua 4k camera on the 1/1.2" sensor as an example - Dahua provided that to Andy for sale before Dahua even made it available and look at all the improvements being made to the firmware from input from customers right here on this site. And the kicker is, we are not Dahua's target market - it is the professional installers...

You do have to be careful with some rebranded cameras purchased from other vendors as they are cameras that are for the Chinese region but have been hacked into English but then are not able to be updated or they will brick. Buying from a reputable source is key to make sure that doesn't happen.
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.

drakejest

Young grasshopper
Joined
Sep 9, 2022
Messages
60
Reaction score
9
Location
Asia
The best bet is with forum member @EMPIRETECANDY who has an Amazon store and AliExpress store.

And in case you are concerned about purchasing from him, Andy's cameras are Dahua and Hikvision OEM equipment sold under the names Loryta and Empiretech.

Some of my cameras I have bought from Andy from his Amazon and AliExpress store come as Dahua cams in Dahua boxes with Dahua logos, and some are not logo'd - I think it depends on how many cameras Andy buys if he gets them with the Dahua Logo or not. But regardless, they are Dahua units. If you get a unit that has Dahua on it, then the camera GUI will say Dahua; otherwise it will simply say IP Camera but looks identical except without the logo. Some of his cameras may come with EmpireTech stamped on them as well.

As long you you buy from the vendor EmpireTech or Loryta on Amazon (or AliExpress), they are Andy cams and Dahua or Hikvision OEM.

His cameras and NVRs are international models and many of them are not available through Dahua and Hikvision USA authorized dealers, but his cameras and NVRs are usually better than what you can find from an authorized dealer. You select the country at camera initialization.

You can update the firmware on Andy's cameras and NVRs from the Dahua and Hikvision website, thus proving they are real Dahua and Hikvision. But you will find that the firmware we get from him is actually better and more recent than what is on the Dahua website because many members here provide feedback to Andy and then Dahua makes modifications to the firmware and sends back to him and then he sends out to his customers. These have been great improvements that Dahua doesn't even update their firmware and add to their website. So many of us are running a newer firmware than those that purchase Dahua cameras through professional installers. Smart IR on the 5442 series is one such improvement. Autotracking on the 49225 and 49425 PTZ is another. We got the next version of AI SMD 3.0 prior to anyone else as well.

Look at the threads here where members are actually testing firmware and improving it for Dahua - find a Dahua dealer with that type of relationship that Andy has with Dahua - I don't think you will find it. Look at the Dahua 4k camera on the 1/1.2" sensor as an example - Dahua provided that to Andy for sale before Dahua even made it available and look at all the improvements being made to the firmware from input from customers right here on this site. And the kicker is, we are not Dahua's target market - it is the professional installers...

You do have to be careful with some rebranded cameras purchased from other vendors as they are cameras that are for the Chinese region but have been hacked into English but then are not able to be updated or they will brick. Buying from a reputable source is key to make sure that doesn't happen.
I do find the camera's on the expensive side ( but free shipping so it kind of evens out), but the NVRs seems okay.

Can you share to me, what is the crowd favorite IP camera on this forum (dahua and non dahua brands) ? Are the 8MP worth it? their 4k resolution is usually acompanied by low fps. Is the DORI specification to be trusted? does better DORI mean better camera?
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.

mat200

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Jan 17, 2017
Messages
13,653
Reaction score
22,743
I do find the camera's on the expensive side ( but free shipping so it kind of evens out), but the NVRs seems okay.

Can you share to me, what is the crowd favorite IP camera on this forum (dahua and non dahua brands) ? Are the 8MP worth it? their 4k resolution is usually acompanied by low fps. Is the DORI specification to be trusted? does better DORI mean better camera?
Hi @drakejest

A lot depends on what you need and what your budget is .. and thus there is no perfect one answer for this.

Many of us here are in USA, Canada, UK, EU, and Australia - so remember what we see as a good price could be different than what you see.

IN terms of DORI please see the cliff notes and look at the DORI section.

For me, I think the DORI numbers the vendors publish are optimistic in real cases ..
 

sebastiantombs

Known around here
Joined
Dec 28, 2019
Messages
11,511
Reaction score
27,690
Location
New Jersey
Here's the current drop of goto cameras for you. Pricing needs to be checked directly with Andy.

Review - 8MP 1/1.2" sensor full color camera




Dual Sensor 4K

5442 Reviews

Review - Loryata (Dahua OEM) IPC-T5442T-ZE varifocal Turret

Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ Turret

Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Turret, Full Color, Starlight+)

Review: IPC-HDBW5442R-ASE-NI - Dahua Technology Pro AI Bullet Network Camera

2231 Review
Review-OEM IPC-T2231RP-ZS 2mp Varifocal Turret Starlight Camera

3241T-ZAS Review

PTZ Cameras

180 Degree FOV 4K
 

wittaj

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
24,428
Reaction score
47,550
Location
USA
The problem is if you find them cheaper, they are probably hacked cameras that cannot be updated with new firmware. Plus if you contact Andy directly, you can probably get it cheaper.

Or it is missing something like the 49225 that people will pay $10 less for somewhere else but it doesn't have autotracking whereas the one from Andy does.

As far as MP, most feel like 4MP is the sweetspot at the moment, but certainly in some situations, a 4K might be a good choice.

Check out this thread that shows the importance of focal length over MP. In some instances, a 2MP may actually be a better choice.

 

Mark_M

Getting comfortable
Joined
Jul 2, 2019
Messages
963
Reaction score
1,366
Location
Land down down under
The best bet is with forum member @EMPIRETECANDY who has an Amazon store and AliExpress store.
And in case you are concerned about purchasing from him, Andy's cameras are Dahua and Hikvision OEM equipment sold under the names Loryta and Empiretech.
Andy's cameras are typically more expensive than others on AliExpress, but Andy honours warranties.
I have had a camera fixed courtesy of Andy.

The problem is if you find them cheaper, they are probably hacked cameras that cannot be updated with new firmware. Plus if you contact Andy directly, you can probably get it cheaper.
I can confirm for this...
One of my cameras is a Chinese region one that has hacked firmware to be English.
It still works as a camera, but features are limited.
 
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.

mat200

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Jan 17, 2017
Messages
13,653
Reaction score
22,743
Dahua OEM and HIkvision OEM .. I do not think you can easily buy directly from the factory ..

Best imho you can do is one middle company / middleman ..
 

drakejest

Young grasshopper
Joined
Sep 9, 2022
Messages
60
Reaction score
9
Location
Asia
Here's the current drop of goto cameras for you. Pricing needs to be checked directly with Andy.

Review - 8MP 1/1.2" sensor full color camera




Dual Sensor 4K

5442 Reviews

Review - Loryata (Dahua OEM) IPC-T5442T-ZE varifocal Turret

Review - OEM IPC-B5442E-ZE 4MP AI Varifocal Bullet Camera With Starlight+

Review-OEM 4mp AI Cam IPC-T5442TM-AS Starlight+ Turret

Review IPC-T5442TM-AS-LED (Turret, Full Color, Starlight+)

Review: IPC-HDBW5442R-ASE-NI - Dahua Technology Pro AI Bullet Network Camera

2231 Review
Review-OEM IPC-T2231RP-ZS 2mp Varifocal Turret Starlight Camera

3241T-ZAS Review

PTZ Cameras

180 Degree FOV 4K
This is a very extensive list ! Thank you for that, So i have talked with the managers, and we have narrowed down our list of requirements. We did some actual testing borrowing IP cameras from people, and it seem they really like the 8MP 4k version, I have read in the guides of this forum that 8MP does not perform well in night time, but we also tested that out, and the night image was passable

So what we are looking for now is a outdoor bullet type 8MP 4k camera, non full color to save on the budget, also a 4MP PTZ ( with more than 45x zoom). The NVR can be chosen later as it depend on the cameras.

In my local are we have found a store that claims to be a authorized reseller, and i would say their price is really good. here is the model number of what they have DH-IPC HFW2831TN-AS-S2 8MP - 90$
 

drakejest

Young grasshopper
Joined
Sep 9, 2022
Messages
60
Reaction score
9
Location
Asia
The problem is if you find them cheaper, they are probably hacked cameras that cannot be updated with new firmware. Plus if you contact Andy directly, you can probably get it cheaper.

Or it is missing something like the 49225 that people will pay $10 less for somewhere else but it doesn't have autotracking whereas the one from Andy does.

As far as MP, most feel like 4MP is the sweetspot at the moment, but certainly in some situations, a 4K might be a good choice.

Check out this thread that shows the importance of focal length over MP. In some instances, a 2MP may actually be a better choice.

What is the best way of contacting andy?
 

drakejest

Young grasshopper
Joined
Sep 9, 2022
Messages
60
Reaction score
9
Location
Asia
As an Amazon Associate IPCamTalk earns from qualifying purchases.

sebastiantombs

Known around here
Joined
Dec 28, 2019
Messages
11,511
Reaction score
27,690
Location
New Jersey
Yes, just send him and email. Keep in mind he's in Hong Kong so the time differences can make a reply seem slow.
 
Last edited:

CCTVCam

Known around here
Joined
Sep 25, 2017
Messages
2,660
Reaction score
3,480
I do find the camera's on the expensive side ( but free shipping so it kind of evens out), but the NVRs seems okay.

Can you share to me, what is the crowd favorite IP camera on this forum (dahua and non dahua brands) ? Are the 8MP worth it? their 4k resolution is usually acompanied by low fps. Is the DORI specification to be trusted? does better DORI mean better camera?
On the FPS front you only need 15fps. Going above this produces a hardly noticeable increase in smoothness but a huge increase in storage requirements and bandwidth on your network. Make sure you set the iframe intveral 1:1 with your frame rate.

On the Sensor Pixel front, the higher the MP the worse the picture at night (generally). All the cameras listed above are recommended because they have great alround perfromance including night time, even the 4k's ones. That said, there is still a little difference between them. The 4Kx is probably the go to when there's some light around at night. The 5442 more so when there's very low to no light.
 

drakejest

Young grasshopper
Joined
Sep 9, 2022
Messages
60
Reaction score
9
Location
Asia
On the FPS front you only need 15fps. Going above this produces a hardly noticeable increase in smoothness but a huge increase in storage requirements and bandwidth on your network. Make sure you set the iframe intveral 1:1 with your frame rate.

On the Sensor Pixel front, the higher the MP the worse the picture at night (generally). All the cameras listed above are recommended because they have great alround perfromance including night time, even the 4k's ones. That said, there is still a little difference between them. The 4Kx is probably the go to when there's some light around at night. The 5442 more so when there's very low to no light.
The cameras recommended are all full color though, not that full color is bad it just drives the price higher. Do you know the current crowd favorite for 8MP 4k Non full color IP camera?
 

wittaj

IPCT Contributor
Joined
Apr 28, 2019
Messages
24,428
Reaction score
47,550
Location
USA
Not all the cameras recommended were full color.

There is no crowd favorite 8MP non-full color camera - only budget 8MP cams offer infrared.

The 8MP with the proper MP/sensor ratio are full color due to size constraints.

Keep in mind what I posted in post#6 - chase sensor size and appropriate focal length, not MP.

Every incident that happened in my neighborhood has had IDENTIFY images obtained by by 2MP cams not my 8MP cams...
 

centrino

n3wb
Joined
Jun 1, 2022
Messages
9
Reaction score
10
Location
Toronto
taobao.com

and it has to be the China mainland version, where you get the domestic price from Hik/Dahua. Note that the Chinese domestic model line-up are very different than oversea models, but often you should be able to find a comparable model with the same (or better) CMOS/lens combo.

Lastly, you would need to understand Chinese and a parcel forwarding service.
 
Top