Which IP Camera's for a Church?

[Philip Gonzales]

Long story short, I installed some camera's for my mom, with the help of my brother, who did most of the physical work. We installed mostly IPC-HDW5231R-ZE's in 2019 and she loves them. She is very involved with her Church and she volunteered me to recommend some camera's for the church she goes to. The priest said he wants me to recommend three different cameras so that they can decide on which ones to get. This is in response to recent attempted break in at the church.

Of course I am going to recommend IPC-T5442T-ZE as the Dahua Cam's have never done me wrong. What other cameras should I recommend? Of course the first thing the priest said is he would like a cam that has 2 way audio. Are there any decent cams with this feature? Help me, help the church? I am not up to date on the current models out there and would appreciate any info to steer me in the right direction to make a good recommendation to the Church.

A few pics below from my mom's install in 2019. Hoping to set the Church up to have a similar setup with Blue Iris and what not.

 

[wittaj]

Staying with the Dahua line, these have two way audio:

4K/X

IPC-T5241H-AS-PV

 

[samplenhold]

Realize that the cam needs to be chosen based on its intended job. Do you need a varifocal or a fixed FOV, in 2.8, 3.6 or 6mm?

 

[Philip Gonzales]

Realize that the cam needs to be chosen based on its intended job. Do you need a varifocal or a fixed FOV, in 2.8, 3.6 or 6mm?

That is something I will need to discuss with the priest.

I am going to go over Focal Length, Field of View (FoV), DORI, Pixels Per Foot (PPF), Resolution (and it's relationship to low light performance), Sensor Size, etc...

But for now I am just looking for some high level recommendations to show the father, to see if the cost is even in the same ballpark. I expect most people to be turned off once I get into all the details.... so we shall see.

I got into IPCam's as a hobby and only really get into the details with people whom actually show interest in getting quality. I do not charge for my advice, so I mostly only help out family members and what not.

 

[sebastiantombs]

It might be worthwhile to explain to him that two-way audio on a camera isn't like a phone, full duplex. It's simplex, I talk-you listen, you talk-I listen.

Edit: I'd also mention that real world video surveillance is not what it is portrayed as in the movies and on TV.

 

[Philip Gonzales]

It might be worthwhile to explain to him that two-way audio on a camera isn't like a phone, full duplex. It's simplex, I talk-you listen, you talk-I listen.

Edit: I'd also mention that real world video surveillance is not what it is portrayed as in the movies and on TV.

For sure! I'm going to advise him that 2 way audio is not a common feature found on most of the IPCam's I recommend and I will mention the reasons why. If he has to have it then I am going to recommend that he does not need it on every camera. That a few models of cams may be used, depending on the location.

 

[tigerwillow1]

Is there a good camera to place next to an entrance door to catch everybody coming and going without them feeling like there's a camera in their face? Best I've found on my own is a Dahua wedge cam, which uses a lower end sensor. (1/3 4MP)

 

[samplenhold]

Well I guess there is another one active (AI BOT).

 

[Flintstone61]

Hello! It's wonderful to hear you're helping out your mom and the church. Don't forget to put one in the Rectory, considering recent attempts at backdoor entry.