WiFi (5Ghz) indoor camera(s) setup

[jerrymfn]

I would like to install 1 or 2 indoor wifi cameras, 5GhZ, and I have read that Reolink are really not as good as they look. I am fine to spend a bit more but I don't want to spend double or triple and then get the same quality (or worse).

Do you have any advice for me?

I really do not care about cloud features, and in fact would prefer that these cameras work without any app or cloud functionality (just IPTV HTTP, if any, or some other open standard).

My dream would be for fully open firmwares (as in open source), but I can keep on dreaming...until that perhaps an OEM (like Hikvision) would work?

Thanks!

 

[sebastiantombs]

Not 5GHz but decent and cost effective and available in black or white housings -

Amazon.com

 

[jerrymfn]

Not 5GHz but decent and cost effective and available in black or white housings -

Amazon.com

I need 5Ghz, but this camera is also 2MP, I was hoping to get something better (4MP+) to avoid buying something with technology already EOL.

 

[sebastiantombs]

Read what I said about sensor size versus resolution versus low light capability. Remember low light also means with IR light, like at night. 2MP, with the right sensor size, is not EOL yet by quite a stretch for that exact reason. Limiting yourself to WiFI, and 5GHz, is the killer here. Additionally, any camera can be made WiFi with a dedicated RF link, but if you can get wire to for powering the WiFi why not just run a CAT cable and use PoE to begin with. Whatever works for you is up to you and the only solution that matters though.

Another problem with WiFi, even 5GHz, is saturation caused by too many cameras. WiFi was never meant to handle the constant video stream of a surveillance camera. It is not the same as streaming a video where buffering allows smooth playback but a constant, never ending, stream of data at 10-20MbPS per camera. Eventually , when saturation hits, retries kill the whole thing.

 

[jerrymfn]

Read what I said about sensor size versus resolution versus low light capability. Remember low light also means with IR light, like at night.

I did read that. It is not important the night recording for me.

2MP, with the right sensor size, is not EOL yet by quite a stretch for that exact reason.

EOL is decided by the manufacturer and has nothing to do with sensor size.

Limiting yourself to WiFI, and 5GHz, is the killer here. Additionally, any camera can be made WiFi with a dedicated RF link, but if you can get wire to for powering the WiFi why not just run a CAT cable and use PoE to begin with. Whatever works for you is up to you and the only solution that matters though.

Ok, but you see I wrote "5GhZ", why do you insist? You are not helping me. I am not going to run a CAT cable, I will install a WiFi camera.

Another problem with WiFi, even 5GHz, is saturation caused by too many cameras. WiFi was never meant to handle the constant video stream of a surveillance camera. It is not the same as streaming a video where buffering allows smooth playback but a constant, never ending, stream of data at 10-20MbPS per camera. Eventually , when saturation hits, retries kill the whole thing.

I call BS on this. I am not streaming anything anywhere, the cameras record on their own storage. They will stream only when I connect to them. Even if they were both streaming, 2 cameras (as I wrote in my post) is not a problem.

 

[sebastiantombs]

I tried to offer some friendly advice and, apparently, it is not what you want to hear. My advice is based on a number of things gained from experience that you, obviously, don't have. As most noobies, you are in love with megapixels and don't truly understand, or care to learn, what that means. I did mean to write "even" 5GHz but that isn't all that important. EOL is determined by the manufacturer and is based on sales. Sales of 2mP cameras, of all styles, are still very strong. Yes, technology is advancing and sensor capability and size are improving, but there's still a long way to go. I'm glad you know so much about "streaming" which you obviously don't. Again streaming is significantly different than watching a movie or downloading a file, but you "know" better so do whatever the hell you like. I won't bother you any more. Good luck.

 

[eggsan]

"I call BS on this". I really don't understand your attitude.

 

[wittaj]

Dahua still sells 2MP cameras and has EOL on some 4MP cameras...Manufacturer decides when EOL will be...

5 GHz Wi-Fi’s shorter radio waves mean it can cover less distance and isn’t at good as penetrating through solid objects as 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi is. In other words, 2.4 GHz can cover a larger area and is better at getting through walls. This is why almost all cameras that are wifi are on the 2.4GHz....and why you don't want 5GHz for an outdoor camera. You need to run power anyway, so use a Powerline Adaptor and eliminate the wifi...

These cameras are not like streaming services - these cameras do not buffer like NetFlix does....pull your internet and the NetFlix will still stream for up to 30 seconds...pull the internet on a wifi camera and you lose the stream IMMEDIATELY...

You came to a site asking for advice....and said advice isn't what you wanted to hear...

@SouthernYankee has said it best:

I did a wifi test a while back with multiple 2MP cameras each camera was set to VBR, 15 FPS, 15 Iframe, 3072kbs, h.264. Using a wifi analyzer I selected the least busy channel (1,6,11) on the 2.4 GHZ band and set up a separate SSID and access point. With 3 cameras in direct line of sight of the AP about 25 feet away I was able to maintain a reasonable stable network with only intermittent signal drops from the cameras. Added a 4th camera and the network became totally unstable. Also add a lot of motion to the 3 cameras caused some more network instability. More data more instability.
The cameras are nearly continuously transmitting. So any lost packet causes a retry, which cause more traffic, which causes more lost packets.
Wifi does not have a flow control, or a token to transmit. So you devices transmit any time they want, more devices more collisions.
As a side note, it is very easy to jam a wifi network. Wifi is find for watching the bird feed but not for home surveillance and security.

The problem is like standing in a room, with multiple people talking to you at the same time about different subjects. You need to answer each person or they repeat the question.

Test do not guess.

For a 802.11G 2.4 GHZ wifi network the Theoretical Speed is 54Mbps (6.7MBs) real word speed is nearer to 10-29Mbps (1.25-3.6 MBs) for a single channel

Can a old router be used as a repeater/range extender

I want to extend the range of my LAN setup to the end of our (almost) block long warehouse. I don't think my GB wavlink router will reach that far. I read that some wifi cameras can function as repeaters, but I dont think my 6 Dlink cameras (I bought 6 used DCS-932 wifi cameras for $5 a piece)...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[TonyR]

Do you have any advice for me?

Excellent 5 GHz, 4 MP camera for less than $100 here

EDIT: Oops! wrong link above, try this.

 

[SouthernYankee]

Look at Amcrest cameras.

for n3wb you have a very poor attitude.