Help with indoor camera choice

[mike2874]

Can you help with choosing an indoor camera for a 13’ x 14’ room. Our dogs hang out there when we’re not around and would like to spy on them. It needs to have good night vision and it’s app needs to work with both Android & IOS. It would also be nice if it had decent 2-way audio… and it needs to work with BI. Would like to keep it under $100 if those cameras have good picture quality indoors.

By searching the forums I came up with these recommendations:

1. Annke 161 DR (can’t seem to find)

2. Hykamic 4.0 Cube 2.8mm

3. Dahua IPC-K35A

4. Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-AS

Can you guys rate/rank the first three as I’m sure the HDBW4231F-AS is probably better than the others but really don’t want to spend that much. I have three Dahua IPCHDW5231R-Z cameras on the exterior of my house so kind of know what good picture quality should look like.

 

[Q™]

4.

 

[mat200]

Can you help with choosing an indoor camera for a 13’ x 14’ room. Our dogs hang out there when we’re not around and would like to spy on them. It needs to have good night vision and it’s app needs to work with both Android & IOS. It would also be nice if it had decent 2-way audio… and it needs to work with BI. Would like to keep it under $100 if those cameras have good picture quality indoors.
...

Hi Mike,

Not certain what would meet all of those specs right now
1) Good low light performance
2) 2-way audio
3) under $100

As Q pointed out, I also like the Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-AS, as the Annke Hikvision OEM cube is no longer available in the USA for $50... - though iirc the Hikvision Cube did not have a speaker nor a speaker jack.

 

[mike2874]

So between 2 & 3 there’s not much difference in picture quality?

Is the Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-AS really that much better than the other three... are we talking about small differences?

The thing I liked about the first 3 is they all had a stand up mount and I was wanting to try setting the camera on top of a tall cabinet so it would help hide the Ethernet cable (POE). Of course you won’t know for sure if that mounting position will work until you try it. It looks like Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-AS would have to be ceiling or wall mounted which would require hiding the cable somehow.

What if I sacrificed the 2-way audio does that affect your recommendations?

Curious even though it’s no longer available did you consider the Annke 161 DR the best of the cheaper cameras?

 

[mike2874]

Well you guys may have won me over on the Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-AS if I can figure out the mounting. I've been searching but really not seen any user reviews or pictures of this camera used indoors?

The only way this camera would work for me is if I were able to use the wall mount bracket PFB204W. Can't picture in my head how big of bracket this is but will this look pretty out of place mounted in the corner of a living room? The only other option for me would be to use the wall bracket and mount it to a nice piece of wood (come up with something that looked good) setting on top of our china cabinet which butts up to a corner... would this work?

If you order online from Andy how can you tell if you're getting the 2.8 mm or 3.6 mm lens? I'm assuming you are recommending the 2.8 mm for my room?

This camera doesn't have 2-way audio correct?

 

[mat200]

...
This camera doesn't have 2-way audio correct?

Hi Mike,

NO, not many quality cameras we like here include 2-way audio.

2-way audio is more popular in consumer quality or consumer marketed cameras - less popular in the pro-consumer / profession line of cameras - as there are a number of state laws concerning wire tapping which can entangle a business in litigation.

We like the Hikivision OEM cube camera because at $50 you got an amazing deal on a quality camera.

Maybe something like this would work for you? The price is the best I have seen it
FYI - Amazon deal of the day LaView / Hik OEM 1080P WiFi 360° PT camera $37.45

 

[mike2874]

Mat200 actually 2-way audio is not that big of a deal didn't realize none of the better cameras didn't have them. The LaView looks like a pretty cheap camera to me think I want something better than that.

So what do you think of using a wall mount with the Dahua IPC-HDBW4231F-AS do you think it would look very good indoors?

Yes sure wish I could have gotten in on the Hikivision OEM cube camera deal.

I’m really more interested in viewing a good live feed day & night than actually watching recorded video... I really doubt I’ll even set BI to trigger on motion.