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2charlie40delta

n3wb
Feb 5, 2024
16
5
United States
Glad to be here - I've learned enough to go from zero to having four Amcrest cameras and a couple of wyzecams running on BI. I've got a way to go yet though.

One question - Who is Andy, and why does everyone buy their cams from him?
 
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What do you mean? EVERY security camera is not very secure on the internet - ironic isn't it..

We isolate the cameras from the internet and the rest of our system and the risk is mitigated...

Your Amcrest cameras are watered down Dahua OEM cameras. Andy sells legit full-version Dahua OEM cameras...So some version of the same firmware at some level...

You think your Wyze cams aren't compromised....

Wyze having trouble securing their feeds......STILL

From Sept. 8, 2023: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/8/23865255/wyze-security-camera-feeds-web-view-issue Apparently they're still having issues 5 months later, Feb. 16, 2024: Excerpt: "My sister texted me in a panic because her app is showing someone else's feed," one customer said, while...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
 
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wittaj said:
What do you mean? EVERY security camera is not very secure on the internet - ironic isn't it..

We isolate the cameras from the internet and the rest of our system and the risk is mitigated...

You think your Wyze cams aren't compromised....

Wyze having trouble securing their feeds......STILL

From Sept. 8, 2023: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/8/23865255/wyze-security-camera-feeds-web-view-issue Apparently they're still having issues 5 months later, Feb. 16, 2024: Excerpt: "My sister texted me in a panic because her app is showing someone else's feed," one customer said, while...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
[/QUOTE
Click to expand...
 
2charlie40delta said:
Glad to be here - I've learned enough to go from zero to having four Amcrest cameras and a couple of wyzecams running on BI. I've got a way to go yet though.

One question - Who is Andy, and why does everyone buy their cams from him?
Click to expand...

Welcome @2charlie40delta

There a few approved vendors at ipcamtalk due to their reputation and good experiences members have had with them.

Of those Andy provides a wide selection of cameras for sale.
 
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wittaj said:
What do you mean? EVERY security camera is not very secure on the internet - ironic isn't it..

We isolate the cameras from the internet and the rest of our system and the risk is mitigated...

Your Amcrest cameras are watered down Dahua OEM cameras. Andy sells legit full-version Dahua OEM cameras...So some version of the same firmware at some level...

You think your Wyze cams aren't compromised....

Wyze having trouble securing their feeds......STILL

From Sept. 8, 2023: https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/8/23865255/wyze-security-camera-feeds-web-view-issue Apparently they're still having issues 5 months later, Feb. 16, 2024: Excerpt: "My sister texted me in a panic because her app is showing someone else's feed," one customer said, while...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
Click to expand...
I figured that was going to be the answer. I guess Wyzecam hasn't been busted red handed like Dahua, giving Russians access to backdoors in Ukraine, etc....at least not that I've heard of.

thanks for the info.
 
EMPIRETECANDY said:
Welcome :welcome:
Click to expand...
Thanks Andy. I have a couple of questions - I want hang a camera that would be capable of an image that could identify a car thief at a distance of about 25' if possible, mounted at approximately 7-8' high. Would also love to have person detection/face recognition etc. if it's practical. The tricky part is that my driveway fronts on a busy road, which will be in the background, so I have to keep vehicle recognition off or the alerts are non stop.

I guess I need something with a varifocal lens. From what I gather on here everyone talks about dahua 5442 cameras, but seem to buying Empire Tech? I probably need three more cameras, but I want to spring for one right now so I can mess around with it and develop my knowledge base before going to crazy.

Ill be running Blue Iris on a dedicated Xeon PC if that matters. can you help me pick out what I need?
 
Yes, if just 25ft then use the IPC-T54IR-ZE S3 will be a good choice.
 
It comes down to focal length - the ZE is a varifocal up to 13mm whereas the Z4E is a 32mm varifocal.

Here are my general distance and camera recommendations, but switch out the Dahua 5442 series camera to the equivalent 2MP on the 1/2.8" sensor or equivalent Hikvision works as well. These particular cameras are generally accepted by many here as the best balance of performance day and night, price, and features. With all the cameras I have used and tested over the years, these are the ones I also currently use.
  • 5442 fixed lens 2.8mm - anything within 10-15 feet of camera OR as an overview camera. This camera is still considered the "gold standard" and many will say 4MP on the 1/1.8" sensor is the sweet spot for surveillance cameras.
  • 4K/X bullet or 4K/X turret - anything within 20 feet of the camera OR as an overview camera. The turret versions have a mic and the 4K/X bullet has two-way audio. These cameras need light and cannot see infrared. Keep in mind the larger sensor does mean the camera has a more shallow focus and has a definite sweet spot for focus and anything closer or further away will be a little soft. It is why most use it as an overview camera to capture color.
  • Color4K-T180 - is a great overview camera and can see 180 degrees left-right, so one on the front of the house can see down the entire front (unless you have obstructions LOL). This camera needs light and cannot see infrared. Most would not use this as an IDENTIFY camera. This camera has two-way audio.
  • T5449H-ASE-D2 2.8mm fixed lens - anything within 10 feet of camera where the object would be in a backlit condition at night. This camera has two-way audio.
  • 5441F-AS-E2 (AKA Boobie cam) or E3241F-AS-M- great choice for a front door camera. The boobie cam can have one lens pointed down for packages. This camera has a mic.
  • T5241H-AS-PV - Great little active deterrence camera with two way talk. Good for anything within 10 feet of camera or as an overview camera.
  • 5442 ZE or 5842-ZE- varifocal up to 13mm- distances up to 40-50 feet (personally I wouldn't go past the 30 foot range but I like things closer). This camera has a mic.
  • 5442 Z4E - varifocal up to 32mm - anything up to 80-100 feet (personally I wouldn't go past 60 feet but I like things closer).
  • 5241-Z12E - varifocal up to 64mm - anything from 80 feet to almost 200 feet (personally I wouldn't go past 150 feet because I like things closer).
  • 5241-Z12E - for a license plate cam that you would angle up the street to get plates up to about 175 feet away, or up to 220 with additional IR.
  • PTZs - the 49425 is great sub $450 auto-track PTZ or the SD4A425DB-HNY mini-PTZ (sub $400) and in conjunction with an NVR or Blue Iris and the cameras above that you can use as spotter cams to point the PTZ to the correct location to compliment the fixed cams. If you have the budget though, the PTZ5A4M-25X is the best option unless you have an even bigger budget and could go with the PTZ4K45X-AI
  • Indoors, the IP2M-841 is a cheap common camera choice. Works with Dahua NVR and Blue Iris. Has wifi and ability to use POE with this adapter. Has two-way talk and basic autotracking.

You need to get the correct camera for the area trying to be covered. A wide angle 2.8mm to IDENTIFY someone 40 feet away is the wrong camera regardless of how good the camera is. A 2.8mm camera to IDENTIFY someone within 10 feet is a good choice OR it is an overview camera to see something happened but not be able to identify who.

One camera cannot be the be all, see all. Each one is selected for covering a specific area. Most of us here have different brands and types, from fixed cams, to varifocals, to PTZs, each one selected for it's primary purpose and to utilize the strength of that particular camera.

So you will need to identify the distance the camera would be from the activities you want to IDENTIFY on and purchase the correct camera for that distance as an optical zoom.
 
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Disregard - the links work there that's all I need.

Question - do these varifocal lenses automatically focus on an object that triggers them, or do they get manually adjusted when you set up?
 
2charlie40delta said:
Sorry for being high maintenance, but you lost me here
Click to expand...

Meaning if you are tight on money, a 2MP on the 1/2.8" sensor isn't bad but not as good as the 5442 series.

Basically, we have learned that performance is based on getting cameras on the ideal MP/sensor ratio, so anything in green. When you see a 4K camera selling for $90 that means they put it on a sensor designed for 720P and it will not perform well at night.

1711162055084.png
 
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2charlie40delta said:
Disregard - the links work there that's all I need.

Question - do these varifocal lenses automatically focus on an object that triggers them, or do they get manually adjusted when you set up?
Click to expand...

The focus is auto based on the static field of view it sees, so in certain situations, you could have someone be in focus at 25 feet out and a little blurry as they come closer to the camera.

It are the PTZ cameras that are constantly adjusting focus based on where the object is.
 
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