Hello!
I have thought about investing in an IP-cam system and on the basis of talks with a local dealer and internet reviews I have somehow decided to go for Dahua. Mostly the argument has been the price / quality ratio but as you can see my references are more or less subjective. I'm no camera or photo professional so it's been a hard road to reach even this level of knowledge on ip-cams so far... so bare with me.
The setup would be as follows:
NVR4104-P
SD40212S-HN (PTZ)
IPC-HFW1320S (Bullet, 3x)
The location is in the middle of nowhere so no light pollution "available" and on these 60°N latitudes there's basically pitch black between 5pm and 9am - at least now when typing this message. Later in Summer it's again the opposite with constant brightness.
The use is more or less for fun / hobby and the surveillance part comes as a nice bonus at the moment.
The intention is to hook up everything on PoE and UPS, just to be sure. Internet connection will rely on 4G LTE (generally up 24/7 and a solid 10 to 30 mb connection).
Is that equipment capable of detecting movement and more importantly record video under the above mentioned conditions? Possibly an extra IR spot along with motion detector?
As these toys are quite expensive the working life is also important. Today they might be there but perhaps after a few years I want to move the PTZ elsewhere or something. The environment can also be quite harsh what comes to wind, rain, snow, temperature etc. Can they handle that environment and whats a reasonable life expectation of such a system?
My concern is also about the abilities of the camera software. The NVR has some sort of OS right? How smart is that OS?
Can I for instance program the PTZ on patrol mode to check for certain perimeters or is it only available on static picture triggering? Meaning that the PTZ would check places A,B and C and if there's movement in B then it stops the patrol and starts recording? And after a trigger event is over it continues the patrol? Can this Dahua NVR send events to iCloud for example? And can you manage the NVR HDD in general over the internet, like download, empty and check events locally?
I've checked some youtube videos and tried to understand the basics of motion trigger on Dahua, but it's hard to say without any hands on experience. Perhaps I have high expectations for features that might be available on the year 2020 model?
How about the bullet cams? I understood that model would be a 3mp cam?
As said earlier I talked with a local dealer and they gave me just eye popping prices on these equipment so I'm thinking about ordering the kit from Aliexpress instead - in case nobody knows a better option to buy Dahua online in Europe? The local dude asks for only the PTZ and NVR close to 900 USD so I didn't even bother asking for the system mentioned earlier. From Aliexpress I could get this whole system for the same price.
I almost ordered the whole package but then I got second thoughts as I read about people getting 1mp cams instead of 3mp, Chinese software versions, empty boxes etc. Well I guess that's the problem whatever you order from there. In addition I understood that the firmware updates might be a hassle / impossible. Does the NVR software need some sort of regular updates or can this whole system be a brick even if you wouldn't try to update anything? Another concern is the general IT-security of those Aliexpress models.Does the NVR need some updates or connection to Dahua servers, ever?
Perhaps there's some Aliexpress Doe checking out my videos on the other side of the globe? Or Dahua servers recognize a counterfeit product and shut it down? 
... okay okay, enough conspiracy theories .. but what if? LOL
And about the bullet cams - they market them as "a replacement" for some HFW4300(?) model, but is that just a hoax? They claim to have all the latest versions and recommend some other models due to that reason - well - what to say when all the cameras tend to look the same from the outside and of course you are temped to get the latest version. Some tech details are also a mismatch since Dahua website might say 90° angle while Ali Doe claims it to have only 50° angle. One seller was pushing to choose this model since "the Chinese have hacked the software and no safe anymore." Wtf?
Would you recommend an Aliexpress dealer that supplies proper Dahua cameras?
Okay okay, this post is already simply too long and a mess in general so I will stop here. I'll put the actual questions on underlined font so they are more easily recognizable (or perhaps they aren't even questions after all).
Suggestions, thoughts, comments?
Cheers!
I have thought about investing in an IP-cam system and on the basis of talks with a local dealer and internet reviews I have somehow decided to go for Dahua. Mostly the argument has been the price / quality ratio but as you can see my references are more or less subjective. I'm no camera or photo professional so it's been a hard road to reach even this level of knowledge on ip-cams so far... so bare with me.
The setup would be as follows:
NVR4104-P
SD40212S-HN (PTZ)
IPC-HFW1320S (Bullet, 3x)
The location is in the middle of nowhere so no light pollution "available" and on these 60°N latitudes there's basically pitch black between 5pm and 9am - at least now when typing this message. Later in Summer it's again the opposite with constant brightness.
The use is more or less for fun / hobby and the surveillance part comes as a nice bonus at the moment.
The intention is to hook up everything on PoE and UPS, just to be sure. Internet connection will rely on 4G LTE (generally up 24/7 and a solid 10 to 30 mb connection).
Is that equipment capable of detecting movement and more importantly record video under the above mentioned conditions? Possibly an extra IR spot along with motion detector?
As these toys are quite expensive the working life is also important. Today they might be there but perhaps after a few years I want to move the PTZ elsewhere or something. The environment can also be quite harsh what comes to wind, rain, snow, temperature etc. Can they handle that environment and whats a reasonable life expectation of such a system?
My concern is also about the abilities of the camera software. The NVR has some sort of OS right? How smart is that OS?
Can I for instance program the PTZ on patrol mode to check for certain perimeters or is it only available on static picture triggering? Meaning that the PTZ would check places A,B and C and if there's movement in B then it stops the patrol and starts recording? And after a trigger event is over it continues the patrol? Can this Dahua NVR send events to iCloud for example? And can you manage the NVR HDD in general over the internet, like download, empty and check events locally?
I've checked some youtube videos and tried to understand the basics of motion trigger on Dahua, but it's hard to say without any hands on experience. Perhaps I have high expectations for features that might be available on the year 2020 model?
How about the bullet cams? I understood that model would be a 3mp cam?
As said earlier I talked with a local dealer and they gave me just eye popping prices on these equipment so I'm thinking about ordering the kit from Aliexpress instead - in case nobody knows a better option to buy Dahua online in Europe? The local dude asks for only the PTZ and NVR close to 900 USD so I didn't even bother asking for the system mentioned earlier. From Aliexpress I could get this whole system for the same price.
I almost ordered the whole package but then I got second thoughts as I read about people getting 1mp cams instead of 3mp, Chinese software versions, empty boxes etc. Well I guess that's the problem whatever you order from there. In addition I understood that the firmware updates might be a hassle / impossible. Does the NVR software need some sort of regular updates or can this whole system be a brick even if you wouldn't try to update anything? Another concern is the general IT-security of those Aliexpress models.Does the NVR need some updates or connection to Dahua servers, ever?
Perhaps there's some Aliexpress Doe checking out my videos on the other side of the globe?
Or Dahua servers recognize a counterfeit product and shut it down? ... okay okay, enough conspiracy theories .. but what if? LOLAnd about the bullet cams - they market them as "a replacement" for some HFW4300(?) model, but is that just a hoax? They claim to have all the latest versions and recommend some other models due to that reason - well - what to say when all the cameras tend to look the same from the outside and of course you are temped to get the latest version. Some tech details are also a mismatch since Dahua website might say 90° angle while Ali Doe claims it to have only 50° angle. One seller was pushing to choose this model since "the Chinese have hacked the software and no safe anymore." Wtf?
Would you recommend an Aliexpress dealer that supplies proper Dahua cameras?
Okay okay, this post is already simply too long and a mess in general so I will stop here. I'll put the actual questions on underlined font so they are more easily recognizable (or perhaps they aren't even questions after all).
Suggestions, thoughts, comments?
Cheers!
