Dahua IPC-HDW5442T-ZE 4MP Varifocal Turret - Night Perfomance testing

[David L]

Right now 26 cams running 24/7 recording direct to disk bvr. BI is running about 17,000kB/s and 615 MP/s. All cams are running 15fps except for one 5442 Z4 at 30fps and the two 5241 z12 LPR cams running at 25fps. Not all cams are running the sub stream option. Six are 4MP and the rest are 2MP cams.

I misspoke earlier. The 28 days was before I installed the LPR cams. It is now 21 days of recordings on those 30TB.

Thank you. Do you have the three 10TBs in the BI box or in a NAS? My thought is to record to a hidden NAS. I am not looking to setup a RAID and lose drive space, if I lose the recording for a month, oh well, just hope I won't need the footage at that time for anything.

 

[samplenhold]

Do you have the three 10TBs in the BI box or in a NAS?

It is in the BI server box.

 

[Zimberto]

Is anyone using the smart functions on this camera? I've been trying to get IVS to work reliably without success. I have followed the Dahua guide on how to set it up but it's still missing some events that should be detected. I am wondering if this a known issue or do I just need to keep keep trying.

Current FW: 2.800.15OG004.0.R, Build Date: 2020-10-19

I could be wrong but it seems like most people here are using this just as a dumb camera and having their NVR do all the smart work.

 

[Jgree32]

Is anyone using the smart functions on this camera? I've been trying to get IVS to work reliably without success. I have followed the Dahua guide on how to set it up but it's still missing some events that should be detected. I am wondering if this a known issue or do I just need to keep keep trying.

Current FW: 2.800.15OG004.0.R, Build Date: 2020-10-19

I could be wrong but it seems like most people here are using this just as a dumb camera and having their NVR do all the smart work.

I've had good success with IVS. Even played around with the parking detection. It's cool.

 

[Zimberto]

I've had good success with IVS. Even played around with the parking detection. It's cool.

Which FW version are you using?

 

[koops]

Now for The Video

wow!

I have the same camera and cant get near the quality that you seemed to get.

Had an issue with some local yahoo's but didnt have my settings good enough for it to be useful



Would love to know your settings just as a comparison.

I've followed the guides but still cant seen to narrow down what I need.
I feel like I need to make an automated test bot that will cycle through all the settings. Take a screenshot and then I browse what's been generated.

 

[Jgree32]

Which FW version are you using?

Latest one posted by Andy with the smart IR update.

 

[Wildcat_1]

wow!

I have the same camera and cant get near the quality that you seemed to get.

Had an issue with some local yahoo's but didnt have my settings good enough for it to be useful

View attachment 79958

Would love to know your settings just as a comparison.

I've followed the guides but still cant seen to narrow down what I need.
I feel like I need to make an automated test bot that will cycle through all the settings. Take a screenshot and then I browse what's been generated.

Koops, reach out to me directly (DM) and we can chat, send me some screenshots there of your settings and will assist. Also if needed can join remotely and help you configure

 

[Sunfox]

...So which of these is the better camera? The VariFocal or the fixed lens (-AS, as Andy sells) version?

Fixed lens has better low light performance and shows 50m vs 40m IR, but the VariFocal shows ePOE support, 1gb vs 512mb RAM... and seems to show the third stream supporting 1080p @ 30fps vs 16fps. I also see more “smart” features itemized on the VF, but don’t know if that’s accurate?

 

[sebastiantombs]

It's not a question of one being better than the other. They are both good. Which one is better for your application is the question and you're the one that has to decide which one is better.

I have both a 5442B-ZE and a 5442T-AS. The "T" does perform better in low light and the "B" has more control of AI.

 

[samplenhold]

^^^What he said.

 

[spammenotinoz]

wow!

I have the same camera and cant get near the quality that you seemed to get.

Had an issue with some local yahoo's but didnt have my settings good enough for it to be useful

View attachment 79958

Would love to know your settings just as a comparison.

I've followed the guides but still cant seen to narrow down what I need.
I feel like I need to make an automated test bot that will cycle through all the settings. Take a screenshot and then I browse what's been generated.

Bump. I am interested in a reply to this one.
My gut believes this looks like insufficient detail vs artifacting (difficult to guess from a still though), caused by too much IR reflection.
It just looks like too much IR light at the front bouncing back from the drive and fence, so the camera can not get the correct background exposure.

Is that a streetlight, you may be able to force day mode at night, although you may need a cam with 0.0005 Lux, compared to this which is 0.001 Lux (I think from memory)

Turn Up the IR (Manual) = Over Exposure Up Front (HLC or SSA may help compensate)
External IR = Cost and Visual Impact
Lower Shutter Speed = Motion Blur

I have said this before, but I honestly find the IR on the Dahua's quite poor, compared to the cheaper cams with the ring of smaller LED's around the lens (but they suffer from spiders and webs here in Oz)
There is talk of Firmware tweaks, but at the end of the day Dahua's approach of a single or dual high powered LED just doesn't have the throw distance and cause too much bounceback. Physically with a single LED you can't have one targeting throw in the background and also the front.
Think of a torch you can go for the wide throw and you just don't get the light at the back, you can tighten the beam and get good light in the distance, but you need both for completely coverage.

Try something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Univivi-Illuminator-Infrared-Security-Cameras/dp/B075F7NV56/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=2E3K2JU2YHHEI&keywords=ir+illuminator&qid=1582221399&sprefix=ir+ill,electronics,143&sr=8-4&linkCode=sl1&tag=ipctk-20&linkId=6838229bd82d3d26d4ddb930724e6caa&language=en_US

 

[spammenotinoz]

Bump. I am interested in a reply to this one.
My gut believes this looks like insufficient detail vs artifacting (difficult to guess from a still though), caused by too much IR reflection.
It just looks like too much IR light at the front bouncing back from the drive and fence, so the camera can not get the correct background exposure.

Is that a streetlight, you may be able to force day mode at night, although you may need a cam with 0.0005 Lux, compared to this which is 0.001 Lux (I think from memory)

Turn Up the IR (Manual) = Over Exposure Up Front (HLC or SSA may help compensate)
External IR = Cost and Visual Impact
Lower Shutter Speed = Motion Blur

I have said this before, but I honestly find the IR on the Dahua's quite poor, compared to the cheaper cams with the ring of smaller LED's around the lens (but they suffer from spiders and webs here in Oz)
There is talk of Firmware tweaks, but at the end of the day Dahua's approach of a single or dual high powered LED just doesn't have the throw distance and cause too much bounce back. Physically with a single LED you can't have one targeting throw in the background and also the front.
Think of a torch you can go for the wide throw and you just don't get the light at the back, you can tighten the beam and get good light in the distance, but you need both for completely coverage.

Try something like this.

https://www.amazon.com/Univivi-Illuminator-Infrared-Security-Cameras/dp/B075F7NV56/ref=as_li_ss_tl?crid=2E3K2JU2YHHEI&keywords=ir+illuminator&qid=1582221399&sprefix=ir+ill,electronics,143&sr=8-4&linkCode=sl1&tag=ipctk-20&linkId=6838229bd82d3d26d4ddb930724e6caa&language=en_US

Before going down the IR path, may be better to put your money in a replacement cam.
I purchased a cheap cam for $110 delivered and have started testing. NC400 – 4MP ACE True Full Color Night Vision PoE Bullet IP Security Camera (0.001 Lux)
Like the Dahua it's still 4MPbut initial testing in low light it looks like it absolutely blows my IPC-HDW5442T-ZE \ IPC-T5442T-ZE out of the water. In NO light (out the back under my pergola), without the White Light it was essentially useless.
Downsides: It's a Bullet Cam, not a Turret. With Dahua I have been lucky lately that I have been re-using the old mounts and just replacing the cam, couldn't do that here.
Needs some light (pardon the pun but startlight \ moon light actually seems to be enough, cloudy night no, but street light is plenty.
It doesn't detect the IR from the other cameras, or external IR, it comes with WHITE LED's that you can turn on\off and adjust the brightness. (Have not been able to control them from a script yet)
I think that is a shame it can't work with IR.

I can't say I would recommend this yet my biggest takeaway has been I really need to save money and wait for a Turret version of the ds-2cd2t87g2-l!!

 

[JL-F1]

Trying to adjust the zoom in web view using:
setting->conditions->zoom and focus

It doesn't work, just a black box and the controls that I can't move

I can control the zoom and focus in the live view

is that correct?

Also I cannot accces any zoom and focus in Blue Iris, I have tried every Dahua camera and auto in the camera setup menu?

IPC-T5442T-ZE
V2.800.15OG002.0.R

 

[sebastiantombs]

Did you enable PTZ in the PTZ tab?

 

[JL-F1]

Did you enable PTZ in the PTZ tab?

Yes, in blue iris 'Enable PTZ Focus etc' is checked in the Camera PTZ tab, my other full ptz amcrest cameras are workiong fine, with ptz

 

[Zimberto]

I'm pretty sure IVS is flaky on this camera having played with it a few weeks now. While it detects some things it has repeatedly failed to detect a trash truck entering an intrusion zone or crossing a tripwire. I have followed the manual and left space on either sides of the boundaries but nope, the trash truck sneaks thru every time. The problem is... if I'm missing trash trucks, what else am I missing?

System: 2.800.15OG004.0.R, Build Date: 2020-10-19

 

[biggen]

I have the same issues with IVS. Its seems to work better in daylight. At night, cars will go past the trip wire, and the snapshot will come after the car has exited the frame so all I'm looking at is an empty road at that point in time.

IVS definitely needs some work.

 

[wittaj]

The thing to keep in mind as well is that the camera needs time to process what it is seeing and then determine if it meets the criteria and then should it trigger, so too tight a field of view can cause that, too dark an image, etc.

I am sure you have, but make sure if you use intrusion zone that you have entering and appearing checked. That can help quite a bit.

For a tripwire, many here will go with a tripwire in a Z pattern to insure it is picked up.

And IVS will not work at night for LPR cameras LOL...or at least not very consistently.

 

[Zimberto]

The thing to keep in mind as well is that the camera needs time to process what it is seeing and then determine if it meets the criteria and then should it trigger, so too tight a field of view can cause that, too dark an image, etc.

I am sure you have, but make sure if you use intrusion zone that you have entering and appearing checked. That can help quite a bit.

For a tripwire, many here will go with a tripwire in a Z pattern to insure it is picked up.

And IVS will not work at night for LPR cameras LOL...or at least not very consistently.

Thanks. Good advice but not good enough to make this camera work, unfortunately.