Dahua Starlight's & NVR

[RY7]

Hi,
I am looking to buy Two IP cams and a NVR. I am a UK member, so i am looking to spend around £400.

I have been reading a bit on the forum and it looks like the Dahua Starlights are some of the best for the price? Im not too sure which one to go for, the fixed or Varifocal? Are the 2mp ones better in the dark?


What NVR would you recomend? I will have a maximum of three cameras. I suppose a Dahua NVR to match would be better?

 

[looney2ns]

Starlights are the best overall at this point.

2mp is the best in the dark.

Stick with the same brand NVR as the cams for less headaches.

Read the posts in the Dahua section.

 

[Fastb]

RY7,

Welcome to the forum!

Im not too sure which one to go for, the fixed or Varifocal?

If you go with Fixed, then you have to pick a lens. See Camera Calculator / Design Software
Enter your address, Google maps will show a downwards view. Place a cam on you house, and a "subject" to view at the distance to suit your yard, and it will help you pick the right lens for the right FOV (Field of View). Keep the PPF (Pixels Per Foot) above 70, ideally above 100 for good facial resolution to identify the trespasser or license plate.

Much easier, w/o risk of picking the wrong lense, is a varifocal. With adjust-ability, you pick the zoom level (FOV) to exactly meet your needs. Eg: standard cam lens options aren't infinite. eg: 3.6mm, then next up is 6mm, then 12mm.... Varifocal lets you pick anything, eg: 5.5mm. A lot less risky than picking a fixed lens size, esp for a newbie.

Be advised, locating a good cam mount spot, and a good FOV, is tricky. Many folks make adjustments once they have the cam and see the recorded images. Start with one cam and an NVR and get up the learning curve. eg: None of my cams mounted where I thought was ideal are still there. They were moved after I played around. Thankfully, I mounted them temporarily at first.

looney2ns offers excellent guidance, BTW

Again, Welcome!

Fastb

 

[Go3Team]

Hi,
I will have a maximum of three cameras.

You say that now.

 

[cyberwolf_uk]

what cctv system in the UK

Posted this a couple of days ago... may help

 

[aristobrat]

What NVR would you recomend? I will have a maximum of three cameras. I suppose a Dahua NVR to match would be better?

One advantage to matching the NVR brand with the camera brand is that you can then record IVS events that you've setup on the camera, like Tripwire, Intrusion Detection, etc (in addition to Motion Detection and scheduled).

If your NVR brand doesn't match your camera brand, you can usually only record Motion Detection and scheduled. You lose the ability to record the IVS events, although you can still set the camera up to email you snapshots in those situations.

 

[davw]

welcome from another uk based member. just bought my first IPC-HDW5231R-Z and still trying to work it all out.
going to use my QNAP nas as a nvr for now to save a few quid.
where ru based.
all the best

 

[RY7]

welcome from another uk based member. just bought my first IPC-HDW5231R-Z and still trying to work it all out.
going to use my QNAP nas as a nvr for now to save a few quid.
where ru based.
all the best

Thanks davw,
I am from cambridgeshire.

Can you tell me about the QNAP?

 

[RY7]

I am looking to buy all of the following as a bundle.

What sellers would you recomend?

2x Dahua Starlight Varifocal Turret (IPC-HDW5231R-Z)

2x Wall mounts

1x Dahua NVR (For four cameras)

 

[RY7]

I already have a new WD Purple HD

 

[Fastb]

Far and away, the most popular vendor is Andy at Empire Candy.
Your question is not unusual. It's been asked by many before you...

Check the thread below. 1,200 entries, and 200,000 views.

Good source to buy IP items at

Fastb

 

[aristobrat]

Empire Technology Co., Inc on Ali

 

[davw]

RY7 - I am not too far away in hertsfordshire.
I got a cheap deal £80 for a QNAP TS221 with 2x1tb drives included. It includes a license for 2 cameras. Not set it up yet so cant comment.
I assume buying the Dahua NVR makes more sense longterm. (I may sell the nas to buy the nvr if i get the bug)
There are some cheap Dahua NVRs on the market but dont know how they compare.
The 2mp starlight does hold a microSD card internally which would get you going.

 

[RY7]

RY7 - I am not too far away in hertsfordshire.
I got a cheap deal £80 for a QNAP TS221 with 2x1tb drives included. It includes a license for 2 cameras. Not set it up yet so cant comment.
I assume buying the Dahua NVR makes more sense longterm. (I may sell the nas to buy the nvr if i get the bug)
There are some cheap Dahua NVRs on the market but dont know how they compare.
The 2mp starlight does hold a microSD card internally which would get you going.

So is it possible to just use the cameras with a sd card and view the footage via smart phone?

I have been looking at the Dahua 4104P NVR

 

[davw]

Not sure.

 

[aristobrat]

So is it possible to just use the cameras with a sd card and view the footage via smart phone?

I haven't done it personally, but I'm 99% sure I've read about other folks doing that in the big 5231r-z thread.

 

[ChooChooman74]

So is it possible to just use the cameras with a sd card and view the footage via smart phone?

I have been looking at the Dahua 4104P NVR

Yes it is. Best way, of course, is VPN into your network to do so. Setup gDMSS or iDMSS to connect to your camera(s).