Full coloured cameras - yeah, I'll pass on them

[saltwater]

At my porch I've had a full-colour (night-time colour) camera for over a year now, probably closer to 18 months. Anyway, the damn thing has bugged me no end for the duration. The damn white light that is always on was always a problem for me and with the positioning of it, as you approach the front door it (the light) hits you right in the eye. On top of that, as it's always on, it attracts all the bugs and at night they are forever flying around it, climbing into it and doing all sorts.

Anyway, I've had a few spare 5442 camera's lying around, brand new (from Andy), which were ear-marked for another location but last weekend the porch problem got the better of me and I switched out the full-colour camera and replaced it with my 5442. Firstly, the night-time quality under IR is far superior albeit not in colour.

Here's some images of the removal of the old camera and then the new camera in place. Since installing it, last Sunday, the bug problem is no longer a bug problem. You'll notice the bug buildup that I had to clean to install the new camera.

All I have to do now is wash and clean the ceiling where over the months I've used a broom to remove all the bugs.

 

[wittaj]

Yep, as many of us have said, these cameras are great if you have some ambient light already. Most of us do not use the white LED on the camera for the reasons you state.

But if they sold it without the white LED, then they would get a lot more returns.

People think these cameras defy physics, but they all need light.

 

[tigerwillow1]

I have a 4k-x full color and keep the light off. Since what I look at is a few hundred feet away, the light wouldn't do any good anyway. The good news is that it does impressively well when there's moonlight.

 

[Arjun]

I think I may be one of the few that actually uses the built in LED light on one 5442 turret camera and 2 TIO turret cameras (with strobe). The built in LED lights have worked flawlessly with me in conjunction with street light. Instead of routing a live electrical line, i decided to go with the low-voltage PoE route and this saved me hundreds of dollars. Now I have a front porch light and another area always on during the night. I have one TIO turret that has its light scheduled turn off at a certain time but the external speakers stay live throughout the night. I seal all the gaps in my cameras, therefore I never have a bug problem. I think folks need to get a little more creative with how they install their cameras and not stick with the bandwagon. 9 times out of 10, there is no wrong unless it is obviously apparent. Always, your mileage may vary. Some may like the aesthetic appearance, whereas others may not. Some users may prefer a dedicated light source rather than drawing additional power from their PoE switches. Ideally, its a good idea to point two cameras at the same spot with varying focal distances, one providing an overview of the area, and the other focused on the subject(s). However, this may not fit everyone's budget, and some may prioritize aesthetics over practicality. Going with a fewer cameras would give a false sense of a good setup. You should always plan in advance, route multiple cables to same spot in case you don't want to go all-out with an 8+ camera setup. Some like to start with 4 cameras. To each their own.

 

[tech_junkie]

Besides the light, the bugs could be attracted to the heat from the hole into the attic. I would coax-seal it.

 

[wittaj]

I think I may be one of the few that actually uses the built in LED light on one 5442 turret camera and 2 TIO turret cameras (with strobe). The built in LED lights have worked flawlessly with me in conjunction with street light. Instead of routing a live electrical line, i decided to go with the low-voltage PoE route and this saved me hundreds of dollars. Now I have a front porch light and another area always on during the night. I have one TIO turret that has its light scheduled turn off at a certain time but the external speakers stay live throughout the night. I seal all the gaps in my cameras, therefore I never have a bug problem. I think folks need to get a little more creative with how they install their cameras and not stick with the bandwagon. 9 times out of 10, there is no wrong unless it is obviously apparent. Always, your mileage may vary. Some may like the aesthetic appearance, whereas others may not. Some users may prefer a dedicated light source rather than drawing additional power from their PoE switches. Ideally, its a good idea to point two cameras at the same spot with varying focal distances, one providing an overview of the area, and the other focused on the subject(s). However, this may not fit everyone's budget, and some may prioritize aesthetics over practicality. Going with a fewer cameras would give a false sense of a good setup. You should always plan in advance, route multiple cables to same spot in case you don't want to go all-out with an 8+ camera setup. Some like to start with 4 cameras. To each their own.

I suspect the white LED uses about the same power as infrared LED. Certainly not enough difference to matter.

The reason most of us don't use the camera built-in white LED is due to picture image more so than the aesthetics aspects. My image looks better with the light off.

Now for the 4K/X turret I got, I don't have a choice and need to run the light as there is no ambient light there.

But yeah, they are great cameras for those that wanted supplemental light on their house but didn't have the electric lines there or didn't want to spend the money.

You add enough of these cameras evenly spaced and then it looks like accent lighting!