Is Dahua still the top dog?

[HomeAutomationMan]

I've been out of the game a while, I've heard some rumblings that dahua is dropping in quality and reolink is getting better. Is dahua still the go to for home cams? I'll be looking to replace some old ones with new stuff here soon.

 

[mat200]

I've been out of the game a while, I've heard some rumblings that dahua is dropping in quality and reolink is getting better. Is dahua still the go to for home cams? I'll be looking to replace some old ones with new stuff here soon.

FYI - your post is 17 days too late .. was supposed to be posted April 1st ..

"I've heard some rumblings that dahua is dropping in quality and reolink is getting better"

 

[wittaj]

You heard wrong LOL.

I don't see Reolink ever passing Dahua.

Don't believe everything you see on YouTube LOL. The Hookup gets a nice commission from Reolink, as do the other "influencers"....

 

[HomeAutomationMan]

There is that, I mean I have seen some videos, but a lot of those guys also test amcrest which as far as I know is the low end dahua stuff rebranded. I saw dahua has a doorbell cam, but almost no videos on youtube, I wonder if it's any better? I may just only go with a cam above the door and a smart button for the doorbell and call it a day.

What's the newest version of the dahua turret that everyone is using right now?

 

[wittaj]

See my post in your other thread were I linked the most common recommended cameras. While a couple years old at this point, the 5442 series is still hard to beat.

The problem with the reviews is they use cameras on auto/default settings, so they will not perform their best in that situation at night.

Yes Amcrest is made by Dahua, but they use cheaper parts and sensors that are not on the ideal MP/sensor ratio. They shove 8MP on a sensor designed for 2MP, so a 2MP camera will perform better at night.

It has been shown that Reolink (and most consumer grade cameras) favor nice bright static images at night over performance. So at some point even if you can set shutter settings, the camera will override your input in favor of a nice bright image. This is done by slowing down the shutter and increasing the gain. So then you see what Reolinks are notorious for - ghost blur invisible person images at night.

So the difference between say a Dahua and a Reolink is that you can set parameters on the Dahua and it will hold. If you set parameters on the reolink that would result in a darker image the algorithm internally says "idiot alert" and it won't let you set parameters that the firmware thinks will result in not displaying a nice bright image. Don't believe me, set the shutter to 1/10,000 at night and the image should be completely black. It won't with the reolink...or any cheap camera. It will override your 1/10,000 shutter and favor a bright image. It is a good test to determine how good the camera is.

Here is a thread where I pointed out this issue that by using a camera at default/auto settings, coupled with trying to do too much with one camera (a 2.8mm fixed lens at 40 feet for example) will result in poor performance:

The HookUp ranks the Empiretech T5842 (Dahua IPC-HDW5842T-ZE) as the best affordable camera if night time performance is the main concern

Hot off the press, The Hookup ranks @EMPIRETECANDY T5842 as the best affordable camera if night time performance is the main concern. I still think he has flaws in his analysis trying to do to much with a camera and trying to get a further distance IDENTIFY out of it than the focal length is...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[HomeAutomationMan]

Yep, I shall be avoiding amcrest like the plague and probably sticking with dahua, it's all I currently run. I saw the "boobie cam" in your list haha, I think I will probably go with that for my front door cam, possibly mounted to the side of the door, we will see, none of the down sides of all of the doorbell cams I've seen. I don't really care about 2 way audio anyways. Excited to get back into cams, I've been trapped in a condo for a while and couldn't do much, now it's time to open the flood gates hahaha.

 

[wittaj]

Just remember they multiply like rabbits LOL.

The boobie cam is a great choice for a front door as one can see the people and the other can see the packages.

But yeah a good doorbell has been elusive. Nobody has developed one that meets all the checkmarks. Scary that Reolink is probably the closest in that regard LOL.

 

[wittaj]

My links in that thread are to a forum member here @EMPIRETECANDY that sells international versions of Dahua OEM on his Amazon and AliExpress store.

Depending on the part of the country you are in, the price to purchase authorized USA dealer Dahua's may be double to 5 times the price you can buy from Andy.

These cameras are Dahua OEM.

Andy's (Empirtech) cameras are Dahua equipment sold under the names Loryta and Empiretech. He also supplies them to the ipcamtalk store.

Some of my cameras I have bought from Andy from his Amazon and AliExpress store come as Dahua cams in Dahua boxes with Dahua logos, and some are not logo'd - I think it depends on how many cameras Andy buys if he gets them with the Dahua Logo or not. But regardless, they are Dahua units. If you get a unit that has Dahua on it, then the camera GUI will say Dahua; otherwise it will simply say IP Camera but looks identical except without the logo. Some of his cameras may come with EmpireTech stamped on them as well.

As long you you buy from the vendor EmpireTech or Loryta on Amazon (or AliExpress), they are Andy cams and Dahua OEM.

His cameras and NVRs are international models and many of them are not available through Dahua USA authorized dealers, but his cameras and NVRs are usually better than what you can find from a USA authorized dealer.

You can update the firmware on Andy's cameras and NVRs from the Dahua website, thus proving they are real Dahua. But you will find that the firmware we get from him is actually better and more recent than what is on the Dahua website because many members here provide feedback to Andy and then Dahua makes modifications to the firmware and sends back to him and then he sends out to his customers. These have been great improvements that Dahua doesn't even update their firmware and add to their website. So many of us are running a newer firmware than those that purchase Dahua cameras through professional installers. Smart IR on the 5442 series is one such improvement. Autotracking on the 49225 and 49425 PTZ is another. We got the next version of AI SMD 3.0 prior to anyone else as well.

Look at the threads here where members are actually testing firmware and improving it for Dahua - find a Dahua dealer with that type of relationship that Andy has with Dahua - I don't think you will find it. Look at the Dahua 4k camera on the 1/1.2" sensor as an example - Dahua provides cameras to Andy to sell before Dahua even made it available and look at all the improvements being made to the firmware from input from customers right here on this site. And the kicker is, we are not Dahua's target market - it is the professional installers...

You do have to be careful with some rebranded cameras purchased from other vendors as they are cameras that are for the Chinese region but have been hacked into English but then are not able to be updated or they will brick. Buying from a reputable source is key to make sure that doesn't happen.

 

[HomeAutomationMan]

I'll only be buying from Andy I thinks.

 

[looney2ns]

See reviews on this site for camera, lots of them.
Study this as well Cliff Notes

 

[HomeAutomationMan]

That's some extensive documentation, I have some reading to do haha.

 

[mat200]

That's some extensive documentation, I have some reading to do haha.

FYI - please note the camera models in the cliff notes are older models, .. so you can skip those sections ..

 

[HomeAutomationMan]

Got ya, yeah, always new cameras coming out.

 

[Iemand91]

I saw dahua has a doorbell cam, but almost no videos on youtube, I wonder if it's any better?

Because it's not a consumer product.

I don't know how it is in the US, but here (Netherlands) I can't run out and buy a Dahua product in a regular shop.
Only niche websites (and I count @EMPIRETECANDY in this category). Or get a security company or something that does a whole installation (and you can imagine the price of that).
Funny thing is, when I got into the Dahua camera thing, I started noticing them being installed on warehouses, industrial buildings etc., as well as high-end homes here.
(browsing the Dutch major real estate website; you can often see Dahua doorbells/camera's and indoor stations on the more expensive homes)

And it's not really consumer friendly either. The app is not very intuitive, settings between NVR and camera's don't sync up) and where we may like lots of options/settings, consumers don't.
As far as the Dahua doorbell goes (VTO2311R and VTO2201/VTO2202), they seem to tick a lot of boxes but yet you don't see them mentioned often, not even on this forum.
Don't really know why.
I guess their major downside is they don't work with your existing chime. (or at least, in an easy way). You have to use the app or indoor monitors for the notifications/ring.
And although I like the idea of those indoor stations; they look ancient. I mean, some of them run Android 8.1.

 

[wittaj]

+1 above!

The Dahua doorbell really isn't for homes. Sure I have one and make do with it, but it is clearly for a business.

Plus, you have to remember that the homeowner isn't the Dahua and Hikvision target audience, it is the professional installers that are authorized to sell and install this gear, so we cannot purchase directly and thus they will not take your phone call for support related questions or suggestions - they will tell you to talk to the installer you purchased from. Many people have bought a "Hikvision" or "Dahua" from Amazon or some shady foreign website and when they call Hikvision or Dahua for support they basically tell them to go pound salt - we have dozens of threads were people come here after trying that route. We simply are not their intended market to sell to and they will not take your call for support...Lot's of threads here confirming this, including one from a few months ago where someone tried to call for support and they told them sorry talk to your installer.

We are just fortunate to be able to get our hands on these types of cameras and a forum like this to help us troubleshoot when needed.

Review- VTO2301R-P 2mp Door Station/Doorbell Dahua/Empiretech

Courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY we have another cam to checkout in return for a fair and honest review. Thanks again to Andy! He does such a great job of supporting everyone here. We have the: VTO2301R-P PC and ABS material make it ideal for indoor and outdoor use. 1/2.8" 2-MP HD CMOS camera...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[Mark_M]

I've been out of the game a while, I've heard some rumblings that dahua is dropping in quality and reolink is getting better. Is dahua still the go to for home cams? I'll be looking to replace some old ones with new stuff here soon.

Hi @HomeAutomationMan ,
There's consumer level systems, prosumer systems, business systems and enterprise. With a lot of overlap in some areas.



Reolink I would consider in the consumer level and they are made to that price tag.
Dahua makes cameras to fit every area, from consumer level kits to enterprise/city systems.

There are Dahua cameras which perform worse than Reolink, but those are the cameras Dahua specifically made to be as cheap as possible.
If you want better, then have the money to buy something better.

We'll put it as another comparison:
A 5 day old lemon is going to be better than a 2 week old apple. But a 5 day old lemon isn't better than a 1 day old apple.

---

Comparing Reolink and Dahua as a system:
Reolink tends to be locked down with little third party support and software designed for a novice.
Dahua are more flexible in their systems. They still work as a plug 'n' play system if they are all Dahua brand, but they can work as a mixed brand system. You will also see the settings of Dahua cameras is a lot more configurable than Reolink.


So the question of "Is Dahua is dropping in quality and Reolink is getting better" depends if you live under a rock or not.
The true answer is how much money you are willing to spend and who you are listening to for this information. Everyone has opinions on both.

So, what do you want from a system?

 

[Gimmons]

As far as the Dahua doorbell goes (VTO2311R and VTO2201/VTO2202), they seem to tick a lot of boxes but yet you don't see them mentioned often, not even on this forum.
Don't really know why.
I guess their major downside is they don't work with your existing chime. (or at least, in an easy way)."

Yeah, funny. I have a couple of VTO 2202s. They are the coolest units. They integrate with electric door strikes, look and work great. But don't ask Dahua US about them. They can't answer any questions because it's not a US model. If I were Dahua US, I'd be screaming at headquarters to get me a container full asap --modified to trigger an analog chime.

 

[CanCuba]

Yeah, funny. I have a couple of VTO 2202s. They are the coolest units. They integrate with electric door strikes, look and work great. But don't ask Dahua US about them. They can't answer any questions because it's not a US model. If I were Dahua US, I'd be screaming at headquarters to get me a container full asap --modified to trigger an analog chime.

Being from Canada, I can count on one finger the number of video doorbell units I saw there. Now living in the Caribbean, there's tonnes. I believe this is due to North American houses generally not restricting access to the property via a fence with a gate.

We have a VTO2211G-WP hooked up and I love it. Just finished wiring up the VTH to the NVR so it's powered via POE. We still have to get the electric door locks installed but I'll be hiring someone for that as it's a bit more involved with the DEE1010B unit to fire the second electric lock.

I think it's a culture thing.