Is there a reason to get IPC-T5442T-ZE over IPC-T5842T-ZE(IPC-HDW5842T-ZE)?

[alwaysoff]

Hi, a long time lurker here but a newbie when it comes to ipcam. I haven't got any cam, but I'd like to start installing them at home. Since I'm not sure what focal length to get, I think a varifocal would be a good choice, so I narrowed it down to these two cameras:

Link to both products (Andy's store)
IPC-T5442T-ZE 188.1US $ 7% OFF|New Model IPC T5442T ZE 4MP Starlight IR Vari focal Eyeball Network Camera , free DHL shipping|Surveillance Cameras| - AliExpress
IPC-T5842T-ZE 237.49US $ 5% OFF|New Arriving IPC T5842T ZE(IPC HDW5842T ZE) 8MP IR Vari focal Eyeball WizMind Network Camera,Free Shipping|Surveillance Cameras| - AliExpress

They both have the same sensor size 1/1.8".
So other than price, would I be better off getting the 8MP camera over the 4MP?

A bit of background:
I'll start with 3 cameras: two on either side of my double garage, pointing to the driveway / road, and one near the front door, from the side, looking at the front door.

I haven't had anything yet, but thinking perhaps I should use BlueIris or ZoneMinder as the NVR.

I use a home automation system based on OpenHAB, which is running on a linux computer. I'll have to get a dedicated computer to run BI / ZoneMinder, and also a PoE switch.

Wish List:

• It would be great if I could somehow have some sort of LPR on the two cameras pointing to the driveway to catch the number plates of all the cars going through the road.
• Have facial recognition of the people approaching the front door

It would be a whole different topic discussing about HOW to implement this, but for the sake of camera selection, I hope this is enough information.

 

[sebastiantombs]

An 8MP on the same sensor size will need roughly twice the light to see well, color or B&W, at night.

LPR is a whole other topic, an art unto itself, and requires dedicated cameras to accomplish due to the specific settings needed at night, high exposure speeds like 1/1000 or 1/2000.

LPR

New to LPR? Considerations Before You Begin

Thought I would throw together a post on my experiences so far with LPR in an effort to help others that are considering running down that rabbit hole. There are some practical considerations you should know about LPR. I am approaching this from the position of using Blue Iris and Plate...

ipcamtalk.com

LPR Case Study: Scoping, Planning, Proof of Concept, Installation, & Results

Introduction This thread is about my journey into LPR (License Plate Recognition) after having about 18 months of experience with IP cams and having quite a bit of my system finished. I am not an expert on LPR, or IP cameras either. But I have spent a lot of time working with my system and...

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LPR

Licence Plate Reader cameras

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Review-Dahua IPC-HFW5241E-Z12E AI Varifocal Bullet

Courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY at Empire Technology Co., Ltd - Small Orders Online Store, Hot Selling and more on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group And EmpireTech-Andy @ Amazon.com: Price Approximately $220US shipped via DHL...

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[wittaj]

The 5442 will beat the 5842 all night long...

It is simple LOL do not chase MP - do not buy a 4MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/1.8" sensor. Do not buy a 2MP camera that is anything smaller than a 1/2.8" sensor. Do not buy a 4K (8MP) camera on anything smaller than a 1/1.2" sensor. Unfortunately, most 4k cams are on the same sensor as a 2MP and thus the 2MP will kick its butt all night long as the 4k will need 4 times the light than the 2MP... 4k will do very poor at night unless you have stadium quality lighting (well a lot of lighting LOL). Starlight, ColorVu, Full Color, etc. are simply marketing terms, so don't be sold on those names.

Regarding a camera for plates (LPR) - keep in mind that this is a camera dedicated to plates and not an overview camera also. It is as much an art as it is a science. You will need two cameras. For LPR we need to zoom in tight to make the plate as large as possible. For most of us, all you see is the not much more than a vehicle in the entire frame. Now maybe in the right location during the day it might be able to see some other things, but not at night.

At night, we have to run a very fast shutter speed (1/2,000) and in B/W with IR and the image will be black. All you will see are head/tail lights and the plate. Some people can get away with color if they have enough street lights, but most of us cannot. Here is a representative sample of plates I get at night of vehicles traveling about 45MPH at 175 feet from my 2MP camera (that is all that is needed for plates):



Regarding facial recognition, keep in mind that most of us have found in home settings that facial recognition is more gimmicky and novelty than anything else. If you have to put in 5 or 10 or 15 pictures of yourself in the NVR or DeepStack for it to recognize it is you...then you shouldn't expect much....

What do you think of Dahua's "Uyghur Warnings"?

 

[looney2ns]

Hi, a long time lurker here but a newbie when it comes to ipcam. I haven't got any cam, but I'd like to start installing them at home. Since I'm not sure what focal length to get, I think a varifocal would be a good choice, so I narrowed it down to these two cameras:

Link to both products (Andy's store)
IPC-T5442T-ZE 188.1US $ 7% OFF|New Model IPC T5442T ZE 4MP Starlight IR Vari focal Eyeball Network Camera , free DHL shipping|Surveillance Cameras| - AliExpress
IPC-T5842T-ZE 237.49US $ 5% OFF|New Arriving IPC T5842T ZE(IPC HDW5842T ZE) 8MP IR Vari focal Eyeball WizMind Network Camera,Free Shipping|Surveillance Cameras| - AliExpress

They both have the same sensor size 1/1.8".
So other than price, would I be better off getting the 8MP camera over the 4MP?

A bit of background:
I'll start with 3 cameras: two on either side of my double garage, pointing to the driveway / road, and one near the front door, from the side, looking at the front door.

I haven't had anything yet, but thinking perhaps I should use BlueIris or ZoneMinder as the NVR.

I use a home automation system based on OpenHAB, which is running on a linux computer. I'll have to get a dedicated computer to run BI / ZoneMinder, and also a PoE switch.

Wish List:

• It would be great if I could somehow have some sort of LPR on the two cameras pointing to the driveway to catch the number plates of all the cars going through the road.
• Have facial recognition of the people approaching the front door

It would be a whole different topic discussing about HOW to implement this, but for the sake of camera selection, I hope this is enough information.

Yes, many reasons to go with the 5442.
Buy one Varifocal, then use it to test your proposed locations, and decide what works best for your situation.
Review-OEM Loryta IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal 4mp camera (Dahua) | IP Cam Talk

 

[karlocikovic]

Yes, many reasons to go with the 5442.
Buy one Varifocal, then use it to test your proposed locations, and decide what works best for your situation.
Review-OEM Loryta IPC-T5442T-ZE Varifocal 4mp camera (Dahua) | IP Cam Talk

Do you have the same opinion after last review of 5842 from wildcat? I'm also between 5442 and 5842, but looking for fixed 2.8 and 3.6 turret.. I would like to have more detail 4K resolution. Please share your thoughts

Edit: Just now I got information from Andy that unfortunately they don't plan to keep the 5842 fixed lens...

 

[sebastiantombs]

I guess it all depends on your own particular circumstance in terms of available light. If there's enough ambient white light the 5842 could work out well, but the 5442 would probably work a little better, especially on dark, rainy, nights.

Keep in mind too that Wildcat is a true expert and knows how to tune a camera to get the most from it. We normal mortals have trouble getting them that good.

 

[looney2ns]

I guess it all depends on your own particular circumstance in terms of available light. If there's enough ambient white light the 5842 could work out well, but the 5442 would probably work a little better, especially on dark, rainy, nights.

Keep in min too that Wildcat is a true expert and knows how to tune a camera to get the most from it. We normal mortals have trouble getting them that good.