Looking for Location and Camera Recommendations

[tygger]

Hi everyone.

After a string ofvandalism and theft in my neighborhood last year, I've finally decided to setupsome security cameras. We were mostly hit with packages being stolen from themailbox and front porch and minor vandalism like smashed mailboxes and Christmaslights being cut right in front of the house.

I've been trying toread up as much as possible and think I've narrowed by search down to LTS 4mpTurrets (CMIP3042W). My house doesn'treally have overhangs to install cameras underneath, so I was thinking of installingthem on the vertical spaces I circled in red. The space over the garage on theleft side seems solid, but I'm not sure about the space on the right side. Idon't really see any other option, but I'd like to have as much coverage as possible.

Also, given where they will be located,should I go with 2.8mm or 4mm cams?

I'm open to allsuggestions (location, camera type/brand, number of cameras, etc).

Thank you

 

[dalepa]

I would put them much lower. I would put hikvision 3345-i turret 4mm everywhere except by the front door and have overlapping views. I would put a 2.8mm at face level at the front door. A benefit of more cams is that you end up with lots of IR light.



As A bonus, I would also get a Huison 10x and put it in the middle of the garage to be able to PTZ it as needed and also provide more IR




Here's where I would stick them (the small red circles)

 

[Del Boy]

Is this in Baghdad? I'm not sure OP need 6 cameras on the front of the house!

You could get the same coverage with one in the middle of the garage, one at the doorbell and one higher up covering the entire front or the left circle the OP highlighted.

I definitely wouldn't put a Huisun in the middle of the garage, maybe ok at the far left circle but that is a beautiful house and putting a Huisun up in the middle of it is IMO is ruining it. Urrrrggghhhh.

 

[Kawboy12R]

Where's your mailbox going to be? On the house or out at the road? If out at the road by the curb I see on the lower right then a 12mm mounted on either house corner might cover it decently in the daytime but you'd probably want more zoom. One of these in the 16mm -I8 variety wouldn't be bad but the idea of mounting a Huisun MiniPTZ (or any other Hik compatible PTZ of your choice if you're going with other Hik equipment) on the far left corner would probably be best esthetically and much more versatile.

If you don't want to protect vehicles parked outside (even a 4mm won't protect a vehicle terribly well at night unless it's parked right under it unless you've got really good lighting), then a 2.8mm at the front door at or a bit above Dalepa's red dot angled a bit towards the garages. Then a 4mm at or a bit above Dalepa's dot detween the 1st and second garage and aimed a bit towards the front door. That should get everybody going in those two garages. Then another 4mm tucked in the corner just to the left of that one and angled a bit towards the woods. That should cover the front of the house decently. Don't forget a 2.8 or 4mm on the back door as well.

If budget isn't a huge concern and you want much better night coverage and the ability to adjust zoom/field of view, look into mounting some of these or maybe their bullet counterparts in place of the 4mp turrets. Bullets would stay a bit cleaner when exposed to rain/dust on the side of a house instead of directly under an eave. I'd give the edge to the 4mp turrets in the daytime because of their extra pixels, but the Darkfighters are the cat's meow at night. Not sure if LTS has those in their catalog yet. I didn't notice an equivalent the last time I looked. I paid $300 US for mine plus shipping from China but they're a LOT more expensive from places over on this side of the Pacific with support and a decent warranty.

 

[tygger]

Thanks everyone. This pic was obviously taken before construction was done, but the ground level is higher than what's seen in the pic. The ground comes up to about 1ft of the black base under the bay windows on the right side. My community has a Homes Owner Association, so I'm not sure having that many cameras will fly. It might work if the cams are not as noticeable. Also, the front of the house is all brick where you see the house wrap with the logo. I've never installed anything on brick, but if the best location is somewhere on the brick, I'll figure it out.

My original thought was to install cameras higher so that they couldn't be touched or messed with, but that doesn't seem to be a concern to you all. Am I being too paranoid?

The red circles that Dalepa drew are about head level. The mailbox is located at the bottom right of the picture. Covering the mailbox is really a secondary concern for me. I would rather cover the cars on the driveway, packages being stolen from the front porch, and anyone coming up the windows of the house.

I'm trying to look up the cameras you guys are referencing, but not knowing the exact model or where to look is making the search difficult. I'm not sure I'm looking up the correct ones. For instance, which one is the Huisun Mini PTZ (http://www.aliexpress.com/store/1248007)? I like the idea of having PTZ on at least one of the cameras. Where should I be looking to research the different cameras from Hik and Huison? I got a catalog for LTS.

Bullets might be a bit too obtrusive... I might be able to install a bullet in that upper left hand corner under the eave, but everywhere else would have to be either a turret or dome camera.

Thank you all for your advice. I know I threw a bunch of questions in my post and my thoughts are scattered, but there's just so much I know that I don't know. The more I learn from you all, the better I'll be able to ask the correct questions.

 

[Kawboy12R]

Try networkcameracritic.com for lots of camera reviews but the opinions are getting a bit dated now. He passed away and the newer stuff (4mp, 2mp WDR (has WD in the model number), Darkfighter) tends to be better than the older Hik stuff he reviewed, particularly in the dark. Our opinions might mean nothing if the HOA outlaws all cameras anyway. See what they'll clear first.