Looking for Outdoor WIFI camera recommendation for front door

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nbstl68

Getting comfortable
Dec 15, 2015
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Hi,

I have an overhang area at my front door where I would like to install a camera looking at the front door \ step that would give me good facial recognition of anyone coming up to the front door and trigger motion alert email.

Possible concerns:
The entry is quite narrow and is not very high up ( About 11' up, so someone could actually reach up and pull down any camera but not really concerned about that), so the camera would only be 3-4 feet from someone's head...I think I need some advice on a proper focal length to select too then.

Would prefer it have IR as we do not leave the porch light on all night, but because of the proximity it would have to be able to avoid that white washout of someone's face being so close to the camera and IRs so it may have to have adjustable IR or WDR, (not really sure what that is yet but looks to do with inage brightness and clarity).

I think it is too cramped for a bullet style camera and given the the space I'd like to keep it somewhat small and as inconspicuous as possible.



I know WIFI is not the best solution but I think in my situation it would be a pain \ expensive to try to run CAT cable to this spot. My WIFI signal is strong here.

Useful two way audio would be a nice to have or at least audio recording but not a requirement...Not sure something like that could ever work well over WIFI anyway.

#1 requirement is that if it does take a video or pic of someone, I can actually Identify the individual from the photo or footage.

I'm also still researching a whole house camera system and don't know if I'll end up going with a NVR or Computer\Blue Iris, but would like a camera that could be compatible with either one eventually.

I have attached a photo of the area for installation. I have an AC outlet up there for power, so that is not an issue.
The underneath is slightly arched so the placement would be up inside to the left looking down.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.


Door1.jpgDoor2.jpg
 
I recommend something like a Hikvision DS-2CD2532F-IWS with a 2.8mm lens. There are many amazon.com listings around $140. Just be careful because some listings may have a different lens or no wifi. This one looks okay but only one left in stock with prime shipping: http://amzn.com/B00XBJBRKE Of course for all I know you aren't in the USA so maybe that doesn't matter.

That model is fairly small and vandal resistant, but being a dome model you have to be careful putting the dome cover on because if it isn't aligned just right then you will get IR bleeding at night making the picture look foggy. It also has a built in microphone (but no speaker), and the infrared is fairly weak so I doubt it will overpower a face.

If you can, consider using powerline networking adapters instead of WiFi. You can get them with a pass-through power outlet so you can power the camera from the one outside without hassles (this can also be helpful indoors because powerline adapters don't work when plugged in to some power strips). For $50 to $100 you can get a starter kit with two adapters. One for the camera and one to go by your router. Looks like there are some fairly recent models with extra-high speed which I would recommend because in my experience these adapters only perform at a tiny fraction of their advertised speed. http://amzn.com/B0173CGWFY I'm not saying you couldn't get away with slower and cheaper adapters, but if you ever want to expand your powerline networking usage you would probably come to appreciate it if you bought higher speed ones to start.
 
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Don't bother with DS-2CD2532F-IWS. I had one for porch for a year and not only it had weak IRs which failed it uses less sensitive sensor then other 3MP Hiks, in other words night pictures would require plenty of light. Better option is newer 2/4MP especially the larger dome with latter being better at night

So to save you from all the technical gibberish these are top choices for wifi porch (outdoor) cams:


Large 4MP dome (better for night time, cheaper)
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Free...51&btsid=2046eb84-23f3-4e60-86e9-e1cd6d7d0e4c

Small 4MP dome (compact)
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/In-s...51&btsid=4f6f0e81-c6d8-4b00-a21d-4695e3d391d7
 
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Awwesome, thx. I'll check those out.

What about the white out concerns from IRs when an individual is so close?...Will those cams auto adjust or allow for a lower IR setting or whatever it would take to avoid that.
(I had that issue w my QSee cameras I tried out and returned a little while back I made note in a different post)
Basically by the time someone was close enough to the camera to be identified the face would then white out from I guess IR reflection back to the camera.
In this case people would be pretty close to the camera if standing right at the door.


BTW I am U.S.A.based
 
nbstl68 said:
Awwesome, thx. I'll check those out.

What about the white out concerns from IRs when an individual is so close?...Will those cams auto adjust or allow for a lower IR setting or whatever it would take to avoid that.
(I had that issue w my QSee cameras I tried out and returned a little while back I made note in a different post)
Basically by the time someone was close enough to the camera to be identified the face would then white out from I guess IR reflection back to the camera.
In this case people would be pretty close to the camera if standing right at the door.


BTW I am U.S.A.based
Click to expand...

Frankly, I don't recall having this issue on my 3MP mini dome because of the failed/weak IRs and I relied on motion porch light. Although Hikvision firmware offers smart IR function which should help this. Perhaps mini dome will work better in close proximity because larger dome has 30 meter IR power rating.
 
Ok thanks.
I recall reading about entry placement...there was some discussion on which was better...To place the camera above \ nearer the door facing out to capture people coming to the door vs. hav e camera a little back point toward the door catching someone actually standing there and\or entering.

i'm inclined to consider the former to optimally get front face walking up vs. maybe only top of head\back of head on entry.
Thoughts?
 
Every situation is different, I had mini dome mounted at eye level. If I mounted above door, I would've gotten only a partial view. Now I have Huisun covering my front door 25 feet away zoomed in.
 
25 feet away?
You have it mounted in the yard on a tree looking back or something?
 
No, just on the side
 
I see...that is good placement. Unfortunately I do not have that option.

So I found the mini camera here...It is a fair amount more (AE $177 vs $228 from NewEgg...and even more through Amazon)but maybe my return policy if necessary would be far easier?
It also says: "US Version Updateable" in the description.
Would that mean the firmware would be better \ more stable than what would come straight from China?...Possibly more stable maybe or something to justify the additional cost?

Would it be worth the extra going through a known site like amazon or NewEgg etc. or just a waste of money for the same product?

I notices the 3mp version is quite a bit cheaper on Amazon at only $119 free shipping...is 4mp for this scenario much better?

One of the 4mp listings said 4mm and another said 2.8...which would be best for this close proximity?



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...pGDGDxwwq3ktbIF7lCcooaAmug8P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds


thx
 
I would recommend to visit Hikvision subforum for the questions above, but you do want the widest angle possible which means getting a 2.8mm.
 
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