Need help building a home security system

Wylis_Hodor

Wylis_Hodor

n3wb
Apr 29, 2018
7
1
South Florida
Need help building a home security camera setup

I have a dedicated PC, so I need a POE NVR that has at least 8 channels, 2 IP cameras that are PTZ with audio, 2 (varifocal?) cameras with audio (preferred, but can live without it) that can identify license plates and faces from 50 feet and have very good night vision. My budget is $1000.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


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Your needs are not realistic. A PTZ with audio is not a good idea since all you'll hear is the whir of the motors in the PTZ. A good PTZ camera starts around $350 and gos up from there depending on zoom level and sensor. Reading a license plate at night takes a dedicated camera that will do nothing else. The shutter and exposure settings are tricky and all you'll see at night is a dark screen with a license plate and either head or tail lights. Rather than an NVR consider a PoE switch and use Blue Iris on the dedicated PC.

Read the information in the Wiki, in the blue bar, at the top of the page. Pay particular attention to the Cliff Notes in there. The Cliff Notes contain a lot of specific information regarding cameras, lens choices and night vision capabilities. Read them on a real computer, not a smart phone. Do not try to cover too much area with one camera. Generally, you want to know who did something, not just what happened. Keep in mind that what you see in movies and on TV is a result of the special effects department, multiple cameras and editing, and does not reflect real world conditions.
 
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Hi @Wylis_Hodor!

Being able to identify license plates at night is a mix of art and science (which all seems like magic to me)... the subject (LPR) has its own sub-forum on the site here, so check that out when you get a chance. It seems like the Dahua IPC-HFW5231E-Z12 is a popular camera for that because its strong varifocal lens can allow it to snag plates from a good distance away. This model should do well for snagging faces from 50ft away too. The two most popular varifocal turrets (Dahua Starlight 2231 / 5231) are maxed out at 50ft and are probably not the best choice for a location that needs to see that far.

What was your use case for PTZs? I ask because they don't seem to auto-track well for most, so if that was the use case, you'd probably be better served with regular cameras.

Spend some time paying on IPVM Camera Calculator V3 ... it should let you pull up a Google Map image of your house, place up to three cameras on the map, then see a simulated view of the image quality. Great way to get a feel for how suggested camera models will likely perform.
 
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You are watching to much TV, that is not the real world of IP cameras.

Please read the cliff notes in the wiki. The wiki is in the blue bar at the top of the page.

Cameras are not a security system, they tell you what happened and who did it (if you are lucky).
Get a monitored alarm systems.

Use multiple cameras in place of the PTZ cameras, the general rule of thumb is a PTZ will be looking at the wrong thing when the event happens.

You may not have enough cameras, Provide a drawing of the layout of you house. I have two cameras on every door and two on the garage.
 
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Hi Aristobrat - Thank you very much for your help and advice. It may sound ridiculous, but the reason for the PTZ is because we like to zoom in around our back yard watching birds / dogs / cats. I really like the Dahua IPC-HFW5231E-Z12. I read the cliff notes and wiki, but kinda wondered if there was anything else newer out there because some of cameras +2 years old.
 
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Wylis_Hodor said:
Hi Aristobrat - Thank you very much for your help and advice. It may sound ridiculous, but the reason for the PTZ is because we like to zoom in around our back yard watching birds / dogs / cats. I really like the Dahua IPC-HFW5231E-Z12. I read the cliff notes and wiki, but kinda wondered if there was anything else newer out there because some of cameras +2 years old.
Click to expand...

I have two PTZ's pulling the same duty as you plan.

The 5231 series is still the king at night time.

PTZ Dahua 2MP 25x Starlight IR PTZ Network Camera (SD49225T-HN)
Most PTZ's don't include a mic, so you would need to add one.
This one works well, just mount it away from the PTZ or you will pickup a lot of the cams motor noise.
Bullet Mic Review | IP Cam Talk
 
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Wylis_Hodor said:
Need help building a home security camera setup

I have a dedicated PC, so I need a POE NVR that has at least 8 channels, 2 IP cameras that are PTZ with audio, 2 (varifocal?) cameras with audio (preferred, but can live without it) that can identify license plates and faces from 50 feet and have very good night vision. My budget is $1000.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Dahua Starlight IPC-HDW5231R-ZE 800 meter capable ePOE | IP Cam Talk
This has same sensor, few less features and no audio. But $50 cheaper.
Review-dahua-ipc-hdw2231rp-zs-starlight-camera-varifocal
 
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Wylis_Hodor said:
kinda wondered if there was anything else newer out there because some of cameras +2 years old.
Click to expand...
IMO, Dahua has taken the existing tech and used it in less-expensive models. They added the "Lite H.265 Series", which include the 2231 model @looney2ns mentioned above. The 2MP models use the same 1/2.8" Sony STARVIS image sensor so the low-light image quality is virtually the same, but they don't include a microphone and have a few other changes that make them less expensive. They also have new 4K models (1831/2831) that are getting closer to 2MP Starlight low-light image quality, but still have a way to go (based on the reviews here).

In terms of new tech, Dahua just announced a new Eco-savvy 4.0 AI series(Pro AI) series. A bunch of these cameras have specs that show they use new sensors, a few that look to have better low-light specs than the 2MP Starlights that have been so popular here. Haven't seen pricing on these yet, but since they also have a new AI feature that's supposed to help identify people and vehicles more accurately, these aren't likely to be cheaper than the 2MP Starlights. I'm very anxious to see how these perform. I think June is the first anyone here can get their hands on them.
 
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aristobrat said:
In terms of new tech, Dahua just announced a new Eco-savvy 4.0 AI series(Pro AI) series. A bunch of these cameras have specs that show they use new sensors, a few that look to have better low-light specs than the 2MP Starlights that have been so popular here. Haven't seen pricing on these yet, but since they also have a new AI feature that's supposed to help identify people and vehicles more accurately, these aren't likely to be cheaper than the 2MP Starlights. I'm very anxious to see how these perform. I think June is the first anyone here can get their hands on them.
Click to expand...

I expect that the newer 8mp will outperform (or at least match) the starlights at night. Larger sensor, better glass, faster glass. I have the varifocal turret on order but won't see it for several weeks.
 
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dmiller said:
I have the varifocal turret on order but won't see it for several weeks.
Click to expand...
Is this HDCVI? I didn't see a newer 4K varifocal turret in their IP lineup, but their website can be weird so I might be missing it.
 
dmiller said:
This one seems to have the newest sensor: 4K IR Vari-focal ePoE Eyeball – Dahua North America
Click to expand...
Interesting, is Dahua North America really calling that sensor new? Grrrr That model camera you're looking at goes by '5831', which folks here have been ordering from Dahua International (through Andy, @EMPIRETECANDY) for the last two years or so.

There are a few review threads on that model if you want to read more. General consensus is that it's better in low-light than the older 8MP 1/3" sensors, but it's not in the same ball park as the Starlights.

The newest Dahua 4K/8MP cameras that folks here have been getting from the international lineup are the 1831/2831 models (minus the PIR model). They use an even bigger 4K/8MP 1/1.8" sensor. There are two review threads going for these models, and it seems to be while they're better than the 4K/8MP 1/2.5" sensor in low-light, they're still not to Starlight image quality yet.

Using the 1/30s "minimum illumination" specs to compare the sensors, they shake out like this:
2MP 1/2.8": 0.05 Lux
8MP 1/1.8": 0.09 Lux
8MP 1/2.5": 0.20 Lux
 
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aristobrat said:
The newest Dahua 4K/8MP cameras that folks here have been getting from the international lineup are the 1831/2831 models (minus the PIR model).
Click to expand...

Thanks. I also have the 2831 on order as well as one of the Dahua "night color" cameras with the F1.0 lens. I'm going to be experimenting with landscape lighting to see if I can get night color and/or better facial recognition at night.
 
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