PTZ Camera for Farm Environment

[Defcon]

I've been asked to kit out a farm here in the UK and the guy is after a mixture of static and the addition of one ptz camera to cover three areas of a shed he wants it in. I would prefer to use a few static cameras but they want a ptz. Conditions are damp with temperatures dropping to -10.

I haven't touched ptz cameras so I am out of my depth so hence why asking here. I stick to static cameras using Hikvision stuff like the DS-2CD2342WD-I turrets etc.

I am open to other brands for the ptz but I am up for trying other turrets like the Dahua mentioned a lot but I don't know if it's available in the UK or a model similar is. I have a lot of posts to read up on here first regarding the Dahua's.

As long as one app can view and work the static & ptz camera, I will be happy.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[Kawboy12R]

I'd suggest two static cameras plus the PTZ parked on the third area of the shed they want covered. That way they get 100% coverage plus the PTZ to play with when they want to pan around live. If you're comfortable with Hiks but like what you hear of the Dahua then mix and match 'em. I use Blue Iris for recording and remote app so mixing isn't a problem for me. I often have 3 or 4 brands running at once. You might want to do more research into running your particular Dahua PTZ on the particular model of Hik NVR if you're leaning the NVR way to make sure all of the motion recording and PTZ stuff you're interested in will get controlled properly.

 

[hiky]

a few things to think about and apologies for probably saying something similar to Kawboy

2342`s are great BUT at night a little limited especially in an open space environment which a farm may offer
IF you are going to use an NVR make the cameras a single brand to match the NVR, mixing and matching cameras with a NVR will give issues and potentially make troubleshooting less obvious
IF using BI then as Kawboy says mixing cameras is not such an issue as BI dosent much care what make you use

Turrets will be the best either Dahua or Hikvision, i have found in the Uk the Dahuas seem to be more expensive than Hiks IF buying from an authorized seller which tbh i will only buy from, not sure why maybe just down to then being new to the Uk from official sources

DO think about night time lighting to help the turrets out, either extra IR or extra LED`s do not hold back on the lighting either, if you cant do it get a sparky in to help it will be the best thing you did as your farmer is going to be well pissed if you end up with crappy night time footage

IF your farmer is not a Pc user then you need to go down the NVR route with the accompanying phone/tablet app, i can only speak about the Hikvision app for ALL mobile devices and it is perfect and always works as long as there is good phone signal, 3g minimal if no wifi

BUT as Kawboy has made me realize, add as much light as humanly possible, more lighting means you may be able to run in day mode at night but even if not the better the lighting the better the image

and do take into consideration lens lengths for the given targets

Also do not mount too high unless overseeing a large area as a general view, head tops are not good for IDing people

 

[Defcon]

Thanks for the replies guys. An nvr is not required as the cameras are only used for animal monitoring. Yard security isn't on the agenda but I expect that to be discussed down the line.

Spoke to the chap this morning and he is still on about a ptz. Anyone any suggestions for one? Spotted a few company's ads in the papers selling farm cameras etc and they had the Hikvision DS-2DE4120I-D listed as a popular ptz they install.

 

[Kawboy12R]

For indoor use checking cows that should be fine as long as it wasn't more money than, say, one of these- DAHUA 2Mp Full HD 20x Network IR PTZ Dome Camera IP66 Original English Version without Logo SD59220T HN-in Surveillance Cameras from Security & Protection on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

That Hik's a 1.3mp. Lots of links still sell that Hik for more money than you can get one of the 2mp black face Dahuas for.

No mention of Internet speed yet or whether or not it'll be viewed a lot from off the farm yet. No need for big megapixels if they've got crappy upload speeds and low data caps and will end up viewing the substream all the time remotely anyway. Calculate viewing hours, bitrates, and data usage costs. If it's on-farm over a LAN all or most of the time then crank 'em up.

 

[Defcon]

The cameras will be operated within the lan network. They are on a fiber unlimited internet connection so the ability to remote view will need to be an option. Won't be used much but there if needed so I will be getting them a fixed IP or a dynamic DNS.

Viewing will be from iPads & phones and maybe a Windows PC.

 

[Kawboy12R]

I'd then ask the farmer what kind of data he wants from the PTZ. Is he going to be trying to read ear tags or display readouts from 100 stalls way or just counting head and saying "yep, still have 6 cows in there and George is sleeping in the corner instead of mucking stalls." Some farmers dedicate cameras to bin moisture sensor readouts, thermostat temperatures, watering trough levels, check water pressure, etc. A PTZ might be able to accomplish multiple tasks depending on the barn and FOV.

 

[Defcon]

It's basically for cow calving and general watching for a fallen cow that slipped and got hurt or something out of the ordinary.

Nothing over the top. It's the option of being able to move the camera around the shed and zoom in and out that excites them. Like giving a kid a new toy.

 

[Kawboy12R]

Then anything will make them happy. Pick a cheap Hik because you'll be most familiar with the interface. The one you picked should be fine and available with some heavy discounts over original retail.