Settings for Best Night Performance

Ron Parker

n3wb
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I am at the low end of the spectrum here. So, please don't holler at me. I have a couple of cameras on my garage facing an alley. I do not go with the recommended higher end / better cameras because it is just too easy for them to be stolen/damaged. I live in a neighborhood where, unfortunately, there are some people who wouldn't think twice about that. But, I have the cameras to be able to at least have some idea what has happened, and by whom. They have been used mostly in the past to report dumping (people come along and fill our trash bin up with stuff they are too lazy to dispose of legally themselves).

I started with WyzeCams because they were relatively inexpensive, turnkey and had that cool night vision. Of course, I realized over time that wifi is terrible for surveillance, and colorful night vision doesn't = being able to see important details.

So, I hunted around for an alternative, and found some a 5MP POE IP cam with day vision that exceeded WyzeCams and night vision that came close. 35.5US $ 42% OFF|Small Outdoor Mini IR IP POE Cameras Night Vision IPC Wide Angle Audio Video Security Camera Surveillance P2P Onvif Bird Cage|Surveillance Cameras| - AliExpress

It's cheap, but during the day I get incredible resolution, and can pick up the license plates of parked or slow moving vehicles. At night, of course, I run smack dab into the issues discussed in this brilliant post: What is a decent IP cam for my budget?

I know there are a lot of very knowledgeable people here who know cameras inside out, and will immediately recommend that I purchase something better. Agreed. But, my question is, can I improve the resolution on the camera I already have through settings?

Here is are photos of a car parked in front of the building next door. One is the normal view, and 2nd is a view zoomed in (using Blue Iris) to try and make out the license plate.

2022-03-14_22-31-04.png

2022-03-14_22-29-55.png

As you can see, I just need a little bit more clarity / resolution and a way to get past those bright lights. Here are the settings available to me:

ip camera settings 2022-03-14_22-31-54.png

ip camera image settings 2022-03-14_22-34-04.png

So, my question is, is there a way to play around with these settings to get a better resolution from images like the ones above?

I have also attached a couple of videos showing what options are available from the pulldowns in the settings.

Thanks for any assistance. Yes, I know better cameras would help, but the ones I have now actually work for my needs. Just trying to see if I can push the envelope on them a bit further.
 

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wittaj

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The camera may or may not adhere to your manual settings, but try this:

Mainstream

6177 bitrate
15 FPS
Key frame 15
CBR

Substream
15 FPS
Key frame 15
CBR

Looks like you cannot adjust shutter/exposure?
 

Ron Parker

n3wb
Joined
Dec 15, 2018
Messages
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Reaction score
10
Location
Gardena, CA
The camera may or may not adhere to your manual settings, but try this:

Mainstream

6177 bitrate
15 FPS
Key frame 15
CBR

Substream
15 FPS
Key frame 15
CBR

Looks like you cannot adjust shutter/exposure?
No, can't adjust shutter/exposure. I'll try these other settings though. Thanks!
 
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