Cameras for home

General discussion about Blue Iris
Mark
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Cameras for home

Post by Mark »

Hello, everyone! Can you tell me which cameras are better for home? I want them to be able to record both night and day. I want the camera to react to movement and start recording. And to be able to see the image on the phone.
Please tell me which ones do you use?
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TimG
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by TimG »

You don't say internal or external, and it matters. Please note that BI5 will need a powerful pc to be powered up 24/7.

According to Reddit, this forum favours Dahua cameras, and we have some secret deal with them. Sorry to burst that bubble, but I am a home user with no financial ties to anything but my actual day job. I'm an Engineer, and I have an opinion based on what I have seen with my cameras. All purchased at normal price and no gifts "for a good review".

With that out of the way, I have found Dahua cameras do work well with BI5, and the Starlight cameras can see in the dark, even without IR Leds. Reolink will give you years of wondering why something doesn't quite work but will make your life interesting. I don't have other makes, so I can't comment on them.

I was lucky my first proper camera was a Dahua Starlight, as it showed me the previous cameras were toys that could only be used in daylight. Not much use when the people you are looking for are hiding in the dark. Check specifications for low light levels.
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Mark
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by Mark »

Thank you for your response!
The cameras will be located in the house.
And one more important point, I would not want the cameras to record 24/7, but only when I am not at home. Is it possible to set up the cameras in this way?
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TimG
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by TimG »

BI5 has geofencing, so I think you could do that. Does anybody here use it who can explain more ?
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TimG
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by TimG »

I want the camera to react to movement and start recording. And to be able to see the image on the phone.
BI5 does all of that for you on the Windows PC, but it is a technical program to learn and use. Simple cameras will suffice. You don't mention a budget so I don't know what you are expecting this to cost. To start with you need the Windows pc and Blue Iris.

Blue Iris works with ONVIF or RTSP capable cameras, so you need to be looking for those unless somebody tells you a particular model. If they don't mention ONVIF or RTSP they are unlikely to work with BI5 or any other 3rd party NVR software.

A few basic ground rules:

1. PTZ's are nice to have but can miss the action (Think Hollywood movies - wait for the camera to pan one way, and run past it unseen) and so you are better off with more fixed cameras.
2. Wired (ethernet) cameras are preferred, as wifi can drop out or even be blocked by malicious actions.
3. You don't need high mega pixel cameras indoors. If your TV is 1920 HD, then a 2MP camera will be fine.
4. Many cheap indoor PTZ's are not really Z = zoom. They use "digital zoom" which simply means it stretches the picture.
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broachoski
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by broachoski »

TimG posted some good tips there. Another option for cameras is Amcrest. They are made by Dahua but more budget friendly. Their IP5M-T1179EW-xxxx is not bad and the night vision is not bad with IR. Comes in 2 focal lengths, 2.8 and 3.6mm. They also have inexpensive wifi/ethernet PTZ cameras, model IP2M-841. Both the above run in the $50.us range.
Wired POE is much more reliable compared to WIFI which realy put a strain on the system and frequently cause signal loss. I am not pushing Amcrest, just have a few and have had good luck with them. I would stay away from their ASHxx series as have heard they do not work well with Blueiris.
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TimG
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by TimG »

And so another Reddit rumour is started :lol:
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Mark
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by Mark »

Thank you guys, you helped me a lot!
MikeBwca
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by MikeBwca »

TimG wrote: Tue Jul 25, 2023 6:30 am ...
I was lucky my first proper camera was a Dahua Starlight, as it showed me the previous cameras were toys that could only be used in daylight. Not much use when the people you are looking for are hiding in the dark. Check specifications for low light levels.
TimG,

Can list the Dahua Starlight camera(s) you have?

I've been trying to find a wide field of view 150- 180 degree with a high horizontal fov. A 4:3 would be perfect. Or, a 360 fisheye, that has Starlight. Can't find one that fits my needs. Been staying away from the no-brank generics, and researching name brands... Dahua, HikVision, TP-Link...

I've found some 180.Panoramic cameras. But, the horizontal fov is terrible at 47 degrees. A 360 would serve me better.
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TimG
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Re: Cameras for home

Post by TimG »

They are all 2MP 1080/1920P cameras from a few years ago. I have one HDW5231R-ZE varifocal and a box of nine 22204GN-UE PTZ's, four of which are now in use. Awesome in the dark, and even the PTZ's - which don't have IR LEDs - are sensitive to IR from other cameras.

Any newer camera would have to be more sensitive in the dark to open my wallet :lol:
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