Outdoor POE Cameras (UK)

[renderriift]

I've been doing some research into what cameras are recommended for BlueIris and it's either outdated or hard to acquire them in the UK.

What I'm looking for:

• 3 x POE Cameras

• Ability to be able to see in the dark

• PTZ would be nice but not a must

• Easy to obtain in the UK

The cameras will be used to monitor the front of the house, side of house and the back garden.

I'm not 100% sure what other details I should be considering but I feel like it's a minefield out there! About 4 years a go I got an all reolink setup which I remember being a pain with BlueIris so would be grateful of any suggestions.

[TimG]

Do you still have the Reolink cameras ? There have been firmware updates to enhance compatibility with BI5, and Pogo knows a thing or two about getting them working too. I don't think they will be very good in the dark, but they can fill in gaps.

I haven't bought any cameras for a few years, but I think I hit the sweet spot with 2MP 1080P cameras as they show well on a TV screen. They are Dahua starlight cameras, and they do indeed see in the dark, with or without IR Leds. I see the constant rush for more MP, but all that does is fill your hard drives faster. All you need to do is identify things or people. I may have a problem replacing them when they fail, but my first one has been working well since 2018. I note that when I was asked for footage by the local Police, they required the original files, so compatibility is key.

I do have the Reolink POE doorbell, and that is rock solid with BI5, although the audio is poor compared to my Dahua drive cam.

Note: I have read elsewhere that this forum is biased towards Dahua cameras. I'm an Engineer. If I find something that works I will buy more of it and tell other people. I have never had a free camera, and I pay for BI5 support annually

[renderriift]

Thanks for getting back to me!

No I don't have the reolink cameras anymore, they'd broken unfortunately.

I'll have a look at some Dahua cameras and see what I can find.

[Pogo]

Amcrest may be another option but they're basically a domestic (US) version of Dahua hardware with less soft features for a more economical price point. Still good cameras but may not be an option in the UK.

You won't go wrong with Dahua if the budget allows.

[renderriift]

Thanks I'll take a look!

TimG mentioned Reolink is better supported now compared to when I first used them. Is there any model in particular I should be looking out for or avoiding?

As I just seem to find loads of Reolink cameras easily available in the UK

[Pogo]

The Reolink cameras are a nice mid-priced product primarily designed with their NVRs in mind as the POE switch/recorder, etc. They integrate well together, but with limitations compared to the flexibility/capabilities of Blue Iris as the central controller/recorder.

That said, the Reolinks have been problematic with Blue Iris in the past, but not nearly to the extent that has been proliferated by the haters influenced by a certain nameless group that still doesn't seem to know about the past several years of firmware and compatibility improvements -- even though Blue Iris has shown very little movement in the same areas regarding certain compatibility aspects that still remain with the BI software..., but can be overcome fairly easily with a little patience.

You could buy three or four 4K Reolinks for the price of one 1080p Dahua, so there certainly is that consideration depending on your actual needs and use case. If money is no object it's Dahua all the way.

And as Tim mentioned, night performance isn't a strong suit for the Reolinks, particularly the earlier 4MP versions. The later versions and the 5MP and 4K cameras do much better with a little tweaking.

The strongest of their current sub $100.00 UHD (4K) offerings is the 811A with motorized zoom and varifocal capabilities along with a serious floodlight and siren if so desired. The 810A is a static version without the bells and whistles and is standard with a 4mm lens which brings things a bit closer but at the expense of a wider field of view..., pretty much their flagship of the 4K line for years, but somewhat dated by today's standards. But if the price is right...

There are some major Reolink bargains out there if you shop, both single camera deals and packages with an NVR. You will NOT find comparable deals on Dahua cameras for very good reason. They're rarely on the used market because they're that good.

But one thing is certain, there will be more than 3 cameras involved sooner than later! If you can acquire a couple Reolinks cheap enough and have an adequate Windows box for a Blue Iris server demo version, go for it and get your feet wet for only a few bucks vs. jumping in whole hog. There are even some great econo-cameras out there that may suit your purpose that also will work wonderfully with Blue Iris.

But one main consideration that should not be overlooked is the quality of the remote access app involved with whatever platform is ultimately chosen. Blue Iris is lacking in that area by most reasonable standards and you will likely be faced with having to integrate a different solution into the mix for remote access to alerts and such. That's where individual camera apps can become a significant consideration in the camera purchase choice.

And finally, you have to want to use Blue Iris for such a fundamental deployment. You could do the same basic thing with tinyCam Pro and a Firestick, but obviously on a much more limited basis. Blue Iris can get involved quickly even when it isn't necessary. There's a learning curve in just determining what you don't need to do even though it may seem like you should anyway!

So there's my Saturday nutshell Reolink rundown.

I hope it provides some additional and useful perspective toward the project at hand.