Newbie here, coming from dreaded Reolink. Educate me

Also,

Could someone smarter than me explain the weaknesses and strengths of the 2MP 1/2.8" vs 4MP 1/1.8" besides the obvious difference in focal length (5-60mm vs 8-32mm)

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That computer would be fine. Other than needing an 8th gen or newer for Win11, a 4th gen can run 50 cameras...

The difference between the Z12E and Z4E (other than the Z12E is 2MP and the Z4E is 4MP) is the focal length.

As I pointed out in the thread I linked, focal length for the distance you want to IDENTIFY is more important than MP.

If you want to IDENTIFY up to 60ish feet, the Z4E is the proper choice. If you want 100 feet, you need the focal length of the Z12E as an optical zoom image of a lower MP will almost always beat a digital zoom of a higher MP camera, especially at double the distance.
 
bigredfish said:
Not a bad kit as they’re all 5442s with the right sensor. I’d do 4 and focus on doorways and immediate entry points and get a feel for what they can do. Then invest in your specialty cameras.

Also brand new models just now coming out that show promise so it may pay to buy a little time
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Thanks for this, maybe I should hold off a bit as I am ok with the current Reolink setup for now and wait for the new models? Do you know a projected release?
 
bigredfish said:
Not a bad kit as they’re all 5442s with the right sensor. I’d do 4 and focus on doorways and immediate entry points and get a feel for what they can do. Then invest in your specialty cameras.

Also brand new models just now coming out that show promise so it may pay to buy a little time
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I assume you a referring to the Empire Autumn sale Oct 6-12?
 
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looney2ns said:
If you are purchasing an NVR, why are you looking at computers?
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I was not aware until this thread that if you run a BI PC then that will hold your recordings. That’s the reason I posted here to try and get more insight on specific things as it got confusing quickly trying to navigate many different threads and posts.
 
CCTVnewbie810 said:
Good info. I just figured if I could get 8th gen for that cheap with decent storage (SSD for OS, HDD for recordings) then $130 seemed pretty fairly priced and future proofed as my BI PC as well as hosting my home assistant.
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8th gen would be perfect. I am actually building a new BI PC. My i5 gen 4 is from 2013. Plus it's running windows 10 which will be unsupported soon. I wouldn't mind running my Home assistant on this new system as well. Right now it's on an Intel NUC which has been great.
 
Keizer said:
8th gen would be perfect. I am actually building a new BI PC. My i5 gen 4 is from 2013. Plus it's running windows 10 which will be unsupported soon. I wouldn't mind running my Home assistant on this new system as well. Right now it's on an Intel NUC which has been great.
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Cool. I think I’ll start with this PC, BI (when available again) and build a test rig to test one varifocal 1/1.8”. Someone earlier mentioned new models coming out soon so it may be smart for me to wait a month or so and see what happens there but I’m excited to get into another “hobby” I don’t have the time for.
 
CCTVnewbie810 said:
Cool. I think I’ll start with this PC, BI (when available again) and build a test rig to test one varifocal 1/1.8”. Someone earlier mentioned new models coming out soon so it may be smart for me to wait a month or so and see what happens there but I’m excited to get into another “hobby” I don’t have the time for.
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Depending on how your current NVR works, it may be possible to run your NVR and BI in parallel, with both systems seeing all of your camera, which will allow you to really compare the two experiences.

If your NVR doesn't "hide" your cameras inside its own private network, then both the NVR and a BI PC can pull video from the cameras. Any decent camera will be fine with two clients pulling video simultaneously.
 
It
TheWaterbug said:
Depending on how your current NVR works, it may be possible to run your NVR and BI in parallel, with both systems seeing all of your camera, which will allow you to really compare the two experiences.

If your NVR doesn't "hide" your cameras inside its own private network, then both the NVR and a BI PC can pull video from the cameras. Any decent camera will be fine with two clients pulling video simultaneously.
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It’s just the Reolink NVR
 
CCTVnewbie810 said:
I assume you a referring to the Empire Autumn sale Oct 6-12?
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Coincidence. Andy does a great job.

The new models are just this week being shipped and received. As a hobbyist since 2012 I’ve learned the hard way to wait a bit until others can adequately test and demonstrate new cameras pros and cons.

To be clear, Andy Empire Tech, sells Dahua gear rebranded for distribution purposes.
 
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